SMS Verification. This issue won't go away for many of us.
[QUOTE=Danibbler;2012390]...it is just a bit too revealing for my tastes. (Maybe I will get a SIM card at the airport.).[/QUOTE]That was exactly my point as well, although in my case authorities do in theory have real time access / monitoring of my sms even when traveling. That's not however my point. It is about privacy. Renting another phone seems to be the only available option to those of us that are bothered by this move, but why should I need to? On my last trip to BKK I expressly avoided using Smooci and booked companions without them. I'm not a techie and I just don't get the point. As I said in previous posts, the previous system worked well for ME. And I guess that's the point. It's not really meant to improve our experience but instead to further automate the process for the agencies and developers to make their lives easier. I can see I guess a need to address the independents that are not represented by an agency and perhaps that is the real driver. But is there another way?
Perhaps it would help those of us struggling on this point if SmoociApp explains in plain English why exactly this helps reduce fake bookings. I'm also not bothered by waiting an extra 10 min and I never found the real time tracking off or wished I knew 1-2 minutes earlier if my companion was at this intersection vs that intersection while en route.
To take a different tact, why couldn't the 'fake bookings' be reduced or eliminated equally well, if not better by, let's say, a registered user program. Perhaps we register via email and have the option to log in when making a booking. If you don't log in then you have the sms verification process but not if you're 'known' to smooci. Just a thought. I don't like that either but better.