# OPS-078 — HELP is answered whoever asks

> A HELP request must always produce a response, whether or not the sender is currently subscribed and whether or not the programme is a subscription.

- **Rule ID:** OPS-078
- **Layer:** Operational (`OPERATIONAL`)
- **Checks:** `HELP keyword handler`
- **Severity:** BLOCKING — Breaking this rule gets the submission rejected outright.
- **When it bites:** Falls due after approval, once you are live and sending
- **How it is detected:** Not knowable before submission — reported with its deadline
- **Fix type:** Wait on an external system or a required interval
- **Required by:** CTIA, MMA, Aerialink
- **Applies:** Applies to every 10DLC registration.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/operational/ops-078/

## Why this rule exists

The people most in need of a HELP response are the ones who are not subscribers: somebody who received a message meant for a previous holder of their number, or who cannot tell what the programme is. A handler that only answers known subscribers leaves exactly those people with silence and a number they cannot identify, which converts a fixable confusion into a carrier complaint.

## How to fix it

Answer HELP from the number that received it, without looking the sender up first. Done when HELP sent from a number that never subscribed still returns the brand name and a support route.

## Example of a compliant value

```text
Acme Coffee: for help, email support@acmecoffee.com or call 415-555-0134. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
```

## Check this yourself

**Does HELP sent from a number that never subscribed still return the brand name and a support route?**

1. Test the unsubscribed case: send HELP from a number that is not on the list.
2. Confirm the handler answers from the number that received it, without looking the sender up first.

*What wrong looks like:* The people most in need of a HELP reply are the ones who are not subscribers — someone who got a message meant for a previous holder of their number. Silence turns a fixable confusion into a carrier complaint.

## Notes

Absorbs OPS-082, the same duty stated for customer-care requests generally. Not observable before traffic. What the user has to test is the unsubscribed case: send HELP from a number that is not on the list and confirm a reply comes back.