what's the 3 network like

2

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  • d18set
    d18set Posts: 87 Forumite
    I've had a 3 phone for the last 3-4 years and have found both the coverage and service excellent. Am now leaving them but only because I want an iPhone and certainly nothing to do with their network/serivce.
  • I had a Three contract for 1 year back in 2005 After a few years of Orange PAYG, it was my first contract and I found the service and coverage to be excellent. I didn't have to call their customer services throughout the 12 months, but I was disappointed when I finally did deal with them at renewal. They did seem to be based abroad (which I'm afraid does make communication difficult) were not particularly helpful or friendly, and made no attempt to retain my custom.

    I have just left O2 after 3 years for the same reason - several good offers back to back, but now their best "retention" deal is 3 times more than I am paying them now! So I have shopped around and found the best deal for me is with the Three network again. I have read the mixed experiences on this forum but am happy to give Three a go again. I think that if you open up a thread asking "Are Three all they are cracked up to be?" then you are going to get a flood of negative replies.

    Just my opinion!
  • thanks for all your help. interesting stuff
  • if you just want a value for money tarriff and never and i mean NEVER need to contact customer services then give it a try ive just left them because of cs and nothing else.
  • had 3 since 2005 not any worse than the other networks except sometimes inside the houses loses reception- but so do the rest of networks.
    price wise, even if o2 built a mast specially for my phone, i wouldnt subscribe to their 45 + tarifs
  • ACDeag
    ACDeag Posts: 742
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    waterman3 wrote: »
    hey all,

    I've seen a new mobile i fancy but it's only on the 3 network. I've heard a few bad things about them and wondered what people's experiences were.

    I've been on the 3 coverage checker and it just gives a very generic blurb.

    any help would be appreciated.

    G

    3's back up network is Orange so if you can't get a signal from either of these 3 is not for you. I had them for 18 months and their service was always good. Customer services was excellent, only left for the iPhone.
  • Money_maker
    Money_maker Posts: 5,471
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    Good coverage (south east) and tariff. However, spent 15 minutes speaking to India yesterday, apparently I cant top up my sons phone by debit card as it needs to be in his name to use it on this phone (he's 14!). Now having to wait for new sim in my name to be able to use a debit card over the phone. Dont have this hassle with tesco.

    Cant change again as he wants skype.
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  • olly300
    olly300 Posts: 14,736
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    With 3 if everything is fine and you don't need to contact their customer service then you are ok, if you do then you find yourself going through a living hell.

    In short their customer service is dire as:
    1. They credit checked me twice for an address I didn't live at
    2. They tried to charge me for a mobile phone I didn't receive even though their terms and conditions state they can't charge you unless you have received the phone. Only you can sign to receive your phone.
    3. When I tried to sort the issue out they transferred me from department to department, then closed the issue each time.
    4. They sent debt collecting letters for a second mobile phone which their contract clearly stated I didn't have to pay for if I didn't receive, and I had already told them about over the telephone and by sending recorded delivery letters.
    5. A call centre operator threatened me with debt collectors and court action when I refused to accept a second mobile phone. (I already have 2 phones on different networks.)
    6. When I told another 2 call centre operators that I would like to deal with my query in writing because the notes that they recorded where not an accurate picture of what was said and I ended the call, one of them phoned me back 3 times and the other twice. I subsequently got did a DSAR to see which proved that they were misrepresenting what I said.
    7. They don't answer letters or emails properly instead they tell you to ring them.
    8. They ring you back and hang up instead of dealing with your call to pretend you were not there even though you are in an open plan office with 6 colleagues who can see them doing this more than once.

    In the end I reported them to two regulators and threaten them with court action due to wasting my time, before they apologised and backed down.

    I have had a few minor problems with some other mobile operators however their customer service actually tried to deal with the issues instead of giving me the run around and threatening me.
    I'm not cynical I'm realistic :p

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  • dehaani
    dehaani Posts: 604 Forumite
    I used to sell mobile broadband contracts in Currys, 3 was our biggest earner and had the most prominent deals so admittedly was selling twice as many units as the other networks put together.

    3 was also the biggest pain for us, the number of complaints and cancellations was ridiculous. I left Currys a year ago so things may have changed since then.

    I'd estimate that we dealt with network service and coverage complaints for as many as 50% of our 3 sales, most of them within 14 days of the sale and invoking a cancellation. Of all the other networks, I can only recall two complaints and they were for technical glitches on T-Mobile's dongles. The T-Mobile complaints were resolved after a quick phone call to activate the equipment on the network.
  • Oneday77
    Oneday77 Posts: 1,242
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    I am in my 2nd year of using 3 and yes their CS sucks. However if you are prepared to have a bit of a struggle when you have an issue they do tend to be the best bundle deals.
    Their Chief Executive is based in the UK so complaints addressed to his department tend to get the best service but will only be entertained if the normal procedures fail.
    As for coverage I do find it poorish at times in some buildings but I also find it very phone specific. A Sony W850i full reception, Nokia 6500slide zero reception only 2" apart in the open air.
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