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3 (Three) Mobile Broadband USB Review - UK
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cristinakaren
Posts: 23 Forumite
I just wanted to share a warning about our experience with the 3 mobile broadband key.
We took out the contract in London where the key was fairly slow but did work. I
asked the 3 rep prior to signing up for the service that I would be moving to Hove in a few weeks. He said that this would work which confirmed what the coverage checker on the website said. On the day I arrive in Hove it turns out that 3 don't cover this area. The result is that I'm stuck with a £15 a month contract for another 21 months for something that is worthless. 3 are refusing to budge even though I was promised that it would work. The problem is that the trial period was only valid whilst I was in London. Again, I tried going back to the fact that the 3 rep (and their website) claim that you can receive basic coverage at my new address in Hove.
I don't have any issues with mobile coverage in the flat I'm in at Hove (with Orange and Vodaphone). I'm assuming 3 just don't cover this location even though they claim to! Even more annoying is that there is an advisement board on Hove high street advertising their roaming service - yet just around the corner it doesn’t work. Amusingly I was told by a technical representative that 3 were planning to install a new mast on my road in Sept 2008! Not too useful to me right now.
How can companies get away with this? You pay for an expected level of service yet they squirm and point to the small print when things don't actually work as they are supposed to. To even get to speak to a manager it took 4 phone calls to log the same problem and then a 1 week wait. Quite disgusting service.
I would stay well clear and choose a provider with better coverage. Please spread the word about this. I can only assume that more people will go through the same problems with 3 and their broadband USB keys. The more of us that can build a case the better. Hopefully we could force them to own up and admit that they were wrong to claim that their wireless coverage would work in my area.
Kind Regards
Karen Cristina
We took out the contract in London where the key was fairly slow but did work. I
asked the 3 rep prior to signing up for the service that I would be moving to Hove in a few weeks. He said that this would work which confirmed what the coverage checker on the website said. On the day I arrive in Hove it turns out that 3 don't cover this area. The result is that I'm stuck with a £15 a month contract for another 21 months for something that is worthless. 3 are refusing to budge even though I was promised that it would work. The problem is that the trial period was only valid whilst I was in London. Again, I tried going back to the fact that the 3 rep (and their website) claim that you can receive basic coverage at my new address in Hove.
I don't have any issues with mobile coverage in the flat I'm in at Hove (with Orange and Vodaphone). I'm assuming 3 just don't cover this location even though they claim to! Even more annoying is that there is an advisement board on Hove high street advertising their roaming service - yet just around the corner it doesn’t work. Amusingly I was told by a technical representative that 3 were planning to install a new mast on my road in Sept 2008! Not too useful to me right now.
How can companies get away with this? You pay for an expected level of service yet they squirm and point to the small print when things don't actually work as they are supposed to. To even get to speak to a manager it took 4 phone calls to log the same problem and then a 1 week wait. Quite disgusting service.
I would stay well clear and choose a provider with better coverage. Please spread the word about this. I can only assume that more people will go through the same problems with 3 and their broadband USB keys. The more of us that can build a case the better. Hopefully we could force them to own up and admit that they were wrong to claim that their wireless coverage would work in my area.
Kind Regards
Karen Cristina
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Comments
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I've got that about 2 weeks ago. It works fine where I live!0
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my brother had a similar problem in gosport. He went to the shop and they said yep it would work, i checked on the coverage map online and it said he would get signal so he buys it and nada, nothing can not get anything at all in his flat.
They did take it back for him as he was still in the 3 day cancellation period, but the coverage map is a lot of carp!!
I would keep fighting and fighting this one. I wish you all the luck with it. xx0 -
are u getting no coverage at all ?
if you goto various points in hove, make notes and you get no service or a very jittery service i would cancel your direct debit with three and send a recorded deleivery letter to them stating that they are in breach of the contract for them to provide you with a usable service
dont pay them thats simple0 -
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Thank you for all your supportive comments. I did think about just cancelling the direct debit but would be worried about that having a negative impact on my credit record. Would this be the case? Has anybody else had any experience of this?
Thanks once again.
ps. If you are a member of Digg you might like to further promote this topic - http://digg.com/hardware/Warning_about_3_Mobile_Broadband_UK_Coverage
pps - I'm happy to hear that 3 mobile internet coverage is working for you uktim29.0 -
I wouldn't advocate just cancelling the DD without notice, but I certainly think that if you write to them stating that as far as you are concerned they are in breach of their contract and if they do not remedy it within 21 days you will not be making any more payments to them. Send it recorded or special delivery and they won't be able to claim that you have failed to notify them, and at least it should make them address the issue.0
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Slightly off topic, but would anyone happen to have the code that is required to order Three's mobile broadband on the student (£50 off) offer they have on their front page at the moment? They're touring a number of universities, you have to visit them to get the code, but they aren't coming to mine unfortunately!
Thanks0 -
Hey Cristinakaren, unfortunately I have a similar problem to yours... 3 mobile broadband is quite a bad service and I have been trying to cancel it for a month now. I bought it at the Carphone Warehouse and so I sent them a recorder delivery letter asking them if they could do anything to cancel the service... I also called 3 and they told if I wanted to cancel I would have to pay £ 500!!!! I think that is absolutely insane... KILL BILL, I have thought about not sending them any more money but what could happen if I did that? Does anyone know if there is some kind of loophole to cancelling mobile broadband?
Plus I went over my monthly usage allowance and they charged me 67 pounds for half a gygabyte!!!!0 -
cristinam87 wrote: »
Plus I went over my monthly usage allowance and they charged me 67 pounds for half a gygabyte!!!!
You went over your allowance by half a GB on mobile broadband? :eek:
The out of allowance charge is 10p per MB (£100 per GB)! and very clearly stated on the website0 -
Well, this is the problem, when I was sold the contract, the staff didn't explain everything to me and I think it's crap that if you go over you pay so much! It just goes to show you can't trust anyone anymore... anyways, does anyone have any idea as to how I can cancel this contract?
And I understand that is says it on the website but I still think it isn't fair...0
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