We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

3 is the cheapest, but is it best

Options
1136137139141142208

Comments

  • Spikey_2
    Spikey_2 Posts: 14,119 Forumite
    Hi Guys,

    Need your opinion....on a 3 retention deal...... contract expires on 16th October 2009.

    I've been offered -

    A Sony C903.
    Unlimited text,
    Unlimited net,
    1100 xnet minutes,
    300 3-3 mins
    free voicemail,
    skype etc etc

    for £24.50 Inc Vat.

    18 month contract.

    what do you guys think?

    1. accept?
    2. cancel & get PAC code
    3. cancel get code and rethink?
    4. cancel get code and ring back or wait for them to ring back with better offer?

    Thanks.

    direct replies on here or by PM appreciated.

    Thanks

    Spikeyseparator.gif

    ps... are there any other great offers from the other networks that anyone knows of? Thanks
    Use your judgement, and above all, be honest with yourself. :)
    I walk with the world & the world walks with me!
    I don't make bad choices!!! Other people just fail to see my GENIUS !!!! :D
  • chokri10
    chokri10 Posts: 41 Forumite
    edited 15 September 2009 at 5:03PM
    Are you happy with three?
    I would not touch them myself as i had no end of problems when i took out a deal like this,
    i was told that i would have 500 mins 300 text on per second billing, however they changed my per second billing to per minute so when i got answer phone i paid a minute for it !! it was written in the small print apparently!
    i think i was tricked as i would not have signed up in the first place for per minute with them any way, so check the small print because they cheat and change what you thought you had half way through your contract!
    that was just one of many problem's plus they are a nightmare to deal with should anything go wrong or they change what you think you were going to actually recieve from them.
    if you type best mobile contracts on google search, when on the web site there you can put any combination into the search engine including type of phone i found the sony c903 cyber shot with mobiles.co.uk for

    1200 mins
    unlimited text
    on orange need to check for skype and all but it was only £18.96 on the first page but when i clicked purchase it said it was £15 per month this was with 500mb of download included! i guess 15% vat = the extra £3.96 no calculator with me!
    unlimited internet add on is usually £5 per month

    this was including 17 months half price line rental with i guess a voucher you send back but not sure if it was you will need to check, however i did do this once and i got all my money without any problems but you must send your form in on time every time!
    check it out and let me know if you continued with the dreaded three
  • gromituk
    gromituk Posts: 3,087 Forumite
    All the networks impose a minimum charge of a minute now - one of them did it and they all fell like dominoes. It's not surprising that they make it very difficult for you to switch off voicemail because it is just a cash cow.

    The problem with cashback providers is that if they go bust, you have to continue with the original contract, you don't get the cashback, and there's nothing you can do about it.
    Time is an illusion - lunch time doubly so.
  • chokri10
    chokri10 Posts: 41 Forumite
    edited 15 September 2009 at 5:45PM
    gromituk wrote: »
    All the networks impose a minimum charge of a minute now - one of them did it and they all fell like dominoes. It's not surprising that they make it very difficult for you to switch off voicemail because it is just a cash cow.

    The problem with cashback providers is that if they go bust, you have to continue with the original contract, you don't get the cashback, and there's nothing you can do about it.
    yes you are exactly right there ! they told me that they were one of the last to change to per minute but i signed up for per second and they changed my contact mid term thats what i did not like ! reason being if it was at the start of the next contract i would not have signed up again for another 18 months! but getting me to sign and then changing the contract mid term i thought that was underhand especially as i could do nothing about it !!
    i was worried about cash back but had no problems my self when i did do it, although you have to pay full contract price for 3 or 6 months to then get your money back,
    I thought that they had been stopped?
    they hope that people will forget to post the form to them and i know that once you miss one claim you are unable to claim future check backs aswell!!!!!!! that is how they make money i pressume?
  • gromituk
    gromituk Posts: 3,087 Forumite
    I think you would have been able to get out of your contract as it was a material change.

    Yes, the cashback companies hope you will forget and play various dirty tricks like claiming your bills didn't arrive if you don't send them recorded delivery.
    Time is an illusion - lunch time doubly so.
  • gromituk wrote: »
    I think you would have been able to get out of your contract as it was a material change.

    Yes, the cashback companies hope you will forget and play various dirty tricks like claiming your bills didn't arrive if you don't send them recorded delivery.
    this is one of the things three mobile do !

    they must not be trusted !!!!!!!!

    When i renewed my contract i said to the operative on the phone (all done on the phone i did not sign anything and had no paper work at this point) that i wanted to remain on the call plan i was on as i wanted to receive the benifit of per second billing, and did not require the 1100 talk and text pakage as this would also at the time not include my original deal of 25 picture msg video talk and internet mb data usage.
    so here the fun began,
    i specificaly pointed this out to the girl on the phone, however as i found out later they were planning to go to per minute billing before i had renewed my contract and they had put in the small print that they could do this although i had read no form to say this and the girl on the phone did not tell me this either ironicaly when i was complaining when they did change my tariff i mentioned that i had no paper work all was done on the phone why did the girl not say else why would i want remain on my 500 mins when she offered me 1100! they said that she would not have known about this planned change LOL! so how would i know.
    any way they said that it was in the small print and there was nothing i could do i went to otelo and basicaly i had to put up with it till the end of contract because it was in terms and conditions somewhere! although i was totaly unaware of it!
    this is why i mentioned in ealier posts that somewhere they have loopholes to do whatever they like but of course you would not expect to be robbed legaly would you !
  • Phil51 wrote: »
    Hi Aguilk

    Tell them you have a new job in Altrincham and that you are working there during the week until you moved to your new house and use the info in my post below.

    Cheers

    I think they must have fixed the problems in Altrincham.
    I got good Three coverage in the last few days in:
    Altrincham Retail Park,
    Tesco under store car park.
    Regent Road, although coverage was outdoor only in the Stamford Quarter.

    Pity as I was hoping to find an excuse to get out of my contract!
  • As everyone else has said, their Customer Services are terrible :mad:. I signed up for an 18 month contract which was £35 reduced to £17.50. I was getting 750 mins, 150 text, 50 picture messages plus £5 worth of downloads per month. A few months before it was due to end I started getting the phone calls about upgrading so I went to my local shop. I explained that I was happy with the tariff I was on and would it be possible to stay on it at the same price (£17.50). The girl told me that it was no longer a tariff they offered so she would have to phone Head Office and check. She did this and was told that yes I could stay on it but to come back in 2 weeks because it was too early to change.

    So 2 weeks later I went back and told the lad in the shop what I wanted and what I had been told. He agreed that he had to phone Head Office to agree to this so that's what he did and I went home with a nice new phone.

    3 months later I get my bill through the door and its for £35 :eek:. I went straight back to the shop and explained that the bill wasn't right. He got on to Customer Services and they denied all knowledge of the (2) previous phone calls. He asked them to explain to him why I would ask to stay on a tariff that was going to double in price. They told him I was a liar and was trying to pull a fast one (I could hear the conversation). The poor lad was mortified. I told him there was no way I could afford to pay that much per month so he agreed to get his manager involved.

    After about a week I was swaped onto another tariff but I still wanted my £17.50 refunded. After another 2 weeks of the lad in the shop chasing them they agreed to a refund.

    The following months bill came and you guessed it - no refund :mad:. So back to the shop I went and the same lad phoned them and was told they had no record of any agreement (so obviously I wasn't the only liar!). He then put the request in an email, copied in his manager and sent it off.

    Do you think I got my refund the next month? Of course I didn't!

    It took 5 months before I got it back off them.

    So, for that reason when my contract finishes this time I will not be staying with them. Not only was I treated terribly by Customer Services but the way they spoke to the shop staff was just as bad.

    Sorry for going on :rolleyes:
  • Rumman
    Rumman Posts: 181 Forumite
    100 Posts
    Have 3 changed their policy on call charges? they used to round a 1second call to the nearest minute but recently i have been seeing that this has not been the case, they have been charging me to the second.
  • I've a SE W880i and have same probs as Zacspeed (28.08.09).

    My handset loses signal, the only way to get it working is to switch off and back on again.
    It displays "Emergency Calls only", to rid, I have to do the above.
    I miss calls as it doesn't ring my end but the caller hears the phone ring for ages - sometimes I get a "Missed Call" icon and if a voicemail is left, it pings about 1 hour later. I get ttexts about 1 hour after the sender has sent it.

    I then experienced problems with sending emails - I spent 25mins with a Technical Advisor who offered such 'gems' as "Have you tried switching t off and on again" to "Try spelling your email with a capital letter". Gah.

    I can't believe that 3email has been removed yet this so called Tech Advisor didn't even know.

    I have emailed Executive Services informing them of the problems and due to their awful service I wish to be released from my contract now (early) and without penalty. They say they'll "Investigate and get back to you within 10 business days". I shan't hold my breath.

    Never, ever, ever again shall I use Network 3.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.