3 is the cheapest, but is it best

Crabman

jon_r wrote: »

Slightly off topic but does anyone know if 3 have stopped doing £5 top up
vouchers as £10 is the lowest in all places i have tried, thanks

Just checked "My3" and a £5 top-up option is still available. If you top-up online you'll get a doubled text allowance (assuming you're on the latest 3 PAYG tariff).

jon_k

Been with 3 for the best part of 3 years

I am trapped. I was on an 18 month contract, got to the end and decided to continue rolling month-to-month. After 2 months I lost my phone so rang them up to see what my options were.

The guy on the other end said best solution was to get a new 18 month contract with a phone included on the same tariff. I said yes but then found my phone a day later. Rang them up to cancel but instead of cancelling the new 18 month deal they just reactivated my old phone. I never received the promised new phone so assumed everything had gone through fine.

Fast forward nine months and I want to move to orange, but find I can't because I'm midway through a contract. I explain I've never received the new phone, but they say it was signed for by a Mr. Harris (not me!). I asked "and where does he live, cos it isn't in my flat?". They replied "well, we've got a signature". Completely inflexible beyond this. What?

They then admitted someone had tried to activate "my" new phone but had failed the security questions. Upshot of twenty five minutes of conversation is that I have to wait out my contract (something about the phone and contract not being linked from a legal standpoint: I had an IDENTICAL contract to what I was paying before. It sounds like utter b***ocks to me but I didn't push it at the time, unfortunately). Can't wait to leave this bunch of crooks, roll on March.

Good bits
The handset (LG U830) and the reception (Central Birmingham) are awesome but the reception gets a bit flaky on the motorways/trains between cities.

Bad bits
The customer service (and frequent sales calls offering a free laptop) are absolutely shocking, to the point where I've actually been shouted at by a customer service operator. Their call logging system seems non-existent (they can't see notes on previous calls, and their sales database is in no way linked to the customer service one. Have asked twice not to be called offering additional services).

I've basically had the same phone for three years which will no doubt get me "green" brownie points (can "points" be two colours at the same time?) but not the associated freedom of tariffs. Incredibly frustrating. And to top it all off I will have to pay an "unlocking fee" to get away from this bunch of crooks and use the same phone. Grr.

Taffybiker

I have just aquired a three free sim. I have a dual sim 3G phone (sim free) so thought I'd give them a try, knowing that because it's PAYG I can dump them at any time and go elsewhere, without switching from my usual provider.
So far, it's all good. The internet worked without even topping up. I assume this is so I could set up my phone to check it works before actually paying for a top up. It's not a 3 branded phone so I can't use their messenger or skype offers, but that is minor. I opted to use online top ups so gave them card details and they gave me £10 straight away, along with 600 free texts, free 3 to 3 calls and 150Mb allowance. I don't know if this will be charged at a later date or not. My phone has dual signal strength indicators so it is easy to compare the two services - 3's signal is slightly lower but still no problem.

Judging by what I have read here, it seems that the majority of people with issues are those who have, or have had a contract. I think I'll stick with PAYG for now and simply dump it for a different provider if I have any problems.

property.advert

Taffybiker wrote: »

I have just aquired a three free sim. I have a dual sim 3G phone (sim free) so thought I'd give them a try, knowing that because it's PAYG I can dump them at any time and go elsewhere, without switching from my usual provider.
So far, it's all good. The internet worked without even topping up. I assume this is so I could set up my phone to check it works before actually paying for a top up. It's not a 3 branded phone so I can't use their messenger or skype offers, but that is minor. I opted to use online top ups so gave them card details and they gave me £10 straight away, along with 600 free texts, free 3 to 3 calls and 150Mb allowance. I don't know if this will be charged at a later date or not. My phone has dual signal strength indicators so it is easy to compare the two services - 3's signal is slightly lower but still no problem.

Judging by what I have read here, it seems that the majority of people with issues are those who have, or have had a contract. I think I'll stick with PAYG for now and simply dump it for a different provider if I have any problems.

Care to tell me your phone ? I could really do with one and was looking at the Samsung DuoS range but I'm not sure they are 3G. It would be good to get a first hand write up of using a dual SIM.

Crabman

I have a Skypephone S2 which hasn't been topped up yet. Access to Planet 3 is free, as well as Skype and Windows Live Messenger (although messenger is awaiting an upgrade whilst they make the new mobile version compatible with this handset).

tightbelt57

i have been with 3 mobile for over 2 years now - i am on the 300 mix and match offer for £15 per month.

the customer service was dreadful, so i actually cancelled my contract when they were up for renewal. i was going to go with orange as i heard they had good customer serivice...

...but i got a call from 3 the day i was going to sign up with orange and one of their managers said he would give me my current contract, plus a new phone for just £4.57 per month!! plus he threw in £200 worth of comet vouchers (which i have recieved)

they will do anything to keep you!!

Dewalt

I was with 3 over a year ago, the signal was !!!! poor and the bills went through the roof! one month I paid £130 and I hardly used the phone, Somehow I got signed up to a load of extras I did not want and 3 did nothing about it. When my contract ended they sent a new, but not working phone to try and get me to go back. When I sent the phone back to them, I got it back again and 3 said I signed an 18 month contract that runs until 2010! I signed nothing. The company is one big joke.

Victoriajayne

Slightly off topic as its to do with a mobile broadband 1 month PAYG starter package bought off the 3 website, but it goes to show what money grabbing g1ts they are.
Package cost - £29.99
Delivery - free
Total cost - £29.99

Amount on delivery note - £31.94 - £1.95 admin charge included.
Amount charged to card - £31.94

Checked 3 website again - no mention of admin charge on PAYG purchases.
Rang customer services - asked what admin charge was for.
An INCREDIBLY rude operator said it was just for admin - no explanation why.
I asked to speak to his supervisor.
Operator told me he was putting me on hold ... but he didn't and I heard every word he said to supervisor.
Supervisor came on the phone, still couldn't tell me what it was for, just that it was charged.
I told him it was not mentioned on website, he insisted it was.
Eventually he said he would refund it, but to date thats not happened.
I managed to have a chat conversation with a 3 store live advisor (are they really living human beings ??) who told me there was no admin charge on PAYG - it is charged to contract customers for a credit check.
Have now put in a complaint by email, and will follow up with a written letter.
It may only be £1.95, but if they are making that from everyone that purchases a PAYG product on the website, they're raking it in !!!

Taffybiker

property.advert wrote: »

Care to tell me your phone ? I could really do with one and was looking at the Samsung DuoS range but I'm not sure they are 3G. It would be good to get a first hand write up of using a dual SIM.

It's the Acer DX900. Sim 1 is capable of 3.5G but sim 2 is 2G only. Hope this helps.

Widgel

3's customer service is abysmal to say the least.
Through my own stupidity I started a new contract with O2 a few months back went to cancel my contract with 3 not realising as I had a upgrade is Decemeber 2008 was tied in for 18 months so I cant cancel my contract until May 2010. I had my price plan changed to £15 a month from £28 per month as a result of this (02 contract is £24) . The thing is I cant afford both contracts, I dont use the 3 phone and am getting frustrated giving them a £15 month for absolutly nothing, by the way they overcharged me the month i switched price plan and it took 3 weeks to get a refund which was still not the full amount but could not be bothered to phone up a thousand times again to sort it out.
If I cancel my direct debit and stop paying them what can they do??