3 is the cheapest, but is it best

adrjoh

I have always been really happy with 3 - People tend to moan about the customer service, but I prefer 24 hr offshore contact centers to 9-5 with o2

Dunree

Three are without doubt the worst company that I have ever dealt with.
I wouldn't buy bog roll off that bunch of charlatans....

raskazz

I recently lost my phone so have had to call Three on two occasions recently - firstly to block the phone/sim card and secondly to activate the new sim card.

On the call to block the phone/sim the adviser, before the blokcing of the phone/sim had been resolved, tried to sell me an annual contract (I currently pay monthly). It is hardly the time to try the hard sell on customers some of whom will be quite distressed.

When I received the replacement sim card the first piece of shoddy service was that it was packaged with a generic letter that was worded as if my old sim had ceased to work, rather than been lost. It contained instructions to put the replacement sim in the phone and wait for up to 48 hours for it to become active. These instructions contradicted the instructions in the sim pack - which stated that I had to visit their website to activate it.

So I tried to visit the relevant section of their website for 2 days running only to get a page of error code (their site's error not my browser). On the third day the page appeared to be working so I completed the relevant fields and submitted the page. The site said (and I quote) "It’ll be activated the next working day".

Surprise, surprise, the next day the sim card had still not been activated. I called their (national rate) telephone number to get things sorted out.

Having made the relevant choice from the automated menu the system then prompted me for my "4-6 digit PIN". In none of my correspondence from Three since the commencement of the contract was a PIN advised as anything other than optional ("You can set up a secure PIN that acts like a password on your account" - CAN not MUST).

As I didn't have a PIN I hung up and followed the instructions on the previous correspondence in order to set up a PIN. Their website did not recognise the ICC ID so I couldn't set it up. Great.

So I had to call again, this time I deliberately entered random numbers repeatedly at the PIN stage until the system finally connected me to a human being.

The adviser apparently had no idea of my previous contact as he started talking about the problem being that I had no phone to put the new sim into?!! I explained that I had a replacement phone and I had the sim and that the new sim had not been activated despite the promise on their website that it would have been done the next day. He then asked whether I had obtained the sim from a Three shop - no, they had posted it to me, as their database would surely have indicated?!

The adviser mumbled some bollox about the server failing and that this happens in "0.01%" of cases, which frankly I do not believe as their whole experience is so shambolic. In the end he said it would take up to another 24 hours to be activated and there was no way on Earth he could sort it out the same day.

What a ridiculous faff just to activate a bloody sim card. Three's customer experience is terrible. You have been warned.

4ndyp

I looked at all the major networks prior to going with Three and I’m now more than happy with them, I would have bought the iPhone 4 on Three PAYG had it not have been for an idiot in the Three shop who tried to convince me to sign up to a contract which I knew I didn‘t want and wasn‘t going to be pushed into it! I’m now glad I didn’t buy the iPhone 4 as with a little persuasion from my partner I decided to be patient and wait for the new iPhone 4S which I bought direct from Apple and have a Three PAYG sim in it. I requested my PAC from my previous network and gave it to Three and my number was moved fairly quickly! At the moment I’m topping up £10 per month (as an add on) which easily lasts the entire month and have excellent reception in and around my home town. I even get excellent reception at the coast which is a bonus as we have a static caravan which we stay at most weekends, but as I mentioned initially I had looked into this before committing!
The only small problem I have is the battery could last a little longer but that isn’t the networks fault, it’s probably my fault for playing too many addictive games when I’m meant to be working and having a few other things ‘on’ that probably should be ‘off’! :rotfl:

recalcitrant_mule

I have been with 3 since 2005 Mostly with Nokia phones.I chose 3 as my orange phone did not work when i moved to where i live now. I can say as i have never had any problems with the network signal wise i work all over the country and it works in most places that my orange work phone does not!Internet wise it is as fast as my home wifi but i suppose that also depends on what handset you have?
The only complaint i have is that if you have a fault with a phone it has to be sent away for repair and usually takes 2weeks with no replacement hand set:mad:

moorw003

Last year I was studying at Lampeter University (the most remote and smallest University in Wales and the UK). The student residence net was so patchy so I looked around for mobile broadband and the only operator who offered any service was Three. I took up the 15gb offer a month on a 24 hour contract and it was exceptionally good.

I've now moved to Cardiff and it's just as good. Now my phone contract is coming to an end with Orange, and I phoned 3 to enquire what deals they can offer me. Because I'm already a customer and I'll be connecting effectively a new contract, they've offered me a ridiculously good deal; a Samsung Galaxy S2, 500 mins, 2000 texts and all you can eat data for just £19.

I'm currently paying £36 on Orange with my old W995, and given my experience with the mobile broadband I'm really tempted. This thread is confusing me somewhat, are they really that bad!

Jaydesmith

In my opinion 3G mobiles are best. It comes in enhanced features....

AdelaG

Registered on this site just to say that 3 is AWFUL and that I'm never going to buy from them again. Got stuck in an 18 month contract and in those 18 months I've had nothing but hassle. Missed calls, texts, and if not missed then really late causing arguments and misunderstandings galore! Reception is truly awful. I live in a pretty build up area with plenty of masts so not sure why it was so bad... 3... just avoid them...

bantamboy1

Took out a 12 month plan but found they wanted more money for using bbm. Pointed out it doesnt say anywhere on their sales site that that is the case. After a load of aggro (useless call centres etc) they agreed to cancel. Got a bill for £4.42 for 1 day's use. Checked bank today and they have taken £11.64! Phoned to ask why and they could/would? not tell me but said I will get money back in 5 days. This after a load of waffle about how I should contact my bank to find out why, at which point I pointed out they had stolen my money and I should not have to contact my bank to rectify their error.
Awaiting callback and refund.
Does anyone know if I could charge them if my money is not returned when they say??

Foxybaby

chrispafc wrote: »

matrix999, you can go for a cheaper tariff and tether on an Android phone - 3 can't stop you!

No you can't. And yes they can.