3 is the cheapest, but is it best

aleph_0

billbennett wrote: »

I work for Three, and I haven't heard this. Sounds intriguing. Have you got some more info?

[Post is mine and not the opinion of Three)

The 3Pay Tarrif:
http://support.three.co.uk/srvs/cgi-bin/webisapi.dll?command=new,kb=mobile,ts=mobile,t=article,varset_cat=payasyougo,varset_subcat=4124,case=obj(4100),varset_username=Mobile:mobileUser

Is changing from mid-March so that the freebies last only 45 days instead of 90 days as it is at the moment.

It is a bit shoddy of 3 to only have details on their mobile site - they could easily display the details on their main website too.

Lstudent

I bought a three contract about 4 months ago and I have had no problem with them whatsoever.

Handset: Samsung Galaxy S2

Most commonly used location: London, Canterbury

Ease and reliability and connection: I have found that in London I always have full signal when outside, even in places I previously didn't (with T-mobile). Indoors I have had a very similar experience, only really experiencing a drop of one bar, if any. 3G connection is pretty reliable but sometimes is lost. I find their online site is very easy to navigate and it's simple to find what I'm looking for

Any other problems:

Overall service and rating (out of 10): 8-9/10 (can't really complain about anything yet)

TheEdge

Im trying to decide whether to get an iphone on the one plan or t-mobile's full monty. Is there much of a difference between the two and is it correct that they share the same 3G network?

markdavey

TheEdge wrote: »

Im trying to decide whether to get an iphone on the one plan or t-mobile's full monty. Is there much of a difference between the two and is it correct that they share the same 3G network?

No, they do not share the same 3G network. 3 roam onto Orange's 2G network where they do not have coverage but t-Mobile/Orange (Everything Everywhere) have their own 3G coverage.

TheEdge

markdavey wrote: »

No, they do not share the same 3G network. 3 roam onto Orange's 2G network where they do not have coverage but t-Mobile/Orange (Everything Everywhere) have their own 3G coverage.

Thanks mark. So you would say that t- mobile would be a better bet for reliable network coverage & a fast download speed?

MattLFC

I think the reference to T-Mobile being connected with Three is probably related to their mast-sharing partnership. However, what that means, is they run a company together and share each others masts, not each others network (unfortunately for both sides).

With regards coverage, that depends where you live; try getting a better network that Three in Sheffield for example (Three has total blanket coverage over Sheffield).

With regards speed, unfortunately, it is hard for any of the traditional networks to beat Three atm, they ccurrently use HSDPA+ and are now rolling out dual-channel HSDPA+ (upto 41Mbps iirc), which is essentially 3.9G (comparable to 4G speeds). Of course you will need the hardware to support this, but generally, 3 have by far the fastest network speeds, as long as you can get any signal on 3 (except in the remote area's where they still roam on Orange's 2G network) you will always get an ultra-fast network experience, none of this EDGE->3G->EDGE->GPRS->3G->HSDPA->EDGE etc, whereby one minute you have an ultra-fast connection, and the next minute its dawdling along like a snail.

Three are repeatedly tested and confirmed to have the fastest download and upload speeds in the UK, with o2 usually coming in bottom iirc.

TheEdge

Thanks, think that I will go for 3 then. Just found it hard to believe that they could beat a combined t-mobile/orange.

markdavey

TheEdge wrote: »

Thanks mark. So you would say that t- mobile would be a better bet for reliable network coverage & a fast download speed?

I use 3 and the wife uses Orange/T-Mobile (or EE). TBH I see similar coverage on both networks (both have their good patches and both have their bad). I don't watch Video etc. on my phone so speeds are not really an issue for me. I do know that I regularly achieve faster speeds on my 3 Mobile than I do on my ADSL line at home but I am at the limits of ADSL with my line and distance from the exchange.

I have no problems with 3 at all (I don't even have an issue with their CS who I have always found pretty helpful!).

itstonyrome

I don't think anything has upset me so much as my hour long phone call to the 3 network this evening, had I known how ignorant, rude and insensitive they can be - I would never in a million years have signed up with them. I am posting this here as I am going to write to all the newspapers I can think of and contact my MSP, I just want to spread the word about this so you don't get stung in the unlikely event that this should happen to you. If anyone has a wordpress blog or contacts they can share this with who can maybe help, please re-post or pass this on:

The short of it is that I took out a mobile phone contract in my name for my late Wife as she was not working at the time and I asked the network 2 weeks ago to cancel the contract. Of course I was willing to pay a cancellation fee and I can sell the handset on eBay, what I was not prepared for was being asked to pay the contract up in full even though the minutes and texts would not be used. You would have thought that a contract was void in the event of a death but apparently not. I have ended up having to pay nearly £700 to them which I feel is extortion, it got escalated to the most senior manager (allegedly) who said he who could not help. Even when I asked him to Google the words "mobile, Phone, contract and death" and asked him to read the results, he still didn't mind that there were pages and pages or articles from other people this has happened to and each and every time - the network in question has said of course they shouldn't have to pay the full amount. I gave up fighting at that point as he wasn't going to budge, I then got transferred through to a very insensitive call handler who was supposed to cancel the contract but came out with the following whopper:

"It would be such a waste to not use the minutes so I am just going to keep the contract going for you so you can use the minutes and texts up".

I explained that it would perhaps be just a bit insensitive for me to phone friends and family up or text using my dead Wife's phone number. He just would not back down on this and I quite literally had to scream at him to just do as I asked and PLEASE cancel the contract, I asked him how he would feel about calling loved ones using his dead Wife's phone - he didn't have the brain capacity to answer and kept on insisting I should just use the phone. As a good will gesture, he would allow me to sell the contract on to someone else. Eventually he backed down and agreed to cancel the contract in exchange for nearly £700. I then asked if he could confirm the amounts I was being extorted for in writing so I can use this as evidence when I write to the media to which he replied he cannot get a letter sent out. 10 minutes of arguing later and a word from his supervisor revealed it is possible for the 3 network to type a letter and post it.

So the moral of the story, don't take out a phone contract in your other half's name and certainly not the 3 network if you want to live a stress free existence. Businesses need to make money but surely not out of people who are dead and are unable to use their services anymore. I hope three do the right thing but in the meantime, I have created a Facebook page which you can search for and hopefully 'like'.

POPPYOSCAR

I found customer service at 3 abysmal.

Long story but basically sent phone off as not working. Came back broken, sent off for repair again, told had to pay for repair(for damage they had done but denied, even the manager in the store saw it) wrote several letters to which they did not even bother to reply to.

Cancelled contract as soon as able, was in credit, told to contact them for refund.(Why not just refund my account or send cheque????)Emailed, phoned and written letters, still no refund.