3 is the cheapest, but is it best

tasty_snacks

Little or no reception in the office at Canary Wharf. Previously I didn't care so much as I used the office wi-fi and the work mobile, however now that the former is on the blink I'm a bit stuck.

A few others in the office using Three have similar problems. No issues with o2 or Vodafone. I will be attempting to cancel my contract I think.

Kingsransom

The biggest problem I've had with Three are their customers service. Some of the people in their call centres just plain lie to you or don't know how to use their systems properly.

Other than that, the network where I live has been spot on. Between 10 and 25 MB download speeds depending on the time of day, which is fantastic.

My smartphone internet has now replaced my landline broadband, which is a big saving.

alexavfc

Well I could do with some advice, went to cancel tonight and they gave me every !!!! and bull story, now on the whole I'm happy with 3, big improvement here in the Midlands in comparison to Voda, although my mate based in London says it isnt so great there.

So today they offered me the one plan on a Galaxy S4, £37 a month with a £49.99 one of cost, which I could only get them down to £35, thats the unlimited net and tethering deal

However they also offered me The one plan Sim only for £14 a month, difference been that it was only 2GB net which apparently includes tethering, but they say if I go over they won't charge me, I kept insisting how is this possible and they gave me some story about they cant add on unlimited but they cant charge me extra if I go over as its the one plan, then I had the manager tell me the same thing

After a 35 minute call and I kindly asked to give my months notice I abruptly was told they could cut me off and lose my number within 5 minutes, which is no use to me, I was quite happy to see my deal through to the end of the month when it ends

So as much as I like 3, I don't believe the rubbish i was told today, and think their customer service is very poor, especially after dealing with Voda last week who were quite professional

Any opinions?

Jharkinton

Although I'm new to the forums and I'm sure my opinion wouldn't matter as much as high ranking forum users, but I've been with Three for 9 years now.

At first when I originally took my first contract out in 2005 they quite rightly were pretty rubbish. Each year the service coverage and customer support has come on leaps and bounds.

The package contains are generous compared to Voda, EE and O2 and I find unlike some companies they like to keep their previous customers.

This year I upgraded to a HTC Desire C. The package I took out was meant to be £22 a month for 500 minutes, Unlimited Text and All-You-Can-Eat Data.

After ringing them back after a few days as I was going to change my mind and pay an extra £2 a month for an iPhone and was put through to the upgrade team and they special offered my packaged cause of the years services I've had with them. They offered me the same phone and same package for £15 a month. After a little more haggling I got them down to £10 a month for a 24 month contract. )))

£240 for the 2 years and the phone would have costed £139.99 to buy outright PAY-AS-YOU-GO.

(contract) £240 - (Phone) £140 = (Total Tariff Cost) £100

£50 a year for 500 minutes, Unlimited Text and All-You-Can-Eat Data

I challenge you all the find a SIM Only package that works out cheaper than £4.16 a month!!!!

I'm happy with Three Network :T

Jharkinton

alexavfc wrote: »

However they also offered me The one plan Sim only for £14 a month, difference been that it was only 2GB net which apparently includes tethering, but they say if I go over they won't charge me, I kept insisting how is this possible and they gave me some story about they cant add on unlimited but they cant charge me extra if I go over as its the one plan, then I had the manager tell me the same thing

2GB a couple of days worth of tethering :eek:

The One Plan with All-You-Eat-Data would be the way forward. I worked nights and used 38GB in one month. On the unlimited plan they're not lying it's uncapped.

You can't get that with any other network. I would hate to think want O2 or Vodafone would charge for going that far over!! Doesn't bare thinking.

Have you tried ringing them back to discuss options. Instead of going with the all guns blazing, try a relaxed manner, doesn't get angry and repeat the same thing over and over again. They may just put your through to a team leader which can authorise the cheaper packages.

Note to remember the longer you keep the advisor on the phone the more money they lose. They know they can't hang up. Which is a benefit to us the customer. Sooner and later they will hate talking and give you want you want

Worth spending 45 minutes on the phone if it saves you £100's in the long run!

Give it a go. What have you got to lose.

Jharkinton

Also if you have been promised this by an advisor and a manager get them to confirm the package by email. Record the time of the call and the member staff you spoke with in what call centre and your covered should they charge you.

They can confirm by email. You have no chance in getting the offer in letter form.

alexavfc

^^^thanks for the reply and I agree entirely with what you say, I was pretty chilled but obviously at the end when they were using the pressure sell and getting shirty as you say they couldn't put the phone down on me I was getting more worked up about it

I will try and get a decent deal on the one plan. Think it makes more sense and to buy a new handset outright as 24 months is a long time, but I simply cannot take the gamble with the 2gb and they saying its unlimited, too big a risk as like you I stream Sky go through my Mobile and would be doing so through my laptop as well if I could tether

alex_one789

I just called up Three as my contract runs out in a month and I've just come up for upgrade. I tried to haggle a better deal than advertised by failed.

I'm coming to the end of my 24mo contract at around £44/mo (with 500mins, unlimited texts, unlimited data) on a Samsung GS2. I want to upgrade to the GS4 and pay a lot less than that. The advertised deal closest to what I want is £35/month, 24mo contract for 500min, 5000txt, ultd data (with £49 upfront handset cost).

I quoted several cheaper deals (most or all via brokers/dealers) around the £25-£30/month mark for same phone and similar deals at the salesperson but he just threw it back at me saying they were untrustworthy so I would regret it. I even threatened to leave and said I wanted to give my notice, but he still didn't offer me a better deal. He seemed very knowledgable about the other deals and I was unable to BS about it.

It is true that for the phone I want (Galaxy S4), no other operator offers a better deal, and cheaper is only found via dealers or cashback schemes. I would really rather not go through these if at all avoidable.

Unfortunately I have no loyalty to Three to leverage (only this 24mo contract I'm at the end of). Any advice on how to get a cheaper deal or do I have to plump for the advertised £35/mo 'Ultimate Internet 500' plan?

TIA


(PS - other than this issue, I've been very happy with Three, living in London and occasionally roaming and would recommend it to friends).

alexavfc

Granted its Carphone warehouse but I've just been told they do the s4 for £37 a month with no up front cost. So exactly the same as 3 minus the handset initial charge

I'm thinking of buying the handset outright and just staying on a sim only deal, but even if I do get a handset I will be more inclined to to elsewhere rather than 3's pushy sales service

alex_one789

alexavfc wrote: »

Granted its Carphone warehouse but I've just been told they do the s4 for £37 a month with no up front cost. So exactly the same as 3 minus the handset initial charge

I'm thinking of buying the handset outright and just staying on a sim only deal, but even if I do get a handset I will be more inclined to to elsewhere rather than 3's pushy sales service

Actually given Three's deal is £35x24mo + £49 one-off (£889), that's practically identical to £37x24mo + free phone (£888).