3 is the cheapest, but is it best

gromituk

shinypennies86 wrote:

3 aren't a network in their own right, they actually 'piggyback' on O2 (due to switch to Orange in the near future).

Are you sure about this? It certainly used to be the case that Three was the first third generation network, and it fell back to O2's 2G network because they hadn't finished building all the base stations yet. So as long as you were in a 3G area there would be no priority given to O2 customers because they would be out of the equation. Has this changed?

I'm not sure about your sweeping generalisation about customer service either - you will find plenty of complaints about all networks.

olly300

Handset: Nokia N73

Most commonly used location: South East- Surrey, Berkshire, West, North West and South West London (I was informed their head office is in Maidenhead)

Ease and reliability and connection:
No connection problems at all. No phone problems.

Any other problems:
Massive problems with their customer service staff:
1. Nearly all Indian based staff can only follow scripts and you have to repeat non-scripted queries to them about 3 times.

2. When trying to sort problems out on the phone the Indian based staff arrange for the the Scottish based staff to ring you back. Unfortunately like all telecommunications providers, if they do ring they immediately hang up on you if you answer the phone. They then record on their system that you didn't answer the call. Then when you speak to the Indian based staff they put you in for another call with the Scottish based staff. When you eventually speak to the Scottish based staff i.e. a person who doesn't hang up, they refer you back to the Indian based staff. The Indian based staff member then threatens you as they are not paid enought to have your problem shroved on them. (I told the last woman to put the phone down and I would deal with the issue in writing. )

3. Billing me for 2 mobile phones when I only have one. I have email evidence that clearly shows that I should have one mobile phone and have now resorted to writing them letters sent by recorded delivery to sort the issue out due to a staff member in India trying to threaten me. I have also cancelled my direct debits, reclaimed funds from them via my bank however I am still paying them my bill for my one mobile phone plus £3 more for not paying by direct debit so they have no reason to cut me off as I am complying with the contract.

I will use the regulator if they do muck me around as I have used the regulator before about a broadband provider refusing to move their service of the phone line in my name. I have had trouble with other telecommunications providers (mobile,broadband, landline) over simple services they have offered. I have noticed that telecommuncations providers seem to think that Contract laws don't apply to them for some reason and imply all customers who have problems with billing and services are liars. If there is any hint that they are in the wrong they attempt to hide behind the Data Protection Act 1998. Eventually some companies sort out their problems as they don't want customers to go to the regulator.

Overall service and rating (out of 10): 2 out of 10

Anon

gromituk wrote:

Are you sure about this? It certainly used to be the case that Three was the first third generation network, and it fell back to O2's 2G network because they hadn't finished building all the base stations yet. So as long as you were in a 3G area there would be no priority given to O2 customers because they would be out of the equation. Has this changed?

That is my understanding - they have their own 3g coverage and when out of coverage, you switch automatically to o2 (soon to be Orange).

Anon

MORPH3US

shinypennies86 wrote:

3 aren't a network in their own right, they actually 'piggyback' on O2 (due to switch to Orange in the near future).

This is why their signal is so poor - although they piggyback on O2 they only use a percentage of O2 base stations. Also, 3 customers may find at busy periods they are unable ot make calls. This is because at periods of high volume calls, O2 customers obviously get priority (basically 3 customers get lobbed off the base station)

Absoloute nonsense!!!

How did three "piggy back" onto O2 when O2 were the last mobile co to release 3G services and Three were the first?!?!

They only "piggy back" when there is no 3G signal (which is now very infrequently now).

As for their customer services, it depends on what you are calling for, ok they are stupid and treat everyone like a technophobe, but most people that call them probably are..... at the end of the day, its FREE so if it takes me 10 minutes rather than 5, its worth it to not pay 50p a minute for the call.....

M

EDIT:

Also forgot, no roaming surcharges in other Three countries, FREE MSN, FREE web browsing (within the walled garden)....

thephantom_2

Hi ,
I am on my second year contract with 3. Both my wife and i are with 3 and the reception is excellent. we have nokia 6680 and we never have any problems. i work in a hospital and my friends who have orange have problems with reception by i have no such problems.

steviebilbo

Hi Everyone - I am now on my third year with 3 and I have to say that initially the only reason I stuck with them was cost. However I also took into account they were 'new to the market' and had a long way to go. So I was relatively happy to make that journey with them. My handset was not Critical to my daily business so I could afford to be tolerent. :mad:

In the early days my house, although in a 3g reception area, was in a very small blind spot - as denoted on their coverage map. They assured me a new mast was being installed and although 3-6 months late, it eventually was erected and my service coverage improved. Again, I renewed due to the cost element. :T

Other early problems were the handsets that 3 had made 'specifically for their market target'. They frequently died due to software or battery problems but that seems like years ago now and generally I am happy. :j

I currently have three of their handsets (wife and daughter) and we have very few problems with them so don't need to call CS very often but I do agree that they don't know how NOT to follow a script. Even when renewing my contract by cancelling one to buy another (**more on why below) it still takes 5-6 mins or so to explain that I don't want or need the phone/sim or service any longer. :mad:

I understand that they are following a script and PLEASE remember they are only trying to do what they were trained to do! It's a job, puts food on the table and it's NOT THEIR PERSONAL FAULT that your phone / network has problems. Yes, they do 'pee you off' sometimes by following script and not paying attention to what you are saying but have you tried to work out why? Furthermore, I bet none of them are sat at work composing emails to website forums... so lets not be too hasty to judge eh?

For those of you who have stuck it out, you will know the rewards - money saving that, as far as I know, cannot be beaten (here we go!) ...and in all fairness if you cancel your contract at the end of the year** you can get another 12 month free line rental deal (via cashback) straight away just try the Simply3g or E2save site to name but 2 :T

So all in all, if you are thinking of trying 3 then be warned... read the posts and try to read between the lines because in every set of opinions there are the answers you seek!

For info, I live in Hants and work in deepest darkest Cornwall and have little or no trouble getting a signal for 95 - 98% of the time. Yes, you will be routed via 02 if outside the 3 network area coverage but this is growing every day and I have not had a dropped call in the last 2.5 years. :j

As part of my (12 month line rental - free for 12 months via cashback) Talk&Text 700 package normally £35 per month I get: Free cross network calls and texts, and £5 free download each and every month as well as 400 mins 250 texts and 25 sms messages AND 25 mins of video calls. All I pay for is the usual 0800, 0845, 0870 etc. calls :rotfl:

Finally, no I don't work for 3, I am just a (generally) satisfied Customer but it has taken a while to get to that stage - you get what you pay for! :T

As always, just my 2p worth - your views may vary :eek:

adadibhai

Hi,
I have had plenty of contracts with 3, and reception in most places is really good. I live in Leicester and frequently visit West Yorkshire. Only have had a bad time with 3 in one 'blank spot' which covers maybe 4 streets in Leicester. Besides that their services are ok.

CS isn't too bad. There is a delay in response time, and sometimes i can hear my voice echo, but nothing that bugs too much.

One thing that has really bugged me today is that I rang customer services and told them I wanted to downgrade my tariff. They said that they can do it for me, but there is a £25 administration charge to do so, or it will be free if I choose to extend my contract for another 6 MONTHS. When I complained that the policy wasn't as such when i took out the contract, they said it was all written in the T&C's, but it hadn't been put into practice yet???!!!

So 5 contracts x £25 for each stage of downgrading comes to an unhealthy £250 worth of administration fees???!!!

MAN, I AM ABSOLUTELY GUTTED. I had no other option but to put the phone down on her and do some homework - check it out with our friend here, Mr Lewis.

Any advice for me please?? Is there such a thing as this in the T&C's?

Can anyone please save me from gettin ripped off????!

Pleeeeeese??!
:-(

AD

On my searches, I just found a very interesting review that all of you guys (and ladies MUST read before even thinking of buying a three handset and/or contract:

http://www.ciao.co.uk/3_VideoTalk_1000_12_Month__Review_5622419

Hope Moneysavingexpert don't mind but the link is for another site(!)

Happy read and sorry to give you such bad news!

digitaltoast

I went into Phones4u, and they offered me a 6280 on 3 with 400
anytime mins and 250 txt,25 video mins, 25 pic and £5 downloads per month.

All sounded good, but the whole "you pay us this and we give you that back
then, and then the tarrif goes up to...well, here's what they propose:

6 direct debits of £17.50 and two cheque backs of £22.50
Then 6 direct debits of £35 and two chequebacks of 75

Plus £60 cash if I take it today, meaning that it'll be £4.99 over the year.
She then said they'd buy out my last 6 months of the 18 to move me onto a
better contract.

So, all good so far. So, where's the catch? How are they going to make
money?
Why don't they just have a cheaper tarriff in the first place rather than
all this complicated cashback/chequeback?

Right now, I'm paying £15 a month on a Tesco Extra Tarriff (which gives me
10p calls/5p texts).

So this DOES look like a good deal, but....this will be my first EVER
contract in 8 years of mobiling, and I've been reading so much about
contracts lately, that I'm going boggle-eyed!

So, the catch is?

steviebilbo

Digitaltoast, they presumably make their money by selling you the contract - maybe even a percentage of your line rental for a while too who knows? No other way they can afford it otherwise (in my opinion).

You can get some really good deals but I personally tend to stay clear of 18 month contracts as things change quickand you might miss a better deal during the last 6 months of an 18 month contract. You can get other phones (LG300 and Sony Ericsson k608i) on 3 for 12 month free contracts (see the simply3g website) but you need to bear in mind the following: 3 themselves give all customers half price line rental for the first three months. Then the 3rd party supplier gives you anything else such as x months line rental. You invariably have to send some part or all of your first x months bills and they then give you the first of 1, 2 or three installments of your cash back normally within 40 days of receipt of those bills.

YOU MUST read and ABIDE by their terms and condtions but this IS NOT HARD.

I am in my third year and have three (in number) 3 network phones and never REPEAT never, pay full line rental. It does work and I reckon I have saved over £1000 in three years... the only thing I would be wary of is 3 charging you (via your supplier) for downgrading your contract at ANY time before it's up - hence the 12 months versus 18 month statement at the beginning of this reply.

So in conclusion - once you have it, stick with your contract, keep your bills and make sure you read the terms and conditions and if in doubt ask to be shown / told where it says in the contract what you want to know. Easier in a shop than online but like I said its not hard!

As far as I am aware, there are no free 18 month contracts.

Good Luck

MORPH3US

adadibhai wrote:

One thing that has really bugged me today is that I rang customer services and told them I wanted to downgrade my tariff. They said that they can do it for me, but there is a £25 administration charge to do so, or it will be free if I choose to extend my contract for another 6 MONTHS. When I complained that the policy wasn't as such when i took out the contract, they said it was all written in the T&C's, but it hadn't been put into practice yet???!!!

If it wasn't in the T&C's when you signed up then you can cancel the contract without penalty although there are conditions to this which I can't be bothered to talk about, i'm sure someone with more time will search for the thread and post it....

So 5 contracts x £25 for each stage of downgrading comes to an unhealthy £250 worth of administration fees???!!!

Why the heck do you have 5 contracts??

And what is it with people downgrading? I have never taken out a contract with the intention of downgrading, I just find the best deal for the phone that suits me with cashback....