3 Mobile Broadband

Diamond78

Hi was hopign someone could give me some advice. I have been with 3 for over 2 years now and for 2 weeks I have had no internet connection. When I first phoned up to report the matter, I was told it was my dongle and a new one was sent out. The new dongle did not work so I phoned again. I was then told there was a problem in my area ( can't remember the term used that supplies the internet) and that I would have no internet connection until the end of August. They said works would be completed on one of the things that supplies internet end of July and the other end of August. I was told that my account would be credited for the 3 months I have no connection plus another month as a gesture of good will.

My son has a tmobile dongle and that works fine with no problems. Would I be able to cancel my contract with 3? My contract ends in December and although the advisor on the phone said he had logged my complaint as I was not happy, they are not interested that I am not happy. Is there anything else I can do?

Donnie

If they won't agree to cancel your contract, you may have to take them to court. They won't turn up and you will win.

Watchdog

Diamond78

Donnie wrote: »

If they won't agree to cancel your contract, you may have to take them to court. They won't turn up and you will win.

Watchdog

Thanks Donnie, maybe that is an option. I have just read the watchdog article. When I spoke to the advisor, he told me I couldn't cancel as I was not in my rights and had to go else where to use my dongle and I told him I did not have any where else to go. I a m not going to travel 45 minutes to my brothers to use my dongle. I am worried if I do cancel it would affect my credit rating.

chris1973

Speaking from a personal, similar experience, you are better off leaving.

My '3' connection went off in this area on 12th May after previously working fine. Several calls to '3' didn't solve the problem nor get me any explanation, and neither did an email to a person fairly high up in the '3' executive team.

Every time I phoned their offshore customer service team, i was treated to the usual monotonous reinstall dongle and software routine several times. This happened every time I called, even when I told them that the same system worked just fine in other areas. They simply wouldn't accept that there could be a fault nor confirm any existing fault. I had to approach another party to prove that there was.

In short I had lost all trace of the '3' service, and until Friday, it was down without any apology or even a single explanation, thats they type of customer service level you get as a three customer. I'm sure that any rival network would be able to offer a better level of service even in they had Mr Bean and Frank Spencer at the helm.

In order to actually eventually get a explanation for the downtime, I had to do some research and having lost all faith in '3' I had to find out the third party company who was responsible for maintaining the '3' network, then I had to find out the head engineering contact(s) at that company and then guess their corporate email address using various common business email formats as their contact details were not published, fortunately one of the emails reached a key person.

Thankfully, despite me having no contract with this third party and them having no obligation whatsoever to answer my query or even reply - their ethos was without fault and they did, and they not only confirmed that there was a long standing fault on my local mast but also offered the courtesy of a very detailed explanation as to the cause of the fault, along with an apology and they also offered to assist in any negotiations / dialogue that I currently had open with '3'. In short they did everything that '3' (as a responsible company and service provider should have done right back in May), but failed on each and every occasion to do for me in 6 weeks of trying!.

This is a real life example of just what some '3' customers have to do just to get closure to their problems, and I have the email to prove.

However the more frightening aspect is that despite being down for 6 weeks already, the company have admitted on the email that although its a work in progress situation, they have no idea or date as to when the problem will be resolved and when service is going to come back to this area, so with no actual timescale on the table it could be 6 hours, 6 days, 6 weeks or 6 months.....

Of course there will be those who think its entirely acceptable to pay a contract for a service which has already been absent for this period of time and still has no date set for its return. Those people could, perhaps, fit clearly into two distinct groups namely those getting measured for their straitjackets and those who work for '3'

However like the OP most consumers would think that this was wholly unacceptable and would want 'out' and why not? - as most have given '3' plenty of opportunity and more than one opportunity to sort out their network!!!! and return the service in a timely manner and when '3' fail to do this why don't they play fair and offer to void the contract?.

My advice is first to get something in writing to confirm that a 'known' fault exists, and then check out the '3G Forum' as there are template letters and an details of an independant company whom you can complain to in order to appeal your contract on the grounds of loss of service.

If you are thinking of joining Three then just Remember that its immaterial how competitively priced a service may be, if you cannot actually get the benefit in using it or it disappears without warning for weeks and you cannot get any assistance from their customer services nor any date for its return.

Donnie

Diamond78 wrote: »

Thanks Donnie, maybe that is an option. I have just read the watchdog article. When I spoke to the advisor, he told me I couldn't cancel as I was not in my rights and had to go else where to use my dongle and I told him I did not have any where else to go. I a m not going to travel 45 minutes to my brothers to use my dongle. I am worried if I do cancel it would affect my credit rating.

Don't stop paying. Get written confirmation of what they told you by telephone about your loss of service and only then send them notice of cancellation.

Donnie

Perhaps someone can peruse the small print. I can't, as I don't have Adobe installed(and won't do so).

Diamond78

Thank you all for the kind advice and tips. Last week I asked for a letter to be sent to me to confirm that I would have no internet access until the end of August plus confirmation that my account would be credited with £30.

My account shows the my direct debit for 3 came out of the bank today. I phoned them up and was told this payment was for last months bill. I asked the advisor about their complaints procedure and he told me I would need to speak to a manager again. So I then spoke to a manager and explained why I was not happy and that I wanted to follow the complaint procedure. I was told I was following the complaint procedure by speaking to him but it was like I was talking to myself and he was not understanding that most companies have a complaint procedure, so if your complaint has not been logged, then it should be and if the customer is not happy and complaint is not resolved, then it should be taken to the next level. So this manager told me, I would need to speak to his manager. I told him i did not want to speak to anyone else as I was fed up speaking to people and repeating myself each time. I asked several times about the complaint procedure yet I was not told it, it is like they make excuses to not take on a complaint. Surely this cannot be right? What is the point of speaking to someone, when you have explained god knows how many times? So the call ended with me being told someone would call me, when I clearly stated I did not want to speak to anyone anymore and all I wanted to know was how to escalate my complaint. I still haven't recieved the letter I was told that would be sent. Arrggghhh three are so annoying and stressing me out.