3 Retention Deals

techno12

monsta2005 wrote: »

No way! Dont accept that...They've offered it me for £150, but im hoping for it free on a 18 month contract, before mine expires.....counting the days down....

I know. The Hero's about to be replaced by the Legend (and/or Desire) coming out this month, so I'm not going to be conned into paying over the odds for a model that's superceded. However, I'd still take one for the £18.45 per month, 18 months, free handset, unlimited txt/internet that someone managed to get from retentions.

I extended my mobile broadband today though - £7.50 for 5gb plus new dongle is too cheap to resist, and I may end up using it more in future I guess. Be glad to see the back of the old enormous white Huwaei one.

MarkBargain

typeractive wrote: »

My contract must be up as I'm due an upgrade. I had a call from a chap the other day.

Sounds like that is the upgrades team not the retentions team. The upgrade people tend to offer just the basic deals that anyone can get on the website. Better to tell them you plan to leave, give your 30 days notice and then wait for the retentions people to call you with a really good deal. The £5-a-month deal I got today from the retentions team costs £15-a-month on the website, so it is best to convince them you want to leave so they pull out all the stops to keep you.

zchas42

Hey all,

I've just renegotiated my contract after having been with 3 for probably about 5 years now, and got an iPhone as a retention deal.

Although I've been with them a while I don't think they've made a ton of money out of me - my monthly bills average £15 to £20 in the last 2 years.

Here's how I went about it:

1. Phoned up to cancel my contract saying I wanted an iPhone. Was offered various uncompetitive deals with the HTC Hero and newest Nokia smartphone (but no iPhone) and declined them all.

2. Received via text message my PAC code and activated it.

3. Waited about four or five days as didn't have a chance to sort out an iPhone elsewhere.

4. Called by 3, this time offering slightly more competitive deals. Explained I would consider an HTC Hero but only on a very cheap contract. Underwhelmed by their offers so said I was off to join Apple after a long period of haggling and a few phone calls.

5. Guy on other end of the phone caved in and said he could offer me an iPhone after all on the following deal:

300 Mix/match minutes & texts (more than I need, believe it or not);
Free internet with 1Gb download limit/month;
Loads of free 3-3 minutes;
iPhone 3GS, 16Gb memory handset for £269 - relatively pricey up front;
£20 per month, 18 month contact - i.e. very cheap monthly plan.

Total cost over 18 months £629.

Declined the optional handset insurance at £9/month.

So it seems 3 are giving out the odd iPhone as a retention deal even if not to new customers. I had to be really persistent in insisting in leaving, and their retentions department didn't even call me until several days after I'd activated the PAC code. Odd really, as I could have easily gone to a competitor before they called me back with decent offers.

Hope that helps some of you guys out there.

Arcana

MarkBargain wrote: »

After having given in my written notice to transfer to PAYG, Three phoned me today with a contract offer which I accepted. A free Sony Ericsson phone (the C903 I believe, which is £109.99 in their PAYG shop) on Mix and Match 300 for...£5-a-month! :-)

Three phoned me Thursday as well and offered the same deal. Managed to get the Samsung S5600 instead. Well chuffed. :j

techno12

zchas42 wrote: »

2. Received via text message my PAC code and activated it.

I've received my PAC by txt yesterday, but I need to 'activate' it? I thought that was what you gave to your new provider to retain your existing number - at least, that's how it used to work.

How did you activate it? Did you sign up with someone else then cancel once 3 got back to you?

Cheers!

PS I saw an iPhone in the 3 store on Oxford St this week, so I know they do them, but it wasn't surrounded by promotional blurb - it was just there on the shelf in the middle of the store so I guess you have to ask to get one.

MarkBargain

Arcana wrote: »

Three phoned me Thursday as well and offered the same deal. Managed to get the Samsung S5600 instead. Well chuffed. :j

I was standing at a bus stop so didn't really know which phone I was accepting, but he said it has a 5MP camera and so I am sure it will sell for a few pounds on Ebay. To get a decent phone on a £5-a-month contract really is superb. If I could sell it for £90, my contract would work out free (£5 x 18 = £90).

typeractive

MarkBargain wrote: »

Sounds like that is the upgrades team not the retentions team. The upgrade people tend to offer just the basic deals that anyone can get on the website. Better to tell them you plan to leave, give your 30 days notice and then wait for the retentions people to call you with a really good deal. The £5-a-month deal I got today from the retentions team costs £15-a-month on the website, so it is best to convince them you want to leave so they pull out all the stops to keep you.

Ah - they must have put me through to retentions as they transferred me across. Hmmm - so I should hold out longer perhaps.

zchas42 wrote: »

Hey all,

I've just renegotiated my contract after having been with 3 for probably about 5 years now, and got an iPhone as a retention deal.

Although I've been with them a while I don't think they've made a ton of money out of me - my monthly bills average £15 to £20 in the last 2 years.

Here's how I went about it:

1. Phoned up to cancel my contract saying I wanted an iPhone. Was offered various uncompetitive deals with the HTC Hero and newest Nokia smartphone (but no iPhone) and declined them all.

2. Received via text message my PAC code and activated it.

3. Waited about four or five days as didn't have a chance to sort out an iPhone elsewhere.

4. Called by 3, this time offering slightly more competitive deals. Explained I would consider an HTC Hero but only on a very cheap contract. Underwhelmed by their offers so said I was off to join Apple after a long period of haggling and a few phone calls.

5. Guy on other end of the phone caved in and said he could offer me an iPhone after all on the following deal:

300 Mix/match minutes & texts (more than I need, believe it or not);
Free internet with 1Gb download limit/month;
Loads of free 3-3 minutes;
iPhone 3GS, 16Gb memory handset for £269 - relatively pricey up front;
£20 per month, 18 month contact - i.e. very cheap monthly plan.

Total cost over 18 months £629.

Declined the optional handset insurance at £9/month.

So it seems 3 are giving out the odd iPhone as a retention deal even if not to new customers. I had to be really persistent in insisting in leaving, and their retentions department didn't even call me until several days after I'd activated the PAC code. Odd really, as I could have easily gone to a competitor before they called me back with decent offers.

Hope that helps some of you guys out there.

Very interesting that you got an iphone!!! I would love to be able to haggle one of these out. Or I might hold out for the cheapest contract possible with enough mins and txts for me. Then if I decide to get an iphone later in teh future I'm only paying a few pounds per month on somethign I won't use much (I know - not exactly MSE ethics there) but I could give it to my mum etc.

hmmm

techno12

Just been called by 3. They kept trying to push the Hero at the bog-standard £25 and 24-month contract. I said I may consider a 12-month extension to my current contract (£13 a month) so what phones could they offer me. The choice was..

Nokia 5230
SE T715
SE C902
SE C903

Not really sure now. This is a funny limbo time where a raft of cool new Android phones are about to be released so I may just hang on for a month or two. I was almost tempted to go for one of the above, but then I read further up this thread of people getting those on £5 a month contracts!

dakota99

Just had a very interesting call with Three Upgrades. My contract still has around 60 days to go, so I knew I wouldn't get offered anything very spectacular, but I though I'd chance my luck.
Current Contract: Mix and Match 300. ie 300 units to spend on calls or texts, in whatever combination I choose.
They offered me: £15 SIM only deal, which gives me 300 cross-network minutes, 3000 texts, and 1 GB internet.
This is the same SIM only deal which three used to offer via their website; the price now is £12 a month, but it doesn't include the web access (which makes it no use for me, as I use my phone primarily for web and email).
Here's the bit I really liked: it's a rolling 30 day contract, and I keep my original upgrade date, so in 60 days - assuming the Desire, Galaxy Spica etc have been launched, i can take my choice of some gorgeous new handsets. On the other hand, since I now have a rolling 30 day contract that includes free internet, I can watch the second-hand prices and pounce on a used Hero when the price starts to plummet in a few weeks time ...
And meanwhile, I'm saving £5 a month on my current contract!

MarkBargain

dakota99 wrote: »

They offered me: £15 SIM only deal, which gives me 300 cross-network minutes, 3000 texts, and 1 GB internet.

That £15 SIM is available to anyone on their website. I wouldn't take that if I were you.

Why not wait for them to offer you a better deal such as the £5 Mix and Match 300 contract with a phone worth £109.99 like I got? Okay, so Internet is £5 a month extra, but that's still only £10 a month and you could sell the free phone for about £80 on Ebay which would pay for your first eight months. Of course, if you send loads of texts then Mix and Match 300 is not for you but I am sure they have other offers if they think they will lose you.