3 Retention Deals

Money_Cub

I've been with 3 coming up to 18 months. Have been paying £15pm for 1000 texts, 300 minutes.

They called a couple of weeks ago because the contract is due to expire end of December, all they could offer is £15pm for 300 texts and minutes combined, which is on their website!

This is much less than I already have and they want to keep the charge at £15 and give me a Nokia 6288. I'm not a heavy user and 300 texts and 300 mins will cover my usage.

Advised them I am eligible for the £10 Virgin 300/300 deal (without handset - happy with the dozen I have at home...) and over the past couple of weeks they have repeatedly called and offered handset, 300 minutes & 150 texts.

Over the course of an 18 month contract I am £90 better off with Virgin. I have to go with the deal that makes best financial sense - which I told them.

Called them today to give 30 days notice, they could'nt/would'nt budge on the above deal so asked for my pac, which came through by text.

Off to Virgin am I.

Money_Cub

Actually that should read £120 better off because of the Quidco cashback of £30.....

shaunrc

Hi

I am coming to the end of my contract with 3. My current deal is Talk and Text 900 and it is now costing me £40 per month. I took the deal as I got it half price for 10 months so overall I have no complaints.

I do not use this amount of time on the phone so I wanted to switch to 3's mix and match 500 offer which should be plenty for me.However when I rang them up the only deal on offer was for 100 minutes and texts for £20 a month.

Does anyone have any advice on this? I would like to keep my number and I do not need a new phone as I got a new one only last year and I am keen on recycling etc. and happy to use the same phone. Can I get a cheaper deal with them and how do I do it?

Thanks

Ferris

read the last few pages of this thread (the rest of it is useful too, but a bit out of date):
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=451893

however, be prepared for much inconsistency and randomness. don't forget to post if you have any success

123oleary

ask for your pac code. if they still don't give you a good deal leave them.

opas

100 minutes and texts for £20 per month - they have to be joking right?? pfft! 3 do get on my nerves sometimes. New customers can get a better deal than that, it's on their site for £12 as a new customer. And you have been on one of their higher price plans for the year?

The thread Ferris referred you to is quite useful - looks like a lot of the good deals were being handed out during the summer (don't know if that is a period of high turnover for them). I haven't heard great retention deals with the new mix and match tariffs but they could at least offer you what new customers get.

shaunrc

Hi Guys

Thank you to those who have posted above and to whoever moved me to this thread.

As my deal expires tomorrow I have just asked 3 for my pac code and they have promised to text me with it.I have been on talk and text 900 but they will only offer me 100mins/100 texts for £21 per month if I downgrade! As I said above I dont even need a new phone and have been with them for several years. I only upgraded to talk and text 900 as I got 10 months half price on their advice so it seems a bit rich that when you come to change you cant go back. If I was a new customer I could get the deal I want for £18 per month and probably get cashback too!

One point of note their message explaining pac states that you cannot port your number from a 3 monthly contract to pay as you go.One of the things I would like to do is keep my number.

They claim they have no better deals for me so I guess I will look elsewhere,what a way to run a business.

W.G

I cancelled my contract just over a month ago - I've been with them for 2 years now.

With my tariff I get 750 minutes and 150 text, paying £45 a month line rental.

I have a friend who is on the same tariff and was offered a deal of £5 line rental for life when he decided to leave. Though his bills are in the hundreds sometimes

My contract runs out tomorrow with 3 but I've still had no call

This maybe because I never asked for a pac code or due to my bill barely going over £70

ah well anyway 3G's loss

D_e_n_i_s_e

my three contract ended about a month ago. and sadly though i was on a £30/mth plan all they could offer was what you see in the 3 shops. no special discounts or freebies as such.

Iv also noticed three do not as many deals as they once did with the likes of onestopphoneshop or e2save.
On a three contract from a reuptable shop CPW (and affiliates) or phones4u you'd be hard pressed to get any even a deal such as 1/2 price line rental for 12 months etc.

its a crying shame as in my experience i have really enjoyed being with the three network. the service i have recieved has been brill, the call cent reps have answered clearly and promptly (all be it foreign) and three had given so many freebies for nothing. lots of mins and texts with a decent phone PLUS free MMS + FREE WAP BROWSING + FREE £5 Download (games/wallpapers/ringtones etc) + 25 FREE mins of videocalls every month and i could check my allowance without calling cust services.

with my current O2 contract i got a pants 2310 with lots of mins and texts but just 512K of browsing (abt 20 internet pages a month), no free downloads, no free mms no free videominutes and no free downloads!

and you have call CS, wait in the queue to find out your allowances

how pathetic is that!!!

Darren21

Three slashed the commission they pay to the likes of CPW almost a year ago as they decided they wanted to sell more contracts directly, so thats why there are no offers from CPW anymore - they can't afford to give them.

Three also seem very up and down with their offers, sometimes they are giving great deals to stay and other times sod all. Luckily I got in while they were giving the £5 per month for life deals.

I love three too, they are a great network. Even at £5 a month I pay more than I used too though, used to get a free phone, more free mins than I get now, and pay £0 a month! lol, guess that couldn't last forever!!