3 Retention Deals

jenniewb

I got a similar experience to you Stee01, I was asking for the i-phone and was quoted £35 a month plus a good £200 odd for the handset, 24 month contract. I pointed out most websites offered better then that, they refused to back down, quoted me next £40 a month for the HD and I just laughed in their faces -left earlier this month. I am happy to have left, either they assume I am an idiot or have their own agenda and I am not on it. I wonder if they are looking for certain customers and I am just not on their list.

stee01

I wont bore you with the lengthy details of my conversation with the arrogant idiots at 3.

I pointed out a deal I had found for the Desire for £49.99 upfront cost and £25/month on the one plan on buymobilephones.net

After being put on hold for about 2-3mins whilst the guy checked it out, he came back to me, stating that they were offering plans they had stopped in december. He said that that was not possible as even by request they could not set that up as it has been deleted from the system (can already smell some bull poo - consequently I wonder what happens to the customers already on those plans). He also mentioned that they take no responsibility from this company, and if the company goes down I would have nowhere to go to (I would have three since my contract is with them) and that they are lying to people by offering plans that no longer exist.

I consequently reminded him that he had indeed lied to me at first by offering me "an exclusive deal only to loyal customers" that was in fact the same exclusive deal available to all their new customers and listed on their website. I also stated that the previous person had done the exact same to me yesterday. He neither acknowledged or apologised for this and went on some more about buymobilephones.net

I then quoted (verbatim) the deal malid had posted he/she had been offered by them. Regardless he wasn't budging from the £28/month for the desire on the one plan.

He mentioned that by my usage that I don't need all that and what appealed to me on that plan (I am only currently on about 150mins and the last day of the month of my sim 15 plan) He also stated that I dont need the unlimited internet as 1gb is more than enough (contradictory to what the same guy said yesterday apparently according to him I need the unrestricted as the new phones use a lot of data - for the record my iphone 3g has used about 30-40mb this month and is not connected to our wifi, so everything is running off 3g)

Long story short (well not as long - sorry guys), he wasnt budging, I mentioned how his loyal discount wasnt good enough - especially since ive been paying £30/month for 18months and £25/month sim only (they had sneaked an internet and tv addon onto my account I had never bothered with) for another 18months - ie 3years.

I told them they obviously dont understand loyalty, requested my PAC (again - I now have 2) - and told them to cancel. Apparently I need to use my PAC to cancel my contract otherwise it will run on after 30days.

His final words where along the lines of my PAC not being able to be used on 3 as I cant transfer along the same network, and that by cancelling I will lose all my loyalty. I think I can live with losing what they consider loyalty, and they fail to realise that If I really wanted to join their network again, I can quite easily transfer my number to another network PAYG sim and then request another PAC.

Conclusion: Arrogant Customer Service that adds further insult to injury by outsourcing their retentions team too.

I really like the idea of the one plan, if only to abuse their "unrestricted internet" and tether my phone. Im still undecided whether to stick with 3 and start again with this deal I have found that they are refusing to offer me, or go elsewhere and hopefully be rewarded with real loyalty by other network providers.

malid

stee01 wrote: »

I wont bore you with the lengthy details of my conversation with the arrogant idiots at 3.

I pointed out a deal I had found for the Desire for £49.99 upfront cost and £25/month on the one plan on buymobilephones.net

After being put on hold for about 2-3mins whilst the guy checked it out, he came back to me, stating that they were offering plans they had stopped in december. He said that that was not possible as even by request they could not set that up as it has been deleted from the system (can already smell some bull poo - consequently I wonder what happens to the customers already on those plans). He also mentioned that they take no responsibility from this company, and if the company goes down I would have nowhere to go to (I would have three since my contract is with them) and that they are lying to people by offering plans that no longer exist.

I consequently reminded him that he had indeed lied to me at first by offering me "an exclusive deal only to loyal customers" that was in fact the same exclusive deal available to all their new customers and listed on their website. I also stated that the previous person had done the exact same to me yesterday. He neither acknowledged or apologised for this and went on some more about buymobilephones.net

I then quoted (verbatim) the deal malid had posted he/she had been offered by them. Regardless he wasn't budging from the £28/month for the desire on the one plan.

He mentioned that by my usage that I don't need all that and what appealed to me on that plan (I am only currently on about 150mins and the last day of the month of my sim 15 plan) He also stated that I dont need the unlimited internet as 1gb is more than enough (contradictory to what the same guy said yesterday apparently according to him I need the unrestricted as the new phones use a lot of data - for the record my iphone 3g has used about 30-40mb this month and is not connected to our wifi, so everything is running off 3g)

Long story short (well not as long - sorry guys), he wasnt budging, I mentioned how his loyal discount wasnt good enough - especially since ive been paying £30/month for 18months and £25/month sim only (they had sneaked an internet and tv addon onto my account I had never bothered with) for another 18months - ie 3years.

I told them they obviously dont understand loyalty, requested my PAC (again - I now have 2) - and told them to cancel. Apparently I need to use my PAC to cancel my contract otherwise it will run on after 30days.

His final words where along the lines of my PAC not being able to be used on 3 as I cant transfer along the same network, and that by cancelling I will lose all my loyalty. I think I can live with losing what they consider loyalty, and they fail to realise that If I really wanted to join their network again, I can quite easily transfer my number to another network PAYG sim and then request another PAC.

Conclusion: Arrogant Customer Service that adds further insult to injury by outsourcing their retentions team too.

I really like the idea of the one plan, if only to abuse their "unrestricted internet" and tether my phone. Im still undecided whether to stick with 3 and start again with this deal I have found that they are refusing to offer me, or go elsewhere and hopefully be rewarded with real loyalty by other network providers.

Hang on in there!! I eventually had the deal from a guy who rang me back; not when I rang 3. When I made contact and quoted deals I had seen here they wanted names and numbers 'to check it out'. I wasn't happy with that and eventually closed the discussion by saying that once I had found the right deal for me (elsewhere), I would be cancelling).

I was contacted a couple of days later. The guy was ok; not a lot of flexibility but as you can see, I did get what I think is a good deal. I don't need all these texts and minutes but will use as much as I can. Rarely use home phone other than when I have free calls. Keep at it!!

stee01

They're too late. I got a call of dialaphone and they offered me a reasonable deal. 600mins 500texts and internet for £25.53 on Tmobile. I also got £125 cashback. £25 will pay for this months line rental and the remaining £100 will cut my contract cost down to £21.32 a month. I know it may not be as great as 3 "could" offer me, but they are not being reasonable, laughed down the phone at me when I told them about the other deals I had seen, and besides, I'll get decent network coverage, something they haven't been able to provide with me. When I visit my nan my signal is non existent as is the same when I visit a friend of mine in london from time to time. If they come forward pretty sharpish I'm sure I have a certain amount of days in which I can cancel the tmobile deal, but unfortunately for them they dont have long left to make a decision.

Thanks for the advice though :beer:

laptop80

stee01 wrote: »

They're too late. I got a call of dialaphone and they offered me a reasonable deal. 600mins 500texts and internet for £25.53 on Tmobile. I also got £125 cashback. £25 will pay for this months line rental and the remaining £100 will cut my contract cost down to £21.32 a month. I know it may not be as great as 3 "could" offer me, but they are not being reasonable, laughed down the phone at me when I told them about the other deals I had seen, and besides, I'll get decent network coverage, something they haven't been able to provide with me. When I visit my nan my signal is non existent as is the same when I visit a friend of mine in london from time to time. If they come forward pretty sharpish I'm sure I have a certain amount of days in which I can cancel the tmobile deal, but unfortunately for them they dont have long left to make a decision.

Thanks for the advice though :beer:

Sounds like you've had a very similar experience to me - lies about "special" offers and massive amounts of rudeness.

The good news is that my experience since joining T-mobile has been really positive so far - good signal (seemlessly moves on to the Orange network if T-mobile signal isn't strong) and the customer service person I spoke to when I had to sort something out about the transfer was English, really friendly and helpful. Nothing Three could offer me would tempt me back - I always thought the network was OK but I'm not prepared to put up with such rude customer service staff. I reckon the only significant difference between Three's call centre staff and a robot relentlessly following a pre-defined script is that the robot probably doesn't have a bad attitude and is a better listener.

My girlfriend has now also left Three and when she told them about the deal she could get on Dial a Phone (which is still on their site & she has now switched to), the Three operative actually called her a liar! Nice way to talk to your customers eh?

My advice to anyone wanting a better deal from Three is not to bother trying to negotiate or tell them about the better deals you've seen elsewhere - it will get you nowhere, take up a lot of your time and frustrate you. Just tell them the phone and deal you want, and if they can't give it to you insist on them sending you your PAC. They'll make you another offer when they send it to you, and probably another just before your PAC runs out (I didn't give them the chance and used my PAC straight away so I'm not 100% sure on that - sounds like they don't even try and rescue some customers, so it's luck of the draw).

MiM

Just rang and asked what deals were available. Was offered a SE Expedia for £15. I thanked him and said I'd see what Virgin were offering me.

He said don't go and offered me same as I've got now on SIM only, including unlimited texts, plus 2bg net for £5.32!

I snapped his hand off - now to find a nice cheap phone!

stee01

Hmm. in a bit of a mess here:

Just got a call back from the 3 retentions guy. He offered me 3 deals. 500 mix n match and 500mb internet with a desire hd (yeah hd) for £21. 900 mix n match and 1gb internet with a desire hd for £24 and the one plan with desire hd for £28

I took the £24 one.

Problem I have now is this. Just got my Desire in the post today on tmobile with dialaphone (phones4u). Its been opened charged, turned on and the sim has been in. I've got a text from tmobile welcoming to the network. I have not made any calls on it or sent any text or anything (Ive connected to my own wifi and thats it). Should be still safe to cancel this one right?

webmode

I requested PAC code 2 week ago, but no callback from thee retention department. Found very rude customer services. they offer me £8 deal which i reject, I need more min. I decide to go giffgaff and will sign to any other network cheaper deal, soon it comes up.
Three signal are very bad (keep droppingg call most of time) and customer service are always bad. Only benefit on three is skype and my all friends got three.

mishkanorman

stee01 wrote: »

Hmm. in a bit of a mess here:

Just got a call back from the 3 retentions guy. He offered me 3 deals. 500 mix n match and 500mb internet with a desire hd (yeah hd) for £21. 900 mix n match and 1gb internet with a desire hd for £24 and the one plan with desire hd for £28

I took the £24 one.

Problem I have now is this. Just got my Desire in the post today on tmobile with dialaphone (phones4u). Its been opened charged, turned on and the sim has been in. I've got a text from tmobile welcoming to the network. I have not made any calls on it or sent any text or anything (Ive connected to my own wifi and thats it). Should be still safe to cancel this one right?

If i remember rightly you cant return the handset once the sim has been used, says somewhere on the letter that comes with it i think,

why not call t-mob and see if they can match three ??

stee01

Doesn't mention it on my letter I have or the small print of the contract.

Return Procedure
1. Contact the Customer Support Team on 0844 4815866 within 7 working days after the delivery date.

2. We will send you a prepaid bag for you to return the goods.

3. Please return the goods to us within 7 days of your call to the Customer Support Team.

4. When re-packaging the goods, you need to check:

a. you have included the complete set of product items (including charger, battery, accessories, instruction manual and/or additional items that we originally sent to you, including any free gift;

b. all the goods must be returned, where possible, with their original packaging, in as good a condition as they were in when they were delivered to you.

5. Please retain proof of posting. The goods remain your responsibility until they are received by us

http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/help.aspx#Cancellation & Upgrades

Also on the phones4u site (who dialaphone operate through)

How do I return a purchase made online/over the phone?
phones4u

For all Pay monthly contract phones, Pay-as-you-go or Standalone goods

In the unlikely event that you want to return your phone (including promotional items if applicable), you will need to let us know within 7 working days of the date of delivery (not including the day of delivery). You will then have another 7 days to return the purchase to us.

If, for any reason you need to return a product for a refund or exchange, we can arrange for the item to be returned using a pre-paid Royal Mail bag. To do this you'll need to get returns authorisation from the Phones4u Direct Support Team.

Your products must be returned to Phones4u undamaged with all accessories (including any products supplied as part of a promotion) and where possible the original packaging. Just keep your receipt and you will only get charged for the line rental used and any calls made if you're on pay monthly.

Please note, if you have purchased a pre-pay handset with airtime included, you will only be entitled to a refund for the cost of the pre-pay handset and not the sim card and mobile phone airtime credit. When returning your handset you should keep your SIM card as this will still have the airtime that you have purchased.

Contact the Customer Support Team within 7 working days after the delivery date.

You will then receive a phone call from one of a Account Managers to see if there is anything they can do to help.

If we are unable to help, the Account Manager will arrange for a prepaid bag to be sent to your address, so you can return all of your delivered items.

All agreed items for return need to be back to us within 7 days after your call.

Once we receive your product and made sure everything is in good condition we will make a request to your selected network provider to terminate your deal. We'll sort out any refunds within 10 - 14 working days.

Please ensure you keep a copy of the proof of postage, as the goods are your responsibility until they are received by us.

Before you email just remember to include your details along with a good contact number to speak to you on. Drop our Customer Services team an email at talktous@phones4u.co.uk

http://support.phones4u.co.uk/pe/action/km/viewelement?actionName=view&id=10100260&type=7&sortCriteria=DATE&channelID=1&portalPageId=10100110

Sounds safe to me. I could call tmobile, however its gone through dialaphone, also im being offered the HD not the standard desire with 3.

If anyone has any solid info on this (the not being able to return the phone) I'd love to hear it. As far as im aware I can return it under the distance selling regulations and it is illegal for them to refuse otherwise. It used to be the case that they would not allow you to return it if you had turned the phone on at one point, nevermind touched the sim, but I dont think they can do this anymore.