3 (Three) Mobile Broadband USB Review - UK

Moey82

I just checked my three online bill and it states I have incurred charges of over £16 ish. Called up customer services to ask where the charges have come from as I know myself that I didnt even exceed the 3gb allowance that I have. Called the broadband customer services (which is in India!!) for them to tell me that I have got through to the wrong department (even though I had called the number that they that stated on the website!!) Annoyed as i were, I put the phone down and called the number on the website again... and yep, got through to that same person!!! So angry, I asked to speak to the manager.

After I long while waiting, I was connected to the manager. I asked him to provide a full breakdown of my bill and how the extra costs were incurred. He told me that the major cost was was from the hours of 23:02 11/05/ in which case I had used up £13.30 worth of allowances. This was absolute rubbish!!! At that time both me and my husband was in bed asleep!!! And with no one else with access to the internet, those costs were definately a result of the dodgy three network system. I contested this matter with the manager, and they say theres not much they can do, becasuse accoprding to there computer I used the internet at that time!!! What I bunch of crap. I am so outraged!!

Anyway, I called my sister (who is also on Three pay as you go broadband) to have a rant. She told me that she recently bought a new £15 top up for a 3gb allowance, only for three to send an message 2 days later telling her that she was running low on allowances, even though she only used it once or twice for minor browsing!!!

So, my point is:
1. Customer service is Terrible, terrible, terrible
2. I doubt their system in tracking your allowances is reliable, one should therefore make own records to cross reference with theirs incase of any discrepencies.
3. Just beware, beware, beware!!!

Anyone else with these problems to?

Sardlife

I've also been stung by 3, I bought a mobile broadband service from their website after checking with their post code checker that I would have coverage on the river Medina in Cowes, Isle of White. I bought it in January and being cold I didn't do much sailing, when I eventualy did get to Cowes I had no coverage whatsoever!! Utter crap! How can they get away with offering a post code service level checker on their web site when it obviously is a lie?
I did the usual, called India and spent 15 minutes on the phone talking to someone that speaks broken English at best, to be told that I have no other course of action because all broadband issues are dealt with (Or not as the case may be!!) in India.

I sent this email to 3's web site:

your web site shows coverage for your mobile broadband in Cowes, Isle of White, there is no coverage! I am trying to sort this out and am currently on hold and have been for 8 minutes. the number I called is 08707 330 320 so I'm paying to listen to 'here comes the sun'!
I'm told that there is no-one in the UK that I can talk to and the Indian chap speaks very broken English.
If this is your idea of customer service then I give in. Somebody please call me (preferably someone that can speak English!)
I have just been told that, even though your website lies about the coverage area, I will have to pay a fee to get out of this contract so I have just cancelled my direct debit to you and will wait for you to either call me or write to me. 15 minutes and 13 seconds to get nowhere!............
I wait with baited breath!!!!
PS Yes I did give them my number but took it off so you stalkers couldn't get me!

Sardlife Innit!!!

trampledown

I too have a 3mobile brodband stick and live in Hove. It doesn't hardly work at all and is so frustrating. I was sold the stick just up the road and they didn't tell me I would have problems. Surely this should be a case for Trading Standards. Did anyone have any luck getting a refund and/or the contract cancelled?

Thanks

stanyardroger

trampledown wrote: »

I too have a 3mobile brodband stick and live in Hove. It doesn't hardly work at all and is so frustrating. I was sold the stick just up the road and they didn't tell me I would have problems. Surely this should be a case for Trading Standards. Did anyone have any luck getting a refund and/or the contract cancelled?

Thanks

I've got the same problem. I;m based in Winchester abd 3 claims my home is in the turbo area. The ZTE software seems to confirm this but the servioce only occaionally works in HSDPA mode.

About 65% of the time I get no service at all from my home. It only appears to woork between 9.30 am and 1pm and in the middle of the night. When it does work, the service is well below what you would expect from the slowest dial-up narrowband service.

It is simply not broadband by even the wildest stretch of imagaination. It's an intermittent service largely (when it works) incapabl;e of opening a web page before time-out.

I live about a mile from the 3 mobile base station in the centre of Winchester. I've tested the service from a 1st floor room through an open window with line of site to the transmitter/base station.

It seems that the whole set up simply doesn't work, either becasue of congestion or incompetence (or both).

On a scale of 1 to 10, this product does not warrent 1. It is utterly worthless.

TheConsumersRight

I too must recommend that people avoid using any service by Three, especially the mobile broadband. I should have learnt my lesson the first time I used 3, when I bought a pay as you go (PAYG) phone. It was clunky, had bad reception, and the software, and service was wrought with bugs - fortunately the people at Superdrug had the grace to allow me to return the 'product'.

Fast forward 3 years, and I was tempted by their PAYG mobile broadband option, since all the other operators at the moment seem preoccupied with 18 month contracts. I was anxious about the £1 per Mb overcharge, so stressed this to the salesperson at the 3 store. However, they repeatedly said that you cannot exceed your limit with PAYG, due to the nature of the contract, although this seems at odds with the information on the website, product literature, and the actual product. If the salespeople don't even understand how their own products work then how are we, the general public, supposed to do so? I have not taken any chances, and have paid for the top-up / add-ons in cash.

Secondly, for those of us that use Apple Macs (allegedly supported), support is limited and not exactly user-friendly. After an appalling and poorly documented installation. I found that the software is missing a rather handy feature (available if you use the Windows version) that allows one to send and recieve SMS text-messages using the modem. In a well designed system , this would not be an issue. However, in order to view your data usage, or top-up online (if you are brave enough to register your credit card with this company); you need to subscribe to the a service from 3 called 'my3'. After registering for an account guess how your account is then activated...yup, you guessed it, by having an SMS text message sent to the modem!

I shalln't even go into how bad their phone support is, let's just say that they seem even more confused than their salespeople.

Fortunately for myself, I have been able to get internet access using the mobile broadband, download speeds can be very slow at times (but appear slightly quicker from a Windows computer). Another redeeming factor is that the modem can be used on different computers, this is how I spotted the added functionality and improved performance on a Windows computer, after a muddled but quicker install on the machine (when compared to my Mac).

In short, I would not recommend this product. Unless you are desperate for broadband; do not want to commit to a 18+ month long contract; and cannot get broadband installed in your home; I would recommend that you stay away from 3's mobile broadband option, or any other product available from Three. I have heard nothing but negative reviews of the service from friends, work colleagues, and from internet forums.

Three are a highly unprofessional company, and flourish on their bad customer service, confused contracts, and misleading adverts, and this message board pays testament to that fact.

To summarise:

Advantages:
* You can get Internet access (albeit at rather slow speeds)
* You can use the modem on different computers

Disadvantages
* Confused contract
* Unhelpful sales staff
* Shocking customer service
* Very poor support for those with Apple Macs
* Cannot register for required My3 service, if you are using an Apple Mac

clothahump

Surely this is nothing more than "Incorrect description of Goods" if so it is far from legal and is a job for trading standards.

rogeraters

3 at it again, still ripping people off! (my previous thread page 4 :mad:) look's like there's a lot of us. I wonder what martin's opinion on all this is? maybe he should include somthing in the weekly Email?

cristinakaren

Hi Roger,
I'm not so sure if Martin would look at this. Looking at his article about mobile broadband - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/phones/cheap-mobile-broadband#3g you can see that he receives money from every person he refers over to Three. (see the * next to the three mobile broadband link). I'm sure he makes quite a bit of money from this affiliate relationship so would be unlikely to do anything that could upset them. I could be wrong here - so apologies in advance Martin!

digp

SweetPea73 wrote: »

C

I'm so angry, the sales staff were so nice when selling us stuff but the minute you return to the shop they all turn on you like a pack of Rottweilers

sw x x x

That must be because they are rottweilers.

tsj

Yeah, I agree totally with the selling of the 3 mobile broadband package, and the reality of the after-sales service. I bought mine from Carphone Warehouse on Oxford Street. I receive 'speeds' of 40kbps (!) in South London.

I returned the dongle to the store this week, asked for a speed test and 0.4 megs came up. Still not technically broadband. The manager agreed, but refused to do anything.

"Not my problem, 3 etc."

Shocking.

Full story over here...