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3 internet dongle, yes or no ?

onionbargee

By onionbargee
in Boat Equipment

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mrsmelly Veteran II

mrsmellyDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Anyone using the 3 network's mobile internet dongle ? is it any good ?

 

I am using one now typing this. Its very quick as good as wifi most of the time and NEVER drops off the signal like others I have owned. Exellent coverage. I plug it straight into the laptop dont need to dangle near a window although this boat aint proper cos its got bus windows. Id deffo go for one again :D

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alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

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As I think you are London based, it is generally pretty good there, and on up the Grand Union.

 

However, if you ever venture round on to the River Lee, there are definitely some places there where '3' is a whole heap less good, (unless they have improved it in the last year or so.)

 

Countrywide it is pretty good, so I don't know why bits of the Lee seem to suffer.

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blackrose Veteran II

blackrose

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The big problem with 3 that if something does go wrong you end up talking to someone in India. While most of the support staff in the call centres in places like Mumbai and Hydrabad appear very helpful and say all the right things, in practice I found they didn't actually do anything! I was passed from one dept to another to try to resolve the issues; the problem was escalated from the technical team to the higher technical team and back again. It was bureaucracy gone mad and it went on for months. When I explained my frustrations they agreed it wasn't very good customer service, but that's just how it is - you go around in circles.

 

In the end I just sent the dongle back by recorded delivery to an address I found on the net and cancelled the direct debit. They chased me on & off for about 2 years with demands and baliffs letters, but eventually after a lot of correspondance they agreed to cancel my contract and the debt.

 

Just my experience, but I would NEVER go back to 3UK for any kind of service again.

Edited by blackrose
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The big problem with 3 that if something does go wrong you end up talking to someone in India. While most of the support staff in the call centres in places like Mumbai and Hydrabad appear very helpful and say all the right things, in practice I found they didn't actually do anything! I was passed from one dept to another to try to resolve the issues; the problem was escalated from the technical team to the higher technical team and back again. It was beauracracy gone mad and it went on for months. When I explained my frustrations they agreed it wasn't very good customer service, but that's just how it is - you just go around in circles.

 

In the end I just sent the dongle back by recorded delivery to an address I found on the net and cancelled the direct debit. They chased me on & off for about 2 years with demands and baliffs letters, but eventually after a lot of correspondance they agreed to cancel my contact and the debt.

 

Just my experience, but I would NEVER go back to 3UK for any kind of service again.

I must admit that the customer service is shoddy, again, I have had a lot better luck going into a 3 store. I had a really bad time with tmobile and although I am with O2 for my phone, there dongle has taken off.

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Chertsey Veteran

Chertsey

Posted
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I have a 3 sim in the iPad and when I had a problem it was very quickly sortedvout by a nice person in a shop. It was an iPad glitch too, not 3's fault. I have been reasonably happy with the coverage; not great in the wilds of Lincolnshire but then I wouldn't really expect it to be. I've bought a 3 dongle for the laptop but haven't put it to the test yet... There's the issue of getting it to speak Ubuntu for a start...

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Rebotco Rising Star

Rebotco

Posted
Posted

The big problem with 3 that if something does go wrong you end up talking to someone in India. While most of the support staff in the call centres in places like Mumbai and Hydrabad appear very helpful and say all the right things, in practice I found they didn't actually do anything! I was passed from one dept to another to try to resolve the issues; the problem was escalated from the technical team to the higher technical team and back again. It was bureaucracy gone mad and it went on for months. When I explained my frustrations they agreed it wasn't very good customer service, but that's just how it is - you go around in circles.

 

In the end I just sent the dongle back by recorded delivery to an address I found on the net and cancelled the direct debit. They chased me on & off for about 2 years with demands and baliffs letters, but eventually after a lot of correspondance they agreed to cancel my contract and the debt.

 

Just my experience, but I would NEVER go back to 3UK for any kind of service again.

 

I'll second that! My experience with 3 was some years ago and a mobile phone contract. I found them as CROOKED as a £9 note, with no morals at all. They ripped me off for £129 with the same type of bully-boy tactics as Blackrose. And they are stupid - yes, they did con me for £129, but it has cost them thousands. Not only in the loss of my business, but that of many friends as well. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole ............ on second thoughts, maybe I would.

 

Brian

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Richard10002 Veteran II

Richard10002

Posted
Posted

What is "3 mifi" exactly, please? Can I buy one on line?

 

http://www.three.co.uk/Mobile_Broadband/MiFi

 

A "no-brainer", as they say!

 

I bought one from a 3 store. £18 per month for 15Gb per month on a 24 month contract. Used it to log on with iPhone, iPad, and 2 laptops on our delivery trip from Barton to Stretford in October. TV on the iPad was a godsend for the football and the rugby. Info on the boat and the route was instantly available online at all times.

 

If you don't want to be committed for a couple of years, there is a PAYG option but I don't think you can buy as much bandwidth per month.

 

You could also get a smartphone with a Three "all you can eat" contract that allows tethering - possibly the best of both worlds.

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Jo_ Proficient

Jo_

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I think 3 is great and the MiFi high speed really excellent. It's a bit hard to condemn them on experiences of a 'few years ago'. Things move very quickly in the tecky market. They have a very active presence on Twitter with staff responding more or less instantly to problems and questions. And their coverage is, I've found, terrific (bottom half of the Caldon excepted - but there you're down to carrier pigeon and smoke signals anyway!)

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Bat & Frog Community Regular

Bat & Frog

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I'll second that! My experience with 3 was some years ago and a mobile phone contract. I found them as CROOKED as a £9 note, with no morals at all. They ripped me off for £129 with the same type of bully-boy tactics as Blackrose. And they are stupid - yes, they did con me for £129, but it has cost them thousands. Not only in the loss of my business, but that of many friends as well. I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole ............ on second thoughts, maybe I would.

 

Brian

 

Think that is true for all the phone companies, I had a long running dispute with T mobile and it was only when I got through to the problems solving department and requested that they either took me to court or leave me alone, and that if they didn't do either I would look into law regarding harassment that they decided that "while they could not agree with me, as a goodwill gesture they would remove all the charges and fees" from my closed account.

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nbfiresprite Influencer

nbfiresprite

Posted
Posted

3 not much use in the Fens. You be hard pushed to get a signal in the Marina. The two nearest masts are Orange and T mobile.

I use a Option 3G Data Card plugged in to the back of the PC with a outside Ariel. (£40 a year)

 

Firesprite

 

In the Office

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Billypownall Collaborator

BillypownallDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

3 is still rubbish on some of the Lee & Stort - Vodafone works 3g all the way up

T Mobile is best on the Upper Thames.

 

It really depends if there is a transmitter within range......

 

I have 3, Vodafone and T Mobile - I need coverage.

I dont know if it is still the same but on 3 the pay as you go credit used to run out after a time. I changed to Vodafone for this reason. I must say that I rarely fail to get a decent connection. The cost for my use of about £40 a year is worth every penny. With 3 I was getting time expired.

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