Broadband from 3

[steelaway]

I have just had a text from 3 'Worry free internet for only £3 a month. Unlimited internet with no big data bills'

Could be worth a look?

 

Alex

[nicknorman]

I have just had a text from 3 'Worry free internet for only £3 a month. Unlimited internet with no big data bills'

Could be worth a look?

 

Alex

Sounds a bit too good to be true - the cheapest i could find on their website is £7.87. Perhaps it means an extra £3 on an existing package?

 

That said I think 3 are very good and now that I have a new iPhone with contract on 3 I get unlimited data and you can tether (ie use the phone as a wifi router for your laptop etc) at no extra charge, so unlimited data for the laptop. Their network has the best 3G coverage and you get very fast data transfer. Even their customer service seems very good these days.

[carlt]

Well I've just dumped 3 because of poor customer service and being unable to offer as good an upgrade as the offer I have taken up with O2.

 

When I need a lot of mobile broadband I will, of course be taking advantage of the Ebay Payg 3 offers

[jelunga]

Strange how some people like one and hate another supplier and vice versa. I use T mobile for phone and are happy with the service. I started using t mobile for broadband but I am dissappointed with poor coverage and speed. I changed to 3 and initially found good speed but after a couple of months it is now crap. And that is from the same location! I wonder if they somehow give new customers priority for the intial period then slowthem diwn when they cannot cancel?

[Barry]

I know some people who work for 3 in various capacities

 

Unanimously they say 'have nothing to do with 3 - it's a crap company'

 

That's good enough for me

[KevMc]

I know some people who work for 3 in various capacities

 

Unanimously they say 'have nothing to do with 3 - it's a crap company'

 

That's good enough for me

 

They wanted to charge me cancellation for a contract when they hadn't delivered the dongle so that I could use their service - for some reason their customer service team had no concept of what contrues a contract under English law, in the end they only gave up because I threatened them with court action for breach of contract

[nicknorman]

Well I've just dumped 3 because of poor customer service and being unable to offer as good an upgrade as the offer I have taken up with O2.

 

When I need a lot of mobile broadband I will, of course be taking advantage of the Ebay Payg 3 offers

Out of interest how long ago was that? 3 has a terrible reputation for abysmal customer service but I get the feeling they are trying very hard to improve it. Having just got a new iPhone with them because they significantly undercut O2 (my previous provider) and have much better coverage where I want to use it as well as "all you can eat" tethered data, I had to phone customer services 3 times, one technical to do with the number porting, one to do with the insurance (that I wanted to cancel) and can't remember the 3rd one but in each case, it was answered within 10 seconds, and although it was an Indian call centre in each case they understood and were easily understood and sorted the issues in a matter of moments. In each case I would have to give them 10 out of 10 for efficiency etc. After each contact I was asked to rate their customer service so I think they know they have a problem and are trying to fix it.

 

Strange how some people like one and hate another supplier and vice versa. I use T mobile for phone and are happy with the service. I started using t mobile for broadband but I am dissappointed with poor coverage and speed. I changed to 3 and initially found good speed but after a couple of months it is now crap. And that is from the same location! I wonder if they somehow give new customers priority for the intial period then slowthem diwn when they cannot cancel?

Don't think so, we have had a MiFi for over a year on 3 and it is still very fast. Sometimes a particular cell goes slow (like the one at the airport where I work) due either to overload or to a technical issue, but nearly all cells I connect with are really fast.

[carlt]

Out of interest how long ago was that? 3 has a terrible reputation for abysmal customer service but I get the feeling they are trying very hard to improve it.

 

Last Friday and I received my new O2 phone yesterday.

 

My 3 phone stopped working, last week, so I rang customer services and, as my contract is up for renewal, in two month's time, I suggested an upgrade now, rather than sending the phone off for repair under warranty.

 

Thinking I was saving them effort and money I assumed that this would all be very smooth, until the guy said "Yes that's fine but there will be a charge, of 2 month's rental, for ending your contract early."

 

When I explained that I was doing everyone a favour by ending my contract early (and I could get a free upgrade 1 month before the contract ended anyway) I didn't see why I should pay twice as much and end up with a broken phone.

 

He wouldn't have any of it, trying to convince me that it was he doing me a favour, so the outcome is that I have a better deal with O2, they have given me a phone that 3 would have charged me £69 for, I have unlimited use of BT's wifi hotspot thingies and I'm paying a fiver a month less.

 

Oh and I will have my old phone repaired under warranty and will then get it unlocked.

Edited March 21, 2012 by carlt

[nicknorman]

Last Friday and I received my new O2 phone yesterday.

 

My 3 phone stopped working, last week, so I rang customer services and, as my contract is up for renewal, in two month's time, I suggested an upgrade now, rather than sending the phone off for repair under warranty.

 

Thinking I was saving them effort and money I assumed that this would all be very smooth, until the guy said "Yes that's fine but there will be a charge, of 2 month's rental, for ending your contract early."

 

When I explained that I was doing everyone a favour by ending my contract early (and I could get a free upgrade 1 month before the contract ended anyway) I didn't see why I should pay twice as much and end up with a broken phone.

 

He wouldn't have any of it, trying to convince me that it was he doing me a favour, so the outcome is that I have a better deal with O2, they have given me a phone that 3 would have charged me £69 for, I have unlimited use of BT's wifi hotspot thingies and I'm paying a fiver a month less.

 

Oh and I will have my old phone repaired under warranty and will then get it unlocked.

 

 

Ah I see the problem. You were trying to apply Common Sense to a big company - that never works! But presumably you had to pay the remaining 2 months of the contract anyway?

[Guest]

Personally I find 3 excellent too - at least in terms of coverage and speed, can't comment on contacting customer services because I've never had to contact them.

 

The only 2 minor problems I've had with them is --

 

- When topping my dongle up twice last week the whole process repeatedly ground to a halt at the debit card verification process which was extremely frustrating as I had to start from scratch each time

 

- For some reason their system seems unable to cope with me topping up my 3 PAYG phone online when I am connected to the internet using my 3 dongle on the boat. It seems unable to comprehend I'm not trying to top up the dongle account but rather the phone account. I just circumnavigate that now by topping up on the phone itself or at home.

 

Aside from that I think they are brill...

[carlt]

Ah I see the problem. You were trying to apply Common Sense to a big company - that never works! But presumably you had to pay the remaining 2 months of the contract anyway?

 

Technically yes but I negotiated a discount with my new provider that more than covers it.

[nicknorman]

 

- For some reason their system seems unable to cope with me topping up my 3 PAYG phone online when I am connected to the internet using my 3 dongle on the boat. It seems unable to comprehend I'm not trying to top up the dongle account but rather the phone account. I just circumnavigate that now by topping up on the phone itself or at home.

 

 

]The system automatically logs you on to the account that you are using to connect to the 3 server with - in your case your dongle account. However you should see a "logout" button that logs you out and then presents you with a login page on which you can specify the account you want to log in to (your PAYG phone number).

Edited March 21, 2012 by nicknorman

[Guest]

]The system automatically logs you on to the account that you are using to connect to the 3 server with - in your case your dongle account. However you should see a "logout" button that logs you out and then presents you with a login page on which you can specify the account you want to log in to (your PAYG phone number).

 

I've tried that Nick I'm sure - but next time I'm on the boat I'll give it a whirl again...cheers.

[mrsmelly]

Strange how some people like one and hate another supplier and vice versa. I use T mobile for phone and are happy with the service. I started using t mobile for broadband but I am dissappointed with poor coverage and speed. I changed to 3 and initially found good speed but after a couple of months it is now crap. And that is from the same location! I wonder if they somehow give new customers priority for the intial period then slowthem diwn when they cannot cancel?

 

Hi

 

I agree its dead weird. I am now in Sawley same location as you as you know and my 3 dongle is still spot on. I can stream tv ir download anything without problem, its weird

[bottle]

I have found out that dongles are directional, I have at different times and different locations moved the dongle less than six inches and improved the signal.

 

Also with the dongle on a pole six foot in the air just rotating 90º has improved the reception.

[Nose Miner]

Like all of the mobile companies they have good points and bad. The coverage is generally good and speed is getting better.

 

I have broadband with them and I thought I had a good deal at £15 a month for 15gb. Then I found that each month they allow me to go over my useage by 20mb before telling me I am out of data. This they say is offered to customers as a "service". Surprise surprise, the cost of the extra 20mb more than doubles my monthly charge to £39. I find that I have to "opt out" of this "service", unfortunately not before they have scammed me of several hundred pounds which they refuse to return.

 

As for customer service, they are shite. I can't even access their customer services because the automated system doesn't recognise my PIN number. Guess who you have to talk to to get a new PIN number? Try emailing them I hear you say - I have - no response. When I complained to their executive office several times, I eventually received a rather sniffy email from someone who claimed "our system has no record of you sending an email to us"!!!

 

There is one department at 3 that you can access easily, will always answer the phone straight away and you get to talk to someone in Britain who understands English - yes, you guessed - the sales department. Sadly they cannot help you with queries regarding existing customer accounts, nor can they transfer you to someone who can.

 

If I could get out of my contract I would.

[nicknorman]

Then I found that each month they allow me to go over my useage by 20mb before telling me I am out of data. This they say is offered to customers as a "service". Surprise surprise, the cost of the extra 20mb more than doubles my monthly charge to £39. I find that I have to "opt out" of this "service"...

My MiFi is on PAYG so no problem there, but my iPad is on a 1GB monthly contract for when I am away from WiFi. As you say, going over the allowance is very expensive at 10p/MB. I would much prefer it to just stop working when the allowance is used up. How did you opt out of the data overrun? I don't see an option on the web account interface. Did you have to do it via customer service?

[cotswoldsman]

I can only say as I find. Firstly I find 3 have the best Broadband and I have tried most. For the first couple of years I was on 3 PAYG then last year I changed to a contract that was £15 pm for 10gb. Then I purchased the new Broadband Dongle and while I was in the shop they reduced my cost down to £10 for 10gb without even asking. I have never had to call customer service as I have never had a problem so can not comment on CS

[Nose Miner]

My MiFi is on PAYG so no problem there, but my iPad is on a 1GB monthly contract for when I am away from WiFi. As you say, going over the allowance is very expensive at 10p/MB. I would much prefer it to just stop working when the allowance is used up. How did you opt out of the data overrun? I don't see an option on the web account interface. Did you have to do it via customer service?

Yes, you will have to speak to the customer services team. Good luck!

[nicknorman]

Yes, you will have to speak to the customer services team. Good luck!

Ok thanks I will give it a go!

[Tony Brooks]

Personally I find 3 excellent too - at least in terms of coverage and speed, can't comment on contacting customer services because I've never had to contact them.

 

The only 2 minor problems I've had with them is --

 

- When topping my dongle up twice last week the whole process repeatedly ground to a halt at the debit card verification process which was extremely frustrating as I had to start from scratch each time

 

- For some reason their system seems unable to cope with me topping up my 3 PAYG phone online when I am connected to the internet using my 3 dongle on the boat. It seems unable to comprehend I'm not trying to top up the dongle account but rather the phone account. I just circumnavigate that now by topping up on the phone itself or at home.

 

Aside from that I think they are brill...

 

 

I agree - half an hour to connect to My3, very slow screen refreshes during topup and then the verified by Visa refuses to charge. I just buy a voucher from a local store.

 

Even filled in the customer service quiz they sent me but no response from 3.

 

Good coverage, poor customer service.

[Ange]

We've been using 3 for a couple of years now and have found the coverage really good - we even get a signal in Barrow which is apparently a dead zone for internet. I've just entered into a two year contract for a phone which gives all you can eat internet along with all the texts and phone minutes we need for £23 per month - before that we were paying £15 per month for our dongle which gave us 15gb plus £15 to T-Mobile for my phone, so we're £7 per month better off plus don't have to worry about our internet usage any more. We have found their customer services a bit of a mare, but it's so rare I have to phone them it's not been a deal breaker.

 

Ok thanks I will give it a go!

I phoned customer services for exactly the same reason - we got stung for going over our limit (ouch!) when our son was staying aboard. I told them to cut off our internet when we reached the limit as we have a PAYG Vodafone dongle as a stand by (one of the few that were issued where there's no time limit on using the credit). It's fairly pricey at £10 per gb but a damn sight cheaper than the silly money 3 charge when you go over. It took me a while to make them understand what I wanted but we got there in the end.

[snigsnig]

3 are generally the best provider for mobile broadband, but since they dropped their 2G network their quality for making phonecalls has dropped considerably, as phone calls are now made on 3G too, which sounds good in theory but in reality its terrible as 3G coverage is far less than 2G. Incidentally, they dropped their 2G network as it was rented from another provider (Orange I think) and could no longer afford it.

 

Fingers crossed they can survive on 3G alone, but it wouldnt surprise me if they are really struggling.

 

Oh, and TMobile's wireless pointer is was better than 3's Mifi Unlocked version is perfect for boaters as you can attach a nifty antenna to it, which you can't with 3's Mifi.

 

Neil

[cariad]

ote name='Ange' timestamp='1332612179' post='844606']

We've been using 3 for a couple of years now and have found the coverage really good - we even get a signal in Barrow which is apparently a dead zone for internet. I've just entered into a two year contract for a phone which gives all you can eat internet along with all the texts and phone minutes we need for £23 per month - before that we were paying £15 per month for our dongle which gave us 15gb plus £15 to T-Mobile for my phone, so we're £7 per month better off plus don't have to worry about our internet usage any more. We have found their customer services a bit of a mare, but it's so rare I have to phone them it's not been a deal breaker.

 

 

i thought i had all what you can eat until i started to get extra charges, when i queried this i was told it's because i was

sending photos via text messages. they don't tell you this when you enter into the contract. probably somewhere in the small print. eventually i contacted them to block any text or whatever is above my package, the only trouble now is if i want to make a call which is outside their network coverage they want me to make another payment up front. already paying £ 40.00 a month

whereas my wife has a deal with tesco for £10.00 a month which often get's a signal when i can't.

wish i had stuck with a dongle.

[smileypete]

I have an ancient but small 2G Nokia 8310 on O2 PAYG for calls, and a basic Samsung i5500 smartphone on a 6 month PAYG data sim which uses 3 network.

 

Suits me, I can leave the smartphone at home when I don't need it, or take it with me and not worry about running the battery flat watching videos.

 

Back to topic, the Samsung can do wifi or bluetooth tethering by rooting it and putting different firmware (Cyanogenmod) on it. Changing firmware isn't that easy but can at least be done!

 

cheers,

Pete.