Current Status of X-Series & Unlimited Broadband on 3

Canada J Soup

MagicBusDriver wrote: »

Any recommendations? I'd really like to get Fring working on X-Series. It's my only way of contacting the gf in US when outside the house and away from unsecured wi-fi.

Heh. That's the exact same reason why I want to get Fring running

What I have found is that the generic version of iSkoot (on which the bundled Three Skype client is based) runs fine on most Symbian phones. All it does is check your Skype account details via HTTPS so if you can connect to the web you can use it. Register at http://www.iskoot.com/register.php to have a link sent via email or SMS to download the version for your phone.

There is (kind of) a catch in that when using it it doesn't rely on a data connection for your end of the call. Instead it has your phone dial into an iSkoot server using a regular voice call and uses your Skype account details to make a Skype call from that server. When you do this with the Three Skype client you don't (as far as I can tell) get charged any minutes on your Three account, but you are limited to making calls to Skype clients only (ie: no SkypeOut).

When you do it using the generic iSkoot client you'll likely get hit for minutes as with any call to an ordinary Irish number, but the advantage is that SkypeOut works AND you can use the Skype IM service. Getting charged for minutes from my Three account plus the 0.02 cents per minute from my SkypeOut credit is well worth being able to stay in touch, and the call quality far exceeds Fring even on WLAN.

foggy_lad

Canada J Soup wrote: »

Heh. That's the exact same reason why I want to get Fring running

What I have found is that the generic version of iSkoot (on which the bundled Three Skype client is based) runs fine on most Symbian phones. All it does is check your Skype account details via HTTPS so if you can connect to the web you can use it. Register at http://www.iskoot.com/register.php to have a link sent via email or SMS to download the version for your phone.

There is (kind of) a catch in that when using it it doesn't rely on a data connection for your end of the call. Instead it has your phone dial into an iSkoot server using a regular voice call and uses your Skype account details to make a Skype call from that server. When you do this with the Three Skype client you don't (as far as I can tell) get charged any minutes on your Three account, but you are limited to making calls to Skype clients only (ie: no SkypeOut).

When you do it using the generic iSkoot client you'll likely get hit for minutes as with any call to an ordinary Irish number, but the advantage is that SkypeOut works AND you can use the Skype IM service. Getting charged for minutes from my Three account plus the 0.02 cents per minute from my SkypeOut credit is well worth being able to stay in touch, and the call quality far exceeds Fring even on WLAN.

jesus wouldn't it be easier to hop on a bus train or plain to communicate with someone than go through all this because your service "provider" fails to provide the advertised service?!

btw i am not criticising people's attempts to get things working, rather three's absolute failure to control their disaster!

Bluefrog

Canada J Soup wrote:

What is most frustrating about this is that I have suggested to Three Ireland technical support staff that this might be the problem...yet all they do is check my account to see what services I have signed up for.

You managed to get past customer support and through to the technical support level??? I kneel before you oh great one! I myself have been unable since I joined Three back in May to achieve such a state of bliss. I really was beginning to think it was some fakery that Three Ireland had devised to maintain a glimmer of hope in customers so that they would keep paying their bills thinking that their issues would eventually get sorted.

Seriously though, reprovisioning might help. It did for me initially but that was before the infamous August 'uprade'. In any case, it can't hurt. They know how to do that at least so if I were you I would give it a shot.

I don't recall receiving any message to say that my Gold addon was now active. They gave me the standard line about it taking 24 hours but it actually went live for me in less than 4.

Canada J Soup

Bluefrog wrote: »

You managed to get past customer support and through to the technical support level???

Well. They called themselves technical support. Perhaps I should have typed it as "technical support"?

Sam Vimes

i've been using googles new youtube app on 3 for a few weeks now. Its a bit jumpy but it doesn't cut off after a minute. Maybe you should all save yourselves some money and join me on the 250 mb broadband add on. I couldn't bring myself to give 3 20 euro a month

Canada J Soup

More frustration from 3 today. The direct debit for my first month of service was declined by AIB for some reason. It's not clear why: Sufficient funds were present in the account and I have had direct debits for other payments going against it for years without difficulty. My suspicion is that the account details were not properly entered by the sales staff in 3's Grafton St. shop. Apparently impossible to verify this since according to 3 the direct debit account details were deleted as soon as it was declined (can this possibly be legal?).

The processing issue occurred midweek (Wednesday, Feb 6th). This morning (Saturday, Feb 9th) I received my first notification of the debit not having gone through when a 3 CS rep called me at around 10am. I indicated that I would not be able to find out what had occurred until Monday (due to it being the weekend and banks generally not being open in Ireland on the weekend) and preferred to wait until then to resolve the issue rather than pay immediately with a credit card. I was told that this would not be a problem. 30 minutes later I discovered that my service had been disconnected. Apparently because the "two days grace period" had been passed. It's a pity that they waited three days to notify me of the issue.

Frustrating though the circumstances were, I decided that it was easier to capitulate and pay by credit card than go all weekend without any phone service at all. I registered formal complaints about how the matter had been conducted with a CS manager and asked him to look into the ongoing issue of why my X-Series Silver service had not been providing full internet services, and here's where it might get interesting for some of the rest of you:

He finally admitted that there is a known ongoing issue with X-Series Silver in Ireland and that I would be included on a call back list for when the issue had been resolved. Time estimate for resolution was originally "at minimum one week" then "definitely by Tuesday". I indicated that I was not prepared to wait and requested that he change my service to X-Series Gold until X-Series Silver was full functioning for Irish users (admittedly, this did take three additional calls / call-backs as he didn't seem to be aware that it was not possible to have both X-Series Silver and X-Series Gold add ons on an account simultaneously). They also credited my account for one month of X-Series Silver charges.

I can't tell whether the X-Series Gold has actually been provisioned for my account though (although it is showing in my billing details), since I still cannot access tinytube.net or connect with Fring or my phone's Email or IM clients.

I'm getting very close to giving up on 3. But do I go to Vodafone, o2 or what?

culabula

Canada J Soup wrote: »

More frustration from 3 today. The direct debit for my first month

I'm getting very close to giving up on 3. But do I go to Vodafone, o2 or what?

Well, as O2 provide broadband on your voice SIM and given that it works well and may be applied on a month-to-month basis, that would seem to be the one.

Bluefrog

A known issue with X-Series Silver in Ireland eh - did they specify what it is? If they know there is an issue why are they still offering it? I'm afraid this sounds like a fob-off to me in a classic Three Ireland manner.

I'd give it 24 hours to see if the upgrade to Gold works - they may just not have provisioned your account yet.

If it still doesn't work tell them to reprovision it. If that doesn't work then take the Commander's advice.

Canada J Soup

Bluefrog wrote: »

A known issue with X-Series Silver in Ireland eh - did they specify what it is? If they know there is an issue why are they still offering it? I'm afraid this sounds like a fob-off to me in a classic Three Ireland manner.

He didn't specify. As usual, the information provided was vague and somewhat contradictory. I did find the fact that he admitted there was an issue quite telling. They obviously deployed an insufficiently tested service and are trying to brazen their way though it by pretending there is nothing wrong in the hopes that it will eventually work as advertised and that people will bear it out.

I imagine that this is grounds for anyone who has been paying for X-Series add ons but who has not received proper service to get credits to their accounts. I would further imagine that it provides grounds for terminating contracts without incurring fees.

Bluefrog

Imagining is all you would be doing unless you recorded the call or had it in writing. I just won't deal with them by phone anymore. Makes them think twice about what they commit to.

MagicBusDriver

Canada J Soup wrote: »

Heh. That's the exact same reason why I want to get Fring running

What I have found is that the generic version of iSkoot (on which the bundled Three Skype client is based) runs fine on most Symbian phones. All it does is check your Skype account details via HTTPS so if you can connect to the web you can use it. Register at http://www.iskoot.com/register.php to have a link sent via email or SMS to download the version for your phone.

There is (kind of) a catch in that when using it it doesn't rely on a data connection for your end of the call. Instead it has your phone dial into an iSkoot server using a regular voice call and uses your Skype account details to make a Skype call from that server. When you do this with the Three Skype client you don't (as far as I can tell) get charged any minutes on your Three account, but you are limited to making calls to Skype clients only (ie: no SkypeOut).

When you do it using the generic iSkoot client you'll likely get hit for minutes as with any call to an ordinary Irish number, but the advantage is that SkypeOut works AND you can use the Skype IM service. Getting charged for minutes from my Three account plus the 0.02 cents per minute from my SkypeOut credit is well worth being able to stay in touch, and the call quality far exceeds Fring even on WLAN.

Thanks for the tip mr J soup! I installed iSkoot a few days ago and works quite well. Obviously would prefer to be using the services I paid for but it's definitely something. I'd like to be able to send skypeOut sms and hopefully that'll come eventually.

I'm thinking about demanding Gold as you have or just switch down to there more basic broadband package like Commander Vimes.

Canada J Soup

Bluefrog wrote: »

Imagining is all you would be doing unless you recorded the call or had it in writing. I just won't deal with them by phone anymore. Makes them think twice about what they commit to.

Good thing I recorded the call so. I wasn't talking about the CS rep having stated to me that there was a known issue anyway, rather about the fact that there is a known issue with service being grounds for new contracts that included that service being unenforceable. You’re spot on about dealing with them on the phone. At the very least it is far too frustrating an experience. I may have them remove my contact number from their records to ensure that my email address is used in future.

MagicBusDriver wrote: »

I'm thinking about demanding Gold as you have or just switch down to there more basic broadband package like Commander Vimes.

I'd recommend the former if it had actually done me any good...but Gold is making no difference after having been activated more than 36 hours ago. I'm going to see if I can get Orb set up on a PC. If I can't access that it might add more weight to my complaint since it is an advertised service they place a lot of emphasis on. I'll post back here if I have any success...

Canada J Soup

Well, I'm not 100% certain if it was the switch to X-Series Gold that did it or not (the CS rep I spoke with kept referring to my X-Series Silver add on), but I received a call from 3 this afternoon telling me that I should remove the battery from my phone, re-start, and my services wuold be fully functioning. I did, and, amazingly enough, everything worked. Worked well too. Crystal clear SkypeOut calls using Fring and email appearing in the inbox of the integrated client almost as soon as they are sent. All web pages (including tinytube.net) I've tried so far have loaded. Going to hold on to Gold for a month at least before switching back to Silver just in case though...

I'd almost forgive them if it hadn't taken three and a half weeks of phone calls and emails.

Oh, I didn't have a chance t to grill the guy about what exactly the problem they 'fixed' was as was just heading out...can try to find that out if anyone is interested in hearing back.

Terrontress

What about the real streaming?

Go to bbcradio.mobi and select BBC Radio 1 and see can you listen to it for more than 1m45s.

Bluefrog

I presume they never got back to you on your letter T - neither to me - might be time to rattle their cage on this again.

Canada J Soup

Terrontress wrote: »

What about the real streaming?

Go to bbcradio.mobi and select BBC Radio 1 and see can you listen to it for more than 1m45s.

Nope. Disconnects at 1m44s.

I called back to ask what the issue with my service had actually been and the response was that my account "needed to be reset". I asked if this meant that it hadn't originally been provisioned properly (as I had suspected and suggested in an email two weeks ago) and was told yes. I don't know whether this constitutes the "known issue" another 3 CS rep referred to or what.

3s CS / tech staff really do not seem to have even the slightest idea what goes on with their systems.

Bluefrog

Canada, glad things are working for you now. As the streaming issue remains unaddressed by Three I would be grateful if you would post in this thread - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055220359&highlight=streaming+three so I have something to take to Three the next time I tackle them about this.