Thinking of Joining 3Ireland?

malico

Hey guys.

Well I was a 3 Ireland customer for a grand total of 2 months!

Just if anyone is thinking of going into the network, just want to give some opinions to let everyone know what they're getting into. Note, I don't work for any network, just an ordinaty joe soap that uses his phone!

The Good Stuff:
3G Interweb - Using the Xseries Silver Pagage you get unlimited internet usage (Subject to fair use contract, but that 2Gb a month, which is pretty damn fair) and unlimited MSN on all the time on an Xseries compatible phone (like the E65).
International Roaming - Including US. Not too bad on price. 1.20 or so per call home.
Cheap enough call plans.

The bad stuff:
The MSN service went down a fair few times, giving me about 80% uptime on it. Skype, (which I rarely used) is limited to 5000 minutes, but that's alright too I suppose!
The customer service is based in India. It is SO infuriating to talk to them as they seem to read from a script only. And trying to get a call back from a Team Leader. Curing cancer is easier! Also, multiple, multiple lies. I had a phone problem and they had to send me a new one. I was told every day for 3 weeks that it would be there tonight by 6pm or tomorrow at the latest. Only when I called the courior company themselves did it get sorted.
Now here's the big, infuriating, reason I left 3. If you are on Post-Pay, and like me usualy had high bills because of high use, they have a nice little secret.
You have a "Cash Credit Limit". Basically, this is how it runs. I was on the 400 minute option, but I text quite a bit. Your national minutes are deduced from the 400 mins. All well and good. But here's the kicker. Althought I expected when I sent texts, they were just billed to you on the next bill date and you paid, that's not REALLY the case. They are charged to your cash credit limit. Now when you reach 150 on your bill you get a 3Alert saying you are nearing your limit. I had no idea what this was until i called them and asked. Apparently it is, and I quote from a Team Leader, a "Secret limit customers only find out about when it happens. [3 does not] tell our resellers or customers about this". So when you reach 165 euro limit, your ability to text, use mobile internet etc is turned off. And when your minutes run out, then calls are gone too. Your options? Pay an interim bill amount by credit card or in a 3 Store.
So this is more like a Pre-pay phone than a bill phone!
Now in the process of leaving they want an early termination fee of 550. And they only have a verbal contract, so I told them that at the point of sale they never told me of this limit and I am telling them I won't pay this as I joined the network under false pretenses! {already lodged complaint with ComReg}

Just a few points for ya to consider!
Oh, the always on internet is great, but you can get the same on Vodafone for 500Mb for 10 euro a month!

Davy

malico wrote: »

Now when you reach 150 on your bill you get a 3Alert saying you are nearing your limit. I had no idea what this was until i called them and asked. Apparently it is, and I quote from a Team Leader, a "Secret limit customers only find out about when it happens. [3 does not] tell our resellers or customers about this". So when you reach 165 euro limit, your ability to text, use mobile internet etc is turned off. And when your minutes run out, then calls are gone too. Your options? Pay an interim bill amount by credit card or in a 3 Store.

A similar thing happened to me, i had a high bill and hadn't been taken from direct debt yet, and hold used all the minutes from the next month. couldn't make any calls, so when i rang three i had to pay money off with my credit card. Hadn't heard of it before that

malico

Yeah. They don't tell anyone about it. Their manager actually told me it was a secret!!

foggy_lad

thats some secret haha its absolutly scandalous to think any REPUTABLE company would operate like this!

malico

Hmmm. Well, a reputable company, no. no it isn't

wardie

malico wrote: »

Also, multiple, multiple lies. I had a phone problem and they had to send me a new one. I was told every day for 3 weeks that it would be there tonight by 6pm or tomorrow at the latest. Only when I called the courior company themselves did it get sorted

I was due to get one sent to me last week and the usual crap about them not sure when it will arrive. Who is the courier company that they use ? Be great if you have contact details for them ?

malico

Had a phon number for them but can't find it at all! But it's SDS, the An Post courior service. I talked to Ciara in there and she was more then helpful!

PRND

In Dublin they use Buy4now.ie and the phone gets delivered in the purple vans.

I had no problems with the delivery of my initial phone or my upgrade.