"3" problems or bad luck?

fizzypie

I bought a 3 pay as you go mobile on Sunday [Sony K530i]. Main reasons for moving to 3 was for Skype & decent mobile broadband connection on my phone.

Sunday:
1. Power button on the phone was faulty
2. Mobile internet not activated by the sales guy correctly so no internet

Monday:
1. Replaced the handset in the 3 shop
2. Can't activate mobile internet until handset is charged, must call back to sort it out

Tuesday:
1. Finally get the activation text for mobile broadband, call sales guy, says it will be active within 24 hours, ends up taking 20 hours.
2. Buy the 100MB broadband add-on but still can't access internet, being told I need to activate it again

My boyfreind bought the exact same phone on Saturday and has had no internet access and no msn/skype (which can operate without the internet activation step) since his old number moved over on sunday. While changing my first handset on monday, another customer was returning the same Sony handset being told that the lack of internet was down to the phone being faulty. So...

1. Is it a case of a dodgy Sony model causing the no internet woes???
2. Is the "3" network just rubbish?

Advice needed, have 10 days left to get a full refund and I'm seriously considering it.

god's toy

Sounds like a bad batch of Sony's to me.

I know of four people who got 3 phones over the last few weeks and all went ok for them.
(knowing that four people is not really a lot in the grand skeem of things...)