3 pay monthly's

Sam Vimes

I didn't read your post properly the last time so here's a proper response

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Look i've had to deal with school kids going why is you tube so slow on my meteor phone and all I can say to them is I told you when your buying it that the w595 is a 3G phone and meteor is a 2G network,

Ah so you lied to them. I see

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Meteor is a network for talk and texters, GPRS is 10 year old + technology, it's wrong to compare Meteor to 3, Voda or o2 as they are not even at the races yet...

You have the mistaken assumption that everyone who walks in your door wants to stream youtube and watch tv but that's still only a niche market in ireland. I work in a highly technical field and even there most of my colleagues don't use any of that stuff. You say meteor is for talkers and texters as if that disqualifies them completely but that suits about 95% of irish people

And the other thing you deliberately forget that in dublin and cork where most of the population is centred, meteor is now just as fast as 3 for all those little extras. And at least when you leave their fast network you can still use the internet unlike 3

And the third thing you deliberately forget is that meteor does not have a gprs network as you say, they have an edge network so the speed is 236kbps versus 384kbps. Hardly the difference between out in front and not at the races

dMaN24

I tried to sign up for 3 pay monthly. But according to the people in the store you would have to been living in Ireland for atleast 3 years to apply. I've only stayed here 1 so far.

paulm17781

zest4life wrote: »

I plan to be both in the US and UK in the coming months ... do you know if these countries have a 3 network ?

It works in the UK but in London I have found the coverage patchy. No signal in friends place but then one 50m down the road. That sort of thing.

Honestly, I used to be a big fan of them but I would strongly recommend against 3. They have had the same issues since they launched (they were new when I signed up) and none of them have been fixed. They really don't care and won't fix them. They are an awful company, save yourself some grief while you can.

zest4life

Sam Vimes wrote: »

slightly slower. And the whole world would of course collapse if it was slightly slower


Me too. I was their biggest fan around here when they first started and then they gradually did more and more stupid and frustrating things until i despised them

Would you mind telling me what stupid and frustrating things they did ?
I'm just trying to inform myself . Thx .

Sam Vimes

zest4life wrote: »

Oh no .... and I had finally made my mind up . :rolleyes:
What kind of issues were you having ?

The latest of many:
http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58999510

And the real doozy:
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055115306

It's not even that their broadband doesn't work. It's that 3 fight tooth and nail to keep people's money even though they know it doesn't work. They also routinely "forget" to cancel direct debits when people cancel and keep taking their money

And with every problem the solution is "wait 24 to 48 hours" or wipe the sim card :rolleyes: well people have been waiting a year and there's no sign of these "temporary" problems being fixed and yet they still sell it and still pretend the problem is being caused by a dirty sim card every time. Btw, if you have a phone, every problem will be "fixed" by resetting it. If you have to call many times to fix the same problem which is quite likely you will be made to this every time you call no matter how many times you tell them you've already done it. Then you will be asked to wait 24 to 48 hours until you refuse to do it anymore and only then will they escalate it. Then a few days later they'll blame your phone or another network and wash their hands of the matter

And breathe

Sam Vimes

an example would be the already mentioned problem where if you text someone on a network abroad that 3 doesn't have a roaming agreement with they will get the text every few minutes for days. You won't be charged each time but it's very annoying. This has been going on since 2005 and unless someone with more up to date information corrects me, they're still blaming every network in the world

Also my friend had a problem where every phone in the world could call him except 3 ireland phones. Even if i brought my phone to belfast i could call him but not in ireland. That was the other network's fault even though they were the only network in the world affected by it. It took 8 months to get sorted

zest4life

paulm17781 wrote: »

Honestly, I used to be a big fan of them but I would strongly recommend against 3. They have had the same issues since they launched (they were new when I signed up) and none of them have been fixed. They really don't care and won't fix them. They are an awful company, save yourself some grief while you can.

Thanks for the advice .... very much appreciated . I really dont know what to do or who to go with now . I just know I can't continue with O2 ... my bills are extortionate . Ive given them nearly 1K in the last 6 months and they told me that there was nothing they could offer me to help me reduce my bills . Do companies no longer want to hold onto valuable customers ?! Its seems incredible to me that they would rather lose a long term customer that is obviously contributing a substantial amount of money to them rather than offer me a better deal !

paulm17781

Another good one I have is I can't reply to certain texts. If a friend texts me and I reply, it fails. If I send a new text it works but I can not reply. 3 have told me this is Vodafone's fault. They tell my girlfriend it is Meteor's fault. It amazes me how 3 are (according to themselves) the only correctly configured network in the world and yet the others don't have these problemss... :rolleyes:

paulm17781

zest4life wrote: »

Thanks for the advice .... very much appreciated . I really dont know what to do or who to go with now . I just know I can't continue with O2 ... my bills are extortionate . Ive given them nearly 1K in the last 6 months and they told me that there was nothing they could offer me to help me reduce my bills . Do companies no longer want to hold onto valuable customers ?! Its seems incredible to me that they would rather lose a long term customer that is obviously contributing a substantial amount of money to them rather than offer me a better deal !

I had planned on going to O2 but because of this thread I realised the unlimited 18 month offers aren't as good as I'd thought. I'm now unsure what to do. I really want to get away from 3 though.

zest4life

Sam Vimes wrote: »

The latest of many:
http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58999510

And the real doozy:
http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055115306

Thanks so much for all that info . I really feel confused now . As in terms of value for money - they really are very hard to beat . But coverage and customer service are 2 very important factors as well and I'm afraid I have very low tolerance for poor service in either. How well informed are you about other mobile service providers ?!

zest4life

paulm17781 wrote: »

I had planned on going to O2 but because of this thread I realised the unlimited 18 month offers aren't as good as I'd thought. I'm now unsure what to do. I really want to get away from 3 though.

Be very careful with O2 .... they made me switch to their new Clear plans as they were 'better value' than their old plans . So I did switch and my last bill was almost €200 as I had gone 40 minutes and 45 texts outside my bundle !! O2 offer a Clear Sim contract which is the same price as the other clear plans but rahter than tying you to a fixed term - this means you only have to gove 30 days notice in writing . Might be an option to consider if you are thinking about O2.

paulm17781

zest4life wrote: »

Be very careful with O2 .... they made me switch to their new Clear plans as they were 'better value' than their old plans . So I did switch and my last bill was almost €200 as I had gone 40 minutes and 45 texts outside my bundle !! O2 offer a Clear Sim contract which is the same price as the other clear plans but rahter than tying you to a fixed term - this means you only have to gove 30 days notice in writing . Might be an option to consider if you are thinking about O2.

I was thinking the unlimited plans (18 month contract) but I am now unsure. I've started looking again. 3 have just annoyed me too many times, they don't deserve business.

Walkman

I have been to both the uk and the us and never had a problem roaming. 3pay customers can only roam with 3uk so when you are not in their coverage area you will get no signal (this does need to be addressed by 3), but on bill pay you can roam with 3 and i think o2 and t mobile. Have been to new york and florida it the states and never had a problem roaming there either. As for the multiple texts when roaming this is not unique to 3. My brother in law is currently in australia and is on meteor and when texting my sister who is also on meteor she receives every text at least 10 times before they stop. Believe me for talk and text you will not have any issues with domestic coverage or roaming.

drunkmonkey

zest4life wrote: »

As in terms of value for money - they really are very hard to beat

and that's the most important thing...they offer the best value and the most flexibility...

Your getting advise from Sam who hates 3 and PaulM who is a disgruntled customer, don't base your opinion on what they say, you have a 14day money back gurantee with 3, try it out and if it's as bad as they (which it isn't) move to another network...

paulm17781

Walkman wrote: »

Believe me for talk and text you will not have any issues with domestic coverage or roaming.

Except not being able to reply to some texts for some reason and randomly missing calls. I was on Meteor for 2 years before 3 and never had the multiple text thing. It may happen in Australia now but didn't when I was in Sydney in 2002.

zest4life

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Your getting advise from Sam who hates 3 and PaulM who is a disgruntled customer, don't base your opinion on what they say, you have a 14day money back gurantee with 3, try it out and if it's as bad as they (which it isn't) move to another network...

I understand the point you're making . But surely a disgruntled customer is exactly who I need to be hearing from ? There aren't too many on this thread telling me that I should go with 3 . I understand there is a 14day money back guarantee - but generally everything is plain sailing initially . 14 days is not all that long to evaluate the level of service provided by a specific network .

drunkmonkey

zest4life wrote: »

14 days is not all that long to evaluate the level of service provided by a specific network .

what service are you looking for? Service all depends on who you get at the other end of the phone, a crap Meteor service agent is just as usefull as a crap Vodafone agent....tbh, how ofter do you talk to customer care...I rarley do unless it's an enquiry about my bill or something...

Sam would probably say your better off with Meteor and big bills, Paul is contemplating an 18mt o2 contract.....seriously....vote with your pocket...who ever gives you the most for your money is the network to go with....don't mind the nah sayers....

paulm17781

zest4life wrote: »

I understand the point you're making . But surely a disgruntled customer is exactly who I need to be hearing from ? There aren't too many on this thread telling me that I should go with 3 . I understand there is a 14day money back guarantee - but generally everything is plain sailing initially . 14 days is not all that long to evaluate the level of service provided by a specific network .

I'm only a disgruntled customer because I have never seen such an appalling company. I have been with O2 and Meteor. While both have their faults, they try to fix them or try to help. 3 fob you off with nonsense or blame everyone else, insisting there is no problem when clearly there is or saying how "other customers are not having this problem" when you know two other people who reported it the day before you did.

As I see it, you have two fan boys and two disgruntled customers. If 3 weren't so useless as a company, I would have no problem with them. They've had years to fix these problems and don't. That's enough for me.

Drunkmonkey, I was considering an 18mth contract until I read this thread and realised the 18 month contract wouldn't save me that much money. I am considering all options again but know that 3 are an appalling company.

cojomo2

i just thought I'd add my 2 cents here...

i have been with every irish network...

am currently with 3 for the last 18 months ..and altho customer care arnt great help for technical issues (fine for all other issues) they will eventually figure it out and i mite add they are very very polite and a pleasure to deal with for the most part.

I can see how some people badmouth them as if u want technical assistance you will most likely have to ring them 5 times for the same issue at which point you can become really pissed off..

Vodafone are better in this department..however i dont usually have technical issues i have to ring 3 about and i always felt Voda were financially riding me while i was with them.

I find 3 pretty good value, the service is excellent, and for the most part, customer care are grand...thants why i plan to stay with them...

zest4life

drunkmonkey wrote: »

what service are you looking for?

By service I mean overall service drunkmonkey .
I'm talking about value for money, network coverage / reliability and then the after care provided by 3 stores and customer care when needed . Its one thing to save myself a fortune on my phone bills - but that will be pointless if I cant use my phone as and when I need to because of a technical fault and the incompetence of the customer service . That said - I have used 3 customer service for my mobile broadband on many occasions and I dont have too many complaints . None that I haven't experienced with O2 or Vodafone already anyway .

.

zest4life

cojomo2 wrote: »

I find 3 pretty good value, the service is excellent, and for the most part, customer care are grand...thants why i plan to stay with them...

Thanks a million Cosmo ... your post is quite helpful . Why you say that the service is excellent .... do you mean coverage ? What part of the country are you in ? I'm in Kerry and I dont know anyone using 3 down here.

drunkmonkey

zest4life wrote: »

I have used 3 customer service for my mobile broadband on many occasions and I dont have too many complaints . None that I haven't experienced with O2 or Vodafone already anyway .

I think you know what to do, don't worry about calls and texts, the 3 network is more than capable of handling them and a lot more...
Things might go wrong now and again but such is life, it could happen on any network and I think your smart enough to realise that...;)

@Paul, are you still having problems right now or are things working ok...
I think between myself and walkman we've came most problems and if we can be of any help just let us know...

Walkman

I have been with all the networks and find 3 to be the best. I was with meteor bill pay, when I tried to cancel my contract they kept saying they never got my 1 call, 2 registered letter and 3 fax. It took them two months to cancel my contract and another 6 months to get my money back. I was with Vodafone when I was in college in Limerick. I called CC to ask them why I could not make calls and I was told it was because it was raining. All networks have their downfalls, all networks make mistakes. 3 are still the fastest growing network in the country (and i'm not talking percentage wise) so they must be doing something right.

Walkman

zest4life wrote: »

By service I mean overall service drunkmonkey .
I'm talking about value for money, network coverage / reliability and then the after care provided by 3 stores and customer care when needed . Its one thing to save myself a fortune on my phone bills - but that will be pointless if I cant use my phone as and when I need to because of a technical fault and the incompetence of the customer service . That said - I have used 3 customer service for my mobile broadband on many occasions and I dont have too many complaints . None that I haven't experienced with O2 or Vodafone already anyway .

.

You will receive a great after care sevice from 3 store employees. I have called into both Henry St and Grafton St with queries and have found the staff (ask for a manager) to be really helpfull

drunkmonkey

Walkman wrote: »

I was with Vodafone when I was in college in Limerick. I called CC to ask them why I could not make calls and I was told it was because it was raining

lol:D

the good auld adverse weather conditions...

Walkman

zest4life wrote: »

Thanks a million Cosmo ... your post is quite helpful . Why you say that the service is excellent .... do you mean coverage ? What part of the country are you in ? I'm in Kerry and I dont know anyone using 3 down here.

If you know anyone with vodafone in the area then coverage with 3 will be the same (wherever they do not have their own 3g coverage you roam onto vodafones 2g network)

paulm17781

drunkmonkey wrote: »

@Paul, are you still having problems right now or are things working ok...
I think between myself and walkman we've came most problems and if we can be of any help just let us know...

Still problems. Still can't reply to texts from some numbers. People still get my texts over and over if I'm roaming. They've been blaming these on other networks for 3 years (or is it 4) now. :rolleyes:

Walkman

dMaN24 wrote: »

I tried to sign up for 3 pay monthly. But according to the people in the store you would have to been living in Ireland for atleast 3 years to apply. I've only stayed here 1 so far.

Where did you go to sign up this is not correct

Walkman

paulm17781 wrote: »

Still problems. Still can't reply to texts from some numbers. People still get my texts over and over if I'm roaming. They've been blaming these on other networks for 3 years (or is it 4) now. :rolleyes:

As I have posted receiving numerous texts when roaming is not unique to 3. You also mentioned how you miss calls, there are numerous threads here where others on other networks miss calls, calls fail to connect, network busy, as a matter of fact 3 has the lowest dropped call rate of any of the irish networks. Read my earlier post where I was told by the countrys largest operator that I could not make balls because it was raining. I an not saying 3 are perfect but I an saying any time I have had any problem it was sorted out for me. I had a billing issue which took 2 months to rectify and im fairness to 3 I didnt have to keep calling them. They told me it might take a while to sort it out and when it did they contacted me to let me know it was resolved.

paulm17781

Walkman wrote: »

As I have posted receiving numerous texts when roaming is not unique to 3. You also mentioned how you miss calls, there are numerous threads here where others on other networks miss calls, calls fail to connect, network busy, as a matter of fact 3 has the lowest dropped call rate of any of the irish networks. Read my earlier post where I was told by the countrys largest operator that I could not make balls because it was raining. I an not saying 3 are perfect but I an saying any time I have had any problem it was sorted out for me. I had a billing issue which took 2 months to rectify and im fairness to 3 I didnt have to keep calling them. They told me it might take a while to sort it out and when it did they contacted me to let me know it was resolved.

I have been on two other networks and in the country you mentioned this happens on Meteor. I've never had it with O2 or Meteor. To me it is unique to 3. I have friends on all other networks, never happens to them.

At least when they blamed rain, they didn't say to wipe your sim clean.

3 has the lowest dropped call rate because it has fewest customers. They have gone from 3% share to 2% share.

I have had 3 problems with 3 (funny really) all have been ongoing for years and I do not expect them to ever be fixed at this stage. I would hazard a guess that if I call them now, they will blame other networks.