Worst mobile phone network?

Dankoozy

So which network is the absolute worst you have ever dealt with? I realise they are all scum but some have to be worse than others. Not just in terms of customer service but price, network quality, reliability, extra charges, anything at all you can think of.

I find it hard to pick one myself, none of them are fantastic but any network that goes out of its way to seek an exclusive handset deal or refuses to unlock phones comes across as being extra scummy in my books

watty

You left out Tesco, which though using O2 masts has it's own infrastructure.

Also eircom resells their own Meteor, cheaper, with different CS with an eircom Brand (go figure, destroying their own DSL & fixed line customer base).

jordainius

Yeah, how dare they go out of their way to secure exclusive handset deals in order to win more customers and how dare they insist on not losing money hand over fist by waiting on top up or contractual obligations before unlocking handsets which are subsidised. Have you any notion how business works? They are there to make money, otherwise they would cease to exist. Basically you seem to have a problem with the networks unwillingness to make a loss. You did mention customer service or network quality as factors but aren't these the most important? And then value which works two ways.

All you seem to do on the mobile forums is moan and complain all the time. And to call them "scum" is just plain spiteful and ridiculous. And stupid. I could go on but i think you get the idea...

lassykk

Up until recently I didn't think anything could top 3 for customer service... Until I joined vodafone... Worst customer service I've ever experienced

On a positive note I've had pretty good experiences with Meteor & O2... no real dealings with Tesco

watty

If there was no handset subsidies it would be better and then the Mobile operators would not have to protect themselves with deals and locking that hurt innovation and variety of handsets available.

With 120% penetration it makes no sense and just encourages waste when people "upgrade" when enough contract period has expired.

At this stage Subsidized handsets are hurting the Operators too. Let people pay full price and have unlocked phones.

Then maybe Operators could compete on Service, Coverage, Quality etc rather than simply lock in.

Quackles

watty wrote: »

If there was no handset subsidies it would be better and then the Mobile operators would not have to protect themselves with deals and locking that hurt innovation and variety of handsets available.

With 120% penetration it makes no sense and just encourages waste when people "upgrade" when enough contract period has expired.

At this stage Subsidized handsets are hurting the Operators too. Let people pay full price and have unlocked phones.

Then maybe Operators could compete on Service, Coverage, Quality etc rather than simply lock in.

Not so sure I'd agree with that. Maybe if they still had basic upgrade units.. My 3 skypephone recently stopped charging on me, there was no way I could afford to get a new one if I hadn't gotten the upgrade. You have to allow for that sort of customer. If that meant we had to steer clear of the more expensive units, so be it - I don't tend to go spending hundreds on a phone, anyway!

dmcg90

Meteor is just awful. Went from paying 90 a month on Meteor , to €45 a month on O2 and that's with an iPhone contract. Very happy with O2 at the moment. Helpful customer service too.

smilerf

why is atari jaguar there? lol:D

Quackles

smilerf wrote: »

why is atari jaguar there? lol:D

Their customer service is simply atrocious!

watty

Quackles wrote: »

Not so sure I'd agree with that. Maybe if they still had basic upgrade units.. My 3 skypephone recently stopped charging on me, there was no way I could afford to get a new one if I hadn't gotten the upgrade. You have to allow for that sort of customer. If that meant we had to steer clear of the more expensive units, so be it - I don't tend to go spending hundreds on a phone, anyway!

PAYG and Bill pay could be 10% to 20% or more cheaper if no phone subsidies.

The charges are such as to recover phone cost subsidy in 10mths to 15mths. (12mth or 18mth contract). After that you are STILL paying "HP" on the paid off phone in higher PAYG or bill pay charges.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Quackles

watty wrote: »

PAYG and Bill pay could be 10% to 20% or more cheaper if no phone subsidies.

The charges are such as to recover phone cost subsidy in 10mths to 15mths. (12mth or 18mth contract). After that you are STILL paying "HP" on the paid off phone in higher PAYG or bill pay charges.

I know, but look at the market - look at all the teenagers and children who's parents buy them phones. They'd lose a lot of those if the parents are paying an initial downpayment in the hundreds. When it's 50 or 60 euro, it doesn't seem so much.

watty

But they are already BOUGHT now. 120% penetration.

Less waste and more care if people paid full price for phone. With current arrangement choice and innovation is reduced and overall cost is higher.

Quackles

watty wrote: »

But they are already BOUGHT now. 120% penetration.

Less waste and more care if people paid full price for phone. With current arrangement choice and innovation is reduced and overall cost is higher.

The current ones have already bought in, but new customers come on line every communion, confirmation, birthday, christening At the very least, either option should be offered.

mickser42

I have over the years been with all the networks and my experience is as follows;

vodafone - good network - brutal customer sevice - expensive

meteor - poor network - very good customer service - cheap

three - network ok - no customer service -

o2 - best network - good customer service - reasonable depending on plan

Tom Dunne

So is this poll proving that O2 is the best mobile phone network?

nayorleck114

Try calling 3 customer service. "Sorry sir can you repeat that please"

I moved from Vodafone to 3.. Big mistake!

Dankoozy

Tom Dunne wrote: »

So is this poll proving that O2 is the best mobile phone network?

possibly but these 'worst' polls are a strange thing. could just mean ohtue has the least amount of haters while not being the best at anything. maybe you should make a separate poll for best network?

lucernarian

It's the OP's choice to make whatever poll they want, once the mods are happy with it. If you aren't happy, why don't you start your own thread and talk about what you feel is important??

Anyway, I find it more important to see why people don't like something, as what people like is a subjective thing and is not particularly important, in comparison to when something isn't working/is annoying. I'd rather hear about a phone's tendency to restart itself or crash instead of hearing about its good GPS support. Same with mobile networks, it's the times when I have no coverage or need customer service that I care the most about my network.

I voted atari jaguar anyway, as I've found all the mobile networks to be meh in my experience.

Breezer

I've been with O2 and Meteor.

Meteor: it took two weeks, 5 phone calls and two calls to the shop to port my number; I endured a week of texts not sending on one occasion; I was shouted at when my phone broke and I questioned the company's "no replacements after 30 days" policy; I went a month without my phone when it was in for repair for "10 days"; I had to go through 5 levels of staff hierarchy when another phone broke after 34 days and, older and wiser, I persisted with my questioning this time; I eventually sued them in the small claims court, won €239 off them (full refund), and ported back to O2. Worst company I have ever had the misfortune to deal with.

O2: A pleasure to deal with. I rarely have problems, and not once have I had one that customer care couldn't sort instantly. A model company as far as I'm concerned and well worth the few extra quid a month.

I do accept the point about the refusal to unlock the iPhone, although tbh if you don't like lockdown I'd avoid the iPhone altogether. This is coming from a Mac user btw.

andrewire

I had a three mobile and I have no complains about the network. I never called the customer service though, but I don't understand why most people say that it's bad.

I switched to Vofafone and I think it's too expensive even though O2 seems more expensive to me. Customer service is not very good. However, network coverage is great. I have been to the most remote places in Ireland and my vodafone mobile works perfectly.

I am considering to switch again because I don't like Vodafone. I don't feel part of it.

Rsaeire

andrewire wrote: »

I never called the customer service though, but I don't understand why most people say that it's bad.

Be lucky that you haven't needed to yet, as this is one of the major issues with 3 as a whole.

Davy

andrewire wrote: »

I am considering to switch again because I don't like Vodafone. I don't feel part of it.

Who you switching too?

killbillvol2

I'm with Vodafone and find the network excellent but customer service incompetent. I'd switch to O2 but their roaming charges are ridiculous.

Breezer

Aren't the roaming charges the same on every network now? Or do you mean outside the EU?

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

killbillvol2

Breezer wrote: »

Aren't the roaming charges the same on every network now? Or do you mean outside the EU?

No. Check out Vodafone Passport.

Breezer

killbillvol2 wrote: »

No. Check out Vodafone Passport.

My bad, I forgot about that. I wouldn't like the 65c connection fee though. I can see how it would be useful for some people, but I tend to stick to webtexts and VOIP when I'm abroad myself, and only make quick calls over the cellular network.

This reminds me of another Meteor problem actually. When I wanted to roam, I had to not only top up by €60 in advance (which I wouldn't have come close to using), but I also had to register a credit card with them. I didn't possess a credit card, so I asked if Laser would be OK. Customer Care said yes, the shop said no (or vice versa, I can't remember). In the end the answer was no. I was a teenager at the time and my dad very kindly let me register his. I rang up Customer Care, explained the situation, and was told no problem, just bring it into a shop and sign a form. "Does my dad have to be there?" "No." I arrive at the shop, and get told that it has to be my own credit card, or my dad has to be there. I went a bought a Speakeasy sim, and why I didn't continue using it immediately after I came back I'll never know...

Liam_Lawlor

I've been with O2 VF and Three. Can definitely say Three are the worst of the lot by a long way. I could write a comedy book on my experiences with them. Just 3 examples:

1. I was on a Bill pay price plan for 2 years. When I wanted to switch to a new Price Plan (From anytime 400 to Best of both 45) - They managed to:

• Cancel my existing phone number!
• Followed that master stroke up with sending me an email telling me that "We’re sorry to say that we cannot set you up on a Pay Monthly contract at this time as your application was not successful." (even though I was an existing pay monthly customer!!)
• Left me without any phone for 1 week while they sorted the whole sorry mess out!

2. Poor Network coverage where I live (In Dublin).
Solution they proposed was...Each time before I wished to make a call, take out battery and SIM, then put them back and make the call! (no joke) When I said thats all fine and dandy if I want to make a call, but what about recieveing calls? Hang on, can you call me back, I just have to dismantle my phone and put it back together before you call me! The pleasant Indian girl agreed this was a problem, but one that I would just have to live with....

3. Signed up to Relax 150 plan - which clearly states has 220 mins. But they gave me 150 mins - Its the old "new customer only" line buried in the Terms & Conditions. Existing customers get shafted as usual!

Throughout all of these experiences they took full responsibility and apologised pofusely, but there was no good will jestures of a few extra mins or texts... no scope for any of that.

When I was with O2 they too cocked up a couple of times but they always threw in free mins for a few months or upgraded my upgrade level and they never cocked up so spectacularly as Three... Only trouble with O2 is their price plans are not that competitive.

So thats my rant. Three - Steer well clear...

time42play

I've only had O2 and Vodafone. O2 is much better for me where I'm usually roaming, but almost no signal where I live. Vodafone was fabulous coverage for me here in Ireland, but not great where I'm roaming. Other family members warned me to stay away from Three!

Dellas

mickser42 wrote: »

I have over the years been with all the networks and my experience is as follows;



three - network ok - no customer service -

You can say that again. They are total cowboys. It was the worst thing I ever did was to join 3.