For me, the difference has been night and day, I get 4G everywhere I go and using my phone on 4G is a completely different experience (in a good way!).
I'm also considering the EE option and I'm test driving EE's free special addition 100GB sim at the mo. 4G coverage is much greater than on Three and I also get it at home which I don't on Three despite its coverage map claims. EE 4G also pretty quick and I've so far had over 68Mbps down. I'll see how it goes in other areas but at this rate I don't fancy paying Three more given its relative performance.
I'm also considering the EE option and I'm test driving EE's free special addition 100GB sim at the mo. 4G coverage is much greater than on Three and I also get it at home which I don't on Three despite its coverage map claims.
That's exactly how I started! I got the SIM, went WOW and made the move.
I get 4G at home too, but I'm not at all fussed due to having wifi.
EE 4G also pretty quick and I've so far had over 68Mbps down. I'll see how it goes in other areas but at this rate I don't fancy paying Three more given its relative performance.
I don't bother with speed tests anymore (it seems to be a consistent 50/60 down and 30 up where I live/travel), but just using it is a real joy and a totally different experience.
Many customers would not accept paying more for less on principle and as you said if the alternatives are also not value then I would be more than happy to cancel the service and go without.
I think that suggestion reveals the amount of hyperbole involved here.
No actually he did not. Samsung's stock browser opens 3 as my home page already signed in and when I just surfed around I notice a link called contract and details or something like that.
I clicked on that link the next page confirmed my package AYCE minutes, text, data and another link on same page confirms the minimum term when my contract ends which shows August 2014!
He must have kept his word and not made any changes to my account and terms but still I can't see any proof discount he offered me on the phone. I guess I will see it when they create my next bill, as I can only see past bills but not upcoming one.
I think that suggestion reveals the amount of hyperbole involved here.
No hyperbole involved at all. Why do you think I would pay for something that is no more value to me?
2000 minutes / unlimited data and unlimited tethering was good value at £15pm therefore I have no intention of paying £18 for only 200 minutes with limited tethering, not that I use it much, or other allowances that have been cut.
Lucky for them they offered me a deal which keeps me as a 3 customer, if they had not done so, I would have not hesitated to cancel the lot or downgrade to PAYG only stopping my monthly regular payments.
No hyperbole involved at all. Why do you think I would pay for something that is no more value to me?
2000 minutes / unlimited data and unlimited tethering was good value at £15pm therefore I have no intention of paying £18 for only 200 minutes with limited tethering, not that I use it much, or other allowances that have been cut.
Lucky for them they offered me a deal which keeps me as a 3 customer, if they had not done so, I would have not hesitated to cancel the lot or downgrade to PAYG only stopping my monthly regular payments.
The hyperbole is that you will leave for an operator that offers an even worse deal, when you wouldn't actually be affected even if you move to the new plans, by your own admission.
And given that they've discounted a plan for you, how much profit do you think they are making? Not sure why they're "lucky" to keep someone who they probably aren't profiting off of and who seems to be looking for any excuse to leave
The hyperbole is that you will leave for an operator that offers an even worse deal, when you wouldn't actually be affected even if you move to the new plans, by your own admission.
And given that they've discounted a plan for you, how much profit do you think they are making? Not sure why they're "lucky" to keep someone who they probably aren't profiting off of and who seems to be looking for any excuse to leave
How do you know who offers the best deal? By my own admission I did consider going down to PAYG option which will have less allowances as I would need to be careful for usage but it would cost me much much less.
Also I don't know how much profit they make but they must make some otherwise they would not have offered the discounted package. It is in 3's interest to keep their customers, as it is simple mathematics;
You keep what you have then build on that and grow. Why would any business want to upset their current customers by offering less for more and risk losing business?
By all means they should move the goal posts for new customers so whoever joins will have new terms and allowances but it is not a smart move to rattle the cage of 1m already paying customers.
By the way I was not looking for any excuse to leave, if anything, I have recommended Three to friends and family, as it is nice to have unlimited data without worrying extra charges, however, I have no intention of paying more for less as a consumer.
And yes they are 'lucky' because they keep my custom meaning they will continue receiving regular monthly income from me.
I don't think they rue the day they signed me or any other customer to their network
I think that suggestion reveals the amount of hyperbole involved here.
The world won't end if you cancel and 'send a message' to Three. Maybe Three will take notice (if enough people do it) or maybe Three won't, but at least you stood for something.
I stopped flying with Ryanair and shopping at Tesco some time ago, and both companies are now seeking to change/re-invent themselves which is a good thing. Obviously I wasn't the only one, but I must have played a part.
It's not even as if you couldn't go back to Three in a few months, assuming you don't sign a long-term contract elsewhere. You could make do on PAYG for a bit, use another account you might have, or get a 30-day SIM only deal with someone else.
EE is going to be revising some of its tariffs soon, and may also offer EU roaming (with data) which would be a significant change. All signs are that data allowances will increase as EE pushes data more heavily, and increases speeds with Cat 6, and later Cat 10. The 100GB limited edition SIM sends out a message that EE's network can actually cope with heavy usage too (it's almost as if the whole thing is a dig at Three, and certainly an offer that will have had loads of Three users request one - a real marketing win for EE).
I went to leave Sky and was offered 35% off everything for 10 months to stay, and if I'd actually gone through with it then many people say I'd have been offered 50%. Maybe Three will actually seek to ask for people to come back if they actually leave, with a decent offer they're not doing now, after realising a lot more people left than they calculated.
The world won't end if you cancel and 'send a message' to Three. Maybe Three will take notice (if enough people do it) or maybe Three won't, but at least you stood for something.
I stopped flying with Ryanair and shopping at Tesco some time ago, and both companies are now seeking to change/re-invent themselves which is a good thing. Obviously I wasn't the only one, but I must have played a part.
It's not even as if you couldn't go back to Three in a few months, assuming you don't sign a long-term contract elsewhere. You could make do on PAYG for a bit, use another account you might have, or get a 30-day SIM only deal with someone else.
EE is going to be revising some of its tariffs soon, and may also offer EU roaming (with data) which would be a significant change. All signs are that data allowances will increase as EE pushes data more heavily, and increases speeds with Cat 6, and later Cat 10. The 100GB limited edition SIM sends out a message that EE's network can actually cope with heavy usage too (it's almost as if the whole thing is a dig at Three, and certainly an offer that will have had loads of Three users request one - a real marketing win for EE).
I went to leave Sky and was offered 35% off everything for 10 months to stay, and if I'd actually gone through with it then many people say I'd have been offered 50%. Maybe Three will actually seek to ask for people to come back if they actually leave, with a decent offer they're not doing now, after realising a lot more people left than they calculated.
I look forward to seeing what EE has to offer in the near future. I coincidentally left T-Mobile/ EE to join Three as I wasn't happy with the retention deals offered to me on my legacy plan with T-Mobile (Flext).
I've also found the customer service from EE to be dire lately, massive hold times and inconsistent information from their staff.
You never know if they offer something enticing |I might return as, I also wish to leave Three on principle.
Is the option to cancel your contract via webchat a new option? Just seen it on Three's website.
I phoned Three today to cancel my One Plan which ends on 26/01/2015. I spent half an hour on the phone listening to music, being transferred then to be told that I need to phone them again at a later date because cancelling a contract has to be done within 38 days from the end date of the minimum term, unless you want to pay an early cancellation fee of about £8. So I may as well use the webchat option next time, as it's probably quicker.
I've been recommending SIM only contracts to people for years and this is precisely why. We have the power to change and get a better deal elsewhere (that can include perhaps paying a bit more or compromising in some areas in return for, say, better coverage or faster speeds) so why not use that power?
Nobody is saying that telling Three to stick it means never being able to come back. Three won't ban you and it wouldn't be looked upon as coming crawling back begging for forgiveness - just being a smart consumer that for once had the upper hand.
Is the option to cancel your contract via webchat a new option? Just seen it on Three's website.
I phoned Three today to cancel my One Plan which ends on 26/01/2015. I spent half an hour on the phone listening to music, being transferred then to be told that I need to phone them again at a later date because cancelling a contract has to be done within 38 days from the end date of the minimum term, unless you want to pay an early cancellation fee of about £8. So I may as well use the webchat option next time, as it's probably quicker.
It was trailed at the beginning of the year and had now become a permanant feature of Three's web chat team
I just cancelled my one plan and was given my PAC but was told I have to give 30 days notice, is this normal as I'm already out of my 12 month term? I just want to make sure they are doing it above board?
Ideally I would have liked to have left with immediately, without incurring further charges, would this have been possible?
I just cancelled my one plan and was given my PAC but was told I have to give 30 days notice, is this normal as I'm already out of my 12 month term? I just want to make sure they are doing it above board?
Ideally I would have liked to have left with immediately, without incurring further charges, would this have been possible?
I just cancelled my one plan and was given my PAC but was told I have to give 30 days notice, is this normal as I'm already out of my 12 month term? I just want to make sure they are doing it above board?
It is. Did they make any attempt to keep you?
If not, it seems they REALLY want 'people like us' to leave.
If not, it seems they REALLY want 'people like us' to leave.
They made no effort when I spoke to them either, even when I contacted someone who I've dealt with in the past at the Exec Office. The policy is take a new price plan at published cost or a PAC, it was intimated the instruction comes from far up the ladder and has no leeway or latitude.
They made no effort when I spoke to them either, even when I contacted someone who I've dealt with in the past at the Exec Office. The policy is take a new price plan at published cost or a PAC, it was intimated the instruction comes from far up the ladder and has no leeway or latitude.
I wonder if too many people were using the old "I'm leaving trick" to get silly discounts when they had no intention of leaving. I have read many threads ok HotUK and elsewhere with people posting what they got by saying they were going to leave.
I guess now it's a case of paying the proper retail price or leaving, I suspect some that leave will come back, as I have seem people say they regretted leaving Three and re-joined after trying other networks like Vodafone and Giffgaff.
Nothing. They've been planning this for a while and implemented phase 1 over a year ago now.
The only retention deals they will do are pre set retention deals (such as no upfront cost or £1 cheaper on certain contract tariffs for example). These pre set deals are for existing customers only and usually work out ever so slightly cheaper than the new customer price. It's not an amazing set of deals and only available on certain contract handsets. No SIM Only deals other than RRP.
The only other retention deals that Three will continue to do is on low cost handsets on low cost tariffs.
The only other way you can get a non RRP tariff is if you have signal issues or if authorised by a manager due to Three messing up in some way and directly affecting you etc...
So to sum up, no loyalty discounts, no retention deals and no flexibility on pricing. Only exceptions are the ones mentioned above, sure we'll see other exceptions but the above is the general rule.
I also got my PAC code from Three today and am moving to EE on the Dan & Phil SIM. The lady on the phone (from Three) did ask if I would consider staying if they offered my a good price, but I said no (I'm having so many issues with their network in London I don't want to stay anyway - but I did point out their price rises made the decision particularly easy).
I haven't actually received anything from Three about the One Plan ending but when I mentioned this to the lady she asked what letter I'd received - so she obviously did know about The One Plan ending (which I didn't expect given some of the stories on here). Since she asked which letter I received, I wonder if they are A/B testing sending different letters (and offers?) to different people
EDIT I wrote this before I saw jabbamk1's post above - she did latch on to me saying I had trouble with their network all over London to mean I had bad signal at the postcode on my account, and kept repeating this, so I wonder if she was going to offer a discount under the 'signal problems' rule (though a I said she didn't actually make me a discounted offer as I said I wasn't interested - by that point I'd already spend about 30mins on the phone including hold time).
I haven't actually received anything from Three about the One Plan ending but when I mentioned this to the lady she asked what letter I'd received - so she obviously did know about The One Plan ending (which I didn't expect given some of the stories on here). Since she asked which letter I received, I wonder if they are A/B testing sending different letters (and offers?) to different people?
It's the same letter everyone gets.
The only difference is the final sentence where it says what plan you'll be moved to automatically. The plan you're moved to is based on your past 3 months usage. So if for example you used 100 mins average for the past 3 months then you'll be moved to the 200 Minute plan with AYCE data for £18pm. If for example you used 1000 minutes on average then you'll be moved to the AYCE minute plan with AYCE data for £28pm.
I also got my PAC code from Three today and am moving to EE on the Dan & Phil SIM. The lady on the phone (from Three) did ask if I would consider staying if they offered my a good price, but I said no (I'm having so many issues with their network in London I don't want to stay anyway - but I did point out their price rises made the decision particularly easy).
I haven't actually received anything from Three about the One Plan ending but when I mentioned this to the lady she asked what letter I'd received - so she obviously did know about The One Plan ending (which I didn't expect given some of the stories on here). Since she asked which letter I received, I wonder if they are A/B testing sending different letters (and offers?) to different people
EDIT I wrote this before I saw jabbamk1's post above - she did latch on to me saying I had trouble with their network all over London to mean I had bad signal at the postcode on my account, and kept repeating this, so I wonder if she was going to offer a discount under the 'signal problems' rule (though a I said she didn't actually make me a discounted offer as I said I wasn't interested - by that point I'd already spend about 30mins on the phone including hold time).
Ahh the EE Mystery tariff
I expect the tariff will be about these prices....
I wonder if too many people were using the old "I'm leaving trick" to get silly discounts when they had no intention of leaving. I have read many threads ok HotUK and elsewhere with people posting what they got by saying they were going to leave.
I guess now it's a case of paying the proper retail price or leaving, I suspect some that leave will come back, as I have seem people say they regretted leaving Three and re-joined after trying other networks like Vodafone and Giffgaff.
But paying at full retail price rates is either unaffordable or there's not enough to cover a full month's normal data activities on the smartphone especially if you can't access your home wifi for whatever reason.
It's ridiculous that your mobile data use shoots through the roof when you are on a caravan holiday and you would have to pay a extortionate £70 e.g. to cover you for the month.
Expecting to pay more is not ludicrous in itself. But 3 cutting data and call allowances drastically as well as charging a lot more is unacceptable.
Three's tariff changes are like them suddenly going from charging at budget/discount rate to charging at premium rate.
Comments
I'm also considering the EE option and I'm test driving EE's free special addition 100GB sim at the mo. 4G coverage is much greater than on Three and I also get it at home which I don't on Three despite its coverage map claims. EE 4G also pretty quick and I've so far had over 68Mbps down. I'll see how it goes in other areas but at this rate I don't fancy paying Three more given its relative performance.
That's exactly how I started! I got the SIM, went WOW and made the move.
I get 4G at home too, but I'm not at all fussed due to having wifi.
I don't bother with speed tests anymore (it seems to be a consistent 50/60 down and 30 up where I live/travel), but just using it is a real joy and a totally different experience.
I think that suggestion reveals the amount of hyperbole involved here.
No actually he did not. Samsung's stock browser opens 3 as my home page already signed in and when I just surfed around I notice a link called contract and details or something like that.
I clicked on that link the next page confirmed my package AYCE minutes, text, data and another link on same page confirms the minimum term when my contract ends which shows August 2014!
He must have kept his word and not made any changes to my account and terms but still I can't see any proof discount he offered me on the phone. I guess I will see it when they create my next bill, as I can only see past bills but not upcoming one.
No hyperbole involved at all. Why do you think I would pay for something that is no more value to me?
2000 minutes / unlimited data and unlimited tethering was good value at £15pm therefore I have no intention of paying £18 for only 200 minutes with limited tethering, not that I use it much, or other allowances that have been cut.
Lucky for them they offered me a deal which keeps me as a 3 customer, if they had not done so, I would have not hesitated to cancel the lot or downgrade to PAYG only stopping my monthly regular payments.
The hyperbole is that you will leave for an operator that offers an even worse deal, when you wouldn't actually be affected even if you move to the new plans, by your own admission.
And given that they've discounted a plan for you, how much profit do you think they are making? Not sure why they're "lucky" to keep someone who they probably aren't profiting off of and who seems to be looking for any excuse to leave
How do you know who offers the best deal? By my own admission I did consider going down to PAYG option which will have less allowances as I would need to be careful for usage but it would cost me much much less.
Also I don't know how much profit they make but they must make some otherwise they would not have offered the discounted package. It is in 3's interest to keep their customers, as it is simple mathematics;
You keep what you have then build on that and grow. Why would any business want to upset their current customers by offering less for more and risk losing business?
By all means they should move the goal posts for new customers so whoever joins will have new terms and allowances but it is not a smart move to rattle the cage of 1m already paying customers.
By the way I was not looking for any excuse to leave, if anything, I have recommended Three to friends and family, as it is nice to have unlimited data without worrying extra charges, however, I have no intention of paying more for less as a consumer.
And yes they are 'lucky' because they keep my custom meaning they will continue receiving regular monthly income from me.
I don't think they rue the day they signed me or any other customer to their network
The world won't end if you cancel and 'send a message' to Three. Maybe Three will take notice (if enough people do it) or maybe Three won't, but at least you stood for something.
I stopped flying with Ryanair and shopping at Tesco some time ago, and both companies are now seeking to change/re-invent themselves which is a good thing. Obviously I wasn't the only one, but I must have played a part.
It's not even as if you couldn't go back to Three in a few months, assuming you don't sign a long-term contract elsewhere. You could make do on PAYG for a bit, use another account you might have, or get a 30-day SIM only deal with someone else.
EE is going to be revising some of its tariffs soon, and may also offer EU roaming (with data) which would be a significant change. All signs are that data allowances will increase as EE pushes data more heavily, and increases speeds with Cat 6, and later Cat 10. The 100GB limited edition SIM sends out a message that EE's network can actually cope with heavy usage too (it's almost as if the whole thing is a dig at Three, and certainly an offer that will have had loads of Three users request one - a real marketing win for EE).
I went to leave Sky and was offered 35% off everything for 10 months to stay, and if I'd actually gone through with it then many people say I'd have been offered 50%. Maybe Three will actually seek to ask for people to come back if they actually leave, with a decent offer they're not doing now, after realising a lot more people left than they calculated.
I look forward to seeing what EE has to offer in the near future. I coincidentally left T-Mobile/ EE to join Three as I wasn't happy with the retention deals offered to me on my legacy plan with T-Mobile (Flext).
I've also found the customer service from EE to be dire lately, massive hold times and inconsistent information from their staff.
You never know if they offer something enticing |I might return as, I also wish to leave Three on principle.
I phoned Three today to cancel my One Plan which ends on 26/01/2015. I spent half an hour on the phone listening to music, being transferred then to be told that I need to phone them again at a later date because cancelling a contract has to be done within 38 days from the end date of the minimum term, unless you want to pay an early cancellation fee of about £8. So I may as well use the webchat option next time, as it's probably quicker.
Nobody is saying that telling Three to stick it means never being able to come back. Three won't ban you and it wouldn't be looked upon as coming crawling back begging for forgiveness - just being a smart consumer that for once had the upper hand.
It was trailed at the beginning of the year and had now become a permanant feature of Three's web chat team
Apart from that they're just next to useless.
Ideally I would have liked to have left with immediately, without incurring further charges, would this have been possible?
Nope, always 30 days required.
Ok thank you.
It is. Did they make any attempt to keep you?
If not, it seems they REALLY want 'people like us' to leave.
They made no effort when I spoke to them either, even when I contacted someone who I've dealt with in the past at the Exec Office. The policy is take a new price plan at published cost or a PAC, it was intimated the instruction comes from far up the ladder and has no leeway or latitude.
I wonder if too many people were using the old "I'm leaving trick" to get silly discounts when they had no intention of leaving. I have read many threads ok HotUK and elsewhere with people posting what they got by saying they were going to leave.
I guess now it's a case of paying the proper retail price or leaving, I suspect some that leave will come back, as I have seem people say they regretted leaving Three and re-joined after trying other networks like Vodafone and Giffgaff.
Nothing. They've been planning this for a while and implemented phase 1 over a year ago now.
The only retention deals they will do are pre set retention deals (such as no upfront cost or £1 cheaper on certain contract tariffs for example). These pre set deals are for existing customers only and usually work out ever so slightly cheaper than the new customer price. It's not an amazing set of deals and only available on certain contract handsets. No SIM Only deals other than RRP.
The only other retention deals that Three will continue to do is on low cost handsets on low cost tariffs.
The only other way you can get a non RRP tariff is if you have signal issues or if authorised by a manager due to Three messing up in some way and directly affecting you etc...
So to sum up, no loyalty discounts, no retention deals and no flexibility on pricing. Only exceptions are the ones mentioned above, sure we'll see other exceptions but the above is the general rule.
I haven't actually received anything from Three about the One Plan ending but when I mentioned this to the lady she asked what letter I'd received - so she obviously did know about The One Plan ending (which I didn't expect given some of the stories on here). Since she asked which letter I received, I wonder if they are A/B testing sending different letters (and offers?) to different people
EDIT I wrote this before I saw jabbamk1's post above - she did latch on to me saying I had trouble with their network all over London to mean I had bad signal at the postcode on my account, and kept repeating this, so I wonder if she was going to offer a discount under the 'signal problems' rule (though a I said she didn't actually make me a discounted offer as I said I wasn't interested - by that point I'd already spend about 30mins on the phone including hold time).
It's the same letter everyone gets.
The only difference is the final sentence where it says what plan you'll be moved to automatically. The plan you're moved to is based on your past 3 months usage. So if for example you used 100 mins average for the past 3 months then you'll be moved to the 200 Minute plan with AYCE data for £18pm. If for example you used 1000 minutes on average then you'll be moved to the AYCE minute plan with AYCE data for £28pm.
Ahh the EE Mystery tariff
I expect the tariff will be about these prices....
http://shop.ee.co.uk/price-plans/pay-as-you-go/about-packs
But paying at full retail price rates is either unaffordable or there's not enough to cover a full month's normal data activities on the smartphone especially if you can't access your home wifi for whatever reason.
It's ridiculous that your mobile data use shoots through the roof when you are on a caravan holiday and you would have to pay a extortionate £70 e.g. to cover you for the month.
Expecting to pay more is not ludicrous in itself. But 3 cutting data and call allowances drastically as well as charging a lot more is unacceptable.
Three's tariff changes are like them suddenly going from charging at budget/discount rate to charging at premium rate.
Customers are not asking for much, just the allowances they already have (minus tethering) for a price they already pay!
What company would possibly think its OK to cut allowances and jack up prices by 30-50%