Been on O2 for several years now, the last couple or so I've had an iPhone and am currently looking to get a new phone to lower my tariff.

I was originally thinking to get the iPhone 4 but it's far too expensive for me, but then I saw 3's one plan for iPhone 4, which is excellent, 69 pounds upfront with 35 pound a month contract, but since looking i've now become quite enamoured with the Samsung Galaxy S as it's a cheaper tariff. Does anyone here have a phone on the 3 network?

How do you rate their service?

Also - if I got a 25 pound tariff - will that be inclusive of the 20% VAT or exclusive? It's probably exclusive, (like with iPhones, I'm on a 45 pound tariff but I pay around 52pounds in total) but the website says that 25 pound is the total monthly cost, and I'm sure there is a network that states the full price and then the line rental cost is actually lower than that just with the VAT added on to make it the rounded figure of the tariff stated. Just wondered if 3 was one of them?

Any info on 3 and/or the Galaxy S would be much appreciated.

I don't have a 3 mobile (got a 3GS on orange) but do have a 3 mobile Internet mifi. I have used it all over the uk and have never had an issue with signal etc.

Is your iPhone on a business contract as normally consumer contracts are inclusive of VAT.

Hi CHakkers i have got the Samsung Galaxy S on 3,my tarrif is a bit higher its the 40 pound a month but that is all i pay no vat on top, and the phone is the dogs bollocks,its the best phone i have had,and signal etc i have no probs what so ever.
I hope this helps you.

I've just checked and no, the extra isn't VAT like I thought. I didn't think I had taken the insurance thing, but I had, so that's what's taken it up to 52 pounds. So that being said then, that would mean a 25 pound tariff at 3, would mean all I pay a month is 25 pound a month?

ahh, okey doke, yes it has thankyou very much.

Yeah I hadn't even considered the samsung until literally, this morning, (I had been toying with the iphone 4 or BB Torch like I think i said) but then playing with it in store, I really came to love it.

As i'm with O2 and thinking of moving to 3, do you think it'd be worth trying to see if O2 would match their deal, or come closer to it at least? Or do you think they just won't care and say to just cancel my contract then.

I have the Galaxy S (16GB) on Vodafone and it's good but sometimes it can freeze and thats annoying! Otherwise it's a brilliant phone.

As for networks. 3 has the biggest 3G network which is good but they don't have 2G coverage in some places now so if you are in a built up area or surrounded by a lot of concrete you could have no voice coverage. You would be advised to seek advice from friends and colleagues locally about 3's coverage and call reliability before commiting to an order. Remember if you get a Galaxy S from 3 they will tell you you have a peace of mind guarantee but you cant actually try it out because your right to cancel ends when you make a call, send a text or use any of the camera or media facilities on it!

I got my 16GB Galaxy S free on a contract with Vodafone for £30 a month with 600 Any Network Mins, 500 SMS and 1GB Internet per month included. No arguments to date with phone, coverage or customer support which is UK based (3's is not and can be a challenge when things need dealt with).

Good luck with the Galaxy S.

Ah ok, yeh, that's certainly food for thought, wavejockglw, thankyou.
I live in Stockport, near manchester, though where I live isn't too built up, as i'm kinda on the edge of the town, a stones throw from where it starts becoming more countryside than town.

Another incentive to see if O2 are open to matching 3's tariff. Probably not, but worth a shot.
I will look into the coverage aspect a little more - cheers.

They have said we have 14days, should we need to take it back.

Are you meaning to cancel the contract completely? Or to just change your mind about a particular phone? As I have taken a phone back with O2 after a few days before now having used it (back when i got the LG Chocolate - the sound quality was poor, so I took it back and got a Sony Ericsson K800i instead).

I have to get a new phone anyway, so being tied to a contract isn't a problem for me, as long as I can return a phone if there are problems, and get a more suitable one.

Can only echo the warnings regarding call coverage. Mrs Molehusbands maw can't receive calls when she visits us, at all.

Reginald

3 do not allow you to use the phone in any way during the peace of mind guarantee period. If you do anything with the phone which renders it used you are obligated to retain it on the contractual terms agreed.

I know it sounds ridiculous but it's true and has taken many by surprise, hense the advice to be careful and check withothers before powering up the phone. Better still staty away from 3 until you are convinced their 3G only coverage is sufficient for your needs.

From 3's T+C's "Returns – online and telesales customers.
This Returns Policy doesn’t apply: to customers who did not purchase their Phone via Three’s own telesales team or via Three.co.uk, or to customers who bought their Phone via Three’s telesales team or via Three.co.uk who have used their Phone (this means that you may not personalise your phone in any way, or use any of the Three Services, or take photos or videos or load any data onto the Phone)"

In other words you don't really have a trial period, so buyer beware!

Have looked at coverage maps for 3, O2 and Orange. And between O2 and 3 there doesn't seem to be much difference at all around where I live specifically (stockport/mcr areas), though around the UK '3' does seem to have a little more 'no service' areas. But then I don't exactly travel much. So 3 could well still be a decent option for me. I know a few months ago, travelling back to the Shropshire area, there were many dead zones around that area on O2, so they're not always a better option. Aren't Orange still the best regarding coverage, in the UK? Or have the others pretty much caught up nowadays? I think they had slightly better deals than O2 as well. So maybe financially, the order would be: 3, Orange then O2.

See this is why I put off getting a new fone for so long, lol.
Far too many things to consider.

Nonsense
True all three cell towers etc are 3G, however if you are not in an area with three coverage it automatically piggy backs on to the orange network.

So you in fact are getting the coverage of 2 networks, possibly even 3 now that orange and tmobile have linked up.

Not correct.....

3 have been ceasing roaming in areas where they consider their own 3G coverage is sufficient. They have also been allowing contract customers to terminate when they have not got their coverage predictions right as they left some with no useable voice network where they live. They plan to continue to reduce 2G roaming via the Orange network so it's vital to check how other 3 users locally are being served.

3 and T-Mobile have a network sharing agreement (Mobile Broadband UK Ltd) and they have been joined by Orange. This only covers 3G and is a cell site sharing agreement only. The frequency allocations each network has are separate. 3 has the most 3G bandwidth but no 2G allocation and now in some areas no 2G roaming so their proposition is quite different from that offered by any other UK mobile network.

BTW Vodafone and 02 also have a network sharing agreement in all of the EU states where they operate including the UK. In time both will have the same coverage and will have not only 2100Mhz 3G, like all the others, but 900Mhz 3G (which is far more robust) as well as GSM 2G from shared sites but using different frequency allocations.

One other issue I had with 3 when I was with them was dropped calls. If you're on a call on 3's 3G network, and the signal strength drops, your call also breaks up and drops out and you're forced to wait for your handset to roam across to Orange and then redial. This is because the way roaming works is your phone disconnects from 3, and then has to authorise a new connection with Orange, a completely different network. This used to happen most calls for me, because my home is on the very edge of Three's coverage.

On operators with a full 2G/3G network, such as O2 or Vodafone, if you're in a call and your 3G signal strength drops below a certain level, it will automatically hand you over to a 2G mast without you even noticing mid-call.

Three are very good for mobile broadband (and I still use them as such), but I don't think I'd use them as a phone provider again unless I moved to a very urban area and stopped travelling much.

Yes.

I'm on the £35 per month contract for the iPhone, and that is all I pay, no extra VAT or anything.

Personally my experience with 3 has been very good. Always have signal and internet is fast. I can connect it to my laptop and the speeds are pretty amazing. I don't even realise I'm on a mobile connection.

But it does all depend on the area you live in. You can check the signal coverage online.

I'm knocking the idea of going on to 3 on the head now, which is a shame, as they have great deals, but I guess that is why they have them. They need to bring custom in. I am now deliberating between HTC Desire HD and the Samsung Galaxy S but flippin' O2 don't do the Desire HD, only the original one. Grrrr.

Distance selling regulations would apply which permit consumers to inspect goods for up to 7 days after delivery and return them for any reason as long as they are still in a saleable condition and assuming they bought them online or through telesales

3 (and indeed other networks) may try and avoid their legal obligations with terms and conditions but no terms and conditions can override rights afforded at law

but "3" do let you inspect the goods, for anything upto 14 days of purchase, it just clearly states in their t and c`s that if you put in your sim and customise your phone in anyway, i.e change wallpaper, make a call, send a text, that you cant return it, what they have in their t and c`s must be legal as it has always been there, and if it was wrong they would have been forced to change it long before now

Although I do think it's wrong - When I got the LG Viewty on Orange from e2save it came with a bit of paper in nice bold writing..

You have 14 days to inspect the phone and return, but if you put the SIM card into the phone and switch it on and use this then you can't return this.

Was OK for me as I had a phone on Orange so I knew what the signal was like, what happens if you have never been on that network before and don't know about coverage or need to try areas out to test the coverage? Not good if then it locks you into a 18/24+ month contract with a phone that can't be used!!

I don't recall 3's phones being that cheap on PAYG to try it out to be honest either to see if you can get a signal. Although, 3's Coverage seems OK in Stockport itself... A few people who use 3 in this area says it's OK but can't comment on it myself as I don't use 3 anymore due to them dropping the Orange back-up.

Ok I've reread the DSRs and yes there is provision for a retailer to not permit cancellations under them if a provided service is commenced so I hold my hand up I got that one slightly wrong as I'm guessing the use of the sim card would be argued as a service commencing

The solution is simple though if someone thinks they may want to return under the DSRs. Just try the phone either with a different sim or no sim. The stuff about not being able to return if you have changed the wallpaper or saved a contact is complete and utter rubbish though. For one thing most phones come with a handy factory reset function which would easily get around this

The problem with new phones is, when you return the phone and it goes back for testing they can see the date & time the phone was last reset or how many times it has been reset since it was made.

Other problem is, *most* of the phones are locked to the network - so they could check the IMEI number to see if that SIM has been used in the phone or even if you use say a fresh PAYG sim in that phone, they could just do a search on the IMEI and see what other SIM's have been used.

I can see it both sides - from a seller POV if everybody was able to take a phone back then there's the issue of being able to resell the phone as new.

To me they should make it a requirement that they have full testable phones instore, so that when you've decided what phone you want - you can test all features on including making a call before signing any contract.

You can test drive cars - why not phones? I'm sure there's a way they can implement security measures for that. They do with other things.

It can be a big commitment - tieing yourself to a 2year contract, and if there are issues, you're buggered.

Indeed. And I know this is not mainstream at the moment BUT Orange are doing 36 month contracts and no doubt if Smartphones keep getting smarter, no doubt the contract lengths will be put up to compensate for the cost of the ever growing handsets.

I'd rather pay more for the handset at the outset and go with a shorter contract.

New EU regulations due to come in prevent the use of 36 month contracts and Orange are withdrawing them from future deals.

You will probably pay a higher monthly fee so the network makes their money back.