It ultimately doesn't matter, as 3 are not removing the discount and keeping you on the same plan. They're removing discounts and forcibly moving you to another plan whether you like it or not.


Their billing system is unable to charge for a plan at £15 a month? Sounds a bit like BS

Whatever the reality, that's what Three did. The tariff remained as £25 and first had a £10 recurring discount applied, and later just £5.

I assume it meant there was simply one tariff and not two copies at different prices, which would have been unnecessary.

My contract showed it as £25 and I too wasn't told it was like this at the point of sale, but I didn't complain at the time, or even care.

The tariff was £15.

Three's billing system is crap and it costs them money to add a price point so they just use a discounting system on their old tariffs. It's rare that someones bill won't have a discount applied.

This £25 thing doesn't mean the actual price was £25. The actual price was always £15.

Even Three's standard tariffs had random discounts applied.

Anyway.

Still shocked no one has taken the points i've made seriously.

Which points were those? (It's been a long thread )

The fact that Three are forcing their out of contract customers onto new price plans.

It's either that or leave.

Basically customers paying £5pm or £45pm are suddenly going to be asked to move onto an "equivalent" price plan which won't be the same as what they signed up for.

As an example. customers on the one plan now paying £15pm will be forced to take the £25pm AYCE plan if they want a similar allowance.

I can understand if Three were just capping tethering, but they're forcing people onto different price points and tariffs.

I agree with the points you've raised, and I have been vocal in stating that this is Three's way around price rises and nothing to do with tethering. No they are not enforcing the movement on customers still within their minimum contract period, but up until now it was kind of unheard of to be booted off a price plan by any network. It's the norm to just put up the cost of your price plan (Three were painting them-self as the good guy network against this) so this sets a very troubling precedence. I think it's a shame that so many people are resigned to the fact and are so apathetic and it'll just lead to more of the same.

It's a shame as in their internal 2014 report they said that they want to fix things that are wrong with the industry (such as 0800 numbers, roaming and PAC ownership by one network) and they are working towards fixing this. But with this move it comes across hypocritical.

Especially when Three announced they want to become the most transparent network. Well honestly their communication is terrible and I hope they read this and become more open and honest with their consumers regarding plan changes, deadlines and products. The 4G roll out being an example of not being transparent, and this forced move being another example of Three not being transparent.

It's funny that they said in their mobile industry report that Mobile networks are not trusted and they want to change that. Well I think they've just broken the trust here....

Sometimes I hate PR teams.... Thankfully Three haven't become Ubisoft if anyone is following that whole thing right now haha.

I think everyone was taking your points seriously - but it's just the fact that nothing can be done about it so no point keep rehashing the same things over and over.

Those that don't like it can leave. Everyone affected needs to make a judgement call about whether they can get a better value deal elsewhere. If you can't, then either take the plan Three offer or exercise you right to move anyway and pay more elsewhere. If you can, then great.

No doubt Three will lose quite a few customers doing this - but if the ones left are higher margin, will Three care?

Nope. They've already worked out they'll profit from this.

The new "policy" also ties in customers who stay securing income.

So for those who have completed a 12 month plan rather than just roll on at the lower rate for their bundle they now have to commit to a further 12 months or face an increased monthly fee for just 30 days commitment.

I wonder if this exercise will be repeated again in a further 12-18 months. It certainly makes forecasting easier if the punters will tolerate it.

All in all just as I thought Three turned a corner, it seems they have turned back to being anti-consumer!

Shame really, and when I get my call/text, I think it will be goodbye for good!

To who?

Who else offers 4G with unlimited handset data + 4GB hotspot for £15 a month?


Not necessarily, I got the 12 month £15 AYCE plan with no commitment.

I have it in writing from Three as well.

Ultimately, despite all their 'stick to the man' ideas over the years, it seems to me that at some point Three just figured 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em' and decided to just go with the flow.

This latest decision is one of the dumbest I've seem in the whole industry and, as I said early on, sets a bad precedent for the whole industry. Certain (now banned) members can of course gloat, but this is just telling the other networks that now is the time to consider doing the same to all their own customers on legacy tariffs. Or at least they might wait until the real **** hits the fan as - so far - the press has been surprisingly quiet on this whole situation.


They changed their consumer PR team this year. I don't really get much from the new one, or perhaps Three has just stopped doing anything. All I get now are the 'Three is proud to announce it will be stocking the <insert name of new phone announced just minutes ago>'.

I don't know if they still have the same corporate PR team, as it's been some time since I was invited to those events. Round table breakfast meetings were a popular thing for Three, allowing the press a chance to hear what Three was planning in advance, it's aspirations and views on the market as a whole, and good straight-forward explanations about how its network was built and worked (including trying to get journos to understand about mobile data, capacity etc).

I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed them and felt Three was a far more approachable network than the others, and had the interests of the consumer at heart. But, I am sure some will also have wondered why Three was giving up lots of potential revenue by trying to change the world.

I don't know if they still do these, but do know that I stopped getting invited when some key staff left - at least one of whom went to help the launch of EE.

If and when the media starts to pick up on all of this and take things seriously, I wonder if Three will just say that it was in fact only a trial?!

What I think Three is going to do is really emphasise the fact that people using tethering were affecting the network. Say something like 'Some users were ABUSING the network and NOT PLAYING FAIR, meaning hard-working people were UNABLE TO USE the Internet' and they'll probably get a lot of sympathy. This tactic has worked for Giffgaff and others, and people won't even realise that people are being forced to change even if they didn't tether at all - or are on another old tariff that never even offered tethering!


Not if that actually happens. I guess it depends how it manages things. If it does things the way I've suggested and makes most people broadly support it, it will probably be good.

If it backfires and causes loads of bad feeling and people leaving (even if to spite their own face because they can't quite get the same deal elsewhere) then it won't. What if social media and the tech press slaughter Three? All those years of thinking of Three as the network that cares will be destroyed.

But Three might then, and only then, U-turn and start to offer some discounts to retain users if it looks like they're going to lose a lot that will make their next set of results look bad.

What Three can't be totally sure of is what the rest of the industry will do. In the run up to Christmas, there might be some very enticing deals from the others, and if you're angry then you might change and sign for 24 months. Three has now lost a customer for at least two years!

If EE or any other network decides now it's time to offer free EU roaming with data, then that's Feel at Home looking a lot less impressive (note; obviously for things like the USA, Australia etc it's still unbeatable, but I doubt most people go to any of those that often a PAYG SIM with £15 add-on sorts that).

EE and Vodafone are now pushing 4G speeds that Three simply can't offer, so if Three can't compete on price then it may struggle. Every network needs to up the revenue per user, but there are lots of ways to do it. Has Three done all the calculations correctly and taken into account factors outside of its control?

Doesn't matter, I suspect some will leave just because they don't like what Three have done. That's their right. They might be jumping out of the frying pan and in to the fire, or they might not. Who knows?

The core team is still very much the same with Guy and Hugh.

They outsource a lot of their PR stuff for some reason now though.

http://blog.three.co.uk/2014/11/17/m...comment-168794

An Xmas message from Three...

"Me You

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…. Isn’t it? I mean there are Christmas songs, Christmas jumpers, presents, amazing food, snow (if we’re lucky), presents, Christmas films, presents. Did we mention presents?!"... Oh and we're serving notice on customers rolling One Plans but in the spirit of Xmas don't worry just pay 187% for less or leave we don't care... LOL

#EbenThreeza Scrooge

Did you post that as a comment there? If so, it's been deleted it would seem.

Well it looks like they've now posted the comment and mine is awaiting moderation

"I'm disgusted by the way your network has treated existing customers. Three are worse than the other networks, the other networks have never forced loyal customers off a price plan.

If it was truly about tethering and not increasing revenue you could easily apply the new tethering limits to existing plans, however you chose to charge MORE for LESS.

Free 0800 numbers are not revolutionary or appealing to anyone as there are numerous app which allow you to call 0800, 0845 and 0870 numbers using your inclusive allowances.

Three have employed a bait and switch and all of your offers are to be viewed as temporary, next year Three like home and free 0800 numbers might not suit your business model, then all your loyal customers will be again forced of their price plans.

I have filled out the online complaint form on the Three website and it's now outside the 7 working days for a response and I'm still waiting. "

Let's see if they let this one to be posted (awaiting moderation):

Thank you Three for making me pay £5 more for limiting my tethering and giving me a fifth of the minutes I have now in my allowance. That’s how to reward a customer who has been with you over three years with two handset contracts.
Please don’t reply with the 0800 line as that’s no good to me and 4G for free is only any good if you can get 4G and everyone knows that your 4G roll out is behind schedule and well behind EE, Vodafone and O2.

So I called the 0800 number today even though I haven't received the text yet and was told that:
Switch off is being done in waves with the first lot being switched in January. They couldn't tell me when it would be my turn.
I can either go for the 15 deal and cut my minutes to 200 or the 20 deal for 600 minutes. With my usage it's going to have to be 600. So, over two handsets that's an extra tenner a month.
I am tempted with EE though but with the 10G allowance I would always be worried about going over the allowance.

You cannot go over your data allowance with EE, instead you are redirected to buy another data bundle.

I think for the average user they won't care one bit about this constant bitching and complaining. I like them am more than happy with Three and the sooner a lot of these whinges go the better are my thoughts on the subject.

Some of you guys use more in a month than I have done over the last 3 years. Reality check time I'm afraid and not a moment to soon.

I totally agree. I have a One plan and have never gone over 1GB.

Would the £10 deal not work for you then?