3 network - anygood?

gazdudeuk · 20-04-2007, 00:16

hi

im currently on 02, and thinking of changing to 3. Are they any good? Seen the coverage for my area is very good.

pje1979 · 20-04-2007, 01:22

Been with them coming up for 2 years. I would recommend them. Best 3G coverage in the UK and if there's no 3G coverage your phone will roam on to Orange, very cheap deals, the only problem is their customer service which is based in India can be very hit and miss, but I've only had to use it twice so not too much of an issue for me.

pkc · 20-04-2007, 01:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by pje1979

Been with them coming up for 2 years. I would recommend them. Best 3G coverage in the UK and if there's no 3G coverage your phone will roam on to Orange, very cheap deals, the only problem is their customer service which is based in India can be very hit and miss, but I've only had to use it twice so not too much of an issue for me.

Currentl roams to orange and o2 in sussex. Been with them 5 years and no issues that haven't been major.

And they do have a UK C/S office...

Be careful with companies offering CASHBACK DEALS.. Some have very tight rules on how to claim it. 3 do have some direct deals, but you need to decide if you text more or call more... and with them offering FREE itemised billing, free calls, free text, free internet access (planet 3 services)..

I would again recommend.

intheknow · 20-04-2007, 03:23

Same as last 2 posters

Mr Cable · 20-04-2007, 12:11

Ditto here. Very happy with them, have been for years.

2FS · 20-04-2007, 12:24

Not had any connection problems over the 15 months I've been with them.

On the down side, the foreign call centres have been awful in my experience, and the range of higher end phones is abysmal.

kelly30 · 20-04-2007, 12:24

i did one of the cash back deals but it backfired on me lol but now ive sorted it out im very happy with 3

Radio Ga-Ga · 20-04-2007, 12:31

If you're going to buy from them, buy from 3 directly rather than a company like Phones4U as these offer deals where you would pay £30 a month, and if it was half price line rental, you have to pay 4 months of £30 then send your bills back to them and they'll give you a cheque for £60. It's very hit and miss, whereas with 3 they'll just charge you the half price to start with.

The Customer Services, well if you're good with technology and fairly smart, then you'll be fine, as you won't need to use them.

wavejockglw · 20-04-2007, 12:59

A good place to read customer comments about products and services is Reviewcentre.

They have sections on all the mobile phone networks where users can leave feedback about ther experiences.

Their 3 section is here: http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews12640.html

BTW Nobody apart from selected 3 employees have been on the network for 5 years as it lauched on the 3rd of March 2003!!

bingnishi · 20-04-2007, 13:20

Same same. Excellent. The "My 3" service is a great tool too.

wernroe · 20-04-2007, 13:23

The product and network itself is pretty good but their customer service is dire.

bingnishi · 20-04-2007, 13:40

Quote:

Currentl roams to orange and o2 in sussex. Been with them 5 years and no issues that haven't been major.

They only launched in March 2003. Not meaning to be pernickety.

takot · 20-04-2007, 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by bingnishi

They only launched in March 2003. Not meaning to be pernickety.

was just about to say the same thing, +
does anyone remember what 3 was like at the very beginning, I got my first 3 handset about 2 years ago but what were they like before that?

bingnishi · 20-04-2007, 13:55

In a word, awful. They had no sustainable technology for 2g-3g handover. Hence, all calls would drop if you moved out of 3g range. They also had terrible problems with calls not connecting.
Watchdog did a "Special" on them.

Oh the memories.

Tadpole · 20-04-2007, 14:38

Looks like the network may be able to hand over from Three on 3G to Orange 2G mid-call now, provided the latest SIM updates have been received, and that the handset is "up to it".

http://www.3g.co.uk/3GForum/showthread.php?t=55913

gazdudeuk · 22-04-2007, 19:02

well gf got contract but where she lives she gets "emergency calls only" but on a full signal.

intheknow · 22-04-2007, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by gazdudeuk

well gf got contract but where she lives she gets "emergency calls only" but on a full signal.

Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think.

I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that.

Give them a call on 333

Last edited by intheknow : 22-04-2007 at 22:33.

gazdudeuk · 23-04-2007, 00:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by intheknow

Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think.

I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that.

Give them a call on 333

would network settings be on sony erricsson w850i>?

intheknow · 23-04-2007, 23:01

Somewhere like Menu -> settings -> network settings

Three will have a script for it if you phone them up, they will follow the instructions on screen with you to put it on the right settings.

Nitram · 24-04-2007, 11:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by intheknow

Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think.

I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that.

Give them a call on 333

It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls.

gazdudeuk · 24-04-2007, 15:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitram

It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls.

well my partner, was previously on orange and had no probs....

intheknow · 25-04-2007, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitram

It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls.

Wrong, you cannot make emergency calls on any other network other than your home network in the UK. Please don't tell people this, they may waste valuable time in a fire or emergency trying to get a call out when it's in this state.

See this thread .

Last edited by intheknow : 25-04-2007 at 08:58.

gazdudeuk · 25-04-2007, 11:18

well i got my 3 sim card this morning, and put it in my old phone that i had 02 network on, and its working!!! just gotta top it up!

DXRulz · 25-04-2007, 18:10

Was with 3 from August 2004 and i went through 6 faulty phones because all kept turning off and restarting and one even made a high pitched whistle when in calls. Once the 6th one was showing its faulty side (by this time it was round about May 2005) i took it back, demanded a refund and havent been near them since. And i dont ever intend on touching them again ...

Have noticed on 3G Forum now that 3 use Orange 3G when there is no 3 coverage and all the services still work on that as well as the seamless switching which means no more dropped calls. The dropped calls is one reason me and a lot of other customers left as well as the poor customer service.

intheknow · 25-04-2007, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by DXRulz

Was with 3 from August 2004 and i went through 6 faulty phones because all kept turning off and restarting and one even made a high pitched whistle when in calls. Once the 6th one was showing its faulty side (by this time it was round about May 2005) i took it back, demanded a refund and havent been near them since. And i dont ever intend on touching them again ...

Have noticed on 3G Forum now that 3 use Orange 3G when there is no 3 coverage and all the services still work on that as well as the seamless switching which means no more dropped calls. The dropped calls is one reason me and a lot of other customers left as well as the poor customer service.

In fairness they had only been in business 18 months back then and it was a long time ago, they have got better.

20-04-2007, 00:16	#1
gazdudeuk Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Norfolk Posts: 2,833	3 network - anygood? hi im currently on 02, and thinking of changing to 3. Are they any good? Seen the coverage for my area is very good.

25-04-2007, 18:10	#24
DXRulz Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Oswestry, Shropshire Posts: 4,196	Was with 3 from August 2004 and i went through 6 faulty phones because all kept turning off and restarting and one even made a high pitched whistle when in calls. Once the 6th one was showing its faulty side (by this time it was round about May 2005) i took it back, demanded a refund and havent been near them since. And i dont ever intend on touching them again ... Have noticed on 3G Forum now that 3 use Orange 3G when there is no 3 coverage and all the services still work on that as well as the seamless switching which means no more dropped calls. The dropped calls is one reason me and a lot of other customers left as well as the poor customer service. Last edited by DXRulz : 25-04-2007 at 18:16.

20-04-2007, 01:22	#2
pje1979 Guest Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 5,568	Been with them coming up for 2 years. I would recommend them. Best 3G coverage in the UK and if there's no 3G coverage your phone will roam on to Orange, very cheap deals, the only problem is their customer service which is based in India can be very hit and miss, but I've only had to use it twice so not too much of an issue for me.

20-04-2007, 01:57	#3
pkc Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Brighton Posts: 5,192	Quote: Originally Posted by pje1979 Been with them coming up for 2 years. I would recommend them. Best 3G coverage in the UK and if there's no 3G coverage your phone will roam on to Orange, very cheap deals, the only problem is their customer service which is based in India can be very hit and miss, but I've only had to use it twice so not too much of an issue for me. Currentl roams to orange and o2 in sussex. Been with them 5 years and no issues that haven't been major. And they do have a UK C/S office... Be careful with companies offering CASHBACK DEALS.. Some have very tight rules on how to claim it. 3 do have some direct deals, but you need to decide if you text more or call more... and with them offering FREE itemised billing, free calls, free text, free internet access (planet 3 services).. I would again recommend.

20-04-2007, 03:23	#4
intheknow Banned User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol Posts: 4,837	Same as last 2 posters

20-04-2007, 12:11	#5
Mr Cable Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,868	Ditto here. Very happy with them, have been for years.

20-04-2007, 12:24	#6
2FS Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 8,619	Not had any connection problems over the 15 months I've been with them. On the down side, the foreign call centres have been awful in my experience, and the range of higher end phones is abysmal.

20-04-2007, 12:24	#7
kelly30 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: west midlands Posts: 824	i did one of the cash back deals but it backfired on me lol but now ive sorted it out im very happy with 3

20-04-2007, 12:31	#8
Radio Ga-Ga Banned User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Somerset, UK Posts: 329	If you're going to buy from them, buy from 3 directly rather than a company like Phones4U as these offer deals where you would pay £30 a month, and if it was half price line rental, you have to pay 4 months of £30 then send your bills back to them and they'll give you a cheque for £60. It's very hit and miss, whereas with 3 they'll just charge you the half price to start with. The Customer Services, well if you're good with technology and fairly smart, then you'll be fine, as you won't need to use them.

20-04-2007, 12:59	#9
wavejockglw Inactive Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Glasgow Posts: 10,276	A good place to read customer comments about products and services is Reviewcentre. They have sections on all the mobile phone networks where users can leave feedback about ther experiences. Their 3 section is here: http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews12640.html BTW Nobody apart from selected 3 employees have been on the network for 5 years as it lauched on the 3rd of March 2003!!

20-04-2007, 13:20	#10
bingnishi Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 38	Same same. Excellent. The "My 3" service is a great tool too.

20-04-2007, 13:23	#11
wernroe Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 348	The product and network itself is pretty good but their customer service is dire.

20-04-2007, 13:40	#12
bingnishi Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 38	Quote: Currentl roams to orange and o2 in sussex. Been with them 5 years and no issues that haven't been major. They only launched in March 2003. Not meaning to be pernickety.

20-04-2007, 13:47	#13
takot Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 359	Quote: Originally Posted by bingnishi They only launched in March 2003. Not meaning to be pernickety. was just about to say the same thing, + does anyone remember what 3 was like at the very beginning, I got my first 3 handset about 2 years ago but what were they like before that?

20-04-2007, 13:55	#14
bingnishi Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 38	In a word, awful. They had no sustainable technology for 2g-3g handover. Hence, all calls would drop if you moved out of 3g range. They also had terrible problems with calls not connecting. Watchdog did a "Special" on them. Oh the memories.

20-04-2007, 14:38	#15
Tadpole Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Solihull, West Mids Posts: 1,609	Looks like the network may be able to hand over from Three on 3G to Orange 2G mid-call now, provided the latest SIM updates have been received, and that the handset is "up to it". http://www.3g.co.uk/3GForum/showthread.php?t=55913

22-04-2007, 19:02	#16
gazdudeuk Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Norfolk Posts: 2,833	well gf got contract but where she lives she gets "emergency calls only" but on a full signal.

22-04-2007, 22:30	#17
intheknow Banned User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol Posts: 4,837	Quote: Originally Posted by gazdudeuk well gf got contract but where she lives she gets "emergency calls only" but on a full signal. Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think. I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that. Give them a call on 333 Last edited by intheknow : 22-04-2007 at 22:33.

23-04-2007, 00:29	#18
gazdudeuk Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Norfolk Posts: 2,833	Quote: Originally Posted by intheknow Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think. I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that. Give them a call on 333 would network settings be on sony erricsson w850i>?

23-04-2007, 23:01	#19
intheknow Banned User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol Posts: 4,837	Somewhere like Menu -> settings -> network settings Three will have a script for it if you phone them up, they will follow the instructions on screen with you to put it on the right settings.

24-04-2007, 11:37	#20
Nitram Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Urmston, Manchester Posts: 343	Quote: Originally Posted by intheknow Obviously a fault as Emergency calls only should not come up at all, even when you don't have signal on either network. I've been with them for 3 years and had 3 phones with them, I've never ever seen 'emergency calls only'. This is not a message displayed by Three or Orange. The only network that displays that message was 02 I think. I think you must have the dual network setting off. Go to the network settings and look for that. Give them a call on 333 It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls.

24-04-2007, 15:06	#21
gazdudeuk Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Norfolk Posts: 2,833	Quote: Originally Posted by Nitram It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls. well my partner, was previously on orange and had no probs....

DS Forums

3 network - anygood?

25-04-2007, 08:46	#22
intheknow Banned User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol Posts: 4,837	Quote: Originally Posted by Nitram It will come up 'Emergency calls only' when it finds a network that it doesn't have an agreement with - From what has been said I guess it's finding Vodafone or T-Mobile but no 3/O2/Orange coverage. Although there isn't coverage for normal calls, the phone will be allowed to talk to any network for 999 calls. Wrong, you cannot make emergency calls on any other network other than your home network in the UK. Please don't tell people this, they may waste valuable time in a fire or emergency trying to get a call out when it's in this state. See this thread . Last edited by intheknow : 25-04-2007 at 08:58.

25-04-2007, 11:18	#23
gazdudeuk Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Norfolk Posts: 2,833	well i got my 3 sim card this morning, and put it in my old phone that i had 02 network on, and its working!!! just gotta top it up!

25-04-2007, 19:50	#25
intheknow Banned User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bristol Posts: 4,837	Quote: Originally Posted by DXRulz Was with 3 from August 2004 and i went through 6 faulty phones because all kept turning off and restarting and one even made a high pitched whistle when in calls. Once the 6th one was showing its faulty side (by this time it was round about May 2005) i took it back, demanded a refund and havent been near them since. And i dont ever intend on touching them again ... Have noticed on 3G Forum now that 3 use Orange 3G when there is no 3 coverage and all the services still work on that as well as the seamless switching which means no more dropped calls. The dropped calls is one reason me and a lot of other customers left as well as the poor customer service. In fairness they had only been in business 18 months back then and it was a long time ago, they have got better.