Are 3 any good?

HelterSkelter

Ok, I know there's a thread on them already but I don't have the time to read 678 posts! I gather there is a lot of problem with roaming but how are they for making calls in the Dublin area?

plonk

Ive been with them for since august and have had problems. Three buttons fell off my phone but they sent me out a new one straight away. Also i havent been able to send a text since dec 14th. Numerous phone calls and times going into shop but still cant send a text. I would reccommend them as there signal is good bills are cheap and i wouldnt say too many people had problems like mine

20 Times 20 Times

plonk wrote:

Ive been with them for since august and have had problems. Three buttons fell off my phone but they sent me out a new one straight away. Also i havent been able to send a text since dec 14th. Numerous phone calls and times going into shop but still cant send a text. I would reccommend them as there signal is good bills are cheap and i wouldnt say too many people had problems like mine

You cant send texts ?

plonk

No went into them about 6 times the people who work in the 3g shop arent very competent. Jamman is trying to sort me out aswell

WillieFlynn

I find 3 good, except for not being able to send texts to vodafone UK customers or anyone in Spain.

If you want to be able to send international texts ask them for confirmation that it will work for the country and network your contacts are on. As they don't publish this information anywhere.

I also find it strange that they don't allow internet access as this could bring in a lot more revenue.

plonk

WillieFlynn wrote:

I also find it strange that they don't allow internet access as this could bring in a lot more revenue.

Ya if youre stuck for cash like me go for 3. But if your not i would recommend vodafone

20 Times 20 Times

plonk wrote:

Ya if youre stuck for cash like me go for 3. But if your not i would recommend vodafone

why ?

plonk

3 is by far cheaper i get 100 minutes and 100 texts(which i cant use) a month for 25euro also free highlights and stuff

Sam Vimes

plonk wrote:

No went into them about 6 times the people who work in the 3g shop arent very competent. Jamman is trying to sort me out aswell

in fairness they don't actually tell them anything. all they can do is phone dealer support. and they don't tell them anything either.



i find 3 very good. problems i've had/heard of are:
no romaing in countries they're supposed to have it in. i experienced this myself but it'll be sorted out soon enough (before i go abroad hopefully)

texts sent to other people multiple times. never had this myself and its sorted now, fingers crossed

buttons falling off phones but thats not 3's fault and they send a courier out with a new phone within three hours if a fault develops (within reasonable hours and 15 miles of dublin).

customer care aren't told anything. they know how to fix problems etc but they don't know if any new phones are coming out and stuff. i want to know that! besides that i've found them enthusiastic and eager to help you. they're a pleasure to deal with

if you phone for a taxi, when they ask for your number and you start with 083 they think you're taking the piss


good points:
much cheaper than the rest

loads of free video content etc

top end phones really cheap and no quibbles about replacing them if they go faulty

if you phyisically damage the phone you can get a new one for 50 euro on condition you start the 12 month contract again and the new one is delivered three hours later. much better than the other networks where you have to pay 6 euro a month indefinitely, and to make a claim you have to report it to the guards within 24 hours, fill out an insurance form, pay 35 euro on top of your 6 a month and wait weeks

they have the widest 3g coverage (72% by population)

you can check how many minutes you have left and how much you've spent so you know exactly what your bill will be

i can't think of any more at the mo. anyone?

Sam Vimes

Sarge wrote:

why ?

i have to go with sarge on this one? seems to me people on vodafone don't like the inconvienience of having to have lots of money in their account

Sam Vimes

WillieFlynn wrote:

I also find it strange that they don't allow internet access as this could bring in a lot more revenue.

they do in england now. they start off with the walled garden which is why they can offer so much stuff for free and later on they'll bring in proper access. but then not for every site. the way they see it, theres no point giving you access to sites that A: won't work on your phone or B: will give your phone a virus

Agent Smith

anyone know if 3 are going PAYG

Sam Vimes

they have the infrastructure there. if you ring 444 on a three mobile it gives you the option to top up and 333 lets you check your balance which is for payg too. they'll be launching very soon id say

HelterSkelter

Thanks for the replies so far.

Another question for ya. Can I put my 3 SIM card into a 2G phone and use it? I only wanna join 3 for cheaper calls but those 3G phones are so big. I like my nokia 6100, is there any way I can use that on the 3 network? I don't care much for the video content, etc.

Jam Man

HelterSkelter wrote:

Thanks for the replies so far.

Another question for ya. Can I put my 3 SIM card into a 2G phone and use it? I only wanna join 3 for cheaper calls but those 3G phones are so big. I like my nokia 6100, is there any way I can use that on the 3 network? I don't care much for the video content, etc.

No

Three pair the USIM and the handset and neither will work with a 2g handset or sim (if you see what I mean)

If it's small you want, and it's just for cheap calls, go for an NEC 338 as it's pretty much free!

The Sony Ericsson K608thingymajig is also cheapo.....

I went for a V3x and luckily I've had no problems but they (moto) have a bad rep....

Sam Vimes

Jam Man wrote:

No

Three pair the USIM and the handset and neither will work with a 2g handset or sim (if you see what I mean)

If it's small you want, and it's just for cheap calls, go for an NEC 338 as it's pretty much free!

The Sony Ericsson K608thingymajig is also cheapo.....

I went for a V3x and luckily I've had no problems but they (moto) have a bad rep....

the phone and the handset are not paired but you cant put it in a 2g phone. you can put it in an unlocked 3g phone with no problems. the nec is a bit crap. id recommend the 6680, the k608 or the lg 8138 in that order. or if you can wait a few weeks, the 6280. the others are motorolas and therefore faulty

plonk

Ya the 6680 is a great phone i was just unlucky with the first one i got. I have to go into the shop tomorrow and finally sort this text thing out.:(

rogue-entity

I am also a happy 3 customer, and I would strongly recommend them. They have a decent customer support, and if you have any issues with the network dont hesitate to give them a shout. Rest assured, they will actualy listen to you. I would strongly recommend avoiding vodafone, they are just a ripoff. There coverage is for the most part excellent when in the city, most cities anyway, dont trust there websites coverag map, it is way out of date. For a handset the 6680 gets the recommendation every time. And as for the whole phone pairing issue, the truth is this:
3 uses a USIM which only works in 3G phones provided that they are not locked to a network. So any unlocked 3G phone will accept a 3 USIM. 3's phones are locked to there network so AFAIK inserting any other SIM into the phone will display a request for the unlock code, an error message, or in the case of the 6680, the phone will startup in offline mode.

jaqian

Commander Vimes wrote:

...seems to me people on vodafone don't like the inconvienience of having to have lots of money in their account

Reason I use Vodafone is they have the best signal and very reliable. Yes they are expensive but I'm hoping increased competition will bring this down.

Looked at Meteor but find there service is crap like the old 088 service. Didn't even know 3 were selling phones yet, thought all the ads were to create brand awarness. 3 is probably like Meteor was in the beginning... poor. No texts! Couldn't live without them. Seems like its still a two horse race: Vodafone & O2.

BuffyBot

Looked at Meteor but find there service is crap like the old 088 service. Didn't even know 3 were selling phones yet, thought all the ads were to create brand awarness. 3 is probably like Meteor was in the beginning... poor. No texts!

Always good to see some informed opinion :rolleyes:

Jam Man

BuffyBot wrote:

Always good to see some informed opinion :rolleyes:

jaqian

My opinion on Meteor is based on experience. I find it very hard to connect with Meteor. In fact my sister who had a Meteor phone found them so bad she switched after a few months to O2. 3 I haven't tried or had any experience with yet but it takes a while to build up infrastructure. Thats my point. Meteor (I hope) is still building.

Sam Vimes

jaqian wrote:

Reason I use Vodafone is they have the best signal and very reliable. Yes they are expensive but I'm hoping increased competition will bring this down.

Looked at Meteor but find there service is crap like the old 088 service. Didn't even know 3 were selling phones yet, thought all the ads were to create brand awarness. 3 is probably like Meteor was in the beginning... poor. No texts! Couldn't live without them. Seems like its still a two horse race: Vodafone & O2.

3 uses vodafone's signal wherever they don't have their own so they have 99.5% 2g coverage and 72% 3g coverage, which is more than vodafone's. meteor's service was crap three years ago, now its fine unless you live in ballygobackwards.


what do you mean by no texts? if you mean no texts included in the bundles, all the tariffs have two or three options, e.g. on the 25 tariff you can get:
A: 200 minutes
or
B: 100 minutes, 100 texts
or
C: 300 texts if you were so inclined

plonk

Finally I can send texts again after forty days. Thats my lent done for the year. I downloaded a game last night and it said i had to turn off my phone before i played it. When I turned it back on all the text messages in my outbox sent. WOO HOO!!!:D

1huge1

jaqian wrote:

Reason I use Vodafone is they have the best signal and very reliable. Yes they are expensive but I'm hoping increased competition will bring this down.

Looked at Meteor but find there service is crap like the old 088 service. Didn't even know 3 were selling phones yet, thought all the ads were to create brand awarness. 3 is probably like Meteor was in the beginning... poor. No texts! Couldn't live without them. Seems like its still a two horse race: Vodafone & O2.

no offence but you really dont know what your talking about

paddyk

Do any of the games preloaded on the phone work. I got the V3x last Friday from 3 and none of the games work. Message no license or not available keep appearing. Rang customer service they said it was an issue with motoralla games should not have been on phone. Can this be correct?

Jam Man

Yes that is correct - Motorola loaded some UK only games on some of the V3X's

I had them on mine.

1huge1

well who wants to be a millionaire did work once
i just got some cheap games of planet 3 so im grand

paddyk

1huge1 wrote:

well who wants to be a millionaire did work once
i just got some cheap games of planet 3 so im grand

How cheap were the games? The ones I've seen are 7 euro. You can get the same on jamster for 3 to 4 euro, But with three behind some kind of firewall cant go down that road. Anyone know a way of getting games on phone besides buying from 3

Cabaal

paddyk wrote:

How cheap were the games? The ones I've seen are 7 euro. You can get the same on jamster for 3 to 4 euro, But with three behind some kind of firewall cant go down that road. Anyone know a way of getting games on phone besides buying from 3

Buy them on the net and transfer them to your phone using bluetooth or USB connection (depending on your phone)
Much cheaper and you'll always have a backup!

1huge1

you can only do that with nokia smartphones and the only 3 phone in that catogiary (wrong spelling) is the 6680 and i have a v3x
anyway the only game i seen that was €7 on planet 3 was age of empires 2 anyway they all vary theres loads that are €3 and you can rent games for €1 and have them for 3 days or you can play them online for €.50

or am i wrong can you get v3x games of the internet?