The 3 Network

Cool_CM

Advice needed, my mother went into a 3g shop today with the intention of swapping over to meteor and buying a new phone, don't exactly know the full conversation details but by the time she came out of the shop she had been swapped over to the three network. Just wondering if its worth her while to stay on or swap back(she was speakeasy)
Its pay as you go, just wondering does anybody have any feedback on their service, prices, coverage etc?
Any feedback would be appreciated

Urban Weigl

You can find all the information you are looking for on www.three.ie

Cool_CM

Cheers, i'd already checked that was just wondering about peoples personal experiences s opposed to what the network themselves tell you

AlmightyCushion

I'm on 3pay and I think they do a great job. I've only had a few minor problems that got sorted the moment I went into the shop (mobile broadband kept asking me to verify my age even though I had done it already). Also 5c messages. You can't beat that.

Sam Vimes

AlmightyCushion wrote:

I'm on 3pay and I think they do a great job. I've only had a few minor problems that got sorted the moment I went into the shop (mobile broadband kept asking me to verify my age even though I had done it already). Also 5c messages. You can't beat that.

in fairness, you can beat it with free messages and 20c flat rate as opposed to 35c

1huge1

^^ ya but you have to do stuff to beat it as in on meteor top up by at least €20 a month etc
with three you have 5c texts,pictures and videos messages always to ANY network and dont have to do anything

the major drawback I found with 3pay is that to get your free credit you have to top up once a month

wish they would bring 5c texts to bill pay

Sam Vimes

1huge1 wrote:

^^ ya but you have to do stuff to beat it as in on meteor top up by at least €20 a month etc

this is true, although there is no 'etc'. the only thing is topping up by €20.

and you don't have to do anything to get a call rate of 15c a minute less though

1huge1 wrote:

wish they would bring 5c texts to bill pay

yes that is ridiculous

Urban Weigl

There is an etc on Meteor: it only applies to texts sent to Meteor, and I don't know if it includes MMS either.

Whereas 3 is straightforward: 5 cent for all Irish SMS and MMS networks. Less string.

Sam Vimes

Urban Weigl wrote:

There is an etc on Meteor: it only applies to texts sent to Meteor, and I don't know if it includes MMS either.

well its not something you have to do. the original offer did include mms but the new one doesn't. of course, i've sent maybe three mms's since i was 12.

Urban Weigl wrote:

Whereas 3 is straightforward: 5 cent for all Irish SMS and MMS networks. Less string.

i consider 15c extra for every minute to be a big string. although if someone exclusively texts like some of these young'uns these days it could save money.

still, it can't beat AFT

ApeXaviour

Yeah must say, all my friends being on meteor, the cheap calls and most importantly free texts saves me so much money. I top up €20 a month just for them, not even spending it. I think my balance is ~€80. 2 years ago I was spending €30-40 a month on 02 speakeasy.

I really quite like meteor in most ways... They have some silly rules when it comes to upgrading though

Sam Vimes

ApeXaviour wrote:

They have some silly rules when it comes to upgrading though

if you're talking about having to top up by a certain amount before you're allowed upgrade, that rule is gone.

Urban Weigl

Commander Vimes, I was specifically referring to what 3 charge to send SMS and MMS messages to all Irish networks. Having a flat 5 cent charge without pesky terms that need to be fulfilled seems like less string attached, though if you spend €20 a month anyway and only send SMS messages and not MMS messages within the Meteor network, it is a much better deal. Just more complex is all.

Calls are definitely cheaper with Meteor (20 vs. 35 cent).

Sam Vimes

Urban Weigl wrote:

Commander Vimes, I was specifically referring to what 3 charge to send SMS and MMS messages to all Irish networks. Having a flat 5 cent charge without pesky terms that need to be fulfilled seems like less string attached,

it is true, their standard text offer is better

Cool_CM

Commander Vimes wrote:

if you're talking about having to top up by a certain amount before you're allowed upgrade, that rule is gone.

I thought that was only so you actually paid off the amount the phone cost seeing as it was subsidised, cheers for the feedback, the wap and online tv is fairly class as well so i think she's going to stick.

1huge1

another handy deal from 3 is that you pay €3.99 a month and you can call anyone on 3 for as much as you like
not sure if thats on 3pay though

foggy_lad

eh meteor versus "3" well it has to be 3 cheaper overall with much better handset choice even if their customer care hard to understand

Sam Vimes

foggy_lad wrote:

eh meteor versus "3" well it has to be 3 cheaper overall with much better handset choice even if their customer care hard to understand

they can be cheaper depending on usage, usually not. Their customer care are not just hard to understand, they're retarded

foggy_lad

well that is your opinion from your experience i presume but while i have had communication problems with them i do understand they are a new network still and as such still setting/changing their procedures to suit an irish market. have no affilliation to any network but examining the figures and services on offer it has to be "3" if you dont mind broadband being poor for a while. meteor dont value long suffering customers and others just too expensive

Sam Vimes

foggy_lad wrote:

well that is your opinion from your experience i presume

No its my opinion from working in a phone shop.

foggy_lad wrote:

but while i have had communication problems with them i do understand they are a new network still and as such still setting/changing their procedures to suit an irish market.

3 is a multi national company thats been operating for years. They've been in ireland two years and they didn't bring in new customer care for ireland, they're the ones england has had to suffer through for several years now. I know this because they often think you're in england when you call.

They used to have customer care in scotland that, while powerless to change the ridiculous policies*, at least could speak to you properly. If you have a question thats not on the script monkey's script you're out of luck. So rather than getting better they purposely made it much worse to save a few euro

*the latest one i found out about is if you lose your sim card a new one is free but if you damage it it costs €19 to get a new one.

foggy_lad wrote:

I have no affilliation company any network but examining the figures and services on offer it has to be "3" if you dont mind broadband being poor for a while. meteor dont value long suffering customers and others just too expensive

we get it. Meteor pissed you off and now you want to shout it from the rooftops. Please start a thread about it instead of dragging up loads of old threads to spout misinformation.

And you may have thought meteor were bad but wait until you have a problem with 3. Then you'll see real customer service. Just check out the 80 something page thread in the broadband forum for examples. I look forward to your thread in 6 months bad mouthing 3 and singing the praises of o2

i also look forward to the thread telling us all what big bad meteor did to you

foggy_lad

so all that excuses you calling people doing their job retarded? Nice! and good comment about "script monkeys":eek: sorry that smacks of at least anti-indianism and should not be tolerated?

gunnerfitzy

Commander Vimes wrote:

No its my opinion from working in a phone shop.

we get it. Meteor pissed you off and now you want to shout it from the rooftops. Please start a thread about it instead of dragging up loads of old threads to spout misinformation.

And you may have thought meteor were bad but wait until you have a problem with 3. Then you'll see real customer service. Just check out the 80 something page thread in the broadband forum for examples. I look forward to your thread in 6 months bad mouthing 3 and singing the praises of o2

i also look forward to the thread telling us all what big bad meteor did to you

@Commander Vimes:

ah come on, you continously slate 3 at every given oppertunity... don't bark down someone's neck because they want to get something of their chest about another operator. or is it just because foggy_lad made a positive comment about ur hated network ??

foggy_lad

i had one of their data modems and sent it back on 13th day because of poor speeds (10-25kbps) and practically non-existant tech support but as phone service providers i find them much better if still hard to understand. and my original comment referred to the extras you get with "3" as well as 5cent pic and video mms although i only use them for non-meteor numbers as i wont give up my "legacy tarriff" meteor accounts although top-up is required for free meteor-meteor text and mms. and i was also brought up to consider someone a better person for doing a job that brought the wrath of others upon them:)

Pythia

Foggy Lad, if you drag up another thread about your 'issues' with mobile companies, you'll be banned for a week.
Start a new thread. Last warning.

Sam Vimes

gunnerfitzy wrote:

@Commander Vimes:

ah come on, you continously slate 3 at every given oppertunity... don't bark down someone's neck because they want to get something of their chest about another operator. or is it just because foggy_lad made a positive comment about ur hated network ??

he dragged up 6 or 7 old threads to post baseless anti meteor crap and it irritated me. For example he suggested someone leave meteor because he was having trouble setting up mms.

foggy_lad wrote:

so all that excuses you calling people doing their job retarded? Nice! and good comment about "script monkeys":eek: sorry that smacks of at least anti-indianism and should not be tolerated?

its not anti indianism, its anti people who have no idea how to do their job-ism.

Examples:
1. What's a balbriggan?

2. We don't do data add ons on pre pay

3. The APN is three.co.uk

4. Turn your phone off, take the sim out and rub it

5. You're the only one having these problems

6. This will take 24 to 48 hours to be fixed (translation:i don't know. Please go away and call back on my day off)

7. Me:i'd like to speak to your manager (after he annoyed me by telling me something that was wrong). Him:certainly (puts me on hold). (hangs up on me)

8. If you port off the network you void your phones warranty.

That's in the past 3 weeks or so

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

dingding

When porting from Meteor to Three, took them 3 weeks. eventually sorted by ringing Meteor, they had but in 2 port requests at the same time and confused the system. Had to get Meteor to cancel the 2 requests on the system and then get three to retry the port.

Worked out well in the end but used up most of my minutes for the first month sorting out the porting issues.

The_Hustler

Solitaryman666 wrote:

This post has been deleted.

I've had that happen too and it's ridiculous, because you get the same person immediately as soon as you go back in. I had one guy close it after I'd given my number and when I went back and I told him the number again and that he was meant to be checking my account he said "If you'd just be patient I'll check it now". He had just ended the chat for god sake!