3 broadband credit check

king_of_inismac

Hey guys,

I applied for 3 bb through perlico.

I paid for the USB connector using my crecit card, and was going to pay the 20 euro per month by direct debit. No problems there

Then perlico rang me up twice cos they said they wanted the 3 digit confirmation code to charge my credit card. They rang up twice cos they said they lost if the first time. ( I know, sounds suspicious, but they had all my details so I gave them the code)

Anyway, then 3 ring me up saying they need some address details to do a credit check for the direct debit. A bit weird I thought, but I gave them my details none the less.

Then the rang me again, looking for a 50 euro deposit for doing the credit check??! I dont know, but I dont see why they need 50 euro to do a credit check.

Has anyone else had to go thru this procedure?

(By the way, there is no issue with my creidit status)

Thanks

milkerman

Hey King,
Read my post about 3. Everyone I know has been asked for this €50 'deposit'. :mad:

king_of_inismac

thanks for that Milkerman. Did you order your modem online or from the shop?

I dont really like giving out my cc details over the phone. Did you get the deposit back?

Also, how long did it take them to deliver your modem?

Thanks

delllat

I bought 2 three modems and i didnt have to pay any deposit

king_of_inismac

where did you buy them?

yummymummy

3 ask most people for the deposit.It used to be up to 300 euro!! Its because they have so many foreigners signing up and then not paying their bills. I work in a phone shop and 3 are a pain to deal with. I would advice getting the vodafone or o2 modem,its more expensive but at least it works.

king_of_inismac

I'm afraid the other two providers dont provide coverage in my area....

Would I better to call into one of the shops to buy the modem, rather than doing it online?

delllat

I bought 1 in 3 store in henry st
then i bought the other 1 in grafton st 3 store
they never asked for anything except the129.99

king_of_inismac

dellat, did they sort out the direct debit there and then?

would like to set up my connection asap

yummymummy

It wont make too much of a difference about the deposit because thats based on what details you give (length of time in job,at address etc) but it will mean you have someone to talk to face to face rather than being asked for details over the phone. You'll need proof of id and proof of address.

delllat

yes,i opted to just pay the bill in cash rather than give them direct debit details but they organised it in the shop both times

thebman

We did direct debit in shop, no deposit. Wouldn't pay some extra hidden charge. You should refuse to especially given the dodgy way you have been treated so far.

Tell them where to stick it and that you have more right to be suspicious of them at this stage than they do of you.

Then call in to the store. The sales person we spoke to was very knowledgable and helpful in Tullamore.

dub45

Do they supply a receipt for the deposit? do they supply any conditions in respect of the deposit? do they say how and when you will get the deposit back?

Ray Cleere

dub45 wrote:

Do they supply a receipt for the deposit? do they supply any conditions in respect of the deposit? do they say how and when you will get the deposit back?

Yes, I got stung for the 'deposit' too; and not even the back of an envelope job to describe its purpose, or the means / crtieria / schedule by which it can be reclaimed. Same for the service contract itself; where is it? I don't remember signing anything, yet they've got my direct debit details etc.

I know of somebody who returned his modem a number of weeks back, and is still waiting for return of his deposit, necessitating several calls to call centre in India in the meantime.

dub45

Ray Cleere wrote:

Yes, I got stung for the 'deposit' too; and not even the back of an envelope job to describe its purpose, or the means / crtieria / schedule by which it can be reclaimed. Same for the service contract itself; where is it? I don't remember signing anything, yet they've got my direct debit details etc.

I know of somebody who returned his modem a number of weeks back, and is still waiting for return of his deposit, necessitating several calls to call centre in India in the meantime.

Why am I not surprised?:rolleyes: Supposedly reputable companies not giving receipts its incredible! Used car salesmen are paragons of virtue in comparison.
Nobody should pay a deposit without getting a receipt and the full 'Terms and Conditions' attaching to the deposit.

aoc

Hello all,
I'm one of those nasty foreigners who don't pay their bills (according to someone..) but here are the terms of the deposit, for which I did indeed get a receipt and asked what the story was.
The story is as follows:
Almost everyone is asked for a deposit. The amount varies according to the credit check, and it is 50 to 300 quid.
The deposit will be held for six months, after that it will be refunded via check directly into your mailbox. The 3 representative told me that if you call 3 during the 5th month they can arrange for a deduction of the aforementioned deposit from your bill, and that amounts to two months and a half (in case your deposit is 50 quid as it was for me) of bills that you won't have to pay.
Act like the nasty foreigners and ask for the T&C, it's your right to do so.

AOC

dub45

aoc wrote:

Hello all,
I'm one of those nasty foreigners who don't pay their bills (according to someone..) but here are the terms of the deposit, for which I did indeed get a receipt and asked what the story was.
The story is as follows:
Almost everyone is asked for a deposit. The amount varies according to the credit check, and it is 50 to 300 quid.
The deposit will be held for six months, after that it will be refunded via check directly into your mailbox. The 3 representative told me that if you call 3 during the 5th month they can arrange for a deduction of the aforementioned deposit from your bill, and that amounts to two months and a half (in case your deposit is 50 quid as it was for me) of bills that you won't have to pay.
Act like the nasty foreigners and ask for the T&C, it's your right to do so.

AOC

Did you actually get the above in writing or was it a 'story'?

aoc

I have a written receipt.

AOC

Irish Wolf

Just to be clear - is this from buying the service through Perlico or are people being asked for a deposit in 3 stores?

aoc

Hi IW, I dealt directly with a 3 store (not a reseller like Carphone Warehouse or 3G, or Perlico) in person, after having treated less than ideally by a local 3G store.
My store was the 3 store in Cork, Patrick St. Feel free to call them should you need clarifications, they're most helpful. Their number is on the 3 site.

Cheers
Tony

Irish Wolf

Well I had no problems purchasing the modem - they did the credit check in-store in 10-15 minutes and I was never asked for a deposit.. I can only guess that if you're not on the system that they use for the check then they may ask for a deposit - and if you're on the system with bad credit they may well be within their rights to refuse you..

I can remember back in the day when Vodafone used to ask for a deposit when buying a phone..

dub45

aoc wrote:

I have a written receipt.

AOC

I accept that you have a written receipt as should everyone automatically on payment of a deposit but do you have any of the other stuff in writing? i.e. the commitment to an automatic return of the deposit after six months?

Sam Vimes

brim4brim wrote:

We did direct debit in shop, no deposit. Wouldn't pay some extra hidden charge. You should refuse to especially given the dodgy way you have been treated so far.

Tell them where to stick it and that you have more right to be suspicious of them at this stage than they do of you.

Then call in to the store. The sales person we spoke to was very knowledgable and helpful in Tullamore.

the people in the store have no control over who gets a deposit. they submit the details and the credit team decide. what they do is they call you and get you to repeat your adress 10 to 15 times. they do this because they don't understand irish addresses and have been known to say "what's a balbriggan?". when you've repeated your address 15 times, they shake their magic 8 ball and that decides whether or not you get a deposit.

this entire process comes as a result of hiring people who were working in rice fields the day before and giving them zero training.

dub45 wrote:

Do they supply a receipt for the deposit? do they supply any conditions in respect of the deposit? do they say how and when you will get the deposit back?

1. if you buy it in a shop they do. don't know about online

2. you get it back if you pay your bill

3. after 6 months they send you a cheque for preference but as someone here said you might be able to get them to take it off your bill. of course, don't count on that because of my above "rice field" comment

aoc wrote:

The amount varies according to the credit check, and it is 50 to 300 quid.

its never more than 50 for the modem but can be 300 for a phone

dub45

Commander Vimes wrote:

the people in the store have no control over who gets a deposit. they submit the details and the credit team decide. what they do is they call you and get you to repeat your adress 10 to 15 times. they do this because they don't understand irish addresses and have been known to say "what's a balbriggan?". when you've repeated your address 15 times, they shake their magic 8 ball and that decides whether or not you get a deposit.

this entire process comes as a result of hiring people who were working in rice fields the day before and giving them zero training.



1. if you buy it in a shop they do. don't know about online

2. you get it back if you pay your bill

3. after 6 months they send you a cheque for preference but as someone here said you might be able to get them to take it off your bill. of course, don't count on that because of my above "rice field" comment


its never more than 50 for the modem but can be 300 for a phone

Sorry to repeat myself but has anyone anywhere actually got it in writing that this money will be returned automatically after six months. Its alright being told now that it will be but when people go looking for it in six months time what solid evidence will they have to pursue their claim? As the wise man say a verbal promise is not worth the paper etc etc.

Don't forget the problems people on here have reported in trying to their deposits back from BT.

milkerman

We have all been spun different stories. AOC - I was told by 3 accounts I would get my deposit back in 12 Months - NOT SIX!
Lets call a spade a spade - This is a way of getting €50 from each of us for an indefinite period. It is actually a stroke of genius. It redefines theft as a 'deposit'. Lets not forget that €50 is what you would pay for only 1 Gig over your 10 Gig Cap so if they were worried about non-payers they would up this figure considerably or only sell to house owners.
I will be interested to see if any of us ever see this 'deposit' again.

talkingclock

Here is another nasty foreigner that is ruining the credit rating of this nation.

I got the modem directly from the 3 shop in limerick cruises street. the credit check was done in 10 minutes, i paid the modem in cash, i paid 50€ deposit in cash and got all the T&C in cold print.

Everything is written down in the special deposit T&Cs.

aoc

I've got everything in writing too (too lazy to look for it now, but I'm sure I asked for everything in writing.

AOC

talkingclock

From the T&Cs handed out in writing to the customer. Available in all 3 stores btw...

Deposit Scheme

As we would like you to experience 3 and its services, we are able to invite you to become a customer under our Deposit Scheme. If you accept this invitation we will ask you to make a deposit before we can offer all or some 3 services to you. In addition to the Terms for 3 Servides, the following terns and conditions will apply to your deposit:

- The scheme is available only by invitation to customers who register through a retail store (online and telephone sales are excluded).
- We will tell you how much you need to pay on deposit when the scheme is offered to you.
- You will need to use cash, or a debit/credit card (from our list of acceptable cards) to pay this deposit.
...
- The retailer will provide you with a receipt for your deposit

Repayment

- The deposit that you are paying is paid directly to 3, and may only be refunded by contacting 3 Customer Services
- The deposti will be refunded to you in 6 month subject to your 3 account being up to date and with no outstanding monies owing. The deposit will be returned by cheque. This will be reflected in your 3 invoice.
- You must, however, request your deposit payment from customer services directly and the procedure will be advised.
- Should you decide to canel the account under 3's 14 Day Money Guarantee offer, the deposit will be issued once your handset has been returned and any monies owing paid in full. Your deposit will be returned by cheque
- Your cheque will be posted to your 3 account billing address.

And before you ask: yes of course you get a receipt that you have paid the deposit...

Any more questions? Ring 083 333 3333

Ray Cleere

Hi Guys,

Just a post-script to this thread:

I eventually returned my 3 modem on 25th July, following consistent tanking of the broadband service during the previous six nights (I moved to O2 then: double the price, but the service works, and works well, no complaints).

Unsurprisingly I have been unable to retrieve my deposit since then.

25/7/07: Returned Modem: "€50 will be returned directly to your back account".

20/08/07: Called , "where's my money?" "Oh sorry that was approved for processing but was 'overlooked', expect a cheque within 5 working days".

29/08/07: Called again, where's my cash? Response: [As above plus 'escalation'] "You can expect a cheque on or before 6th Sept". Great!

10/09/07: Called again: "Yes sir, that has been escalated" "Yes I am aware of that? But I have not received my cheque" "I cannot say, I'll have to contact the payments department". Follows a rant by me, the the old reliable reference to Groundhog Day etc. etc. Under pressure, call centre operative informs me that she will call me back in 24-48 hours!!

I have no doubt that I will be adding further 3 Ireland excuses to this thread on wednesday.

Is 3 Ireland running on empty or can they really be this incompetent?

Caveat Emptor indeed.

Sponge Bob

You must be blind Ray, have you not read a selection of tales from the sticky on top of this Board???

contact the NCA as per the instructions in that thread

Ray Cleere

Sponge Bob wrote:

You must be blind Ray, have you not read a selection of tales from the sticky on top of this Board???

contact the NCA as per the instructions in that thread

Cheers SB, I think it's more a case of blind, busy and bissed off, I just googled for the appropriate thread and tagged it on there. I will have a look at the sticky as you suggest.

RC.

Sponge Bob

Go straight to the NCA Ray. This is yet another example of the utterly cavalier attitude that 3 constantly display and the complete failure of Comreg to regulate them.

Ray Cleere

I have now logged a complaint with NCA.

RC.

dub45

Keep in mind this is theft pure and simple!! Can you imagine if a person was able to break into 3's bank account and 'lift' 50 euros and then keep saying I will give it back to you very soon etc etc. What's the difference? Business in this country has no fears of comeback thats the difference.

Will the Small Claim's court deal with such matters does anyone know?

I still think there is a lot to be said for disaffected 3 users gathering at lunchtimes outside 3 stores to 'discuss' their problems.