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3 Gaining ground?

  • 26-07-2007 1:04pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭


    Yet another thread about 3 but i did find this a interesting read as kast time i heard numbers from 3 it was all doom and gloom yet they seem to have turned that around (or so they say :rolleyes: ) Oh and it was quiet interesting to read that they'd consider buying meteor


    from the indo
    IRELAND'S fourth mobile operator, 3, has grown its market share to 150,000 subscribers, according to new figures seen by the Irish Independent.


    The growth came mainly in the past year after 3 Ireland launched its pre-paid service in May of last year.

    3 Ireland, which is owned by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa, has never released its subscriber figures but is expected to give an update in September.

    The company said yesterday it had also thrown down the guantlet to its much bigger competitors Vodafone Ireland, O2 Ireland and Meteor - who have millions of subscribers between them - in the mobile roaming market.

    According to 3, it has cut its roaming rates to the lowest in the market by 33pc setting an industry standard with rates lower than the recently recommended Eurotariff figures which were set by the European Commission.

    It added that the figures were about 20c lower per minute than its competitors, including VAT, for making calls within the EU, making calls to Ireland when in the EU and receiving calls from anywhere in the world.

    Broadband

    The new figures show that 3 Ireland has also made inroads in the mobile broadband market.

    3 has added on about 10,000 broadband customers in the past six weeks since the introduction of its €19.99 a month for 10 gigabytes of data product.

    Yesterday, Robert Finnegan, managing director of 3, said that he would not comment directly on the new subscriber figures but added that they were "growing very strongly".

    He added that average revenue per user figures were also strong.

    Commenting on the roaming move he said by offering pricing below the Eurotariff, 3 has undercut all of the other operators.

    "The old networks have creamed profits from Irish consumers travelling abroad for years, and equally 3 has had to pay exceptionally high prices to the incumbent networks to offer roaming services in markets where 3 does not have a network."

    Meanwhile, Mr Finnegan did not rule out Hutchison running the ruler over Meteor if it came onto the market as a standalone buy on the back of the news that Babcock & Brown is planning to split Eircom and sell of its retail division.

    Scale

    "Obviously there would be economies of scale and it (Meteor) may be something that we would look at."

    However, he ruled out any interest in Eircom's fixed line business. "It's not our area and the move at the moment is to mobile anyway. We also have our own reseller arrangements in place."

    The Irish Independent last week reported the splitting up of Eircom with plans to sell off the retail division, which could net the owners up to €1.8bn.


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    i really hope they don't buy meteor


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Why doesn't t-mobile buy meteor? or are they involved here already?

    And I wouldn't call three broadband...broadband,it's slower than dial up.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,924 ✭✭✭✭BuffyBot


    T-Mobile aren't involved here yet - but have partnered up with Meteor in the past. I'd imagine they would consider it - then again, they didn't pipe up the last time it was up for sale.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 633 ✭✭✭Tarakiwa


    The article says that growth is "strong" but they refuse to comment on numbers .......

    Does this seem like the sort of thing a company would actually say if they were growing quickly???


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,784 ✭✭✭Urban Weigl


    I hope T-Mobile buys Meteor.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    I got a call from 3 today asking was I happy with their service. I (again) told them the problem of texting people while roaming issue. They first told me there was no report of this, then it changed to blame the other networks, then they said they'd look into it.

    It is a crying shame, their service is good but their customer service is non-existent.

    3 - if you're reading, denying a problem doesn't make it go away.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,829 ✭✭✭godskitchen


    Ha Ha, Three gaining ground...............are they up to 3% of the market yet?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Thats not that bad considering its such a saturated market, it took a long time for meteor to get going. Im sure its going to be a few years till they make a profit though


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,135 ✭✭✭fifth


    I'd consider changing to 3 because I miss being able to video call and download things. I'm using an N80 on meteor and its going to waste. I only keep it for the free texts, but the free windows live messenger might be worth it.. except 3 don't sell sim packs yet.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 178 ✭✭barrett1965


    Tarakiwa wrote:
    The article says that growth is "strong" but they refuse to comment on numbers .......

    I stand corrected, but I think 3 are up to around 150,000 customers already. That's not bad considering they are only in Ireland five minutes. :)


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    funkyflea wrote:
    I'd consider changing to 3 because I miss being able to video call and download things. I'm using an N80 on meteor and its going to waste. I only keep it for the free texts, but the free windows live messenger might be worth it.. except 3 don't sell sim packs yet.
    You actually got use out of the video calling? The only times ive ever used it was like as a joke, never got any practical use out of it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 maddflogg


    i was with 3 for, hmmm, 3 days last month! What a farce! Their handsets are still, eh, "neutered" beyond recognition: can't use them as modems, and they dare pretend it's a technical "problem...maybe solved in the future"...when you're out of 3g coverage, you can't use the web anymore, oh, but you can still download their games and wallpapers...ooh, eh, greeat! For what? Videocalls and their downloads we are asked to accept all that walled-garden nonsense? Their internet add-ons are a joke...just get operamini, use your pc to download proper music, games, wallpapers etc are freely available elsewhere, via pc or wap browser...three? 2, 1...leave! They have to get the message!!!! But then again: in a world where you can buy "preloaded" ipods (for the musically tasteless?), nothing surprises me! And you can't port a 3g-handet! You must buy a 3-set!!!!! Scammers, riding on other network's infrastructure, exploiting consumers with bubbly plastic pearls...hahaha - sorry!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    If I hear one more uninformed fool saying 3 still has a walled garden ill go insane! there internet services are the best choice in ireland all you have to do is buy one of their good add on's,

    you did make some good points but as for being outside 3g coverage well they do have a lot fo the country covered.

    Your really looking at all the bad points though


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15 maddflogg


    Well...I know they've lowered the garden wall, and yes, you get free stuff, but it's free because there still IS A WALL!!! Maybe the term "walled garden" is stupid? But then put it in another nutshell for me "fool" will you? The phones are branded beyond recognition, i.e. Functions disabled etc etc (no 3G, so, e.g. No track id... Also, 3g is heavy on battery, no reason to use it for "light" web browsing...but no, all you can do without 3g is buy games... )...the area I live in is referred to as 2.5g on their very accurate map (lol)...now other than streaming probs there shouldn't be an issue with ordinary web access! i know, I know...their network setup means some restrictions re. GPRS, but I was making the point that compared to other networks it very much is a "walled garden", a walled garden with loads of freebies - and imho for my needs, all those freebies do not outweigh the disadvantages! When I took the 3-w850i to town where there is 3g reception the web-experience sooo sucked compared to 3g switched off using operamini or safari or minimo or wm IE on e61, n73, treo, n91, k750...it's beyond believe to anyone who only know's the 3-web experience! And honestly: n73 etc have some great gprs features that by their very design do not require 3g (and again: 3g is heavier on battery live! DO NOT look forward to a 3g only N95!!!), but boing "no, we currently cannot enable those features"...verbatim! "cannot"??? You MADE the n73 not being usable as a modem! Because you want to sell your 3g modem!!!right? Right!

    sorry, but that's what gets me! The insincerity branded as service! But, hey, at least they have a 14-day-no-quibble-return-policy...the best policy they have! And all this of course is just my opinion, shaped by my needs and esperiences on other networks! If you really think the planet 3 freebies are great, and outweigh the loss of truly free browsing where and when you want to, no sites excluded... Well then I have no argument with you!
    Simple, really - but don't call me "fool"... A wall is a wall is a wall....


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,784 ✭✭✭Urban Weigl


    Now that 3 are actually signing up customers, they desperately need more masts.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Yes they need more masts, especially for their broadband option I hear in dublin its very slow.

    and maddflogg 'fool' was harsh but maybe you should check the maps on three.ie because you can see anything you want (they updated them).

    And yes those freebies are grand but ya id rather have the choice of a good add on than pay loads. Call it a wall all you want all you have to do is buy one of those add on's and you've access to anything you want for very good prices.

    Yes 3G is heavy on battery but in my experience some phones can still have good battery lifes. Example I rarely got my v3x to last more than a day but then I received a free Nokia 6280 of 3 for renewing my contract and most of the time i get 3-4 days battery life. Thats more then enough for me.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    maddflogg wrote:
    Well...I know they've lowered the garden wall, and yes, you get free stuff, but it's free because there still IS A WALL!!! Maybe the term "walled garden" is stupid? But then put it in another nutshell for me "fool" will you? The phones are branded beyond recognition, i.e. Functions disabled etc etc (no 3G, so, e.g. No track id... Also, 3g is heavy on battery, no reason to use it for "light" web browsing...but no, all you can do without 3g is buy games... )...the area I live in is referred to as 2.5g on their very accurate map (lol)...now other than streaming probs there shouldn't be an issue with ordinary web access! i know, I know...their network setup means some restrictions re. GPRS, but I was making the point that compared to other networks it very much is a "walled garden", a walled garden with loads of freebies - and imho for my needs, all those freebies do not outweigh the disadvantages! When I took the 3-w850i to town where there is 3g reception the web-experience sooo sucked compared to 3g switched off using operamini or safari or minimo or wm IE on e61, n73, treo, n91, k750...it's beyond believe to anyone who only know's the 3-web experience! And honestly: n73 etc have some great gprs features that by their very design do not require 3g (and again: 3g is heavier on battery live! DO NOT look forward to a 3g only N95!!!), but boing "no, we currently cannot enable those features"...verbatim! "cannot"??? You MADE the n73 not being usable as a modem! Because you want to sell your 3g modem!!!right? Right!

    sorry, but that's what gets me! The insincerity branded as service! But, hey, at least they have a 14-day-no-quibble-return-policy...the best policy they have! And all this of course is just my opinion, shaped by my needs and esperiences on other networks! If you really think the planet 3 freebies are great, and outweigh the loss of truly free browsing where and when you want to, no sites excluded... Well then I have no argument with you!
    Simple, really - but don't call me "fool"... A wall is a wall is a wall....

    I really can't get the grip of what it is you are trying to say...but...

    I have 3 on an N73 with the mobile broadband add on. I use Opera Mini to browse the web, simply because it holds the last few pages in memory for hitting "back". I use real player to listen to some radio stations which are unavailable on FM. I use AFT to send texts. Gmail, Google Maps, Dorsh, MSN Messenger all work fine. I have downloaded songs which are WMA files and been able to store them. I also can download audio podcasts off the BBC website and listen to them at a time of my choosing.

    I don't find battery life to be an issue although the phone is only 2 months old so that is not to say it won't get worse.

    I would like someone to tell me what I am missing out on with this walled garden? If I were not to be subscribing to the 3 walled garden, what would the advantage be?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Yes thats exactly what I was trying to tell him, you really seem to be getting good use of of mobile broadband by the way


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    I absolutely love it.

    I have had two friends sign up and my girlfriend is going to take on the 3pay phone I have spare since getting my upgrade.

    There seem to be people on this board that are very negative about 3 and give it a knock regardless about what people are discussing.

    I think the customer service is great. The people are helpful and get the job done. To complain just because they are Indian has to be seen as racist. Sure their accent is a bit more difficult to understand but if the 3 call centre was to be put in Dublin, chances are it wouldn't be staffed by people whose first language is English.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 90 ✭✭Tony_ire


    Well I cant imagine goin back to o2 and paying 1c per kb. My €5.99 broadband bundle is great value. I dont have any sites blocked, can use the gmail app to send free emails, google earth is free, can use the opera mini browser.... and if i haven't got my 3modem with me I can use my k800 as a modem..no extra charge.

    That's my experience, and i'm on 3pay.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,246 ✭✭✭rc28


    Tony_ire wrote:
    Well I cant imagine goin back to o2 and paying 1c per kb. My €5.99 broadband bundle is great value. I dont have any sites blocked, can use the gmail app to send free emails, google earth is free, can use the opera mini browser.... and if i haven't got my 3modem with me I can use my k800 as a modem..no extra charge.

    That's my experience, and i'm on 3pay.
    Whoa, that looks brilliant! I'm really about to switch to 3 now as I learn more about them. Are all the sites in the phones bookmarks (my3) free to view as much as you like(yahoo mail etc)? And opera mini works ok with 3? Is google maps one of the free bookmarks, can I use it in europe for free too (i'm going to france in 2weeks and it would be amazing if I could get the maps of cities on my phone)?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    I think the customer service is great. The people are helpful and get the job done. To complain just because they are Indian has to be seen as racist. Sure their accent is a bit more difficult to understand but if the 3 call centre was to be put in Dublin, chances are it wouldn't be staffed by people whose first language is English.
    i don't complain because they're indian. i complain because they are given a set of pre-defined responses and can't help with anything that's not on the list.

    today there was a thread suggesting that the stupid 3pay proxy might be gone so i thought i'd ring them up and ask. of course the agent had no idea what i was talking about when i mentioned the proxy, he just kept saying "you should be able to access websites" and asking if i'd verified my age. i explained that i didn't want to access websites, i wanted to use the gmail application and opera mini. i then had to explain what gmail is, what opera is, what an application is and how its different to accessing a website. i had to do this several times very slowly before he (pretended to) understand.

    his response "you should be able to access websites". i then asked to speak to a member of the technical department. instead he put me on hold to go and ask someone what the proxy is and how it was stopping me using programs. ten minutes later he came back and said that they should work. i explained that i'd been told that before but everyone i know who uses 3pay disagrees. then he put me on hold again and a few minutes later a member of the technical team came onto the phone and asked the problem. i explained it again. his response "you should be able to access websites". he tried to say i had the wrong version of opera mini. i explained that it had worked fine with a billpay sim card. he suggested the same thing again a few minutes later. he suggested that everything was the problem except the proxy which 3 have deliberately put in place to cripple the 3pay internet for no apparent reason

    in the end i gave up and just went out and bought credit to test it myself. and guess what, its telling me i have to verify my age, which i've already done twice. they keep forgetting that i've done it. i called again and was told that they've "gone ahead and escalated it"* and it should be fixed within 24 to 48 hours**.


    yes the only reason i hate 3 customer care is racism.



    *response number 1 when they don't know

    **response number 2 when they don't know


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Tony_ire wrote:
    Well I cant imagine goin back to o2 and paying 1c per kb. My €5.99 broadband bundle is great value. I dont have any sites blocked, can use the gmail app to send free emails, google earth is free, can use the opera mini browser.... and if i haven't got my 3modem with me I can use my k800 as a modem..no extra charge.

    That's my experience, and i'm on 3pay.
    you got opera mini to work? how? how long has it been working? is everything routed through the iethree.widerweb.net proxy for you?


    in short, how the hell is your 3pay internet not crippled like everyone else's is?

    when you say 3pay you do mean pre pay and not bill pay right?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,246 ✭✭✭rc28



    in short, how the hell is your 3pay internet not crippled like everyone else's is?
    Apparently 3 have "uncrippled" it recently:
    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055125955&page=2


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    rc28 wrote:
    Apparently 3 have "uncrippled" it recently:
    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055125955&page=2
    yeah that's the thread i was talking about in my rant above. i can't verify it for myself because its "been escalated and i have to wait 24 to 48 hours".

    in that thread tallus said that he tried to get opera to work and it failed, pretty much whats happened to me when i last tried in june. and when i save any pages that work as a bookmark they still have the widerweb prefix so i think they might just have unblocked gmail. a good start but without opera its still useless


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    Vimes, I have had nothing but good experience with the Indian call centre staff.

    People mention their nationality when it is not relevant to what is being spoken about which, in itself, is on dodgy ground racially but there are also threads like these two.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055079598&referrerid=&highlight=indian%203
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054955611&referrerid=&highlight=indian%203

    There is nothing to suggest that if 3 were to open a call centre in Dublin, the staff would know any more.

    It is simply poor staff training rather than the nationality or background of the people working there.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,246 ✭✭✭rc28



    in that thread tallus said that he tried to get opera to work and it failed
    Yes that is Tallus who couldn't get the gmail app to work either even though others could(after previously not been able to) so that suggests to me that there is either something wrong with his old v3x or he just has to change some settings. Other people are using opera with 3pay now so i don't see what they stand to gain from lying to the thread?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,133 ✭✭✭Slice


    Customer care and sales is all about building relationships, talk to any account manager for any large company providing any kind of product or service and you'll find them playing golf with their customers and relating on a basis that goes beyond the service itself - I think it works on the same principles with callcentres - I want to feel like I'm at least dealing with someone who is in some familiar with who I am from a cultural point of view. I don't think that's racism at all.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,963 ✭✭✭✭Mimikyu


    This post has been deleted.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭flodis79


    rc28 wrote:
    Yes that is Tallus who couldn't get the gmail app to work either even though others could(after previously not been able to) so that suggests to me that there is either something wrong with his old v3x or he just has to change some settings. Other people are using opera with 3pay now so i don't see what they stand to gain from lying to the thread?

    I cannot use data in the Gmail app. Can just download it, but cannot connect after entering the login details.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    rc28 wrote:
    Yes that is Tallus who couldn't get the gmail app to work either even though others could(after previously not been able to) so that suggests to me that there is either something wrong with his old v3x or he just has to change some settings. Other people are using opera with 3pay now so i don't see what they stand to gain from lying to the thread?
    which others? i've seen one that said he could use the gmail app and one other who i have a feeling is on bill pay. i just downloaded the 3 settings from the nokia site and they're the same as the ones i currently have.

    it could be that they've changed the configuration since i last tried in june. as i said i can't use it because they're incapable of remembering that i've verified my details. can anyone confirm that they were able to use opera mini before june?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    There is nothing to suggest that if 3 were to open a call centre in Dublin, the staff would know any more.

    yes there is. the customer care used to be in scotland and they knew a lot more, although they couldn't do anything to change the company's ridiculous policies either
    It is simply poor staff training rather than the nationality or background of the people working there.
    that was the point i was making in the first place, that i hate them because they don't know anything and the fact that they're indian is irrelevant. although having to call out my number 5 or 6 times every time i call even though its on the screen in front of them and having my name mispronounced even after i've corrected them does grate after a while


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,246 ✭✭✭rc28


    flodis79 wrote:
    I cannot use data in the Gmail app. Can just download it, but cannot connect after entering the login details.
    It's working for others and 3 must have changed their proxies because you can now access https (paypal, aib etc) sites on 3pay whereas previously you couldn't. Have you checked all your settings?
    Did you get it from the right link:
    http://www.google.com/intl/en/mobile/mail/index.html
    Remember, some phones simply can't run certain apps (aft never worked for me)
    Here are quotes from others showing that something has changed with the proxies and I don't see what they stand to gain from lying about getting wesites/apps to work:
    "something has definitely changed on 3pay - it loads everything fast now"
    "was able to access https:www.paypal.com no bother"
    "yep, google application working perfectly!! and fast loading of webpages too. they have obviously changed things"

    "Secure sites definitely did not work before, even the likes of https://www.paypal.com used to be blocked. Also the Gmail java app, and Opera Mini, did not work before"


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,963 ✭✭✭✭Mimikyu


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,246 ✭✭✭rc28


    This post has been deleted.
    Yup for 3pay you can buy a 100mb add on for 5.99 and a 250mb for 9.99:
    http://three.ie/on3/mobile_broadband.htm
    If you are on bill pay you can also add on these packages-that's why there is confusion on whether it's available on 3pay or not.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    This post has been deleted.
    the internet add-on is the only one you can get on pre pay


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭flodis79


    rc28 wrote:
    It's working for others and 3 must have changed their proxies because you can now access https (paypal, aib etc) sites on 3pay whereas previously you couldn't. Have you checked all your settings?
    Did you get it from the right link:
    http://www.google.com/intl/en/mobile/mail/index.html
    Remember, some phones simply can't run certain apps (aft never worked for me)

    It still goes through some kinda proxy (widerweb.net)
    Yeah, I have checked my settings. Well, not much to check since you cannot alter or add anything as regards access points. I had no problem downloading the gmail java app, it's just that I can't get data to work with the app. I downloaded the Gmail app from http://gmail.com/app/v1.0.0/en/gmail-g.jar directly, no problems whatsoever.

    I am curious - are some people experiencing that 3pay does not have proxies in use anymore, and for some they are still there? :confused:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    yes there is. the customer care used to be in scotland and they knew a lot more, although they couldn't do anything to change the company's ridiculous policies either

    that was the point i was making in the first place, that i hate them because they don't know anything and the fact that they're indian is irrelevant. although having to call out my number 5 or 6 times every time i call even though its on the screen in front of them and having my name mispronounced even after i've corrected them does grate after a while

    I don't wish to label you as a racist Vimes but you can see that some people, not you, have been sailing fairly close to the wind in terms of talking about the Indian people working for 3.

    This has been compounded by people, myself included, who when describing our contact with the customer service department talk of speaking to an "Indian woman" or "the Indian woman told me that..." when the nationality is not relevant.

    I know that many Scottish people would mispronounce the most common Irish names. In fact, a lot of Northerners can't get their head around many Irish language names.

    People have had bad experience with the Indian staff in 3. Fine. But I think the mods need to be careful that this does not descend into racism.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    last night i was able to search google because its one of their allowed sites, although i wasn't able to look at any of the results of course because i'm "not verified. if i saved google as a bookmark the saved address would have the widerweb prefix.

    but i saved it this morning and it didn't and when i tried to go to one of the bookmarks with the prefix it told me it was an invalid address. and the pages don't have "page generated by mobile broadband v5.1.3.2" at the bottom anymore. this is all very exciting. all i have to do now is wait for them to get off their holes and verify me and this internet might finally be worth using


    and i'm sure we'll all be happy to know that even with this under 18 block on i can do a google image search without safe surf on and see some really filthy stuff. thumbs up for protecting kids 3


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    I know that many Scottish people would mispronounce the most common Irish names. In fact, a lot of Northerners can't get their head around many Irish language names.
    this is true but when you correct them they usually get the idea. lets pretend my name is ciaran (another name they pronounce wrong). the conversation goes like this:

    them: hello see-are-on, how can i help you?

    me: its ciaran

    them : ok see-are-on, how can i help you?

    me: its ciaran, k-ir-on

    them: how can i help you see-are-on?

    me: sigh


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,918 ✭✭✭Terrontress


    Not such a big deal. They could call you sir. They are just trying to add the personal touch.

    Have you ever heard the voice recognition voice on a Nokia N73 say Aoife?

    It took me four or five attempts to work out what it was saying.

    And a northerner would call Ciaran "keern" and refuse to say it any differently!

    Anyway, we're splitting hairs. There have been offensive comments about the Indian staff of 3. 3's call centre being in India is not ideal, due to their inability to adjust to the Irish idiosyncracies of the English language. It could be as bad elsewhere on this island. I have had many positive experiences with 3 customer service.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    terrontress, i found out today that you can do web chat with 3 customer care so i decided to try and explain my problem there to see if i'd get anywhere. this is the exact transcript. now you'll see why they irritate me:

    [Operator 2] Welcome to 3, my name is xxxxxxx, How may i help you?
    [Visitor] i was wondering if you can speed up the process of getting age verified? i've done it twice already in the past few months but its still telling me i'm not verified. i called up and they told me it'll take up to 48 hours to change it on my profile
    [Visitor] what could possibly take 2 days?
    [Operator 2] well we need to creat a new profile under your name that is the only reason it takes around 24hrs.
    [Visitor] my main problem with waiting 24 hours is that a lot of people i know have been told to wait 24 hours by 3 for various reasons and when 24 hours are up they're told to wait 48 hours and when 48 hours are up they're told to wait 72 hours etc. will it actually take 24 hours? and is there any way you can speed up the process?
    [Operator 2] it genarally takes upto 24hrs we wouldn't informed the customer about the 72 hours.
    [Visitor] fair enough so. i have another question
    [Operator 2] sure go ahead.
    [Visitor] it's about the iethree.widerweb.net proxy that blocks third party applications. some people are suggesting that it might be gone. is it?
    [Operator 2] we do not block any application. it depends on the compatibility on your handset.
    [Visitor] that's what i keep being told but that's not the case. i had a bill pay account on which any application i tried worked fine. if i took out my billpay sim card and put in the pre pay one none of them worked
    [Visitor] the main two being opera mini and gmail
    [Visitor] its not that the applications are specifically blocked. everything is routed through the widerweb.net proxy and none of the applications can get aroundit
    [Visitor] they need a direct connection to the internet which pre pay doesn't provic
    [Visitor] provide*
    [Visitor] so is the widerweb.net proxy still there?
    [Operator 2] the broadband services are nothing to do with the 3pay or the post pay it works the same way for both.
    [Visitor] read this page please
    [Visitor] http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055125955
    [Visitor] not one of 3's customer care agents seems to know that this proxy exists
    [Visitor] its not your fault, its up to the company to explain it to you
    [Visitor] which they haven't done
    [Operator 2] well we can not guarntee or take responsibility of the third party application that are downloaded from the unknown source.
    [Visitor] you don't have to guarantee they work, you just have to stop actively blocking them
    [Operator 2] and we have are own application coming up it is the X-series products in the month of august.
    [Operator 2] we will not be able to provide you with any settings if it is not downloaded from 3.
    [Visitor] i don't want settings. i don't want support. i don't want the x-series. i just want your company to stop blocking all third party applications or at least acknowledge that they're doing it!!! this is word for word the conversation i have had every time i have mentioned the proxy for the past 6 months.
    [Visitor] were you aware of the widerweb.net proxy before i mentioned it to you?
    [Operator 2] as i expalined that we do not blocked any sites or the application.
    [Visitor] that is not true
    [Visitor] from the page i asked you to read:
    [Visitor] I wrote to 3 Ireland's Managing Director about this and was subsequently contacted by their head of PR - initially they were not aware about the difference between billpay and 3pay as their technical team initally told them there was none - but they promised to do an investigation
    [Visitor] they have come back to me and said that after conversations with their technical team they confirmed that 3Pay is routed differently (for various reasons) and there maybe some https sites that can't be reached directly -
    [Visitor] that wasn't written by me by the way
    [Operator 2] well let me explain all the browser service are connected with the same proxy.we do not have any different router.
    [Operator 2] and it may be possible but we do not have the answer to your query.
    [Visitor] if you have meetings with your staff, please tell them about this conversation and that, no matter what your superiors tell you, 3pay is routed differently to bill pay for no apparent reason and as a result, all third party applications are blocked
    [Visitor] goodbye


    it went on a bit then with him asking why other people were able to access it if i wasn't. i said that was the original point of my question, ie was the proxy gone. it went on for another ten minutes or so and in fairness to him, unlike every other agent i've spoken to, he finally acknowledged that there was a difference between 3pay and bill pay that might or might not be gone and all i could do was wait until the world's slowest computer verified my age to check for myself


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Im posting this from my 3pay phone using opera mini. I take it all back, i love you 3. Come to my house and ill give you a big hug and a kiss on your hindu heads


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Im posting this from my 3pay phone using opera mini. I take it all back, i love you 3. Come to my house and ill give you a big hug and a kiss on your hindu heads
    :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 220 ✭✭hosi


    Im posting this from my 3pay phone using opera mini. I take it all back, i love you 3. Come to my house and ill give you a big hug and a kiss on your hindu heads
    That was good! :D
    See, they do their best, we just need to be patient ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Oh and vimes were can you talk to them online through text? that guy you were talking to in all fairness did seem very helpful


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    1huge1 wrote:
    Oh and vimes were can you talk to them online through text? that guy you were talking to in all fairness did seem very helpful

    http://livechat.boldchat.com/aid/7939057008210113350/bc.chat?cwdid=2337875678197600307&url=http%3A//www.three.ie/priceplans/index.htm

    he was polite i'll grant you but not very helpful. he was telling me the same thing that i've been told for the past 6 months. what he was telling me was wrong until very recently and he'd had no update. as far as he was concerned there was never a proxy but some people still can't get past it

    as far as i can figure out, they've got rid of the proxy but they have to "update people's profiles" so their phones are using it anymore which is taking time. they haven't told the customer care anything about this, i've been left to figure it out on my own


  • Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,125 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion



    as far as i can figure out, they've got rid of the proxy but they have to "update people's profiles" so their phones are using it anymore which is taking time. they haven't told the customer care anything about this, i've been left to figure it out on my own

    Well I'm glad someone figured it out. I can't wait to use all the cool apps.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,176 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Well thats good, how did ya manage to come across that live chat vimes, like from the sounds of it you wouldnt have a clue its related to 3, i was expecting www.three.ie/webchat


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    In the other thread about "3pay, what will work". Page 2 or 3


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