Is the 3 mobile network any good?

racram

Hi,

I'm thinking of changing from O2 to 3 mobile? I know they have an advertising Campaign at the moment where they claim to offer you up to €100, if you switch to them from another network, and depending on what price plan to take. I've looked at their price plans and they seem cheaper than O2 but is the coverage and network any good? Just wondering what other 3 mobile customers think.
Thanks.:D

GekkePrutser

racram wrote:

Hi,

I'm thinking of changing from O2 to 3 mobile? I know they have an advertising Campaign at the moment where they claim to offer you up to €100, if you switch to them from another network, and depending on what price plan to take. I've looked at their price plans and they seem cheaper than O2 but is the coverage and network any good? Just wondering what other 3 mobile customers think.
Thanks.:D

3's network is not great, although for voice you will be ok as 3 customers can 'piggyback' on the Vodafone network. So when you get out of reach you will automatically switch to vodafone but you will still be reachable on your 3 number and be able to call out for the same rates.

Their customer service is very bad. Read some of the other threads here about 3 and you'll see what I mean. If you are using it just for voice and not data, you might never need them though, because there's not much that can go wrong with that.

I was on 3 (3pay) myself because of their great data rates, much better than any other networks. But, in a nutshell, their data services are much slower than advertised, cut out very often and they have introduced numerous blocks, blocking many often-used services. So I wouldn't get it for that. Again, read the other threads, some users are now threatening legal action.

So, for voice you should be OK, it's always worked fine while I had it (about a month). For Data I would go for some of the other networks which, while more expensive, actually provide the service offered

Sam Vimes

emmm....

Kristok

Regular voice and txt no problems at all as said and they are fairly cheap compared to all the other networks in ireland. Data wise its hit and miss can work great but they dont seem to know what they are doing and things go wrong for no reason with no explanation. They are the digiweb of mobile broadband. Customer service dont know what they are doing basically reading from an answer sheet and reluctant to put you onto anyone who knows whats going on.

Id recommend them but only if you go in with your eyes open and accept that you get what you pay for.

Terrontress

I have 3 and love the 3 like home service. I use it North and South and I am going to Germany in 10 days and I am told I am better off roaming with 3.

I have never had a call cut off and the quality and reception is great. I think the price plan is brilliant too. And you can use AFT and SMSDiscount for cheap, cheap texts.

In terms of mobile broadband, they are fairly woeful.

I phone them up and shout at them from time to time but I have no intention of leaving.

robinph

Terrontress wrote:

I have 3 and love the 3 like home service. I use it North and South and I am going to Germany in 10 days and I am told I am better off roaming with 3.

Heading to Germany in 10 days myself as well, Oktoberfest , they do not have a 3 network over there though so don't get too carried away with using the phone as it won't be as good a deal as when roaming in the UK. The UK roaming is one of the main reasons that I recenty switched to 3 as well though.

Blaster99

I sat in a restaurant in London the other day with my laptop connected to my 3 phone and I was happily internetting away without having to pay any roaming charges. That's what 3G should be about and should have been about from the start.

The 3G->2G switchover could be smoother but I'm not sure if this is a technical limitation or 3's fault. If you're on the phone in the car and driving down the sticks, it's not uncommon for the connection to go away for a little while before the phone picks up the 2G backup service.

rebellad

Signed up 2 weeks ago and have had no problems at all - only been using voice and text though but all has been well. Except the fact I signed up on the 31st of August and the offer of money back came on the 1st of Semptember !!!!

1huge1

Blaster99 wrote:

I sat in a restaurant in London the other day with my laptop connected to my 3 phone and I was happily internetting away without having to pay any roaming charges. That's what 3G should be about and should have been about from the start.

The 3G->2G switchover could be smoother but I'm not sure if this is a technical limitation or 3's fault. If you're on the phone in the car and driving down the sticks, it's not uncommon for the connection to go away for a little while before the phone picks up the 2G backup service.

So thats the reason
my signal is always going, one second its full the next second its gone completly
takes a few minutes to come back sometimes

Walkman

GekkePrutser wrote:

3's network is not great, although for voice you will be ok as 3 customers can 'piggyback' on the Vodafone network. So when you get out of reach you will automatically switch to vodafone but you will still be reachable on your 3 number and be able to call out for the same rates.

Their customer service is very bad. Read some of the other threads here about 3 and you'll see what I mean. If you are using it just for voice and not data, you might never need them though, because there's not much that can go wrong with that.

I was on 3 (3pay) myself because of their great data rates, much better than any other networks. But, in a nutshell, their data services are much slower than advertised, cut out very often and they have introduced numerous blocks, blocking many often-used services. So I wouldn't get it for that. Again, read the other threads, some users are now threatening legal action.

So, for voice you should be OK, it's always worked fine while I had it (about a month). For Data I would go for some of the other networks which, while more expensive, actually provide the service offered

GekkePrutser corrrect me if i am wrong but 3 do not advertise a speed for mobile broadband - I think you mixing that up with the datamodem which is not what is being asked.
For voice and text 3 have a great network and for 3g services if we are honest they led the market.
Yes we all have issues woth customer care, modems etc... but 3 are excellent in their core business i.e. a mobile network, I am a long time 3 customer and having been on all the other networks, 3 are the only network I have ever upgraded with.
Their pricing cannot be matched and if you are lucky enough to live near a 3Store tey will always get any issue sorted.
I have never seen so many people to give out about a company while continue to use their services.:mad: :mad: :mad:

Sam Vimes

Walkman wrote:

I have never seen so many people to give out about a company while continue to use their services.:mad: :mad: :mad:

the choice is paying 3 e6 for 100mb and putting up with the dodgy customer service or paying meteor e2000 for the same amount of data. e1994 is worth being fed a bunch of lies and misinformation any time i ring them

Bluefrog

Walkman wrote:

I have never seen so many people to give out about a company while continue to use their services.:mad: :mad: :mad:

With all due respect Walkman, I was really pleased to see Three enter the market here because I agree that the other telcos have absolutely no vision when it comes to the possibilities for this technology.

However, Three entered into a contract with me to provide services which they then didn't though they still persist in charging. Ask anyone who has tried to end that contract what their experience has been and the vast majority will tell you that Three have been a lot less than co-operative. Look at the USB modem thread and you will see customers who have been threatened with credit blacklisting if they terminate.

But as I have stated before in various threads, I'm not looking to terminate mine - why should I? Why should Three be able to escape their commitments so easily?

Unlike you, I do believe that consumers have the right to complain if a service is advertised with a set of expectations and then fails miserably to meet them.

In the last 6 weeks I and hundreds of others took the painful trek from being evangelists for Three to being totally cynical as we have essentially been used by Three as test monkeys at our own expense while is it very debatable whether Three bothered putting people with the necessary expertise and experience in place to provide their services.

When I signed up, they ran a credit check on me to see if I had the where-with-all to meet my contract obligations. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to do any such audit on their capacity to meet their obligations to me.

So I for one will continue to complain until Three finally get their act together.

Walkman

Bluefrog - This thread was started over a question to do with 3 as a network not a broadband supplier.
My defence is there is a very large thread (which you are aware of) in relation to this, yet certain people come on this thread saying their network is not great due to experience with said modem. It is no worse than the more established operators and better that some, yet same people then go on to rant about the modem in a round about fashion which was not the question being asked.
There is a place to have your say (and I don't mean you Bluefrog) over the modem and it is not the Mobile & PDA forum.
Most people on this site who have something to say about 3 are probably (and I say PROBABLY!!) only modem users so they are not qualified to comment on 3's other lines of business ie mobiles which as a user for quite some time is second to none!!!

Bluefrog

Well actually I haven't seen many complaints here on the voice services so I don't know where you are coming from with the sense that a lot of people are whining about that. The only gripe I have heard in relation to their telephony services (and I do think it's a valid one) is the lack of roaming agreements with foreign carries which means that international SMS sending is problematic sometimes. Then again this is offset if you have MSN or access to an internet based service like VOIPBuster.

On the other hand Three do very much emphasise their data services in their advertising and that's certainly the reason why I chose them above another carrier.

I concur that posters should exercise some discipline about where they post - makes it easer for everyone to find the information they need.

racram

Bluefrog wrote:

Well actually I haven't seen many complaints here on the voice services so I don't know where you are coming from with the sense that a lot of people are whining about that. The only gripe I have heard in relation to their telephony services (and I do think it's a valid one) is the lack of roaming agreements with foreign carries which means that international SMS sending is problematic sometimes. Then again this is offset if you have MSN or access to an internet based service like VOIPBuster.

Thanks for all the posts on the 3 mobile service. I really only use my phone for voice and text and am glad to hear that their service for this is good. The roaming might be a little issue, but their price plans are a lot better than what I'm paying on O2 at the moment so a switch is probably a good option for me right now. Thanks!

jimmycrackcorm

I find three are the best for voice and data on a mobile phone. they're not perfect and customer service sucks but we're not generally signing up to a customer service plan.

I'm happy to surf and get my gmail whenever on my phone. The video service is surprisingly good fun also providing you have someone to video call. I also think it's great to be albel to send someone video message instead of a normal text for the same cost.

GekkePrutser

Walkman wrote:

GekkePrutser corrrect me if i am wrong but 3 do not advertise a speed for mobile broadband - I think you mixing that up with the datamodem which is not what is being asked.

I was talking about the Mobile Broadband add-ons to the voice plan. Mobile Broadband 100, 250 and Unlimited, to be precise. They are for using internet services on your phone, as I do. For many people this is a reason to choose three because of their cheap pricing and because they are the only one really advertising data services to consumers (especially now with X-Series). The other networks only advertise their pretty useless portals and basic web access.

I do believe that this is an important part of their mobile phone service, and issues with it are worth mentioning to someone who is considering the service. Especially since the original poster didn't mention what they were interested in. I think it's fair to assume that many people these days have an interest in internet services on their mobile.

You're right that they are not advertising a speed, I was confused there with the 3.6mbps advertised for the data modem. But I do think that calling the add-ons mobile "Broadband" does mean 3g-like speeds.

Walkman wrote:

For voice and text 3 have a great network and for 3g services if we are honest they led the market.

I did say their voice service is good as far as I can see.

Walkman wrote:

I have never seen so many people to give out about a company while continue to use their services.:mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm not continuing to use their service. I got a phone with them purely because of their data features. But intermittent data is useless for me and I switched back to Vodafone who are much more expensive but at least their data connection always works. I'm glad I was only on 3pay so I don't have a contract with them.

I still have the 3pay phone but I don't use it at the moment, I'm keeping it just in case their service improves in the future (and I hope it does!)

What also ticked me off is the way 3 suddenly just decide to discontinue certain services and then even deny the fact that they are doing it. Other networks are much better in this respect. For example, when I wanted to take advantage of the new free weekend calls option on Vodafone it turned out that I couldn't go on it because I was on a legacy plan. This plan is much cheaper than the current offerings, and they are still honouring it even though it was discontinued 2 years ago. Anyway, because I couldn't take the free weekend calls, they gave me 20 euro in credit. There was no requirement for them to do this but they did it anyway as a friendly gesture.

That's why I think their customer approach makes a big difference, even if you're purely using voice and you don't have much contact with their customer service. It's just a matter of being respected as a customer.

PS Sorry for the long post

tallus

Slightly off topic so apologies in advance, but is anybody else having trouble with 3 net services today ? I can't get any of my java apps to connect. The Planet3 stuff works ok until I try to use Google Search, the search link appears and when I try to open it I get the message "Communication failure. Try again or contact your operator for support".
I get the same message when I use the Yahoo search option.
Weirdly enough, msn messenger is working. Opera Mini isn't. TeaShark isn't, and AFT isnt'. Anybody else having this problem ?

flodis79

tallus wrote:

Slightly off topic so apologies in advance, but is anybody else having trouble with 3 net services today ? I can't get any of my java apps to connect. The Planet3 stuff works ok until I try to use Google Search, the search link appears and when I try to open it I get the message "Communication failure. Try again or contact your operator for support".
I get the same message when I use the Yahoo search option.
Weirdly enough, msn messenger is working. Opera Mini isn't. TeaShark isn't, and AFT isnt'. Anybody else having this problem ?

Ah sorry I just posted up a new thread about this. Seems that those of use who signed up to the mobile BB in the end of July, had it stopped today.. MSN Messenger is working since it's a free java app which you dont have to sign up to use. I just bought a new add-on, since I have done so since end of July. Guess you have to do the same..

tallus

flodis79 wrote:

Ah sorry I just posted up a new thread about this. Seems that those of use who signed up to the mobile BB in the end of July, had it stopped today.. MSN Messenger is working since it's a free java app which you dont have to sign up to use. I just bought a new add-on, since I have done so since end of July. Guess you have to do the same..

My broadband addon has been topped up and stuff still isn't working.

Sam Vimes

Walkman wrote:

Most people on this site who have something to say about 3 are probably (and I say PROBABLY!!) only modem users

i'm not one of those

tallus wrote:

My broadband addon has been topped up and stuff still isn't working.

same here. its not working at all as far as i can see but google maps is still working oddly. customer care told me to turn my phone off and on of course and that i had to be age verified despite saying i'd been using it for months

Solair

As a 3 customer for over a year, here's what I make of them

Good points
Voice - no issues at all, works reliably and as they basically use vodafones infrastructure where they dont have good coverage yet, your coverage is as good as Vodafones. The national roaming is totally seamless, you wont know its happening, other than the 3G icon vanishes. Theres no mention of Vodafone on the screen or anywhere else.
Roam like home services are excellent and their EU rates arent too bad anymore.
One down side is that they have a VERY limited selection of roaming partners, so if youre anywhere even slightly off the beaten track, do not expect to get service. I couldnt use my phone in Montenegro on any network, it was even causing problem in SPAIN!!!!
So, basically, if you travel a lot to various destinations and need a bill pay phone. Dont touch 3 with a barge pole, unless the 3-like home areas are of use i.e. UK, Sweden, Italy, etc etc..

The voice packages are very compeditive by irish standards and they are all that keeps me connected to the network.

SMS

Cheap, but regularly has technical issues where I cannot reply to certain numbers especially ported 086 ex O2 numbers. Its very annoying and their customer service people basically treat me like its all in my head and I must be imagining it when I complain, so I have given up on them.
International SMS is improving, but its very very patchy, dont be surprised if you send an SMS and it repeats endlessly to the person you sent it. I certainly wouldnt send any international SMS messages to people you don't know very well or to business contacts. It can be extremely embarrassing when someone's bombarded with the same text message for days.

MMS
Works, no compliaints so far, but I dont use it very much

Video calling
Works, no complaints, only used it twice

Voicemail '
Its comparable to any other network but it fills up very quick. 3 or 4 long messages and it starts to moan about your mailbox being full or approaching its limit.

Internet stuff
If on bill pay and in an urban area, its good.
If on prepay, I dont really know
and outside urban areas i.e. basically Dublin and Cork the coverage is patchy and it doesn't always allow you to access via GPRS as fallback.

Customer service-
The agents are always polite and helpful, but unfortunately are powerless to do anything other than talk to you. Calling 333 is about as useful as calling a counselling service!! Absolutely none of the technical issues i had were resolved without kicking up an ENORMOUS stink and emaling their HQ.

In summary.. read all the above carefully before signing anything.

racram

Solair wrote:

In summary.. read all the above carefully before signing anything.

Thanks Solair. I don't travel too much but I do text people in the USA a lot! Think I'm going to stick with O2 for now or I might look at Meteor??

Wright

Walkman wrote: »

Bluefrog - This thread was started over a question to do with 3 as a network not a broadband supplier.

That's some next level hair splitting right there... we are discussing their network coverage on mobiles. That is important to many. Most countries have this already sorted, I know, I've lived in them. A lot of countries have instant messenger apps that require the use of networked handsets.

We aren't talking broadband suppliers as in for the home...

easygoing1982

Wright wrote: »

We aren't talking broadband suppliers as in for the home...

We? You arent talking about anything since you joined in 2013 and this thread started and ended in 2007:rolleyes:

paska

Wright wrote: »

That's some next level hair splitting right there... we are discussing their network coverage on mobiles. That is important to many. Most countries have this already sorted, I know, I've lived in them. A lot of countries have instant messenger apps that require the use of networked handsets.

We aren't talking broadband suppliers as in for the home...

are you taking the piss? This is 8 years old. Some boardies were not even born then :-)

Wright

easygoing1982 wrote: »

We? You arent talking about anything since you joined in 2013 and this thread started and ended in 2007:rolleyes:

I googled to check out how decent the 3 network is. One of the first threads that came up. Dunno what to tell ye.