Posted by dazbradbury
Ok, So I'm just wondering if anyone else thinks three's customer services has to be the worst around???
I've been cut off for 17 days now, and it's all been three's fault. From what I understand, apparently the sim card I have is assigned to someone elses account, and the sim card I was supposed to have is in someone elses posession... I got told 3 weekends ago about this, and that there was nothing I needed to do, i wouldn't notice a thing and they would sort it out.
I woke the following friday to see my phone telling me I had an inactive sim... it's been like that for over 2 weeks. Everytime I speak to them they tell me to be more patient! The woman just told me that there are three people registered with the same name as me causing the confusion, completely different to what i had been told before, it's all crap.
This happened a month into my contract, is there any way of cancelling it without having to pay anymore? Think it would be a good idea to just change networks.
Anyone got any useful info?
cheers, daz.
Posted by scotsboyuk
@dazbradbury
If usefulness were cloth, 3's customer service department wouldn't have enough to make a handkerchief for a flea. I can sympathise with you having had dealings with them myself. Not that they aren't polite, well the Indian chaps at least, but they seem rather 'scripted', although they have improved in this respect somewhat lately. Having spoken with their Glasgow office, I can't say that 'Glasgow''s Miles Better' in that case; the novelty of speaking with a fellow Scot quickly wearing off the woman I spoke with, to be replaced by an attitude reminiscent of the tone one might adopt should someone punch you in the face.
Having been with them a month I think you may be looking at buying out your contract in order to cancel it, but you might still be within the time period for cancelling it. I am not sure whether this period is fourteen or twenty eight days, look into it, you may find that you are still within it.
If 3 are not providing a service, which you are paying for then they are in breach of contract. You may be able to use this to cancel the contract, but perhaps it might be best to speak with someone who has more knowledge in these matters, either from Esato (posisbly dave_uk) or by going to your local CPW or even a lawyer.
Posted by Stinger151
I do think three have probaly the worst customer services around.
same sort of thing happened to me brought a nokia 7600 on threepay the phone was brand new. Got home tried to register it and they said the phone (not the sim) was registereed to someone else. Tried to explain to them that the phone was brand new but everytime i did they just told me that they could not continue the call and cut me off.
Went to the cpw where i brought it from and explained they even rung three up but the dopey people wouldnt understand.
If three have there network in the uk the least they could do is base a customer service centre here as they would understand what we r talking about.
My advice stay well clear of three if u want 3g go with vodafone.
Posted by dazbradbury
Thanks for the reply, think I will have to do something though, as I just think they could have done it faster. They've put me on as a priority now... hmm, lets see if that makes any difference...
Posted by goldenface
Hi Daz, I really don't think you should be hanging around on this one. Your 'mishap has probably been typed on to a piece of A4 and is sitting at the bottom of someone's In Tray. Telling you that you are a PRIORITY is just a way of fobbing you off. There is no such thing as priority complaint.
You need to start stamping your feet, believe me I used to work in Customer Service for a Telecommunications company, they more often you ring the quicker you get things done.
You have no phone service so they are not honouring their part of the contract, it is as simply as that.
If I was you, I would:
a) get on the blower and get your case escalated to a Manager and don't get off the phone until it is.
b) You need to find out exactly what has been done to fix this and ask them why they are giving you different stories.
c) Tell them you are really disappointed with the service and can't see any reason why you shouldn't cancel your contract. Let them know it is taking too long.
d) Also, don't forget to write down what they tell you. It is easy to forget details they have told you a few weeks down the line.
e) Make it plain to them that you are paying for a service you are not recieving.
Any company worth it's salt will first of all reimburse you for the time you are without service. Then as an apology they should offer you a few months free at least.
You also have some ammunition to take with you.
Tell them you would like to raise a complaint on your account (every company has a complaints process) and also ask for the Contact details for OFCOM - the telecommunications regulator. They have to give you this by law.
If you are paying by Direct Debit, then you are fully entitled to cancel this. They will simply send you a bill with a payment slip. At least with this you can pay when YOU choose and stop them from draining your bank account of money you can't afford to lose.
They have made a big boob and you are suffering so make them pay.
I think too many people put up with shoddy service and do nothing about it.
Let us know how you fare.
[ This Message was edited by: goldenface on 2004-12-06 22:06 ]
Posted by themarques
Are you using the Z1010 on the 3? If so where did you get your Z1010 from and what version is it running? They might have disconnected you due to the fact that you breeched the terms and conditions (You not allowed to use any other phone that 3 does not support) I cant say thats for certain but I would be carefull what you tell them.
Posted by fatreg
i think youll find, if your sim, and someone else sim is registered to each other, 3 have broken the data protection act, there fore you can at any cancel the contract with a little help from the guys ar your local CAB. if they have broken the data protectiob act, take them to the cleaners.
once clear way of telling is, do you get charged for the other persons calls? if so they have clearly broken it and your under no obligation to stay with them!!
have a word with your CAB, forget about CS there all crap. lets be fair!
fatreg
Posted by goldenface
@ Fatreg, with all due respect, I hardly think there is a solid breach of the DPA by assigning someone else's Sim by mistake and "oh look my friends numbers are on someone elses bill." There is just no case.
As long as Daz's account details have remained within the company there has been no breach of the DPA.
What is 3 going to respond to? "I have spoken to the CAB and I am considering legal action?" That just sounds like a bluff.
If they turn around and say "so what?" then it's get the lawyers, write to the CAB? Build up a case, Blah Blah Blah!!!
It is much better, cheaper, less time consuming and easier to get them to correct the mistake they made with a couple of strong worded telephone calls. They are able to, they just need to get their arses into gear that's all. Mention the CAB by all means.
The best thing that could be achieved is a new handset and six months line rental free as an apology. The worst, well a new sim and a credit for loss of service. They have probably done both before on numerous occasions.
Posted by wapchimp
yeah orange do dodgy sim swaps all the time
No breach of DPA whatsoever, just a mistake
Posted by fatreg
yeah Orange do sim swaps, but should my phone calls end up on someobdy elses phone bill, the respective phone company has broken the DPA, ive seen it before!!
it'll cost you want £6 in a small claims court? and youll get the £6 back, what have you go to loose?
as ive said ive seen this before, as some of you maybe aware, i work for a mobile company and am aware what hefty prices there are to pay for not sticking to the DPA.
fatreg
Posted by scotsboyuk
@fatreg
I think the point goldenface is making is that the chap may want as speedy a solution to this as possible, having 3 sort the problem out themselves will allow him to do that. I don't think we should blow this out of proportion, it isn't Enron we are talking about here, just a minor, albeit irritating, mistake, which is easily rectified.
Posted by fatreg
whats quicker than 3 disconnectiong you for good and receiving no more bad service! so he can move to a proper mobile company that can deal with customer complaints!!
fatreg
Posted by scotsboyuk
@fatreg
What if they can't disconnect him immediately without him buying out his contract?
I would still advise following goldenface's advice.
Posted by fatreg
if they have broken the DPA as my above posts, its as easy as pressing disconnect on a PC to disconnect a phone from a network!
now im sure excuse my language some pakistani can press a mouse button??
fatreg
Posted by goldenface
It is the contract that will be the problem. The DPA may be too difficult to prove. They may admit they were wrong but getting then to give up the contract is something else. .
Posted by fatreg
but if dazs calls show up on the other dudes bill and vica versa what more proof do you need??
i see all your points, but having been there before, i know that a mobile company wont have their name splattered across the newspapers for breaking the DPA, its not in their intrest!
lets see what daz does!!!
fatreg
Posted by scotsboyuk
@fatreg
Without wishing to sound sanctimonious, the use of the word 'pakistani' serves no other purpose than to imply that you don't think they are up to the job in the same way a non-Pakistani might be. I really do not see how this affects the issue we are discussing.
Incidentally, 3's call centre is located in India, not Pakistan.
@goldenface
Exactly, the contract is the sticking point, it may be necessary to buy it out for it to be cancelled. I fully agree with you concerning the DPA; 3 are very unlikely to just admit that they have broken it (if indeed they actually have). To prove that they have may require a bit of effort not to mention time, a path the chap, in question, may not want to go down.
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[ This Message was edited by: scotsboyuk on 2004-12-07 00:38 ]
Posted by fatreg
oh,
sorry, i thought it was in Pakistan, its not that i dont feel they are up to the job, ive just heard too many reports of them not understanding the UK sense of humour/sincerity/dismay/unamusement etc!
that was only my point!
but hey ho!
lets see what comes of it.
fatreg
Posted by scotsboyuk
@fatreg
I would agree with that sentiment having had experience with 3's Indian customer service staff. They are very much up to the job, but one gets the impression that they are very scripted and there is some confusion over accents etc.
Posted by fatreg
that was my sole point, i olny fear that my companies going to come under the same fire when we move a call centre to india also!!
only time will tell.
fatreg
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ive always looked at 3 with this thought in mind: "If its too good to be true, then its not good" I cant say ive ever heard one person say they are 100% happy with 3!!! im sure there are plenty about, ive just never seen any,
i bid you farewell folks, my bed is calling me!
fatreg
[ This Message was edited by: fatreg on 2004-12-07 00:51 ]
Posted by dazbradbury
First of all, thanks for all the advice....
I will call them tomorrow. I think I will just tell them that I am not happy, and basically go through alot of points on here. Let them know that i'm quite happy to cancel the contract and change companies. If I can talk my way into being able to do that without having to pay a hefty sum then I will, otherwise I will let them know I expect an extraordinary bit of compensation and that they sort it out ASAP.
Just so you know, i am using a z1010, it was a developers model. And I have recieved bills with numbers I haven't seen before. So bascially someone else will have got my bill. I suppose that is quite a major thing and I sure will give them hell about it.
thanks again for your advice, I just feel bad for the CS person that answers my next call!
Posted by dazbradbury
Ok, well telling three all of this seemed to get me nowhere, they were not willing to cancel the contract without me buying it out. And they assure me it's being resolved as fast as possible.
Even after bringing up all these issues, speaking to the supervisor, etc.. it still got me nowhere.
I would cancel the contract, but it makes no sense for me to do that because having got the phone online I get cashback when providing certain bills, so i may as well not use the contract at all, it would be cheaper.
Any other idea's? is there no certain criteria that need to be fulfilled in order for someone to be able to cancel their contract without having to buy it out?
any more help would be much appreciated. daz.
Posted by methylated_spirit
three are hopeless...i have so many problems but they have mostly been mentioned
Posted by dazbradbury
I know alot of people on three though, it seems if there isn't a problem then all is swell, but if you ever do have a problem your screwed!
what rubbish. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks without my main phone... I wonder how long this will last?!
Posted by goldenface
Sorry to hear it Daz. I do not know anyone who has manage to get there contract cancelled. If anyone reading this has then post details please.
There must be some clause somewhere. Have you still got your contract?
I know who I won't be using for 3G....
Posted by dazbradbury
Ok, well just to update you all on this matter...
My sim card is STILL not working. The funny thing is i got a 3 contract with 12 months free line rental, so i'm just using that. Now, the longer they take sorting out my phone, the more money I get back from them and the more pissed off i have the right to be.
So all in all, it's not turned out too badly. I just hope i can get my cashback on the phone that isn't working, as i had one of those 12 months at half price on that phone...
We'll see anyway. Hope nobody else has had this happen to them though. Daz.
Posted by scotsboyuk
@daz
That really is a bad showing. 3 need to get their act together if they want to keep all those customers they have attracted.
Posted by amnesia
its a well known fact that three is messed up.
I had four contracts in my name, one was cancelled in error, when calling to reactivate it, they said I could only have three contracts.
(the three I already had were for friends in my name)
So i was stuck with nothing.
I went to CPW where THEY said I could only have TWO in the first place.
So I went to the CPW accross the street who gave me TWO more contracts, (total 5 now).
I cancelled an older one (giving me a total of 4 now)
Two weeks later, Three called me saying that they could offer me THREE more contracts if I wanted.....
Why all these games
(note: there was a reason to cancelling and reactivating etc..)
Posted by dazbradbury
Hey Guys,
Just thought i'd update you on how crap three uk are. I'm currently on hold, having been on the phone to them for an hour and finally getting through to someone that is apparently a "manager".
My Sim card is STILL not working, that's correct, since November last year, after numerous reassurances that it would start working, it hasn't. Not only that, but in February/march time i cancelled my direct debit after being told by a CS rep that it was ok to do. I thought, as I was not getting any service I shouldn't be paying any money.
Ok, so last week I get a letter from a debt collection agency! Saying i have outstanding bills to pay. There is someone using my account, and i'm supposed to pay up. I'm apparently going to be summoned to court on thursday if I don't pay up. How rediculous is that?
Now speaking to a "manager" he seems to think that i should have to pay for the line rental, but maybe not the usage. Three have the worst customer service i have ever seen.
If anyone has any ideas on how i can save myself paying what will no doubt amount ot around £200 please let me know! The number for some Three executive would be nice, or someone that can actually do something!
Someone Help?!
Posted by goldenface
Hi Daz. It would seem that 3 have failed miserably to provide any customer service either telephone service or otherwise.
An idea might be to actually go to court and point out that 3Uk have given you a sim that has not worked since last November and that you have had no service from them as a consequence!!! So why should you pay when they are in a clear breach of contract.
Write to your local paper, get in touch with your radio station and at the same time contact 3UK telling them you have lodged a complaint with OFCOM.
I really can't believe this has been going on this long. Have they no shops or offices you can visit?
Have you taken it back to the place where you bought it?
Posted by dazbradbury
Well, I got it online, and i can't exactly remember who from... Eeek. It was one of those cashback offers, whoever had the best deal at the time! I think it may have been the link...
Freaky, just as I was typing this, the guy from this guy has phoned me back, lets see what he has to say...
Posted by dazbradbury
Well, apparently he's going to nullify the account and cancel everything I owe, but we'll see... Am awaiting a phone call back again...
Posted by goldenface
Hooray! That was an episode. Will you choose 3 again? (He he he)
Posted by dazbradbury
haha, well, I have 2 other accounts with them that run out in December. But after that I don't think I will ever choose three, or advice anyone to go with three again. I suppose you get what you pay for at the end of the day.
I hate 3G phones anyway, far too big, bulky and useless! E1000 is the nicest I've had, so will stick it out with that... Then go back to the P series in time for christmas and hopefully the p1000!