Comments on: Mobile broadband review: 3

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:45:37 +0000

The biggest problem with 3 and there are many to choose from is that they are so busy chasing new customers and promoting themselves as the best thing since sliced bread that far too many existing customers suffer as a result. 3 are arrogant beyond belief, always looking to shift the blame for shoddy service away from themselves and are very difficult to deal with. As has been mentioned before stick with the leading networks. Hopefully word is spreading about 3 and their days in the UK market are numbered. Their departure, forced or otherwise, can’t come quickly enough.

By: Wayne Quinton

Wayne Quinton — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:53:59 +0000

3 mobile broadband is very bad as some of you have already said, I’ve had this contract for a year now and it has not gotten any better at all, very slow downloads which also stop halfway through, lots of drop-outs and unable to connect to their network. Phoned 3′s customer services and all I get is information they’re poorly reading from a text book, they may as well use a recorded message as the calls are always the same and nothing is ever dealt with. The final curtain call was when the customer service manager advised me that there was a problem with their transmitter in my area and that they are waiting to fix it but first they are battling with a kebab shop to gain access to the premises where the transmitter is located on the their roof! I’ll never forget this for as long as I live. A low life company stay clear. W. Quinton 15/11/09

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:23:49 +0000

I cannot begin to describe how awful 3 mobile broadband is. It’s quite simply shocking, particularly at peak hours (i.e. when you want to use it). Too many people trying to use it at the same time makes it grind to a halt. Don’t believe me? Put “3 mobile broadband rubbish” into Google and see how many hits you get. Kashiq, you clearly work for 3. I have used 3 all over the South East and in Central London and you are talking nonsense. Avoid this product and this company like bad warts!

By: Kashiq

Kashiq — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:24:17 +0000

Well Well mostly people are unhappy with 3 but i am not as i live in Central London and i get full signals and it works properly i get like 2.5MB speed witch is enough as i do have Home broadband as well. I took three because of free laptop for only 17.50 a month.

By: Martin118(Swansea)

Martin118(Swansea) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:28:00 +0000

This network and it’s Technical Support/Customer Services are by far the worst company I’ve had the misfortune to have dealt with. Operators have given me false names, I’ve been ignored, sworn at, hung up on, lied to, I’ve spent over £25 on an 08707 number (Escalated Tech Support) were they refused to call me back, used over 8hrs of my mobile talktime calling Tech Support and all this whilst paying for a service that has never and will never work to the advertised speeds, lowest speed was 17kbps, yes that’s 17kbps, the highest was 883kbps (tested at 5am) which is still well below what they advertise, trying to connect between the hours of 4.30pm and 2am is virtually impossible, After several months of getting nowhere via the chief executives office I resorted to e-mailing the Director of Customer Services and had my contract cancelled. I’m lucky, if seen hundreds of reviews were 3 are refusing to cancel contracts, the general public need to be warned about this rip off company. “AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED”

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:23:28 +0000

I agree that it is a rip-off — even worse Carphone Warehouse missold me the package by saying that my £150 deposit would be refundable after 6 months: when I phoned 3 to request a refund I was told a year, and they weren’t even prepared to discuss the issue with me. Carphone Warehouse themselves were unrepentent — I believe stiffer regulation is also necessary for these phone/contract dealing companies, they get away with murder.

As for the package itself I agree about the slow service (Central Chelmsford is apparently a ‘turbo’ area, but the only thing answering that description is my boy racer next-door neighbour’s car outside. Also, as users above mention, the damned thing often drops off the net altogether, which often leads to frustrating minutes wasted with 3′s c****y software (and even fruitlessly un/plugging the modem) in order to get the b****y thing to work again. It’s a miracle I’ve even been able to write this comment, and I still have to pay for this ‘service’ for another 12 months…

By: clem

clem — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:19:01 +0000

I can only concur with A McGuire. This product should be avoided at all costs. it might be cheap, but considering that it won’t sign you into the network before you tried at least five times, that it will drop out regularly and that the speeds at any weekday’s afternoon/evening are unacceptable, this is actually quite expensive even at 5 quid a month. You simply will not have an internet connection, not even sufficient for browsing, leave alone watching videos, etc. The only good thing about it is that you will never ever go beyond 1Gig a month as there is no chance you will download that amount even within two months.
I should add that I live in a turbo zone, so I really don’t know what this ‘service’ will look like if you live in a ‘slow’ zone.

So, yes, do avoid this ‘product’ for you might as well burn the money.

By: A McGuire

A McGuire — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:57:30 +0000

Please, please, please – DO NOT SIGN UP for Three mobile broadband. I’m covered by their so-called ‘Turbo’ network, but 50% of the time I can’t connect at all. Literally days go by without a connection. Then, when it DOES let me connect, the ‘line’ will often drop after 2 or 3 minutes (so no downloading large files… or any files, really). Frequently, the connection will be established, but the only website I’ll be able to open is…. http://www.three.co.uk. Their customer service, both in-store and on the phone is beyond a joke, and their bundled Mac software is risibly poor. The only support I’ve wheedled out of them is five minutes with a Bombay call centre, attempting to complain to someone who, in all fairness, could not speak English. These people take your money for a service THEY DO NOT PROVIDE. It might be cheap – but it’s still appalling value for money, given that you’ll be paying for something you do not receive. AVOID, AVOID, AVOID.

By: steve

steve — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:14:05 +0000

Be very careful here, 3 (three) mobile have charged me an exorbitant amount for going over the monthly 3GB limit.They mislead me instore by saying this was not possible, and the customer “help” is dreadful, both on the Indian no-help line and instore (Eastbourne branch anyway). I was notified (by being sent 50 messages all at once!!) 2 days after allegedly going over my limit, and later told they couldnt contact me sooner as I hadn’t been online!!! Overall they charged me £39 for one month for allegedly using 3.3GB, just 10% over the 3GB, normally £15 a month, the 7GB bundle being £25. Normally I could only use less than 1GB, the download speed being so slow. Avoid if at all possible.Three 3 mobile internet is a disgraceful rip-off.