[Archived] Three

[Wolverine]

In my time I have spoken to some incerdibly stupid people working for what can only be described as backwards customer services departments. Once in a while though, I have the misfortune to encounter the absolute bottom of the pool. Step forward 'Three'.

My dear God, these people do not even understand the questions I am asking them.

Let me elaborate - last week I happened to walk by the Three shop where I managed to pick up a K850i for £22 a month, and a 3Gb Mobile Broadband donge for £7.50. Bargain, thought I. In my pocket was a recommend a friend slip a mate at work gave me. It is supposed to give me and him £30 credit. They wouldnt accept it - "too many forgeries", apparently. Not to worry, because all I had to do was call thier customer services team who would be happy to sort it out for me.

You can see where this is going...

To cut the story short I was (eventually) told to fax a photocopy of the slip (I recalled with a wry smile the explanation that there were too many forgeries!) to them and they would sort it out. Having faxed it I have had no call back and I have just rung a delightfully dim woman who paints a picture of a company having one fax machine but no one knows here it is, except that it is a darkend room with no lights, doors or telephones, and the inhabitants are not allowed contact with the outside world. Should receive the fax they will make a not of it on the computer at some point in the future (possibly). I asked here who I go to to raise concerns about the store I bought it from, she said go to the store... I then asked her to confirm that the high street shops are in fact supposed to accept the vouchers. She put me on hold came back and said she was just using the store locater?! I asked her why and she hung up.

Meanwhile the Accrington store deny all knowledge of the recommend a friend scheme and cheerfully point me in the direction of customer service.

If it wasn't for the happy pills, I really think there could have been a massacre on the front page of the LT tomorrow!

Has anyone had any problems getting the recommend a friend deal with three? Does anyone want to blow off steam about how inept the broken records they use for customer service are?

[Ray-Von]

I had something similar with 3 - I recommended a family member to them about 18 months ago. He got the £30.00 credit on his Bill, but I didn't. The customer service from the Indian call centres is so weary that I really couldn't be arsed making a fuss about it.

If it helps though, there were some vocuhers or something similar in last month's bill.

[Ricky]

I've had all sorts of trouble with the recommend a friend scheme with three. Most of the people I have recommended haven't receievd the £30 and neithr have I. When you phone up they wont speak to you about it as the person who took out the contract needs to phone them, when you get that person to phone they say they need to speak to me.

It's a shame as I have absolutely no problems with the network and the deal I got from them (1000 texts, 300 mins xnet, £5 free downloads for £17.50)

[Wolverine]

I have to say I am amazed! I really didn't expect much response but to find out I'm not alone so fast is something.

I can't beleive just how bad their call centre's are...

[Rovermatt]

Calls centres are invariably staffed by stupid, gormless idiots without the first clue about how their organisation, or indeed their particular workplace, actually functions. I deal with mortgage lenders regularly in work and it's always a loathsome task to try and pull any information out of them.

[Seggie]

I had a problem with my billing with them couple years back which involved me getting cut off every month because the idiot on the phone always said 'We cant set up a direct debit at this time' every month I was highly irritated to have to ring them up explain why I hadnt paid the bill which I paid on the same day every month and ask for a direct debit to be set up. To add to that the reception was poor and at one point I had to send the P*ss poor excuse of a phone back to be fixed which they charged £30 for and it didnt work again when I got it back.

Worst call centre I have ever come across has got to be the XBOX one though

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

This is related, but it is T-Mobile.

Hmm, had a bit of a dilemma.

I'm after a phone and there was an advertisement for it in a TV magazine saying it had a promotional offer saying any of the phones listed (which included my wanted phone) was free with any contract/plan. So I whizzed off to the website and emailed them. READ FROM THE BOTTOM UP

Thanks for further email ADB, asking me about the advertisement of Flext 20 with any free phone.

I've checked our website and I can see that you can get LG viewty for free only on some of our Flext price plans. The LG Viewty will be free from the Flext 35 priceplan and the above price plan. You'll also get a £5 discount as well as which is currently a promotion on all the Flext price plans.

Please click on the below given link for more information here.

As you've mentioned in your previous email, you've seen the advertisement on TV Magazine about getting free Viewty on Flext 20 price plan.I'd like to tell you that it's LG viewty is not free on Flext 20, Flext 25.

If you're interested in buying this offer you can order it from our website or you can call us on our sales team on 0845 412 2212 from a landline (Landline calls are charged at local rates if you're a BT customer, but if you're with another provider, the charges vary). They are available from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on a Sunday

Thanks for taking the time to email me ADB, and I'm sure the information I've provided is useful.

For any further information, feel free to email me and I'll be glad to help you further.

Kind regards

Singireddy Sridevi

Customer Services Email Team

T-Mobile

On 11/05/08 13:13, ADB wrote:

Thank you for the swift reply, but my question is still unanswered. I want to purchase the Flext 20 contract and the LG Viewty. You have advertised it in the TV Choice magazine as being "Flext 20 with any free phone", and the LG Viewty is shown in the magazine, stating that it is free with the contract, Flext 20. However, when I go to your website and choose the Flext 20 price plan, I then proceed to choose my phone. It then says I must pay £149.99 for the LG Viewty, but it has clearly been advertised as free with the selected price plan.

Thank you,

ADB

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 11 May 2008 03:45:11 +0100

From: [email protected]

To: ADB

Subject: Re: Products and Services enquiry - Price plan information Reference Number:

Thanks for your email ADB, asking me the availability of LG viewty phone with flext 20.

I'm glad to hear that you want to go for flext 20, I'll certainly suggest you with this.

We have a wide range of plans available including both 12 and 18 month contracts. We also have 24 month contracts available on selected plans. You can see all our available plans by clicking here and we always have many special offers, which you can see by clicking here.

To see our range of phones, please click here.

Before we can give you a new contract, we need to check that you're over 18 and we'll have to run a credit check.

To take a contract the best point of contact would be our Tele sales:

· visiting our website here

· calling our sales team on 0845 412 2212 from a landline (Landline calls are charged at local rates if you're a BT customer, but if you're with another provider it may cost a bit more so do check). They are available from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on a Sunday

· or you can visit a T-Mobile store, you can find out where your nearest dealer is by clicking here.

If you have any account related queries please send us with your account related information, I'll need to confirm that you're the account holder for that I need you to send me over the details below:

Have you topped up your account within the last three months?

If you have, can you tell me how much you topped up or what payment method you used?

If you haven't, please tell me some of the numbers you've dialled recently from your phone.

If you chose to visit one of our stores please remember to take some form of identification with you (for example, a passport, driving licence or a UK credit or debit card) and a proof of your address (for example, a UK bank or building society credit card statement, or a utility bill from the last three months).

Thanks again ADB, for contacting me and I hope this helps answer your questions about joining T-Mobile. I'm sure the information provided is helpful to you.

If you have any further queries please feel free to email me, and I'll be more than happy to help you.

Kind regards

Akhila Reddy

Customer Services Email Team

T-Mobile

On 09/05/08 17:41, ADB wrote:

[From .CO.UK]message:I am very interested in purchasing the LG Viewty and have been browsing many sites looking for a good deal. I saw in the TV guide "TV Choice", found at www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk that T-Mobile were offering Free phone and upto 25% off Flext each month. It claimed that you could simply choose a phone and price plan, and it specifically pictures the LG Viewty. I assume that a combination of the LG Viewty and Flext 20 (now £15) is allowed as it clearly states that "Each phone is FREE with one or more of these great price plans". However, I visited your website and it says that if I chose the "Flext 20" plan, I must pay £199.99 for the phone as well.

Where do I go from here? I have had pleasant experiences with T-Mobile in the past and I am very interested in the LG Viewty/Flext 20 combination, so if somebody could explain if this is possible, I would be very grateful.

Please feel free to contact me at:

ADB

Thank you for reading.,

</BLOCKQUOTE< body>

T-Mobile (UK) Limited

Company Registered Number: 02382161

Registered Office Address: Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW

Registered in England and Wales

Surely, if the phone shown WASN'T free with the contract which was being advertised, it is false advertising?

EDIT: The small print looked okay at first but I'm no guru. It states:

Credit or debit card required. Delivery is next working day and charges apply. 18 month contract and credit check apply. New customers only. Offers only available direct by calling the T-Mobile telesales number, by purchasing in store or via t-mobile.co.uk. Flext: Value is for calls to local and national numbers and any UK mobile networks (10p each) and picture emssages (20p each). Up to 25% off line rental: Up to 25% off available as £5 discount off monthly line rental, based on Flext 20. Subject to connection to any Flext or Flext + Web 'n' Walk price plan. You may lose eligibility for the discount if you move to another price plan. You will lose eligibility if you upgrade or otherwise renew your minimum term contract. Offer extended to 31st May 2008. Web 'n' Walk £7.50 a month: Subject to connection to Flext + Web 'n' Walk. Minimum term contract and credit check apply. Subject to coverage. Compatible handset required. Not applicable to connection via CSD. To ensure a high quality of service for all our customers a 1GB (of data both sent and received in the UK) per month fair use policy applies. For full details of the fair use policy go to t-mobile.co.uk. We do not permit use of this service to provide modem access for a computer or for peer to peer file sharing, internet phone calls or instant messaging. Roaming charges apply. For all pricing details, including 08 numbers, see t-mobile.co.uk. Evening and weekend calls from a BT Together phone cost 0.5p per minute. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary. One free Digital Photo Frame: For new customers with a Sony Ericsson K850i phone only until 30th June 2008. Follow the on pack instructions to get in touch to claim your frame by 31st July. Other legal stuff applies. This is a Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications offer and their address is ABSE-22188 Lund, Sweden. tmwco_fulltvchoice_29.04c

[stuwilky]

Three, legendary customer service.

Im now back with Orange (only cos I got a great deal - their customer service became shoddy when France Telecom got involved).

[Seggie]

So he general idea is all telecommunications customer service is bad.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

Sorry for reposting but any advice on my predicament in post #7 would be very much appreciated. I've asked a friend and he said there doesn't seem to be a loophole, but neither of us are any way legally trained.

[rover6]

Invoking a bit of basic legal knowledge that I have - you don't have much hope with this ADB.

I suspect that the initial offer that caught your eye will be deemed "an invitation to treat" or negotiate and doesn't constitute a binding offer. A bit like how, if you go into a shop and pick up a item labelled £1, the shopkeeper is within his rights to demand £100, because the label was only an invitation to negotiate.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I suspect that the initial offer that caught your eye will be deemed "an invitation to treat" or negotiate and doesn't constitute a binding offer.

Are they not required to actually state this if this is the case?

Thanks for the reply.

[stuwilky]

An advert is an invitation to treat, rather than an offer of contract (as six says).

Without sight of the advert its difficult to say whether or not it is false advertising or not, but to be fair if it is the punishment isnt really worth stressing over.

[American]

Stu, you said that Six is right. Are you feeling ok!?!?

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

An advert is an invitation to treat, rather than an offer of contract (as six says).

Without sight of the advert its difficult to say whether or not it is false advertising or not, but to be fair if it is the punishment isnt really worth stressing over.

That's true I guess.

Eeh well.

[stuwilky]

Stu, you said that Six is right. Are you feeling ok!?!?

I cant disagree on fact surely (although Im sure some might try!)

[Wolverine]

OK people, here is a recording of my conversation with a particularly helpful fellow at 3 called Gordon.

http://www.fireflash.org.uk/3.mp3

Feel free to pass it on!

[LeChuck]

OK people, here is a recording of my conversation with a particularly helpful fellow at 3 called Gordon.

http://www.fireflash.org.uk/3.mp3

Feel free to pass it on!

That is ridiculous, made me laugh out loud a few times though.

The guy on the other end sure sounds like a 'Gordon', doesn't he?

Hope you got the problem sorted in the end.

[Wolverine]

Unfortunately not LeChuck. I am on to them even now. I was promised I would be rung by noon today...

You would think in this day and age, they would be able to sort such a simple problem as this - alas no. Does anyone happen to know what is wrong? I can receive MMS but not retrieve any my wife (TMobile) sends. I can send her MMS and she can receive them. I can send and receive MMS from other people (O2, 3 and Vodaphone). When the Sim is swapped into another 3 phone, it is still the same problem. My wife can send and recive MMS from others on 3. This would suggest it is a sim issue to me...

3 are blaming TMobile...

What's really doing my head in is I keep receiveing MMS from my wife, greyed out, but because I haven't been able to download them they keep coming through over and over and I can't stop them.

[Roaming Rover]

Hello.............

[Rovermatt]

OK people, here is a recording of my conversation with a particularly helpful fellow at 3 called Gordon.

http://www.fireflash.org.uk/3.mp3

Feel free to pass it on!

Is that real?

[RoyRover]

Fair play to you for staying on the line for so long. I would have said f*** this much sooner!

[Wolverine]

It is real unfortunately. Even better is the call I just made.

Rang at 14.11, and after getting through and talking to the guy almost immediately, he eventually told me they have rung TMobile and the problem will 'definately' be rectified within 72 hours. I asked 72 hours from when. He cheached and said the call to TMobile was made at 14.12.

"So" I said "what you are telling me is that since we started talking, someone has called TMobile, explained the problem, got them to rectify it, and then travelled back in time to log down all these details in my notes. Was he called Sam Beckett and had a helper called Al?!"

Bottom line is if is not sorted by 14.12 Saturday, make your way to the Accrington Three shop for som free fireworks!!!

[Rovermatt]

Well then you did well to keep your cool for so long. The most irritating thing about it is that these call centres are staffed by employees with next to no people skills. That guy could easily have acknowledged the obvious communication difficulties and apologetically asked you to try again. Instead he sat there, every so often reading out the staple lines written on his computer screen in a bland, monotone voice. These companies don't give a toss about customer service and their staff reflect that all to well.

[Wolverine]

I think you just summed it up in a nutshell!

The only reason I can keep my cool with them now is because it is actually funnier to let them back themselves into a corner without them knowing I am recording every word!