On Tue, 06 Dec 2005 15:52:50 +0000, JC
<johncalias-newsgroupsATyahooD0TcoD0Tuk> wrote:
>Just coming to the end of 2 O2 contracts and am considering 3 because of
>the attractive tariffs (and the Motorola V3x)
>
>Some family members already have 3 and by and large seem very satisfied
>with them.
>
>I am seeing loads of reports here though condemning 3 as a pile of poo!
>
>So..are they really that bad??
No, they are not that bad.
I have been connected for a year and have just taken another contract
for another year with them.
I would not suggest their customer service is the best, but then it
seems the other telcos get their fair share of poor press too with
regard to CS. Part of the CS problem seems to be that they are mainly
in the Far East. Maybe my voice is particularly clear or maybe I have
just been plain lucky but I have rarely had a problem with this issue.
I have called them a number of times about certain things and the one
time I did get the drone confused was over something I knew I would
have to put into writing anyway, so I sent a letter to Glasgow and
presume it will be answered by them and not scanned off to India.
The reception can be a bit annoying if you move around a lot since it
will not switch between Three's
3G network and O2's 2G network
seamlessly. In fact, that is pretty rubbish, though in fairness the
places I am thinking of (Yorkshire Wolds) have poor coverage from all
networks. Good news it that when it has switched to O2, I can then
drive around for ages and it will not try to switch back until I
finish my call. However, when you have signal and are stationary,
then no problems whatsoever.
Really good news is that if you are prepared to mess with cash-back
deals, then the value is unbeatable. The last 12 months I had 500
minutes and 100 texts each month and it cost me, excluding the cost of
calls abroad, absolutely zilch. I used e2save and although others
seem to have all sorts of fun and games, I have had none and got
cashbacks without problem. Unlike my previous Orange deal (remember
the CPW £225 cashback offer last year?) where it was a flipping
nightmare, since the phone was not connected the second I received
it.
Call costs abroad are not at all bad at 30p/min to receive an incoming
call. It may even be the cheapest.
The handsets tended to be a little larger than regular 2G ones when I
took my contract, but I think that is no longer the case. I have used
an NEC 338 over the last year and it is ok for voice calls and text,
though not as good as a Nokia (but miles better than the ridiculous
Nokia 7600 that came with the contract). However, battery life when
on
3G is rubbish. When roaming abroad on 2G it lasts for ages. In
the UK on
3G I have to charge every two to three days.
If you want to cancel voicemail when going abroad, the advice (same
with all the networks except O2 it seems) is to call customer services
and disable it rather than turn off via the phones menus. I have
found the opposite to be true. When they turn it off, it remains
active, but doing it myself via the menu works a treat.
Not sure what else there is to cover. If you have any specific
questions then feel free to ask.
Rob
hupp@dsv1.co.uk 
Linear Mode
