Review: 3 Mobile Broadband

3 Mobile Broadband Review

In a nutshell: 3 Mobile offer the cheapest mobile broadband service in the UK, starting at £7.50 per month, and offering 5GB for just £15 per month (enough for 7 hours of web browsing per day.) Maximum speeds are now 7.2 Mbps. The USB modem is now available free on all except the 1 month contract. Download speeds are faster than T-Mobile, and similar to Vodafone. The HSDPA network covers 91% of the UK population and is easy to use. 3 are currently offering a range of free laptops when you take out a mobile broadband contract.
Best buy: Broadband Lite 1GB (£7.50 per month); or 5GB Broadband (£15 per month) with free modem.

3 Mobile Broadband is the most popular mobile broadband in the UK. The 3 network has the longest established 3G network in the UK, and so is a natural supplier of mobile broadband services. The service is very easy to set up and use: you simply plug a modem (or "dongle") into your computer's USB port, and you can then access the 3 broadband network from home, work or on the move. You can choose between Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go options. The Pay as you Go option offers data at the same cost as Pay Monthly, although you have to buy a modem, which currently costs 19.99. On Pay Monthly the modem is free, except on the cheapest 1 month tariff, where it costs £9.99. Sign up for 18 months, or take out a more expensive tariff and the modem is free. You can choose a data allowance of between 1GB and 15GB per month.

The speed that you experience will depend on whether you are in an area with "excellent coverage" (i.e within HSDPA coverage), "good coverage" (i.e. within 3G coverage) or "marginal coverage" (i.e. on the edge of the 3G coverage region. 3's HSDPA coverage region currently covers 91% of the UK population (data correct in February 2009) and offers download speeds of up to of up to 2.8 Mpbs. 3 now offers 7.2 Mbps coverage across the UK. You can check coverage by postcode on the 3 website. If you find that the service is not as good as you expected, you can return your 3 USB Modem within 3 days of purchase. If you purchased it at a distance (via telesales or online), you can return your 3 USB Modem within 14 days of receipt provided you have not used your 3 USB Modem for more than 3 consecutive days. You'll also have to return the original boxed accessories and documentation "as new". 3 claim that most people on the HSDPA network can expect a speed ranging from 1 Mbps to 1.5 Mbps.

The 3 broadband modems are very compact, and are available in a choice of colours: white or black. They can even be personalised using "skins".

By the way, if anyone is experiencing slow speeds with 3 Mobile Broadband, one of our users, Paul Tait offers the following advice: right click on the network icon (two little flashing computers in the bottom right hand corner of your screen) and click on connect to a network. Click on the 3 usb modem but with the second button and click on properties. In the window that pops up, click the configure button and another window will pop up showing the maximum speed. Sometimes the maximum speed has been set to the default value of 115200 which will cause your modem to be slow. If this is the case change it to 921600 and click OK. If this works for you, please let everyone know by submitting a review below. And thanks to Paul! [Reply by Pauline on 20th May 2009: Followed instructions re changing to faster speed and it has worked brilliantly. Have had my 3 mobile broadband for around 5 months now and it gives excellent service.] [Reply by mark from england on 24th Oct 2009: With Paul's tip 3 is now pretty quick! still not as good as Voda or O2 but a vast improvement!]

3 Mobile Broadband Consumer Reviews

Love your mobile network? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the mobile broadband network that's best for them. Please do not review this network if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

Average rating from 174 reviews:

Reviewed by FED UP from UK on 14th Mar 2010
I have been using the 3 mobile prepaid dongle since January, so far the highest speed I have obtained (when I can get a connection) is .5 Mbps despite having a transmitter around the corner. When it does work it only works for about 10 mins at a time, but to be fair once it worked for 55 mins. I cannot understand why Ofcom lets 3 mobile get away with it (maybe they did some kind of deal). My mate has T-Mobile his speed is an average of 1.6 Mbps and he rarely gets disconnected. When you complain to 3 mobile they say they are doing upgrades in my area (the upgrades have been going on for the last 3 years I have learnt from other users). Come on Ofcom get your act together and show us you are not as spineless as your actions suggest.
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Reviewed by steve smith from england on 13th Mar 2010
got 3 mobile broadband and i have had no problem with it and its very fast
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Reviewed by Ste from UK on 11th Mar 2010
I've had 3 BB for about a year and its been ok. it hardly ever dropped out, until about 3 weeks ago. Now it hardly ever stays connected. I can't understand how it has gone from one extreme to another.
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Reviewed by james from england on 9th Mar 2010
good as a doorstopper, or a paper weight, not so good at connecting to the internet. Utter rubbish. Don't get one, I live in a city, and like everyone else had good data rate til 3 months ago and now it barely works, keeps disconnecting, every minute, will be cancelling next month. 3G are a disgrace.
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Reviewed by Dave Austen from England on 8th Mar 2010
I have a great deal with three (15gb /month for £15/month) and when it came to renewal i really didn't know what to do. My three USB dongle was problematic, i could not get a signal in my house and the service was pretty poor - but from what i read, this seems to apply to other networks too. After much deliberation i eventually renewed my contract and got a MiFi - now this is the best move i could have made. I now can get mobile BB everywhere in my house and best of all my speeds are around 2-3 Mb/s down and 1.5Mb/s up - sometimes hitting 4MB/s down! Really looking forward to using this when we go camping as i can connect all my wireless devices to it. I think the improvement is pretty good - to the point i have actually done a windows update using it and experienced no issues at all. Well done Three, nice to see the improvement and for once it's nice to have some good words to say about your service.
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Reviewed by Marc from Wales on 7th Mar 2010
3 mobile broadband are a disgrace. I spend 90% of my internet time conecting and disconecting. Im gutted i gave it one star because its not even worth that.
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Reviewed by annoyed from wales on 6th Mar 2010
I have found 3 mobile broadband absolutely useless. I got it as part of a "free" laptop contract which was a very expensive mistake. The coverage is terrible, and slow and unreliable once you do get a signal. Customer service is terrible.I would not recommend it to anyone.
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Reviewed by Des from uk on 3rd Mar 2010
got sweet talked in2 a 24month contract with 3.has 2 b the worst thing i have ever said yes 2.my dongle has not worked properly since i got it 2 weeks ago.indian call centre was a waste of time.pc world an the 3 mobile shop in my town all a waste of time.they all talk 2 me as if its me with the problem.rely on mobile broadband 4 my job.have lost a lot money already.i now have 2 spend 5 hours a nite using my sky broadband 2 finish my working day.if u want ur life ruined then go with 3,they r the best at it.shame i have 2 give it 1 star.
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Reviewed by Darryl Owen from England on 3rd Mar 2010
Why is it when i first connect my modem to the internet that i get transfer rates around 500kbps or even a cool 1500kbps(if i'm extremely lucky) then within minuets it reduces to such low transfer rates that i may as well get on public transport and visit the shop personally (PC World). The fact is that the rates fluctuate so much that it is becoming unbarable to logon to the internet. To me i am wasting my money. I have been a loyal customer and am currently in my second mobile internet contyract but losing patience fast with 3. Excuses which always point to coverage areas, although as i type this email(losing connection from time to time)I am suppose to be in a good, No Very Good coverage area (Aldershot)but that does not seem to be the case. stopped typing frustrations nearly out!!
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Reviewed by Ash Robertson from UK on 2nd Mar 2010
i am appalled at the service i have received from three and it has resulted in them having to pay bank charges for because of countless mistakes that they have made. and this rubbish about hdspa covering 91% of the uk is a load of tosh. it is slow and unreliable. and even tho ive put one star i had no choice but i wouldnt even give it that
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Reviewed by Steve Ralph from UK on 1st Mar 2010
Well I am surprised to see so many negative comments. I started off on the 7Gb 24month contract which worked superbly. Now I have upgraded to the 15Gb 24month and honestly it is faultless. It is used mostly in the Kent area, but have used it all over the country without any problems. Download speeds peak to about 2.8Megabit and not had any issues watching TV services such as SeeSaw, TVCatchup etc. I have a Huawei D100g wifi router to share my dongle allowance with colleagues while at work and I tend to stream lots of internet radio via it. Most I have ever managed to use in a month was 8Gb of my 15Gb allowance and that was really using it heavily. I love the service and cannot recommend it enough..truly outstanding.
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Reviewed by Michael Robinson from UK on 1st Mar 2010
3G connection with 3 bars at 10pm a night sounds reasonable. However download speed is max 21KIBs might as well use dial up!
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Reviewed by Rod from Scotland on 1st Mar 2010
Very unhappy with three. It is totally unreliable, speeds resemble a 1990s modem, disconnections occurs every two or three minutes, cannot listen to iPlayer radio as it is just too choppy. This morning I have managed to get about 5MB of traffic with a peak bandwidth of 68kb. That means that for most of the time I am left sitting and waiting. Plus to top it off, they take ages to answer an email and when they do call they want to know if the computer and modem are turned on. Cheez, I didn't know I had to turn the thing on. I would like to give a zero star rating but 1 seems to be the lowest.
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Reviewed by Paul from United Kingdom on 27th Feb 2010
Have been very happy with 3pay service but not so happy with it being as unpredictable as it is,always probs with many networks but usually resolved where as three loses connection way too often,will be suprized if even this sends. When three works it is actually quite good,really a shame being so unreliable,i'm glad i tested before going contract.
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Reviewed by james from England on 25th Feb 2010
I think if we all wrote to TRADING STANDARDS instead of this site we might see a result. False advertising. Not fit for purpose. The amount of money I have lost at poker due to disconnection is beyond the joke. Imagine a car company advertising a car capable of doing 300mph when in reality it averages 30mph. Well sir if you push it out of the back of a plane at 50000 feet it should be doing 300 before it hits the ground. Not what I had in mind. 3 throttle their connections, I use a little peice of software called netmeter which monitors network traffic which will give you a idea of whats going on with your connection. It also monitors your usage, which you can reset every month to see what you using. I highly recommend this program. Netmeter has shown me that 3 throttle my connection back to 15kbs at random times, 3 times dial up speed, not quite broadband is it. As for the disconnections I believe this is due to 3's network infastructure, everytime you connect you are given a dynamic IP address, which is different everytime you connect. I think but can't prove that 3 cannot handle the demand, and when someone tries to connect, that that network block may be full, so they kick someone to make room, basically juggling people around otherwise you would have to wait for someone to disconnect before you could, which would result in no connection at all until a IP was free. You would have to que for an IP number. I often disconnect and reconnect a couple of times to get the best bandwidth, which I can see using netmeter, if I connect and the page is not loading up I can see why. I knew that cisco course would come in handy one day. Anyway, not good at all.
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Reviewed by jon from uk on 23rd Feb 2010
I can't talk for the rest of the uk but in wales , 3 is the fastest by a good 40%. i have used vodafone, 3, o2, and orange dongles on a range of laptops and pc's . (coverage varies from poor to bad.) 0.97 mbs wireless connection to my rooter, best dongle can only manage 345 kps( but 150kps at best in reality)
3 6/10 can stream you tube (70%)
vod 3/10 can stream you tube (40%)
02 1/10 you tube 3/6 Min's per 1 min
orange 1/10 email at best
But to be honest get ADSL(wired) or buy a blackberry !!
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Reviewed by Philip from England on 22nd Feb 2010
Bought a one year contract in May 2009 and always get a very strong signal here in Taunton. Set usb maximum speed correctly and generally tuned the network. Performance was always slow, but 'adequate' for emails and BBC iPlayer out of peak times until Christmas 2009. Since then connection drops out every few minutes in normal working hours and at week ends. After about 22:00 hours connection is more reliable. Maximum download speed is about 0.35 Mbits/sec, i.e. a tenth of the quoted maximum. I assume this a local BTS station bottleneck. It does not matter which 3 server I try to connect to, it is never better or much worse. A recent upgrade to the dongle at the local 3 shop has made no change. This is the worst IT purchase I have ever made. Will not renew my contract - even if it were free.
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Reviewed by Steve McGill from UK on 19th Feb 2010
Got the dongle 3 months ago after giving up my previous T Mobile Dongle for being unreliable. I was told that 3 was the best by far and more reliable than T mobile. I was impressed with his spiel and signed up to a 24 month contract. After spending at least two days trying to connect after receiving it a having no luck I finally got connected. I noticed that the connection speed was exactly the same as T Mobiles (so no super fast connection then?), after a few weeks the speeds got slower and slower (I am right in the centre of Newcastle upon tyne and am supposed to have a very good signal) until it took 5 minutes or so just to load a page. It seemed to sure itself after a while and I was back on the road so to speak. Last week however, a new problem has reared it's ugly head, this is in the form of constant freezing and disconnecting along with fluctuating signal strengths. Phoned tech and they were quite helpful, didnt solve the problem though and Im back to square one. ...
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Reviewed by James from UK on 19th Feb 2010
The reason the Three MBB download speed is rubbish is because you'll be sharing the mast with X number of other people. If you wished to use your connection at say, 2.37am I bet the download speed would be more than acceptable. Three, as with many other MBB companies have just been very clever....at getting our money. If they spent more on cell bandwidth and less marketing bods, the service may be acceptable. 7.2mbps - modem capability only. If the network doesn't / can't support higher download speeds you're screwed. Just marketing hype.... Three claim if you're getting 200kbps that's acceptable (to them). Great UK coverage - very true. The main issue isn't signal strength, availability or coverage. Even with 5 bars (100%) I still get no more than 150kbps during peak hours (10am - 4pm). Living in rural areas - actually very good, because you'll be sharing your cell mast with fewer users. Forget any decent download speeds in built up areas, towns and cities. As Three sell more subscriptions expect download speeds to reduce further. It's a massive problem that ain't going to get any better, and Three will suffer the most because of their cheap contracts attracting more users. As soon as my contract comes to an end I'm off. Not sure where to yet, but it won't be Three!!!
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Reviewed by Nathan from UK on 17th Feb 2010
I cant believe im now stuck with this draining me of £15 a month for 18 months... Im now on my 3rd dongle with two having slowly died over about 3 months each - the first was repaired when i accosted the local 3 store, the second was suddenly found to have 'water damage' - funny as i have a desktop with it plugged in the back of that so how have i damaged it with water... I argue my case over the phone (which costs a fortune if your not on 3 mobile) for the nice asian gentleman to get irate and say its not his problem... Then there is the connection which is ok at best and non existant the rest of the time. Forget youtube, forget anything involving a moving image - buy a carrier pidgeon and some crayons for your instant messaging... Finally there is the choosy website blocking. Since ive had the 3 connection i cant look at facebook (doesnt load) several forums (dont load) my university website (doesnt load) or my yahoo email (you get the picture) - 3s response... nothing... please reply - or are you replying to my yahoo account??? 0.000000000000001 stars from me...
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Reviewed by Livid from UK on 17th Feb 2010
Completely pants!!! For ages I had massive issues connecting - I think 3 decided they were going to improve their network or something. Now I can connect but it's usually so painfully slow that I give up trying and stick pencils in my eyes because that's less painful than trying to surf the Net at dial-up speeds. Their call-centre staff are useless too. When I phoned to top up my account and asked how much data I'd get for £10, the guy I spoke to had no idea. I can't believe I'm paying for this!
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Reviewed by Alison from UK on 16th Feb 2010
3g mobile "broadband" was truelly the worst thing i have ever subscribed to in my life. i really believe mobile phone companies providing mobile internet are actually illegally marketing the service as it should not be called broadband at all. it is worse than the old dial up. it cannot stream video or even load pictures. it is painfully excruciating slow it does not work in a lot of locations where the site coverage map says it should. i hated this service within days but stuck with it. however i consider it unfit for purpose and dispute why i should have to pay for something which is utter utter rubbish. i have never had anything so rubbish and un like what it is advertised as in my life. i asked for my contract to be cancelled due the fact that it is so awful horrible and dire. i am quite prepared to stand up for my rights as a consumer to not have a service unfit for purpose and advertised as something it is not foisted upon me.
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Reviewed by azievio from uk on 15th Feb 2010
i've had the mobile dongle since it first came out and i paid £100. sometimes it's slow but normaly it's realy fast as my ps3 is connected to my pc to use for on-line play. it all depends how many people are using theres in your area at the time to determine speeds. 8 out of 10.
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Reviewed by maria from uk on 14th Feb 2010
I happened to just find this site by chance and was horrified to read the reviews for 3 mobile broadband most being with horrific experiences. I am not an employee or anything to do with the 3 mobile company just a subscriber. having just signed up in december for a £15 for 15gb pay monthly contract, which was recommended by pc world bristol, when I purchased a hp laptop from them. I had just started experiencing a decline in my connection, disconnecting etc but tried to use the reviews in a positive way. thanks to a review by jordon in uk 18th oct 09 on this website. I returned to pc world and told them of the disconnection problem and they agreed that this seemed a problem many were encountering. so if they sell 3`s products why don`t they tell people and 3 hutchinson`s and if it`s so bad why sell there products. going back to the advice of jordon`s comments. I asked them for a usb-usb extension to alleviate the problem and place dongle outside. I was taken to the shelf where these were but they only had a 3 mtre extension which wsn`t long enough. I was told that there were 5 mtre but they were not in stock. I was told to try maplins, cribbs ,bristol. It was the best half hour`s experience I have spent. I explained to an indian tech guy there my problem. he took me to the shelf and told me to try a 5 mtre usb -usb extension with amplification built in. it`s made by a company called nikkai and has gold plated connections. I purchased this for £20.99. pc world wanted £23.99 for a 3 metre without amplification. I went home and connected my 3 dongle put it in a tupperware box and placed it outside on the windowsill {it was raining] and the other end obviously into my usb on my laptop and I have to say I have been amazed at the difference this has made to my connection and speed. I can honestly say I have not dropped my connection once.I am more than happy with my 3 experience. on you tube and sky the connection is a lot stronger and whilst it does have to buffer on occasion when demand is greater at peak times,it is a lot more acceptable and very satisfactory. obviously mobile broadband is a newer tec-knowledgy and I think people`s expectations are far greater because of the hype all these mobile companies use to do the hard sell of there products. the consesus of opinion from computer experts is britain is way behind in this technical age and mobile companies are selling a product that there masts and equipment can`t support because of the demand. 3 is run by a company called hutchinson`s. if it`s the same company my husband had a mobile phone with them over 20 years ago and alway`s received good service from them. let`s hope 3`s chief ex is reading some of these commments and let`s hope with all subscriptions, they are improving there tecknowlegy and the service improves, which there customer service team have told me they are doing when I have rung to speak with them. sadly not in this country, but I have found if you can stay polite which is extremely difficult to do no matter how frustrated these problems are you do achieve a better outcome. you also have to be persistent and firm and ask for names and agent no`s who you have spoken too and keep a note of all this. so that if things end up in a claims court you can produce as much info as possible. I have also noted the free phone no 08003586795 which I have also taken from these reviews. customer support by all these mobile companies is far to expensive in my experience especially if your on a limited income which I am. as a last point people should also look up a website www.saynoto0870.com and type in the company your looking for in most cases this can give you free no`s to most of the mobile companies and other`s. I hope my maplins experience can help other`s and thanks to them have hopefully resoved my problems for good.
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Reviewed by jc from england on 14th Feb 2010
i have pay as you go three dongal and it works fine and gets signal but whenever i try to download anthing big it speeds through the 1st 3/4 and then just drops out, its stupid though cus the rest of the web continues to work SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!
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Reviewed by daniel lewis from england on 12th Feb 2010
I have been contacting 3 as regards to connection issues since the 3rd of dec 09 and yet all i get is 'it has been escalated one of our technicians will contact you'.I have tried to gain a contact number for these so called technicians but as yet cannot as they use witheld numbers and if you miss their one and only call they disregard your problem.The times i have spoken with the technicians all they say is 'we are resolving this issue' and if you question them some more they put you on hold and mysteriously the call gets cut off ! (this has happened 8-9 times) If i knew back then what the 3 company was like i would have gone elsewhere DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ,THE COMPANY AND SERVICE IS AN ABSOLUTE JOKE !.i had to pick 1 star i would have preferred to use 0 stars thats how i feel about this company
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Reviewed by big john from england on 10th Feb 2010
3 mobile dongle simply does not work wasted 30 pounds live in midlands no reception do not buy
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Reviewed by k from uk on 10th Feb 2010
why when it wants to download something from the internet my transfer upon a time falls to zero? in the evening also can not connect to the internet, why? what if I pay so I can not use? waiting for reply?
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Reviewed by Richard Kelly from United Kingdom on 9th Feb 2010
It's wrong but true that people rarely post on these sites when things are good! They usually search for this type of review because they have a problem! For me the 3 Mifi dongle is great, I get between 2 and 2.5mbps download and usually just over 1mbps upload, great product much better than my home wired broadband. All I can say is check 3 out it's not all bad Ric ps I live in the middle of nowhere not a city centre
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Reviewed by Tracy from Wales UK on 9th Feb 2010
signed with 3g in november on the £15 for 15g a month contract for 18 months and all was working fantastically up untill about a month ago and now keep losing internet connection up to 30 times a day. there is no work going on anywhere near my area so there is no explanation when i phone them and yet they can not explain this. there is obviously nothing wrong with my laptop as i had been up and running just fine for 3 months before this. am a single mum and sick of having to pay for a service i can not get. wish they would fix it or stop charging us when times are hard enough as it is.
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Reviewed by Carl from UK on 9th Feb 2010
I bought a 3 pay as you go dongle because it offered a cheap solution to mobile broadband. Unfortunately it didn't offer decent coverage. I travel quite a lot within the UK and have rarely been able to get a signal. Even when I check the signal coverage map and am supposed to be in a good area, the system is slow. I am just gald I only wasted £30 for the dongle rather than enter a contract. I 've since used a Vodaphone dongle which is much much better.
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Reviewed by Shubham from United Kingdom on 7th Feb 2010
Horrible!!!!I got a mobile boradband from 3 and live in a area which is in a good network coverage and still get a flipping 2kbps download speed. The netowrk disconnects after a few minutes and have to reconnect again.Sometimes the Software stops responding!! DO NOT GET 3 Mobile broadband.
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Reviewed by tony from england on 6th Feb 2010
My gf has a 3 network dongle and got a wonderful samsung laptop free with it, the laptop is top spec top of the range with blu-ray dvd player buckets of hard drive and a tank full of memory, absolute cracking deal until you try to use the 3 network usb dongle, what a load of rubish this is, my self i run on t-mobiles old white thing with no problems at all apart from the normal you have used up your allowance for this month now your on restricted browsing from 4 pm till 12pm, now hang on one sec t-mobile you didnt give a monkeys until 3 netwoks started using your network and their devices dont work anyway so why slow me down hmmmm, anyway my view from an outsiders point of view about 3 network AVOID LIKE A PLAGUE, i wont ever forget that i once had a 3 phone payg i didnt use it for 1 week and they still took credit off it and when i asked them where it was a hard to understand indian voice said we dont know but we cant give it you back, if 3 were the only phone company in the world ide use tin cans on a string, your more than useless your a money taking no service giving phone company
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Reviewed by Martyn from UK (S. Wales) on 6th Feb 2010
Most of the time, ok. Although, as stated on 3's website, at peak times connection can be slow due to amount of users. I find the service quite reliable. Although, as yet it can't be used to replace broadband via a landline. Location is very important when choosing mobile broadband. I had noted that a couple of people wrote reviews that said, even though the 3 website says they should have network coverage, it turned out they didn't. What I found useful was to buy a PAYG dongle before commiting myself to a long term contract. I found on PAYG that I had decent speeds of around 1MBPS so thought why not and signed up.
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Reviewed by Dave from Blackpool (U.K.) on 6th Feb 2010
When suffering connection probs, data limit is soon used when having to refresh/reload etc. When I complained, they took my modem for investigation (despite me voicing my suspicion was 'further down the line'). Needless to say, the modem came back 'cleared 'OK' and I had to forfeit the 5o-odd quid (oh yeah - soon ate my pennies @ £1 per MEG!). Despite a few months with few probs, the situation has returned with a vengeance - 'NO SERVICE' once device scanned... Same in Bradford I hear too - AVOID! When my contract ends...
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Reviewed by adam from england on 4th Feb 2010
ok so this is the worst company ever thought up their phone reception and customer service is a disgrace and mobile broadband aint no better . DO NOT GET ANYTHING TO DO WITH 3 you will be regretting it absolute rubbish ,
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Reviewed by Rob from UK on 3rd Feb 2010
Absolute Rubbish... I live in central London - SW1 and the service has not been available to me for 5 days. I phoned up customer services 2nd time (first time I spoke to an arrogant tech support guy who told me I need to top as my balance 833 MB was not enough to connect to a web page - what an IDIOT!!) They then told me that the service is not working - !! and that they have no idea when it would be back up!!! Multiply this event by 6 in the last 6 months and you will see my pain…… How can a company operate like this - they should be pulled to task by the communications watchdog - AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE
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Reviewed by al from UK on 3rd Feb 2010
I'll try to keep this brief...It's slow...It cuts off randomly...I live in Hull- you would expect a major city like that to be very well covered...according to the 3 website it is...but believe me- it ISN'T!! I have had the contract nearly 8 months now- and now it's February...I've suddenly stopped getting my monthly 15 GB data allowance...I've contacted customer services by email (as I've heard 3 use a call centre overseas which I know would cost me too much time and money as I had enough sense to get my phone with O2) and they've told me it will take 5-10 days for them to get back to me...so nearly a half of the month will have gone by then- which is pretty shoddy customer service. To anyone who's thinking about getting a 3 'dongle'....don't! JUST DON'T!
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Reviewed by Anon from N. Ireland on 2nd Feb 2010
3 has to be the most inconsistant broadband available, i've lost more money and time due to there fluxuating signal than I care to mention. I have visited the 3 shop numerous times only to be fobed off by a manager that has no idea what im talking about, i've also contacted the company by phone over 50 times and have been hooked up with someone else who has no idea what they are doing or talking about. I then proceeded to cancel my 2 contracts of £15 a month and was plaged a a debt collection agency called westcott for unpaid services. I would not reccomend this company to anyone, I live in the middle of a city beside the mast which belongs to 3G and it makes no diference. If you decide to go with this company do so at your peril, I am in the process of taking legal procedings for the unprovided service and for the treats recieved from Westcott there debt collection branch.
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Reviewed by Mike from UK on 1st Feb 2010
I am based in London and have been with 3 now for just over a year, and am now on my second dongle with them - this being on account that in recent months it has become almost impossible to get on line for more than a few minutes at a time without getting cut off. Just as I thought things could not possibly get any worse, on December 22nd 2009 my connection died and I have not been able to get on line with them since. After umpteen phone calls to Mumbai, 3 admitted that they had a problem with their mast in my area and that due to the snow it was impossible to fix. I found this excuse incredible as you can erect a new mast and have it operational within five days. Now here we are almost six weeks later and it is still down1!! Out of frustration I have gone with O2 and their service has been excellent with no problems what so ever. Do yourself a great favour avoid 3.
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Reviewed by Paul from UK on 31st Jan 2010
3 mobile broadband what a load of rubbish!!! Dont waste your money by going into a contract with them you will just get rubbish download speeds. It said on there website they where not offering 3 mobile broadband to new customers in my area so why did they sign me up before I knew this? Am now in 18 month contract for 15GB @ £20 a month. TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY!!!
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Reviewed by Simon McCabe from England on 31st Jan 2010
We have been using the 3 dongle on and off for a few months and no matter what we try speeds are slow and unpredictable. Web pages dont load and sometimes you need to do a full restart just to get it working. Whenever the dongle tried to auto update it would cut out and become useless the only way to get it working again was to delete the feature and I discovered the trick suggested above on the day I bought it and no matter what it is set to it's still horrendous and customer well basically there isn't any. So why don't we try a different provider... Well I don't really want to waste money on another couiple of dongles and top-ups just to find out that they are useless. I wish 3 would take notice of some of the reviews out there and get it sorted.
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Reviewed by delboy from uk on 30th Jan 2010
3 used to be pretty good on my laptop with modem.............but over last 3 months service speed and quality have become intolerable. the people at 3 tell me its because they have SO MANY MORE USERS NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So that is their answer !!!!!!!!!!! So the more users they con into buyiing the service the worse it becomes. Now its common that 3 or 4 time s an hour I will just get cut off completely. So the service is now useless. I would advise anyone to use any other service than 3 until they learn the lesson.......stop taking on new customers until your network can support them !!
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Reviewed by Amjad Iqbal from Pakistan on 30th Jan 2010
Hi dear, In Nov 2009, my 3-Broadband expired, and I was appointed my representative for cancellation because, but now 3-staff are not cancellation of my contract and told to my representative, the owner should have do it, now i am in pakistan and charges of call too much how it possible. what do u think its customer services? where is customer rights in this modern society? do you think its rip off? If I am not use it why should I pay? Please give me suggestion
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Reviewed by Nick Britchford from UK on 28th Jan 2010
3 Mobile Broadband, very good reliable, we have cancelled our landline as much more reliable using mobile. We live in rural Norfolk and have surprisingly fast and reliable connection. I have ( as has my wife ) used the mobile broadband in many different places. Occasioanlly no signal or poor signal but generally in citys towns pretty good.
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Reviewed by RCL from UK on 27th Jan 2010
I have had both a 3 mobile and mobile contract since April 2008. This was a 18 month contract and in October 2009 I phoned up to cancel the account as I had moved house and the broadband would not pick up in the house. They told me that they would send me a new dongle free of charge to try out and see if it picked up signal and I could therefore keep the account. The new dongle made no difference so I phoned up to cancel my contract. A few days later I decided that my brother could use my broadband instead (as it picked up where he lived and it was a good price per month). I phoned 3 back and asked to continue my broadband instead (I assumed they would of taken this as continue using the dongle and also the sim card - account). This month (January), I have been charged £25.99 for the dongle. I have been on the phone to them for 1 hour and 30something minutes, and they are refusing to refund me the money for my "free" dongle. Their reason: I phoned up to continue my "contract" , but I did not say I wanted to keep the dongle! Obviously I would need the dongle to keep the contract! Had I phoned up and said I want to keep my contract and dongle, I would not of been charged for the dongle. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I am having no luck in getting a refund on my "free" dongle and I offered to return the dongle, but they said I would not get a refund.
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Reviewed by Daniel from UK on 27th Jan 2010
I am suprised at the level of negative reviews about 3's mobile broadband. Im about to finish an 18 month contract as so far it has done exactly what I want it to do. Ive had none of this disconecting issue that alot of people report and the speeds are fast at consistant...even in areas that are not built up or well populated. The only issue I have had so far is that my sim got locked, after a call to CS they are sending out a replacement FOC. Those that complain about the price of exceeding their limit, well surely there is an obvious answer there isnt there?
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Reviewed by David Heathcote from England on 27th Jan 2010
why is crooks 3g network in durham so bad only 2 bars need more as it keeps cutting me off all the time
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Reviewed by Mark from UK on 26th Jan 2010
I get a decent connection (HSDPA) and amazing download speeds. I have only a choice of 3 as my postcode isn't served by any other providers. Seriously thinking of binning my landline broadband (max 512Kb given how far from exchange) and going for £15 / 15GB.
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Reviewed by Duncan from England on 26th Jan 2010
I'm in Newcastle upon Tyne and my signal / connection has gone really bad over the past couple of weeks, when before it was always pretty good? Anyone else experiencing any similar issues??
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Reviewed by trevo from england on 25th Jan 2010
3 broadband is terrible. Even with a good signal you get cut off from the site and must re start. Dont bother complaining, they just fob you off. At least Im not on contract. No more topups for me, please someone report them to bbc watch dog or take em to court. a cowboy company.
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Reviewed by trevor from england on 25th Jan 2010
rubbish pathetic rubbish
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Reviewed by Debbie Swanson from England on 25th Jan 2010
£ Mobile Broardband!!!!! what a load of rubbish had it for 2 years and the service is rubbish, to say the least. They reckon that we should have a goog coverage for our area, i dont think so!!!! Dont trust any of the sites that check the area as i think they are all rubbish. Also have fun trying to cancel any contract with 3 as they will try anything to stop you from canceling, and then wont let you talk. so my advise is dont do it.
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Reviewed by mick connolly from England on 22nd Jan 2010
Same problems as most others ie disconnecting at least 20 to 30 times a day, unreliable, unhelpful technical staff (call centre in India)broadband down for more than 4 days on at least 3 occasions and they treat you like you have no understanding of the basics of internet connections, talking you through a basic diagnostics even though you tell them that you have tried the obvious(very annoying)and last but not least, not accepting that the fault is at there end,(contractual reasons no doubt) It would be more helpful if "three" had a more honest approach to customers care,accepted there shortcomings and acknowledged some of the constructive feedback on this site so that they can improve the service, of which they are failing to deliver. mickconnolly@hotmail.com
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Reviewed by james daddy from uk, hull on 22nd Jan 2010
hi there i am ticked off with three to be honist i asked for a laptop and dongle deal and got the dongle but no laptop they just keep fobing me off saying they will be in touch. so for customer service 3/10 for the dongle however 8/10 because it came with in days of asing for it but the laptop still has not arived i would not advise people to use three as its been a bad experience for me.
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Reviewed by Anonymous from N.Ireland on 21st Jan 2010
I have always been able to get the HSDPA coverage with a lot of trouble, I have to use a usb extension and with what might only be described as more difficult than walking a high wire you eventually get the dongle at a angle that gives a light blue light. According to the reading most HSDPA customers get about 1 to 1.5 mb which has never happened in my experience. The service was running about 512k with a hell of a lot of luck normally but now after 3 network updates, (jan 2010) the service is actually slower and its like being back to the days of Dial up. The prices also seem a bit rich to me, £25 for 7gb is a bit of a joke. Some of my friends could download that in a day if your into movies or games and music.
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Reviewed by dan harty from uk on 19th Jan 2010
found this page as i surfed to find out how to cancel a 3 mobile contract mid term - useless in every way
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Reviewed by thomas clowes from england on 19th Jan 2010
regards 3 mobile b/band,i had the same problem,no signal unless i travelled 4 miles,they would not admit they had a problem,dont pay them another penny,fight them all the way,a contract works both ways,they are not following their terms and conditions if they as they say cannot supply you with mobile b/band reception,i did this and my contract is now cancelled,never again will i use 3 or recommend it to anyone ,their service is shocking to say the least
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Reviewed by Steve from England on 17th Jan 2010
I got a three dongle, I didn't realize it was for two years. Total rip off, two years of paying for an unusable service. Contract is at an end and I am still trying to cancel it. They want to keep billing me even though the two years is up and I gave them over 30 days notice of cancellation. Rude and abusive staff at their 'cancellation centre'. A very rude and unhelpful company.
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Reviewed by luke from uk on 17th Jan 2010
i tell you what i agree with all of this below!! i been on 3 dongle for 23 months now and 2 months ago my dongle broke so i talked to 3 and they gave me a new £20 dongle which i had to pay for! on top of my 15 pounds a month but now i have had terrible connection the dongles say its connected but really it doesn't w.t.f? i was told that i should be getting 6gb download speed and at 5 till 8/9 about 4 but i get 1.5gb!!! and between 5 and 9 1.2gb so people don't use them they a so rubbish what ever the offer.
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Reviewed by Jamie from Barnsley on 17th Jan 2010
no problems at all with regards to network connection, however when i took out the 24 month contract in oct '08 i passed the usual checks but had to pay a £75 deposit which i was told i would get back after a years service, needless to say, after ringing in every week since october to claim this back and been assured by every member of their staff that it has been sent i have still not received my money. I dont understand why they have to send a cheque when they have my bank details. Does anyone know how to claim this back? I cannot wait for this contract to finish, 9 months and counting.....
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Reviewed by Mark from Uk on 15th Jan 2010
Can anyone give me any advice on the best way to get out of my contract with 3? I have no service at all right now and even when I do I might as well be connected to the Internet via plastic cups and string. But the customer service is clearly under instruction to cancel no contract under any circumstances. Is it best to take the court route?
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Reviewed by Luke Thurston from England on 14th Jan 2010
Please dont give 3 mobile another penny, they are the worst network around, they recieve awful signal, i can never get a connection in my own home or college, and they ripped off my mum to pay a £12 a month contract which is worth around £3 compared with the deals my friends get on other networks, such as O2 and orange.
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Reviewed by Keith from UK london on 13th Jan 2010
Sorry, I dont work for three or related to anyone that does. BUT my dongle works fine at home and in London. It has disconnected once or twice I'll admit - but nothing serious. My down speed is 2823kbs up is 345kbs at 5:30 pm. I have 3 bars on the signal strength so must have something to do with it. £39.99 for dongle and 3Gb for 3 months - all I need really.
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Reviewed by jamie from sheffield on 13th Jan 2010
15x24=360pound. I have just been robbed in the center on town by the man who works in the Three shop.
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Reviewed by Aaron from UK, south wales on 12th Jan 2010
I think that 3 mobile broadband is useless to be honest. At first it was really slow but now it seems to be going rather fast but i recently paid for a £15 (3gb) top up voucher and it only let me top up by 1gb. This is a rip off. Do not buy a 3 internet dongle.
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Reviewed by Steve from England on 12th Jan 2010
The network was OK until they did some "upgrades". Now at peak times it is unusable. From midnight it is fine. This is I believe due to Traffic Shaping which they have been doing since November and which appears to affect Huawei dongles and MiFis but not mobile phones(at least it doesn't affect my phone when used as a modem). They need to sort it out urgently.
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Reviewed by Karen from Manc ,England on 10th Jan 2010
Same as every1 right now. Crashes every 2 mins. 2 bars reception. Total garbage. About to try paul taits advice and will report back the outcome.
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Reviewed by Mark P from UK on 10th Jan 2010
Good companies who provide a good service attract predominantly good reviews. Poor companies who provide a poor service attract predominantly poor reviews. Then there are reviews of Three mobile broadband which are predominantly scathing. Why is this? It's because Three mobile broadband and the company who provide it are both awful. For me personally, Three are the worst company I have ever encountered at any time and in any industry. I'm 41. The first thing I think of when I see a positive review is that it was written by a Three employee. If you one of the few who haven't caught on yet as to how bad Three are, read the reviews here and on other sites. You'll soon get the picture. And if you're stuck in a contract and not getting the service you should be, all the advice you need is on these review sites, plus there is CAB and the small claims court. You don't have to stand for the service, or lack of it, that they provide. Get out of your contract, quickly and legitimately. Don't give them any more of your cash! Just as with mobile phones, stick to the leading networks. They're way ahead of this bunch of inept amateurs. Avoid. Avoid. AVOID!
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Reviewed by Matt182 from uk on 10th Jan 2010
i have a mobile phone contract and a internet connection with them, signal was ok when i lived in town but since moving it has been rubbish. they wont cancel my contacts or help me in any way. i am paying for services that dont work. NEVER GO WITH 3, WORSE COMPANY EVER AND ALL THE HELP LINES ARE FOREIGNERS.
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Reviewed by James from uk on 8th Jan 2010
3 what can i say.. terrible connection terrible customer service.. terrible policy..
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Reviewed by Ian4c from UK on 7th Jan 2010
I have read many of these reviews and have to say I am surprised. Having said that,I purchased a a Mi Fi unit in October 09 on a monthly contract. In the first weeks it was terrible. I could connect but the download speed was as sloe as an old telephone modem. I was about to return the unit. Then there was no service at all on this particular day. I tried to connect in the late afternoon and was surprised to find that the connection speed was very fast indeed. UP and down. Down 1 - 3.8 and the same up. Apparently Three were updating my local transmitter. It has been very good now since the update. At peak times it can be slow but rarely below 1mb/s down. 5GB in not enough so I am actually thinking of taking a 15GB contract for 24 months. But I am a little worried just incase the service degrades in the future. 24 months is a long time to be tied.
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Reviewed by Christian from UK on 7th Jan 2010
I have 3 mobile broadband in my laptop and it is just rubbish! it lost the coverage network everytime
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Reviewed by Steve from England on 6th Jan 2010
Ive had Three Mobile Broadband since Sept 2007, firstly on the 3GB plan on a 2 year contract then i switched to the £15 for 15GB/month plan a few months ago which is an excellent offer. The connection itself is very reliable. There is rarely a time when it won't connect. About a year ago i was experiencing some disconnections but in recent months it has been fine. Im currently using the Huawei E1750 modem. The speeds are very good also. Video streaming sites such as BBC iplayer, YouTube, etc... work fine. It does pause sometimes on BBC iplayer when buffering but not to often. I even use it for online gaming on my PS3 and don't get much lag, some Fifa 10 online matches are as smooth as playing an offline match which is impressive for a mobile network considering many people say the latency isn't good enough for online gaming with this sort of connection. Despite the quality of the service, Three's Customer Service is very poor. When i came to the end of my 2 year contract, Three sent me a modem for a new contract i took out but the sim card wasn't even activated 3 days after i recieved the modem despite them telling me it would be actived within 48hrs from being dispatched from the warehouse. When phoning Three's CS, i was then recommended to cancel the contract by the cancellation department as the modem i was sent was a ZTE MF627 which aren't very good, i then agreed to cancel it but then i found Three had taken payments out my bank account for the contract i cancelled. It took about 4 phone calls to CS for me to resolve the problem plus i had to contact my bank to get a refund for the payments. They also put me on 3 insurance cover for the modem when i said i didn't want it which i then had to cancel. If you do have to contact Three, call their 0800 Customer Services number so your not paying for the call. the number is 0800 3586795
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Reviewed by Roger from UK on 4th Jan 2010
Yes I doubled my 3 broadband, using my nokia 6120 as a dongle to 921.6 Kbps. excellent tip and very easy.
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Reviewed by steve-o from u.k on 4th Jan 2010
Ive had 3's 15Gb package for 10 months now, and like a lot of comments worked fine at first.Ive had to uninstall it twice,taking ages for the updated version to download as it had lost files and would'nt exe through the 3connect icon or the windows network.Poor download speeds at peak times which we will get.Disconnects when it likes,especially when your doing something inportant.Never had a problem with YouTube though.Getting hardlined in instead.If this was a car i WOULD be smacking that salesman.
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Reviewed by maddylondon from UK on 4th Jan 2010
At last I've come to the end of my 18 month contract and rang 3 to cancel. The young man at the other end of the phone really tried hard to persuade me to keep it on, even though I told him it was rubbish, just because it was such a good price (£7.50 a month!). Full marks for trying!! Thanks, but no thanks. Heartily glad I now have landline and broadband and would never recommend 3 to anyone.
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Reviewed by moonflower from u.k on 2nd Jan 2010
I received my free virgin netbook on December 19th with a dongle . I could not get an internet connection. called tec. support, I was talked through using the dongle still no connection, so I was sent another dongle..still no connection. so I am paying for a subscription that I can not use.
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Reviewed by P Andy from UK on 1st Jan 2010
I have had the set up for about 8 months, I pay £15 pm for 15 gig 24 month contract. I had a free wireless router to plug the dongle in ( a useful piece of kit )The speeds I was experiencing were 0.3 to about 1.5 meg mostly at the lower end an average of 0.25 meg. As I did not want to install a land line, I lived with it some times it was quite irritating slow others albeit not too often OK. Then low and behold I thought this is a bit quick today.... I did a spped test to find 3 meg plus :) It has been this way now for about 4 weeks..... I just hope this is how it will be from now 3 meg for me is fine. But until then I would describe it as well below everyones expectations. But now I am more than happy with it
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Reviewed by Shrewy from UK on 1st Jan 2010
Was good. Now it disconnects every... 30 seconds? 3 just fail. A fish with a radar is more useful than this dongle.
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Reviewed by jason gallaway from uk on 29th Dec 2009
3's mobile broadband service is just rubbish. I live in a so called Turbo area and I bearly get dial up speeds. These contracts are unfair and I think theft because they do not give you what they promise, I can see these contracts being the next thing for solicitors to claim money back on for you.......3 don't even deserve 1 star
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Reviewed by jeff from uk on 29th Dec 2009
Not happy at all, customer service (like most unfortunately) is rubbish Go over your limits and you need deep pockets to be able to pay the extortionate costs Keeps disconneecting All The Time. Speeds are as nowhere near like they claim, no good for video sites as such ok for checking emails and casual surfing but other than that rubbbish, mind you I expect the others to be not much different, my next hopeless task of finding a decent mobile dongle will be with t-mobile at least that does not charge you extortionate rates for going over, still no substitute for real connected broadband
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Reviewed by dave from uk on 26th Dec 2009
Like most things three mobile is ok when its working. Problem is mines not and the tech department close for christmas ( why when its obviously in India ! )Usual thing though once youve signed up even though it dosnt work you cannot cancel. CAN THIS BE LEGAL ?
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Reviewed by L.Lee from Chesterfield uk on 20th Dec 2009
Ive been on 3 ever since it was launched.And had their mobile broadband for 6 months,and I haven't had any problems.Eventually,when 3's consollidation with T-mobile is complete,and the network has been upgraded people should find it a lot better...Just hang in there...
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Reviewed by James from UK on 12th Dec 2009
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BUY A 3 MOBILE BROADBAND DONGLE!!!! I have had nothing but problems, even though according to tech support in mumbai I live within 1/2 kilometre of 4 towers... Cannot get a strong signal that stays on HSPDA network, when the dongle is on 3G network you are lucky to get 0.3 MBPS not the 3.6MBPS that is advertised and that you pay for... For the last 4 months I have had ongoing problems, which start to get better then get alot worse... Customer services are useless, and if you ask to speak to someone in the UK, 3 just ignore it... 3 Stores are only interested in signing you up to as many contracts as possible... AVOID THIS SHYSTER COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!!!
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Reviewed by E Van Speed from Barlinnie HMP on 11th Dec 2009
Well fancy that!... have had the 3 Mobile dongle for well over a year now... and only today realise it's not set to it's max speed (Thanks to Paul Tait tho). Anyway, could I be right in thinking that virus protection software can interfere with the download spead...???... and isn't there some issue where windows vista actually disconnects the dongle when It's not used for a period of time..???.. Could some expert please shed some light these events. Btw me too getting that 'can't connect' when the icon shows it should be connected. [Editor's comment: Yes, anti-virus software is notorious for messing up all kinds of internet-related stuff.]
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Reviewed by ant from england on 10th Dec 2009
DO NOT GET A 3 MOBILE DONGLE WHATEVER YOU DO! I've only just got out of a 24month contract at £15 month! No reception. Slow. Turns itself off. Poor customer service when you can understand them! Even when I rang to end contract they tried to sell me another contract!!! Absolute waste of money!!!
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Reviewed by natalie from uk on 9th Dec 2009
absolutely terrible, worked well in eastbourne, did not work at all in christchurch or bicester both where it was particularly needed. very hard to cancel once my contract was up as the advisors kept insisting that I should hold onto it for a possible smaller fee.
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Reviewed by R.Powell from UK on 8th Dec 2009
I foolishly believed all the hype about mobile broadband-bought a 12 month package on 3 Mobile-- ABSOLUTE WASTE OF GOOD MONEY unable to get refund/satisfaction from 3 Mobile--have now thrown it away--BE VERY WARY BEFORE DEPARTING WITH YOUR MONEY!!!!!
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Reviewed by Matthew from UK on 8th Dec 2009
Ive had 3GB mobile broadband from 3 for almost 2 years now. Good Points... It can work well for long periods of time and sometimes gives very fast downloads. Sais 3gb gives you 30 hours of surfing a month, it doesnt it gives you around 118-120 hours. Bad Points... The network can go down at random times after periods of working totaly fine.mine was working fine for 16 months then decided not to get a signal for 6 weeks. it can go from fine to bad at the drop of a hat,its strange. My usage renews on the 18th of every month i check to see its renewed avidly so i dont go over my limit,but even though my usage is renwed for the first 2 hours or so of usage on the 18th of each month it will charge me for no reason at all raging from £3 to £7 despite saying my new usage is full and ready to use,it charges me as if ive run out of usage and gone over my 3gb limit. Im almost at the end of a 24 month contract ( 2 months to go) i asked if i could upgrade to a new 15gb package and cancel my 3gb package and they told me no or id have to buy the new 15gb package and still keep paying my old 3gb contract aswell, so i told them id finish my last 2 months contract with them and instead of taking a new 24 month contract out with them id start a new 24 month contract with VODAFONE. lmao so there not a very intelligent bunch at 3,they could of had my money for another 24 months for the sake of canceling my last 2 months of contract gaining 22 months of money,now they shall get no more from me. Sometimes the software can slow things down when its present on the screen despite my pc being current and high spec,but minimising it makes that problem go away. last but not least the worst thing about it is trying to find a spot to actualy get a signal its extremly sensative just moving it 1cm this way or 1cm that way and it will cut off with no signal. Id advise anyone who gets a dongle NOT to get the USB dongle as it doesnt allow much freedom. ive one of the older better dongles wich connects to a USB lead wich gives you alot more feedom to find that better signal. Overall.... when its connected its fine,use mine almost everyday and it can be perfectly ok for hours and hours,but the bad points do out weigh the good points.
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Reviewed by jamie from peterborough uk on 6th Dec 2009
ive had 3 pay as you go dongol for a while now and havnt realy had any probs and i say it defo it the best network 2 have cheaper than all the others alot cheaper i say buy one 2day
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Reviewed by Ann from England on 5th Dec 2009
I have had trouble getting a reception and tried to get a refund they totally refused to pay. After many phones call to them, they just said that it would be repairs so my voucher is now out of date and i cannot use it. Needless to say i will not be useing them again. i could not get intouch with them via e mail either.
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Reviewed by James from UK on 4th Dec 2009
It is a complete waste of time. It is the worst. Customer service is really bad and Please kindly think "three" times before you go for it.
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Reviewed by Bhawna from United Kingdom on 3rd Dec 2009
I had 3 broadband monthly contract for 15GB. When I bought it, it didn't work and instead of taking it back to the shop I thought it must work at some point(not very smart thinking of course) and by the time I realised that it is never going to work it was too late to take it back to the shop (14 days is the warranty time), I called customer service hoping they'd fix it, they couldn't. I had to pay for it every month and it never worked, they wouldn't take it back!
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Reviewed by cook from england on 3rd Dec 2009
why is there no service most of the time
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Reviewed by Ade Ajani from UK, London on 2nd Dec 2009
Please anyone thinking of getting 3 Broadband, DON'T, not to even imagin about getting it. When you first sign up I will be the best service you could have but you just wait for 4 - 6 weeks then problems start. You will connect but you will get an error message on your browser stating you are not connected to the internet. I tried to cancel my contract with 3 in Septemper '09 but stupid me decided to extend my contract as i was told the problem was with the dongle and they gave me a new one which i was promised will work fine. it was ok for 6 weeks than problems started started again. Made a complaint and was told its the dongle that had a problem, was issued with a new on but which now works fantastic, decided to check and reconnect with the previous dongle and it also works fine. I think the problem is from 3, where they will get you stuck on their contract and make your life a misery. I WISH I HAD DONE MY RESEARCH, I NOW FEEL LIKE HANGING MYSELF, THANK YOU 3 FOR MAKING MY LIFE SO MISERABLE !!!
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Reviewed by Helen from UK, South Wales on 2nd Dec 2009
Trying to get out of a (consistently poor or nonexistent) service contract. To say I feel frustratingly powerless is an understatement. I have almost been reduced to tears (by the blatant unfairness of Threes attitude) I have yet to receive a single PROMISED call back, have been charged when told they won't bill me for the time this is taking to resolve and have been appalled at the non customer-centric ethos demonstrated by their inability to accept their product/ service does not work as described in their sales literature. I am considering legal action.
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Reviewed by Mika from Wales on 2nd Dec 2009
3 BROADBAND IS REALLY DISAPOINTING, THE STAFFFS WERE RUDE WHEN I WAS COMPLAINING AND HE GAVE ME FAKE EMAIL TO MAKE A COMPLAIN!!
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Reviewed by Mark from Manchester on 1st Dec 2009
It's fab but I consider myself to be a mobile broadband expert now after having tried all of the networks since January 2008. Using a 3 'dongle' I was achieving 0.9MB download speed and 0.3MB upload. With the same computer (Advent 4213) and using a built-in 3G modem, which doesn't use the 3 software, I am achieving speeds of 3.5MB download and 1.2MB upload !!! I didn't change anything except the modem and connection method. The experiment was carried out 1 minute after using the dongle without moving the computer other than to slot the sim card in the PC sim slot. This suggests a number of possibilities or combination of them: 1. 3's software slows down the connection. 2. There are USB voltage issues. 3. The dongle is not receiving the 3G signal effectively. My advice is: 1. Check your signal strength using a 3 phone or preferably somebody elses 3 dongle. 2. Don't sign for anything more than a 30 day contract with 3 - You can always upgrade later if it's right for you and 3 now sell 30 day contracts for £15 per month. 3. Use a 3 dongle if you haven't got an embeded 3G modem but don't use 3's software to connect -Use the Windows Network and Sharing Centre to create your own dial-up connection to 3. It's quite simple and you can find out how by doing an internet search.
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Reviewed by ben from UK on 1st Dec 2009
HAD 3 FOR 15 MONTHS NOW ...COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY AND SPACE I AM IN LONDON WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE COVERED PROPERLY BUT IT IS DIAL UP SPEEDS ..LOTS OF CUTS OFF... NOT USING IT AT ALL NOW COZ IT JUST NOT WORTH IT .....DEFINITLY BOT RENEWING IT
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Reviewed by Brian from United States on 1st Dec 2009
I used 3 Mobile's Australian service. If they use the same proprietary computer program for their UK counterparts, I'd suggest you stay away from 3 Mobile. The speeds are often very slow, particularly during peak usage hours, and the company itself is a bit misleading in how they set up the data monitoring. How, you ask? The program that comes with the modem has a feature called "Statistics" that charts your data usage. It ticks upwards in real time as you use your modem. Underneath all of the figures, however, it says that you should log in to their website to get accurate data usage. That would be great--except for the fact that they only update this every 48 hours. Because of this deceptive practise, I ran up an extra $100 on my account. When I confronted them about the logical flaw in their setup, they tried to tell me that it's because most of their customers use the company for more than one service (i.e., cell and mobile broadband), and that's why they suggest that they do it. But frankly, I think it's deceptive. Also, their customer service speak english so poorly that they are nigh impossible to understand--and when I tried to call them and cancel my account, they claimed that their systems were "down" and that they couldn't process it. Strange, considering that they could look up everything else. Bottom line? I'd stay away. Vodaphone was much more helpful as a company.
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Reviewed by Douglas Hinton from Denmark on 1st Dec 2009
Tried MobilityPass this last Summer. Found it incredibly expensive. About 7 quid a minute. They took the money direct from my bank account without even giving me an invoice. They also "topped up" my user account, although I didn't want them to. They refused to refund the money in my user account when I tried to close my account. They are a rip off firm and should be avoided by everyone.
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Reviewed by mike from uk on 30th Nov 2009
terrible service waste of money
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Reviewed by Lizzi from UK on 24th Nov 2009
I recently started a Mobile Broadband contract with 3 and at first was quite impressed. It's a £15 per month 15GB contract that worked perfectly fine to begin with (although not for gaming, but I was told this, and no wireless is fast enough anyway). Over the past month however I have been getting very very angry with it, it connects at no more than 2 bars every time (which it says is 'Fastest') and disconnects every five minutes. It's a pain because I play a lot of browser based games and get thrown off because I'm not connected yet again. In fact just now, it nearly disconnected. I think it's all a stupid con, that works at first so that you don't cancel the contract within 30 days, and then after that starts to deteriorate. I also have a phone with 3 because I've had one before and I must say they are always good with phones. Although one complaint about my phone I have is that it was a special offer contract of £19.20 per month, supposed to be £27 for a Sony Ericsson mobile, however I always get charged around £23. Is this legal? I never go over my allowed minutes, I have 1100 Mix and Match every single month, seriously I couldn't go over that!! I never use them all up, yet the price isn't what it said it was. To be honest I can't be bothered ringing them up because it's never helpful and I can never tell what the foreign person on the phone is saying, no offence.
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Reviewed by Daniela from UK on 24th Nov 2009
I have got a 3 mobile broadband and it has been anything but a nightmare. The dongle is temperamental, it says is connected but when you try to open a browser the message pop up to say you haven't got internet connection. Plus if it eventually decide to connect then it takes up to 10-15 minutes to load a page and if you want to click on anything else is coming out with the same message again. I have been in touch with 3 on so many occasions and i have spend a fortune on my mobile phone and i have send letters still no success. I have spoken with a girl from their call center who promises to ring me back and guess what no phonecall or even apology or anything. But you very often get a phone call asking how you like our service. I have been so let down and i will most certainly will not be recommending to anybody in a right frame of mind. When i got the dongle i was told that i am in a very good area for network coverage what a big lie that is. Please please whatever you do do not sign up a contract with them or do any kind of business with them. I have cancelled my DD and now i know i will get a phonecall from them.
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Reviewed by ricky walker from uk on 24th Nov 2009
3 mobile broadband is totaly rubbish i can hardly use mine it always crashes n i will be leaving them as soon as my contract is up
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Reviewed by bod from uk on 22nd Nov 2009
i am using the 3 broadband on contract and am very unhappy about it, all i can say is DO NOT TAKE A CONTRACT OUT WITH THEM, you dont get broadband you get rubberband. connection speed it rubbish 60kbs on a good day if your lucky avg is 10kbs. i live in one of there best areas for connection in gloucester and i have a telecomunications tower about 2 minuits walk down the road from my flat. i would recomend you save your money and go to a diffrent network. avoid like the plage. connection 1/10 download speed 0.5/10 upload speed 2.2/10 avg page load time 10 seconds
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Reviewed by 1 from 1 on 21st Nov 2009
Just something that I found that might help some of you. My 3 USB mobile modem kept disconnecting repeatedly whenever I tried downloading things like videos or music files at full speed. Surfing regular websites was generally fine. I tried updating service packs and other things etc but it didn't stop. It was only when I disconnected all USB devices linked to the computer including the mouse and put the 3 USB modem into another USB port that suddenly it all worked. I was able to use the mouse pad to surf and download files with full speed. Later I put my mouse into another port and things still worked. My conclusion is that it could be a USB voltage problem. I think the different USB devices were all drawing voltage and probably the modem was trying to draw even higher voltage when having to go to full speed to get the bigger files and this might have caused a voltage drop out which caused the disconnections. Just a guess. My computer is XP and over 5 years old. So perhaps some of you having disconnection problems might like to look into the USB voltage issue and perhaps getting an external powered USB hub might help you. Almost tore all my hair out trying to solve this thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Al from UK on 20th Nov 2009
I purchased a 3 mobile Pay as you go USB modem stick 2 days ago (18 NOV 2009)from a Comet electrical shop to attach to my laptop. It frequently disconnects. Especially when I use iTunes or Youtube. I feel cheated. However thinking about it all I can see what is going on here. I had a similar problem with Virgin Broadband who used traffic management policies to curb users. It was horrible at the time but it got better. I think 3 is unable to cope with users downloading huge files at high speed. They will have to curb the traffic but they are doing it in a very damaging way that could destroy their reputation with customers forever. They should hurry up and tell customers what is going on via their website. Customers have every right to be very aggrieved at this current problem and 3 should inform them what they can and cannot expect from the service immediately. Also they should get sales staff at shops in the UK to tell new customers what they will and will not get wi th their purchase of a USB modem. They have just expanded too far too fast by taking on so many new customers, they should serve their current customers with good service first before taking on new customers. Failure to do this will be fatal to their reputation I think. As a customer of any mobile broadband service I would be prepared to limit the amount of downloading I do for a set period of time as long as they told me that things would improve to a decent standard in a reasonably short period of time. If the company would only TALK to its customers in a respectful way and inform them what is going on, and for how long it is likely to be, then it would reduce the number of angry customers. I think 3 will have to do a similar traffic management system to Virgin Broadband where customers can download as much as they want as long as they do it in non-peak hours. Like telling customers to schedule large downloads to take place late at night or over night. Also asking customers to limit their downloads to a maximum of anywhere from 250MB to 1 GB during the peak hours of the day. With a bit of respect and give and take perhaps 3 can get it right but they must act fast. And their tech support staff MUST be trained to be very polite no matter how tense a call can get. Shouting and lashing out is disastrous to the company. 3 must treat the customers it has like gold dust, talk to them nicely, keep them informed and offer them incentives. It mustn't take on new customers in my opinion until it has made the ones it has happy. Then it can have a good reputation for looking after customers that will attract more customers in the long run. That's my view. I personall y have no problem with Indian tech support teams provided they are considerate and properly trained to handle customers who are likely to be frustrated with one of the most irritating things in life....an uncooperative computer. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be happening based on what's written on this webpage. 3 has the ball in its court and must act fast as I said before otherwise its competitors will get their traffic management systems to an acceptable level for customers and attract 3's customers away to themselves because they will not have negative reputation issues. I think a company can mess up once but in order to be forgiven it must quickly repair all damage. Al
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Reviewed by kamal from UK on 20th Nov 2009
Regret going to 3network, real LAG network as lately line always down every few minutes (most of other times its lag badly, i tried online MMO game which look interesting when i saw my friend playing and being student and mobile i opt the dongle 24 months contract which looks cheap (based on download per month) i died every few minutes whenever i play the game even tho the game is hosted in germany which is just a stone throw away, imagine the frustration i m getting. Now at over 5 months into contract the line getting worse day by day, they keep signing up people with cheap contracts but neglect the line demand. Is there anyway i can complain about extreme poor service and get compensation back or get my contract cancelled without any further charges on me?
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Reviewed by Daniel from UK on 19th Nov 2009
Tried that tip of increasing the default speed of the modem - worked wonders! I really don't understand why it is getting so many negative reviews... I wouldn't go near a contract but for the price, the pay as you go dongle is great for when out and about. I've been up and down the country and it works fine yeah now and then it can be annoying with disconnections I certainly wouldn't reccommend it as a replacement for a landline connection but for what it is, in my opinion, its great.
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Reviewed by J W from sheffield,uk on 18th Nov 2009
i had a 3 dongle for about a year & it got slower & slower until it wouldn't connect anymore so i binned it. but i was talking to a bloke in the pub the other night,who works in a 3 shop,& he told me that 3 has been upgrading it entire network & that many of it's older type of dongle's are no longer fully compatible with the new system,but 3 won't admit this because they may have to pay compensation or replace thousands of older useless dongles. anyone else heard about this?.
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Reviewed by rachel from uk on 18th Nov 2009
horrendous - it says it is connected but IT ISNT. have called about 5 times and just get transferred to a call centre in India - was sent a replacement dongle which again did not work. useless network - do not get.
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Reviewed by Steven B from England on 18th Nov 2009
Having mobile broadband with 3 was tantamount to pulling teeth. I had a 12 month contract which ended in August. For the first couple of weeks the service seemed fine. Then it kept disconnecting for no reason, and since then it got increasingly worse right until the end of the contract. I phoned their pitiful excuse of a customer service line, and spoke to various people from either New Delhi or the far reaches of Scotland. Their excuse each nd every time was that they were "updating their masts", and that the problem should be sorted within a few days. I first heard this pack of lies in January, and when phoning to end my contract in July, they gave the same excuse. Having had enough of their terrible service, I ended my contract as soon as the period was over, and was on the phone (at my costly expense) for over 10 minutes (which comprised of them persuading me to consider their other deals, which I was having none of) to end it. They said that after 30 days the service would be cut off and 10 days after that, the final payment would be taken. They did indeed cut the service off on the date they stated, but never bothered debiting the payment 10 days afterwards. Then, when I thought my business with them was done and dusted, I received a not so friendly letter from them in the middle of October, saying that the account was closed, and then demanding the money. Furious at their temerity and incompetence, I wrote them a letter (figuring it would be cheaper and more efficient than wasting hours on the phone to them). I told them that they had either made some sort of mistake, or they had lied to me on the phone.I also said that if they persisted in threatening me with debt enforcement and potential legal action, I would be taking my own course of action. A week later I received a response, and from it I deemed that they hadn't bothered reading my letter properly, as they said the exact opposite of what I explained happened (they said I should have contacted customer services over the poor coverage, when I specifically stated in my letter that I had done this numerous times). Not only that, but they said that they would stop the debt enforcement, and would be prepared to accept a discounted sum as a goodwill gesture. Still unsatisfied I wrote another letter, but before I sent it I received another threatening letter from them demanding the full sum of money, and saying that charges would be applied and that I would be taken to court if I didn't pay. This angered me even further and my letter wasn't in such a friendly tone, like theirs. I have threatened them with taking the matter to OTELO, and Trading Standards, and am currently waiting for a response. I only hope that they will be as intimidated as they hoped I would be after their bullying tactics. So to clarify, even if you are desperate for mobile broadband and have a vendetta against every other possible company that provides it, DO NOT go for Three. They'll bleed you of your money and give you months of stress and pain on top of it.
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Reviewed by Jemma from UK on 16th Nov 2009
DONT SIGN UP!!!! 3 Mobile broadbad is terrible and a complete waste of time and money. It disconnects every 2 mins or so and they dont offer any customer service. I've had mine about 5 months now. First two months were excellent, never disconnected and was fast etc. Then without doing anything, switched laptop on one day and it disconnected over and over again. This went on for about a week so I took it back to the shop. The guy was so rude, refused to do anything about it but handed me the phone to call India. They were equally as useless. Replaced my modem for me but this was no use and they threatened to charge me for another if they couldnt find fault with the old one. Thankfully they didnt charge me. However I have just learned to put up with it now as still have another 19 months to go!!!! Has anyone else had any luck? I dont want to keep paying for this piece of you know what!!!! DONT GET ONE!!!
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Reviewed by J9 from U.K. on 16th Nov 2009
Absolutely disgusted with their service, I am a new customer, ordered my new laptop and modem 7th November, specified delivery for Monday 10th November, the modem didn't turn up until Tuesday 11th November, I am still waiting for my laptop (today is 16th November), I have 14 day free trial from the day the Modem was delivered, called Customer Services today to be told they have a system error and I am to send the Modem back to the them and that I wont be receiving the laptop, if I still wish to have this contract I have to place a brand new order (apparently they cant just order a new one for me) and I'm to cancel my direct debit to make sure they dont start taking payments away from me, considering I am a brand new customer this is disgraceful service and they obviously do not want new business that much !
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Reviewed by Lucy from UK on 15th Nov 2009
THANK GOD my 24 month contract has finally come to an end. I am fed up with seeing 'internet explorer can not display web page'!!! I live in central London. My reception is disgusting. I have constantly had to reload pages time and time again to do simple things like email. Videos -you tube etc FORGET it! It will NEVER happen. I had to download an update for my blu ray player on my laptop. Told it should take 20 mins or so. My estimated time to download the same update was over 130 HOURS using the rubbish three broadband! I got so mad I could've smashed my laptop that day- I managed to calm myself down and ordered BT! I was told my reception would be fantastic --- RUBBISH! NEVER order three broadband unless: *You WANT to throw money down the drain *You want to deal with rude call centre staff - and it's true that you can't understand them. They even have the cheek to get annoyed with YOU for not understanding them! * You actually like the thought of seeing 'internet page can not be displayed' EVERY time you try to load a page. * Pictures on argos/ ebay etc never show I never have ANY bars just the ariel shaped thing. Most times I have to press connect over and over again until it goes on. And as someone else said when you finally load the page to do an email or whatever you have to make sure you copy it as the stupid thing constantly loses reception and you could lose things that you've typed out. Filling out forms will get you mad as you can't copy everything and you will have to fill it out again and again and again.... You have been warned! Try another network if you must. Even then I would only suggest payg. My experience has been sooo bad with three that I wouldn't even trust another network. I will NEVER get anything from three again!!! Can't wait until I get BT as I will take out all my frustrations over the last 24 months on this stupid dongle when I smash it to bits!!!
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Reviewed by tiger lily from cornwall on 15th Nov 2009
DONT DO DONGLE WITH Network 3 IT KEEPS DISCONNECTING. DONT DO DONGLE WITH Network 3 IT IS SO FRUSTRATING PHONED FOR HELP TO INDIA NO-ONE COULD UNDERSTAND ME DROVE 20 MILES TO NETWORK SHOP, THAT WAS NOT MUCH HELP THEY SAID THAT IT WAS WORKING FINE BUT PLEASE BELIEVE IT'S NOT BACK HOME I TRY A THOUSAND TIMES IT KEEPS DISCONNECTING DONT DO DONGLE WITH NETWORK 3 YOU'LL NEVER GET IT WORKING!
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Reviewed by Ash from United Kingdom on 13th Nov 2009
Well since i have bought my three pay as you go dongle the service that i have received has been absolutely useless. I have speeds well below broadband speeds so they may as well call the service three dial up. also my signal is really bad and three say that i have excellent coverage when that is clearly not the case since i have received a signal of about 2 bars and it frequently disconnects.
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Reviewed by keith from UK on 13th Nov 2009
Have they gone Bust?.... 5 Bars on my mobile phone and i cant make a call. Aparently Internet is conected at 3.6 Mb Cant download a thing speed is riciously slow. Had 3 for about 4 months Nothing But a Pain in the Haris !. Stay away from 3 90+% coverdge Bull.
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Reviewed by Fay from UK on 12th Nov 2009
I an word...'RUBBISH'
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Reviewed by Giles from United Kingdom on 12th Nov 2009
Well, it started out good. We live in an area with slow landline broadband, (long way from exchange) and my 3 dongle gave me faster internet connection than the landline. For about a week. The signal has gotten worse and worse. In the same place, I no longer get the HSDPA signal, but just 1 or 2 bars (about 6% according to 3 connect) of the UMTS signal. The speed is atrocious, and how on earth I am supposed to use 15GB per month I don't know, but I don't think it is possible. At the moment my plan is to phone them up, tell them I've had enough (I have a 24 month contract), post them the dongle back and cancel the direct debit. I've had it for about 3 months now, and they tell me I can't do this. Funny, because I am going to do it anyway. They are not providing me with the service they said they could, so I won't provide them with the custom I said I would. I'd be a lot cheaper if I paid them in fits and bursts, a lot at first but less and less, that might better reflect the connection.
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Reviewed by Laura from London UK on 11th Nov 2009
Complete and absolute RUBBISH. I have traveled the world, and used many different internet connections from Dial Up to Broadband, and the 3 Network (especially in the UK) is by FAR the BIGGEST telecommunications scam i have ever come across. At present, I am using the 3 Network in Central London, and I have 1 star with NON EXISTENT speeds, with little to NO connection. I have had to reload THIS page over 8 times just to post my thoughts. FURIOUS!!! I have even had to cut and paste this review in the even that i loose my connection before getting to post it. Hell no! I plan on joining this review network with everyone else to WARN YOU AND GET YOU FAR AWAY from the 3 Network. If there is a SINGLE 5/4 start post here - it is most certainly a person who works for the 3 Network and needs to be met in a dark alley somewhere to have their oh-so-honest opinion "rectified". The 3 Network is a TOTAL and utter SCAM. There are people on this site suggesting that if you are not legally getting a passable standard of product eg: a product which is not working, faulty or poor performing (in most cases, it is ALL of us!) then, simply bar the 3 Network from taking out payments from your bank account - and STOP Payments on a faulty product. Well, It seems smart in the first 5 seconds...... but then, you have to understand, if it is NOT an agreed "end/or cancellation of contact" then the 3 Network Debt Recovery Department will simply put a strike against your credit rating. So - just simply STOPPING payment and "waiting" for them to come after them, so you can pursuit it in court wont really HELP your credit rating. So - it comes down to LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES AND EXPERIENCES!!! and DON'T ever use the 3 Network again. Tell all your friends and family. Post it on your face book page (if you can get on it!) and help to damage the reputation of the 3 Network!!! This unethical and highly unprofessional level of business trade and conduct is UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE. My final thoughts in regards to the 3 Network. Customer service: The 3 Network Customer Care is in INDIA!!!! I am sorry, and this is NOT a racial issue. This is despicable! 3 Network "out-sourcing" to India to keep their business overheads low. God knows we can all see the reasoning behind it. Cheap-sweat-shop labor. Why run a 3 Network customer service call centre in the UK - with UK based citizens... when you can out-source to India, pay seriously less wages combined with people who are prepared to work all night long. The biggest problem faced with not only myself but many others is many things. 1. With such THICK Indian accents, I cannot understand a WORD many of these representatives are saying. Nor should i have to.. I am an English paying customer, purchasing the product in England. I expect customer service phone/internet support in my country of residence. 2. The customer service representatives in INDIA are absolutely USELESS. They have been utter failures at troubleshooting any of my problems, not to mention sexist attitudes when dealing with Indian-Male representatives. Truly, a BIG clash of "cultural difference", as in the UK, women are generally NOT spoken down to, or patronized for being a woman. NOT happy at all, and i am a very patient and understanding person, and that is totally unacceptable. My final comment in regards to the 3 Network "support" in INDIA, is (and it has been mentioned on a few occasions on this site): Are they reading from a Script? are they robots? I KNOW they are trained to remain patient and placid at all costs, but ... If i hear, "yes Mame" "No Mame", "I am sorry Sir" "Please wait on hold Sir", or told to: 1. Hang my laptop out of a window for better coverage 2. Sit outside in 5 degree UK winter temperate for better coverage (don't worry about freezing to death). 3. Get in your car/or train and travel to another area of the UK to check coverage 4. Get a new computer or try someone Else's. I am going to EXPLODE. This service should be ILLEGAL Outsourcing to another country - should be illegal. I did NOT sign a contract with 3 Network, INDIA. Why are we as paying customers NOT PROTECTED by the Trade Descriptions Act of 1978 as well as the Provision of Goods And Services Act 1982?? PLEASE - if you are reading this review and are considering the 3 Network... PLEASE think again! It will be the biggest financial and emotional mistake of your life. P.S: On my 8th try to post this review here is what my computer said: “The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.”
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Reviewed by constantine from uk on 9th Nov 2009
Its worked most of the time so thats pretty good, but like someone mentioned on here the thing drops off during peak times which is annoying,especially i live right next to a transmitter(full bars constantly).I dont use it for multimedia as it doesnt work, as my son found out. only for emails and university site which it struggles with at the best of time(maybe its a secure site).Have to use REAL BROADBAND(land line) to access these. Given the choice I should off bought the PAYG dongle instead of the £40 contract for 24 months(had it 13 months already) because its impossible to use more than 1GB a month.(im on the net almost 7 hours everyday browsing, never bothered to download after 1st experience as it takes forever). So if you consider buying any sort of mobile broad band DONT get CONTRACTS as its a rip off.Go on PAYG so if you dont like it you aint lumbered with it.If you want real broadband get LANDLINE and have the real thing.lol.
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Reviewed by D Hayward from UK on 8th Nov 2009
Iv had a few mobile broadband connections from various networks and find they all seem to do the same, 1st month seem fast and reliable then a slow downward spiral to zilch!!! Has anyone ever thought it may be the actual dongles that are at fault??? They do seem to get quite hot when hammered!!! Ill agree 3 are actually Gormless Robots! No matter what the problem is its 'on hold' for a few mins then they have to keep repeating them selves because we cant understand what they are saying resulting in a call charge more than the actual monthly Tarrif!!! Iv cancelled both my broadband and mobile 2 yr contracts, told them im not getting what im paying for and will not pay another penny until I do!!! 3 months later, not heard a dickie bird and not been charged!!! I just hope they are eventually going to start court proceedings as im pretty sure im in the right! If I was hired to paint a wall red and I suddenly changed it to pink halfway through, would I still get Paid??? Think Not!!!!
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Reviewed by Ryan from uk on 7th Nov 2009
Have used 3 mobile broadband for about 6 months now and I can say I'm not impressed. Like Steve, I live in the south and the connection just dies during peak hours. You phone them up to complain and you get directed to a call center where the people cant understand you, and you cannot understand them. During the hours of 00:00 - 11:00hrs the connection is fine and great, but thats panse really considering most people are asleep for the majority of the time. Swap to another broadband if I were you.
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Reviewed by mr g from n.ireland on 5th Nov 2009
3 is terrible, they wont take back their dongle either - I can't get a refund. I keep getting redirected/passed around an India based call centre (this isn't a whole load of funtimes folks). Has cost me 30£ in calls already. I've put the darn thing in the bin, using 02 instead, much better.
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Reviewed by graham from uk on 5th Nov 2009
I bought a dongle when they first came out in 06 on 3 on a 24 month contract.Ive just renewed my contract with 3,as they provide a good service cant fault.
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Reviewed by Ed from UK on 4th Nov 2009
Absolutely atrocious. Slow and continually disconnects.
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Reviewed by Simon from UK on 31st Oct 2009
It works fine for me, Paul's tip is good as mine was set to half speed instead of full speed so everyone should check that until 3 can manage to configure them for max speed for point of sale. I nearly kicked the dongle out of the side of the laptop and had to bend the USB connector back and decided to use a USB-USB extension, only one about a foot long of twisted wire, but it seems a fair bit faster still now, I'm wondering if that is working as a sort of aerial extension? Anyway, it works fine and though it's annoying the usage don't rollover, 50p a day for usable access up to 3 gig is value in my opinion.
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Reviewed by Ian from UK on 30th Oct 2009
To answer Robert's question below: you are one of many people to have had a problem with the 3 dongle dropping the connection for no obvious reason. As for fixing the problem, demanding a refund is the best option. My dongle was returned for this reason.
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Reviewed by Steve from UK on 27th Oct 2009
Had this miserable product for 18 months and cannot describe how awful it is. Used it all over the South-East and on different laptops and it's always the same, slow, particuarly at peak hours when everyone else is trying to use it. It just grinds to a halt. Even off-peak it is slow, but even worse, the network becomes unavailable, probably while (much needed) maintenance is carried out. This means if you need to work late at night/early morning it can be down for hours. I don't agree with the poster that only negative people reply to forums if it was good I would be singing it's praises, but it's not it's awful and I hear this from many other people using 3 Mobile Broadband. I suspect many of the good reviews on this forum are from 3 representatives talking up their book. Seriously, avoid this awful prodcut.
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Reviewed by Robert from England on 27th Oct 2009
I've been having the problem of my internet connection stops receiving data which means I have to disconnect then connect again for it to work, it's really annoying, does anyone know why this is? or if there's a way of fixing it?
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Reviewed by roger from England on 25th Oct 2009
I normally get around 1 meg speed but every month or so it goes rubbish for about a week.Its the unreliability that i hate and it keeps disconnecting in the middle of my poker game costing me money.i would not reccomend this rubbish to anyone
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Reviewed by Tony Phillips from England on 19th Oct 2009
Ive had a bad connection now for a month, I have been told from 3 india call center that it was a 24 hour maintence issue, in fact they tell me that every time i ring. There is no one with helpful information, they just run through a script like a robot when the problem is obviously a problem with the server in my area. I can connect in other post codes but not where i live, 1 month ago i could. Its a simple problem but the bad customer service cant solve it and there's no way out of the 2 year contract. 3 might be cheap but if anything goes wrong you will pay the price as the customer service based in india will not put you first and treat you as stupid. Please choose a network with customer service in the UK where you will get someone who can understand your problem even if its more money. Remember if it goes wrong on a 2 year contract it will cost you over £380.
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Reviewed by dave from UK on 19th Oct 2009
Followed Paul's tip to improve speed, seems to have improved slightly. Had 3 mobile broadband 2yrs, no complaints, it does the job.
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Reviewed by Hannah from wales on 19th Oct 2009
My 3 mobile broadband connection has been terrible for about a week. Just went into my local 3 shop and they told me that this is a general problem and the connection should be back to normal in about 3 days time cos they're doing some kind of maintenance. Guess i'll just take their word for it! The connection I had before was fairly good so i'm hoping it's just temporary!
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Reviewed by Jordan from England on 18th Oct 2009
*CAN BE USED FOR ONLINE GAMING* I see a lot of negative reviews, but I'm using a mobile broadband dongle and it's outstanding. Don't be put off from purchasing one, get a signal check for your area and ask to try it out before you get a contract. At first it was pretty slow, with latency up to 5000 ms, but then I got some usb extension cables and have the dongle hooked up out my window, and I'm getting latency as low as 100ms - perfect for online gaming. I kid you not, it's more than 2x as fast as my LAN connection with tiscali, I'm using the dongle for access when I experience lag during gaming, usually in the evening because that's a peak time and tiscali are a terrible, terrible ISP that chuck you in with a line SHARED with up to 100 other people, I'm paying for 8MB and I'm getting less than 1MB, or 100 kbps, usually 50kbps, which is no faster than DIAL UP! Anyway just make sure you get a good signal, highest I got is 2 bars but I'm getting an amazing connection that is more than suitable for online gaming. And DO NOT let it just sit in the back of your pc indoors, in my experience it NEEDS to be hooked up outdoors for a perfect connection.
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Reviewed by Matt from England on 19th Oct 2009
The problem with myThree being unavailable can normally be fixed by closing & reopening your browser. For some reason the website will not let you connect to it twice in the same session. I'm guessing major cookie problems, which isn't a very good advert for the website. As for connection, mine has been dire the last 4 or 5 days. It'll connect for roughly a minute then just die. I have to disconnect/reconnect 2 or 3 times to get it to work (for another minute), then repeat the whole process etc etc. When it works it is very good, fast enough for browsing, & downloading a 30mb app takes only a minute or so. When it isn't working it is a pain in the backside. I'm hoping the current connection problems are down to them upgrading something...
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Reviewed by Ben from Hinckley, Leicestershire on 16th Oct 2009
I purchased the 5Gb package on an 18 month contract and have had nothing but problems from the very beginning. To start with the signal was aweful both inside and outside the house. Three insisted that my area was an exceptional coverage zone and I was expected to believe this?? Google (if the dongle actually connects) takes 40 minutes to load! I've written to them about this and asked them to write back under the T's and C's of the Supply of Goods and Services Act and they haven't even bothered replying, instead they keep calling my mobile and have left 232 voicemails to date (in past 4 months). I wasn't going to write this as to be honest I'm not into forums but I feel that people need to be aware of this. They may cause you hastle you didn't expect, my advice is to take advantage of the Wireless hotspots in the cities nearby or simply go with a provider like BT or Virgin as you are almost always guaranteed a continuous connection. I would recommend the cable services as they are generally more modern, but I think the real issue for the UK is that we are so far behind on a universal front in terms of speed etc.
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Reviewed by michael from bristol on 14th Oct 2009
had 3 for a few weeks.. laptop took a week to arrive but had better processor than advertised so not complaining.. apart from one or two lapses in signal been very reliable as much as could be expected from mobile broadband esp when reading other company reviews.. 'high' quality streaming from youtube.. no complaints.. dont be put off from purchasing it.. is generally the people with issues that bother posting!!
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Reviewed by Chris from England on 14th Oct 2009
i brought a ZTE dongle ages ago, and that was ok but not brilliant. the USB connection on the card actually broke so i was forced to buy another, so i got the huawie e220. the software that it uses to connect is unreliable, because sometimes it will connect, but not recieve any data so i need to disconnect and reconect. also, it will frequently stop transfering data after any given time. this can be really annoying when your having a full blown convo on msn or downloading, as you need to start again. another problem was threes website. the past couple of months i havent been able to top up online because the service for topping up is always unavailable. the first time this happend and i tried again, my bank account got frozen because i had £60 "earmarked" to be paid to three. i was not happy tbh. the staff in store and on the phone arent very usefull either. also, the my3 website is pretty much always "temporarily unavailable", so bear this in mind when choosing. i do however get fast speeds at my home, but everywhere else i go i get terrible signal. i guess im lucky that i dont travel round so much because ive hardly ever gotten signal elsewhere. im looking to change provider. three is the cheapest out their, but it costs a whole lot more in time, patience and money to use their service. i also agree with a lot of the low rating reviews below. it gets two stars because of my speeds at home.
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Reviewed by Steve I from England on 13th Oct 2009
I totally agree with all the negative comments below. It's been a nightmare from the beginning. I advise you NOT to take out a contract with them as you will be wasting your money as well as giving yourself an ulcer from the stress. Guess it's cheap for a reason huh?
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Reviewed by eric from scotland on 12th Oct 2009
no problems always on 3g or hsdpa even plays video clips no problem non of the others work very well on the scottish borders
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Reviewed by Rob from UK on 8th Oct 2009
The speeds pretty slow even in central london but for £5/month for a 1gig limit i can live with that as i only use it on my travels. Whats rubbish is the software that runs 3 broadband, it completely throttles my netbook. The main problem seems to be a process called AutoUpdateSrv.exe that uses up all my processing capacity. It even slows my machine when 3 broadband is disconnected. Only fix is to uninstall 3 broadband.
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Reviewed by Jason from England on 7th Oct 2009
I do not recommend Mobile broadband if 3 is typical of what is on offer. I get a lovely connection during the day until around 4pm, and then after midnight. The rest of the time, I may be showing as been connected, but I do not have a data connection - MSN will not connect, no Email service, and no web browsing. In the area that I use it, there are a lot of students, So I assume that the amount of people connecting to phone home to loved ones is taking away the available bandwidth. IF SO, then why do 3 not do something about this? And the problem is not just confined to this geographic position - I travel around a lot with work, and see this symptom all of the time. Wake up 3, and pull your finger out, and fix the problem. Unless this is remedied soon, I will not be renewing with them.
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Reviewed by Derek from UK on 7th Oct 2009
I bought a 5gb contract dongle for a new laptop on dec29th 2008. Initially it worked well, perhaps for 2 weeks or so. The remaining time has been painful. I live in the strongest coverage area almost in Manchester city centre. I have nothing obstructing my home. In fact i live approx 200 feet up. I am in 2 minds whether to cancel the contract and stand my ground with the aftermath. It is 100% pure frustration and I would recommend it to nobody. I cannot find an email address for 3 customer services and refuse to waste any more money talking to their call centre.
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Reviewed by sarah from UK on 7th Oct 2009
I am fixing a laptop for my friend who uses 3. N omg it is d problem as to why his laptop will not run. when i remove the software it works fine, the min a put it back on it slows the whole system down and as for the internet connection wel it is jus pure clean useless. please for the love of god do not use this service, its cat!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by manie from Uk on 4th Oct 2009
Guys my 3 dongle was rubbish until I got rid of my norton 360 it is now working fine I also agree that thier call centre is rubbish but swear at them and thier staff submit
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Reviewed by studentinthecity from Scotland on 30th Sep 2009
USELESS!! 3 are awful-i've learnt this over the past 12 months locked into a contract where day in day out i experience problems connecting to the internet-went over the usuage limit once and was stung for 20 quid--more than i pay a month-in just a few days. customer service i agree doesn't exist-either a hard sell or a call centre overseas who keep putting you on hold...making calls last forever yet never solving any problems.
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Reviewed by Sara from United Kingdom on 30th Sep 2009
I am disgusted with the product and the company selling it. My boyfriend purchased it as a present but since it was delivered later than expected I couldn't test it until a week later. Despite their website says my postcode is covered both indoor and outdoor I can't open a single webpage and can't establish properly a connection. I have called their callcenter who was just the worst I've had to deal with so far (no IKEA's was) and they were totally unhelpful despite the delivery problem was due to 3 chosen partner and the information given on their website was fraud. I will never have anything to do with this company again. Companies running a business the way 3 does don't even deserve to survive in the market.
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Reviewed by 24 month contract from UK on 30th Sep 2009
Have been using PAYG and now on contract for over a year now. At first it was generally OK - apart from the odd day or two when it was useless - but over the last few weeks it's been out of action for several hours most days, either because there's no signal or there's a good signal but it just won't do anything for hours on end despite retaining the connection - every attempt to load a page is timed out. And often when it's working well it disconnects. When it's working well it's fantastic, but it's totally unreliable, and my contact with 3 thus far hasn't shed any light on things, except that it might be related to overloading at peak times. Most of yesterday evening it was connecting OK but wouldn't load anything, now it's great in the early hours, but it's not necessarily a traffic problem because on other time in the early hours it's been totally useless. Having read through some of the comments, there definitely seems to be a pattern of problems during the last few weeks or the month of September or thereabouts.
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 29th Sep 2009
As most people have mentioned, they are appalling. The customer service is none existant. Their answer to most connection problems is the entire network is down. They lie about what they say and do. The connection is terrible, half the time is says we have a full siganl but it takes forever for pages to load or they dont load at all and the entire laptop has to be restarted to kick the modem into action. They claim we downloaded over 5gb of data in two days with no proof, now have a complaint in with otelo and hoping that might get something done. Companies like this should be not be allowed to operate but alas bad CS seems standard for most companies now adays. Maybe the law needs to be changed and the supply of goods and services act should include a section on providing decent CS.
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 29th Sep 2009
As most people have mentioned, they are appalling. The customer service is none existant. Their answer to most connection problems is the entire network is down. They lie about what they say and do. The connection is terrible, half the time is says we have a full siganl but it takes forever for pages to load or they dont load at all and the entire laptop has to be restarted to kick the modem into action. They claim we downloaded over 5gb of data in two days with no proof, now have a complaint in with otelo and hoping that might get something done. Companies like this should be not be allowed to operate but alas bad CS seems standard for most companies now adays. Maybe the law needs to be changed and the supply of goods and services act should include a section on providing decent CS.
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Reviewed by paul from UK on 29th Sep 2009
Ive used the 3 PAYG broadband dongle for over 18 months now, I usually top up £15 a month as i found i was hitting the 1GB limit too often previously. Generally the service is pretty dire, the connection drops constantly (Even though i have a good signal). Im currently sitting here unable to connect at all, this happens quite reguarly and its very irritating. Avoid 3 like the plague, ok its cheap but you do get what you pay for!
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Reviewed by Eddy from UK on 28th Sep 2009
I would not wish 3 mobile on my worst enemy, coverage in Britains second largest city is dismal
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Reviewed by CT129 from UK on 28th Sep 2009
I have had 3 mobile broadband since May 09 and have had one problem after another. The Customer Service I have received has been nothing less than appalling and some phone calls to their 'off shore' call centres has been over an hour long. I have tried to raise a formal complaint in writing with no response and have recently been sent a bill for £19.99 for a replacement dongle as they said I damaged the first one!!! It never worked in the first place. NEVER NEVER again will I buy anything from 3 and would suggest that no-one else does. I am stuck in an 18 month contract. I am rating this as 1 star (poor) but don't feel it really qualifies for that however you don't provide an 'appalling' category.
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Reviewed by Brian from UK on 26th Sep 2009
You guys need to complaint to OTELO otelo.org.uk/membercompanies.php the communications overseer. The are the people that scare them into action.
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Reviewed by dingdang from UK on 26th Sep 2009
3 mobile broadband is a pathetic! slow like.. i dont know.. anything slower than amputated snail maybe..
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Reviewed by robert from UK on 25th Sep 2009
DO NOT BUY 3 mobile broadband!! you are wasting your money and time (including getting bills fixed). The line is slow. Customer support is bad as they are not helping at all. Be careful with your bill as you might be charged unnecessarily. My3 site to check data usage real time is not showing what is recorded in their system. I don't think 3 deserves even 1 star here. 0 star would be appropriate! Again, DO NOT BUY 3 mobile broadband or you will regret it like many others.
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Reviewed by Mick from UK on 24th Sep 2009
I have had a 3usb dongle on contract for approx 18 months at least and to start off the service wasn't too bad, but things have gone downhill from there, everytime I try to use it, it connects but then refuses to load any other page after my browser, if I am really lucky it might let me view 5 or 6 pages and then disconnect's itself, all in all an extreemly frustrating piece of crap, it has got to the point that I want to make an official complaint and hopefully try and get some of my money back, £15 a month for what?, so I can sit screaming at my computer, because it doesn't do what it is supposed to, namely connect to the internet. If anyone has any ideas about the best way to start a complaint please put up a post, because it's pointless going to a 3 store because the staff tend to treat you like morons " Are you sure its switched on Sir ", and other pieces of wisdom. My advice steer clear of 3usb modems.
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Reviewed by Glenn from UK on 22nd Sep 2009
Had mine for over a year and had no problems with it for a while, used it as my main internet topping it up £15 a month was ok. Moved house and gone with bt landline fibre optic but its down at the mo so had to dig the dongle out again. And all i get now is 19/20 times i try to connect is local only, whats the point, so frustrating having no internet. If it keeps at it i will bin it.
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Reviewed by Gary from England on 21st Sep 2009
I came off Virgin because the 3 package looked good, i can only advise anyone who is thinking the same not to bother! It is the biggest waste of money i have ever seen, it never works always disconnects itself and is slower than dial up was 10 years ago. If you service your getting is good dont move! My actual rating would be minus 40 but unfortunately this rating system only goes down to 1.
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Reviewed by jason from U.K on 21st Sep 2009
3 mobile is useless. I was told that in my area i should get 2.8 speeds. I am lucky if i get 400 kbps.
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Reviewed by emma from england on 21st Sep 2009
i got my 3g dongle on a 2yr pay monthly tariff. what a big mistake!! The slightest bit of bad weather and it just knocks off every 5 mins or goes very slow.. cant watch video's on you tube or facebook, takes ages to upload pictures. After 12 months of having it it stopped working,this was in march 09. the foreign call centre staff do not help, they just tell you the same old thing, try this and try that, non of it works, i was also told it was a bad signal area and thats why it wouldnt work! well why was i told it was good signal area when i bought it and why has it worked for the last 12 months then? i had it sent back for repair after endless phone calls, came back and still did not work, took another load of phone calls before they would take it away again fo repair, still didnt work! after all the money i had wasted on phone calls trying to sort it out, it was then august 09 so thats 6 months of no internet and wasted money on calls! i cancelled my direct debit in june as i was not going to pay for something that would not work, i have had debt collection letters from them and will not be paying them another penny!! they told me they would investigate the problem and get back to me and if no solution then they wud cancel it, still waiting for the phone call back after 4 months.. i am now told i cannot end the contract and have to pay the remaining money which is £180 to end the contract! absolutely no chance! 3G completely useless!! never ever again would i use them!!
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Reviewed by Blue from United Kingdom on 20th Sep 2009
While 3 are claiming to revolutionising the mobile phone they are doing quite the opposite with their USB modem. When I first got my USB modem I was quite impressed with it - apart from not being able to watch HD movies on YouTube. I didn't mind too much as I didn't see the attraction... Anyway, a couple of months down the line I started to experience terribly slow speeds and frequent loss of connection. I called 3's "Technical" department on several occaisions only to be told the same thing over and over: "Adjust my browser settings..." So I got fed up! I sent 3 an email informing them that I would terminate the contract if they were unable to provide the service as advertised. As there was no improvement I stopped the direct debit on my account to 3. This resulted in 3 sending a debt collector after me. I held firm due to what I had experienced. So the debt collector firm gave up. 3 then apologized for the inconvenience via a letter saying something along the lines of: "We are sorry that you couldn't get on the internet between March and July... We hope we can resolve the issue, so we'll give you back your money for that period..." Are 3 crazy? I am just going to sit there at my laptop for a few months until 3 get their act together... Absolutely not! Now they are still pushing for me to pay for a service that I had terminated due to the fact that 3 failed to deliver the service as advertised. Once again, they are threatening to give me bad debt to affect my credit rating. Needless to say that I am furious. I am going to make a complaint to BBC's Watchdog program. I want 3 to be held accountable for their failure to provide a broadband service and bullying tactics, which I won't give in to. 3 broadband? Uh-uh...
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Reviewed by richard from UK on 20th Sep 2009
hi, 3 mobile broadband is the best mobile pay&go broadband service in the uk as it has better coverage than every other company and it's getting better very soon too three have just anounced its mobile wi-fi service (works just like wifi but u can take ur network anywere u want its got all the speeds u get with normal wi-fi but on the move so mobile broadband is the way to go if you dont mind the download limits
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Reviewed by ken from UK on 20th Sep 2009
I purchased a 3g dongle about 10 months ago, mainly for when I am away from home, so far its behaved very well for basic use, so I am pleased where 3g coverage exists. But for video streaming and fast down loads, its a waste of time. I feel mobile broadband is purely for general browsing and email use when at home or on the moveaway. Never rely on it as a primary service. Standard adsl or cable is the only way to go for home use if one is take advantage of all services. Unfortunately my adsl line is not much better due to network congestion regardless of ISP supplier. very annoying as I cannot take advantage of BBCi and the channel 4 service due to re buffering problems, tiscali, aol BT tried them all, UK lags behind in this area. Even gone back to a ethernet connection far to many wifi hubs in the area causing problems (not enough channels) a neighbors wireless linked cctv knocked out the wifi hub as the cctv uses same 2.5ghz band. What a country we live in, mass marketing slowly killing off the industry. Otherwise I like 3g, just don't expect to much. I also use o2 phone as a modem linked to my netbook, I get a 450k connection only but for email its ok. o2 handy if 3g out of range. (pay as you go) customer, never never have a contract unless the phone is to expensive HI. From a long term frustrated internet user from the dial modem days and we appear to be back at that level at times, OH SO SLOW.
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Reviewed by sid from mansfield on 18th Sep 2009
3 (so called broadband) is absolutely atrocious,it can take me as much as 30 attempts to get connected, and when it does it disconnects after about 10 mins or about 2 MB of data transfer. 3 customer "care" don't seem to be at all interested.so i've lobbed my 3 dongle in the bin & got a much better vodafone dongle.
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Reviewed by Reza from Stafford, West Midland, UK on 16th Sep 2009
I have got 3 mobile broadband for 5-6 months. At the beginning it was ok except on and off disconnections. Since last 4 weeks these disconnections are almost every 2 minutes. It is so frequent which I can not open my e-mails. I have spoken to customer service several times. They sent me a new dongle. But the problem is the same. I don't know even if I can send this message now. My advice would be: DO NOT GO FOR 3 BROADBAND......
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Reviewed by Kate Naughton from Epsom, Surrey, UK on 16th Sep 2009
I have had three mobile broadband for about 7 months and it has been one drama after another. It has been at its worst over the past month, especially at peak times. My internet is now only allowing local access intermittently, there seems to be nothing i can do about it, whatever i do will not re-connect to full internet service. The system will just re-connect when it feels like it and then disconnect again... this happens all the time and is so frustrating!! I have contacted three numerous times and spoken to 'customer support' who are useless! Obviously, them not being based in the UK is no help either as i am spending my phone bill ringing them, repeating over and over again what the problem is. I have done everything they have suggested and their final solution was that i should contact the manufacturers of my laptop (2 different ones that i use in my house!) as it must be their problem!! I wish they would take responsibility for their appalling service!
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Reviewed by jonm from scarboro on 15th Sep 2009
i bought 3gb broadband payg from the local shop, and got the assistant to check on thier system the coverage for my area, this is a better system than the one n thier web site. got home and so far ive had between 1mb and 2.4md downlaod speeds so things are looking good. ive still to decide wether to get a 15gb contract..FREE LAPTOP HAHAHAHAHAHA we need to complain to consumer standards about false advertising.... why cant i use th mob broad band on my home network any ideas??
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Reviewed by mandi from uk on 15th Sep 2009
i have had 2 weeks of hell all i get is limited connectivity or local only constantly sats no page to display. spent 40 pounds on phone to customer services cannot end contract! they swear its my pc ive tried the dongle on 3 diff laptops same problem! sent me a new dongle after me screaming down the phone at these goons i actually cried with frustration cannot understand anything some of the "helpline" people say there dialect is so bad they say the same thing over and over again. My pc has been checked by a technician who said there is nothing wrong with it! had so many problems! so frustrated. DO NOT USE THREE ABSOLUTLEY APPALLING SERVICE!
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Reviewed by Helen from UK on 14th Sep 2009
I have had 3 mobile broadband for now 22 months. Bought 24 month contract £15 for 3GB/month. Of course there are much better deals out there now and more companies to choose from. I was one of the first to have this because I needed something for travel. I had the horror of a £40 bill when I went over the limit one month by a few MB. Since then, they now send warnings if you are approaching your limit. Extremely slow in London (and other UK locations). At peak times are bad to the point of unable to load pages. I have been unable to e.g. load hotmail because it is so slow, e.g. current speed typically less than 50kbps. Occasional peaks of 170kbps. Bear in mind that it should be upto 3.6Mb, the service I am getting is over 20 times slower. However, being very patient, I can access text based pages easily. I don't even try to load pages with many pictures and certainly not streaming video as one reviewer manages. It was quite funny when 3 introduced online billing but the connection was so slow I was unable to get access to their own webpages. I resolved then to quit 3 mobile as soon as my contract was up. However, I have yet to see better service from other networks. I will end this contract since £15 for 3GB is really bad these days. The connection only cuts out after say 3 hours, which I think I have set myself. I have now seen Paul's suggestion and changed the maximum connection speed to 921600 from 115200 so I will see how this goes. Telephone helpline when looking for drivers for my MAC were not very helpful. The online webpage kept leading me to a dead link and I eventually managed to find how to connect to a MAC using Google. It depends on your needs, I can't say I can particularly recommend it, but if you need access to the net (slow) for text based pages, then this maybe good enough for you.
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