[Updated] I had a good run on the Three’s One Plan, but never expected it to end quite like this
I knew the One Plan was dead. I knew I’d be getting ‘the letter’ one day.
But despite knowing my days were numbered (arguably, I’ve lasted longer than some given I’ve been out of contract for well over a year), I still didn’t expect this.
- EDIT 5th February 2016: Read my update at the bottom of the article to see what has happened since.
It’s certainly not in keeping with its ‘make it right’ advertising campaign, although it’s not the first example of Three doing something sucky while advertising the exact opposite.
Three has said in the past that many people abused the unlimited tethering part of the One Plan, and there can be no denying that some people did take advantage of something that Three, rightly or wrongly, promoted as a major selling feature.
Shop staff and social media said using it to connect a PC, console or TV was fine. The only restriction came in the form of Three’s TrafficSense to throttle users file sharing.
Even Three’s own usage guidelines stated 1000GB as fair usage (yes, 1TB) so perhaps it should have thought more carefully about what it was offering from the start?
In any case, is it fair to kick everyone off the plan and force them onto something costing significantly more? In my case, £15 a month will become £30 a month from the end of February.
Come on Three, that just isn’t right.
- What follows is a clearly a rant, but hopefully it’s more than just that and you’ll find some useful information and a trigger to further discussion – so I hope it’s worth the time to read!
Noble origins of the One Plan
Few people probably remember the fuss over high Mobile Termination Rates (MTRs) that dogged the mobile industry years ago, whereby networks could charge huge fees to deliver calls to other networks.
As a small player, Three generally lost out by receiving more calls than it originated. It started a campaign that gained huge public support, with other players including BT getting onboard. It also got the full support from me as Editor of What Mobile magazine at the time.
To cut a long story short, Ofcom finally agreed to massively reduce the rates. And even before the cuts came into force, Three launched the One Plan (at a great risk had Ofcom decided against the cuts).
The One Plan offered 2,000 minutes of calls to ANY network, which was unprecedented at the time. It really was a game changer. Suffice to say, it helped win Three awards and a very loyal following of customers who acted as volunteer advocates to try and tell everyone just how much better Three was as a network than the greedy ‘big boys’.
Along with unlimited data, the plan was exceptional value even at its original £25 per month rate, and undoubtedly responsible for helping Three make a great deal of money and boosting its reputation.
Now it seems the launch of the tariff is nothing but a bad memory for Three, a hindrance to the stability of its data network due to a small level of ‘abusers’, and something it wants erased from history completely.
Have no doubt, every single One Plan customer will get kicked off. It’s just a matter of time, with the heaviest users likely targeted first.
Changing the game again
It’s generally unheard of for a network to kick users off a tariff. Networks can discontinue plans, or increase charges by the rate of inflation, but as long as you keep paying the bills then it’s fair to say you can usually live out your days on whatever plan you’re on.
Even One2One (which went on to become T-Mobile) never kicked people off the PersonalCall tariff, but simply allowed the rental to creep up until the offering of free local calls in the evening and weekends ceased to be good value compared to other plans.
People usually change tariff because they want to, either to upgrade a phone or perhaps benefit from a newer tariff that offers more for the money. In Three’s case, there’s not really a plan that can come close to matching the One Plan.
Unlimited minutes and texts doesn’t really count. A lot has changed in the last few years. People make fewer calls, and SMS is increasingly being replaced by instant messaging. 95% or more of Three’s network usage is data.
It’s no wonder that as calls and texts are decreasing, networks see ‘unlimited’ as something to offer that sounds a lot better than it is.
Easy money
From now on, it’s clear a Three customer is fair game once the minimum contract period is up.
My letter shows that in a month, my current £15 a month plan will double to £30. A plan that ditches unlimited tethering, but gives me more calls and texts I don’t want or need.
The letter adds insult to injury by telling me ‘there’s no need to worry’ because the change is automatic. It talks about the plan being discounted by £3 and not available online. Anyone would think the letter was written by someone who comes into your home to sell double glazing late and night and wants you to believe you have the best possible deal if you ‘act quick’.
In this case, acting quick is accepting the deal and filing the letter away to accept the inevitable.
Stating the deal “isn’t available online, in store or over the phone” will no doubt stop some customers from even trying. If it’s the best deal, what’s the point?
Yet, people who do take the time to sit on hold often find they can get discounts of £5 or more, as well as getting 3,000 minutes of Three-to-Three calls added on (useful for the plans without unlimited minutes).
So, that’s a further insult because the deal in the letter is absolutely NOT the best offer they can make.
A better option
When the One Plan was discontinued over a year ago, it was replaced with a fixed tethering limit. This started at 2GB per month on a handset contract and 4GB on a SIM only contract.
More recently, it has been increased to 12GB on SIM only contracts. 12GB for tethering isn’t bad and would suit me fine, so why couldn’t I have simply been told my plan is changing to impose a 12GB tethering limit?
I’m happy with my calls and texts. Heck, bump me up by the rate of inflation if you wish.
But asking me for another £180 a year? That’s just low.
What will Three do next?
Last year, Three introduced new tariffs with higher amounts of data to sit below the all-you-can-eat plan. Many people, myself included, believe that sooner or later the AYCE plans will either be axed, or the prices increased further to discourage most people from choosing them.
Their existence may end up allowing Three to advertise that it offers unlimited data, even if the number of people with unlimited data is greatly reduced and will continue to fall.
And, we’ll all be aware that at some point those who enjoy one of the new tariffs will find that they’re now old tariffs, so can look forward to letters of their own.
Over a year ago, the network was told it must stand on its own feet and get its house in order, presumably as a precursor to a purchase of O2.
This has seen price increases on tariffs, a U-turn on not increasing charges in line with inflation during the contract term, plus hidden changes like reducing the amount of data you can use abroad on Feel at Home (12GB down from 25GB). Feel at Home itself is flawed due to the restriction or slowing down of certain services.
It beggars belief that a network can be using a purple muppet to say Three is going to stop things sucking, when there are people within Three hell-bent on making sure everything sucks – to the point where people either accept the higher costs, or leave.
Leaving is of course what a lot of people are doing. Call centre staff even admit to it quite openly.
I can’t help but feel I’m going to be adding to the churn rate.
- Are you on the One Plan? Have you received your letter? Share your comments below on what you decided to do, or what you plan to do when you receive yours.
- Edit: The Sun and Daily Mail have now picked up on the story.
- And TechRadar. And Metro.
Update – 5th February 2016
I had to update this article to give an update on what has happened since.
Firstly, I contacted Three and following some lengthy battle-of-the-wills stuff that eventually got me transferred to the customer relations team in Glasgow (in effect, Three escalated it as a customer complaint) was offered a change to the AYCE data, unlimited texts, 600 minutes plan for £20 a month – and still on a 30 day rolling contract basis.
I have also found that many other users have secured the same deal, or even got the top plan (AYCE data, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes) for the same £20. Others have secured deals for similar amounts, or got 2,000 Three-to-Three minutes added on to lower plans.
All in all, Three IS willing to haggle and by quite some margin. But of course this means you have to play the game. You need to phone up and play hard. Remember, you have the ability to cancel your contract and go elsewhere – so don’t be afraid to say as much.
If Three won’t budge, then request your PAC code. You then have 30 days to use this, or it expires and you remain connected. As such, you have nothing to lose. If you don’t get what you ask for (and customer services have no power to discount and will insist there are no discounts on offer at all) then either make a complaint or request the PAC and wait for a call in the coming days. Three will call back to make you an offer, and you can then continue negotiations.
It stands to reason that you shouldn’t be greedy. Unlimited tethering has gone and it isn’t coming back, so you won’t be able to ask for it at any price. And don’t think you’ll get an offer that brings down the rental to £15 for the top-end plans (and if anyone does get this, I’d recommend you keep quiet!!). If you want a cheaper monthly bill, you’ll need to accept a limit on data or calls.
Ultimately, I’m happy to pay £20 a month and have the freedom of a 30 day contract, although in the back of my mind I’ll have to keep wondering if that’s because Three won’t hesitate to write to me again in the future to change the game again.
It’s also proof that Three is relying on customer inertia to just accept the new fee. Perhaps some people don’t have the time, or confidence, to haggle. It’s what companies do every single day, and why people pay too much for electricity, gas, insurance and even bank charges. It’s not what you’d expect from a company that talks about wanting to stop things that suck – but I digress…
For now, I have to stress once again that if you want to stay with Three – don’t sit back and do nothing. Disregard all the content of your letter that says the chosen tariff with the £3 discount is the best you can possibly get. It’s false. Get on the phone now!
Its August 2018 im still on the one plan. I signed upto the £35 a month deal around 8 years ago. Unlimited data, unlimited tethering, 2000 mind amd 5000 sms. Now with feel at home I have the same abroad nothing from Three about giving it up.
Hi All.
I am still on the one plan as of 22nd February 2019.
I have Unlimited Data, 2000 Voice, 5000 Texts and 5000 Three to Three for £43.00 per month. I am out of contract now for about 3 years. I did receive the letter, and called customer service to complain, I finally requested the PAC to go elsewhere but strangely when that expired , NOTHING changed. A strange thing did happen along the way was when I put the sim in my iPad 2 air with network capability to be presented with a pop up saying basically the sim would not work, this was about 2 years ago, however about 3 months later it worked ????? and the sim is sometimes recognised as a Dongle, again ????
My usage has has always been fairly close to the 1000 MB/1TB monthly limit due to help friends and family with computer/laptop problems which requires many hours using Teamviewer, and streaming Netflix and TV etc.
My signal strength is a little sketchy where I operate from varying from 3G 3 bars to 4G 2 bars so not a strong signal, However I get great download speeds of 15-20 Mb/s for that signal strength.
I have waited and waited for fiber broadband to come to my location, its arrived. I have just signed up to Vodafone on a guaranteed 60-76 MB download for £25 month. It says the speed is guaranteed after a short time 1-2 months during which time they are configuring the line. During this time I am assured I will receive a discount to my monthly bill of 15-20% we will see.
Finally I am open to offers for the PLAN as a one off payment to me and then transferring the account/changing the direct debit.
Good luck to all you one planners, may you live long and prosper.
£43 per month is outrageous. Three’s current £20 sim only offer gives unlimited data, unlimited tethering, unlimited texts and unlimited calls..
Well it’s June 2018 and I’m still on the One plan, unlimited tethering, 2000 minutes, 5000 texts, 2000 3 to 3 minutes.
But then again I don’t abuse it. On the odd occasion I’m away from home or moving to a new place I binge as my main data connection maybe 200gb perhaps one month every couple of years.
Been paying them £18 a month since 2012, happy to stay.
You’ve done well. I didn’t abuse it either, but I do think after the negative press attention they scaled back the letters so perhaps our pain has been your gain!
Let’s just hope they aren’t reading and do a search for any One Plan user with your name!
You think I used my real name? 😉
Three have removed the tethering limitation on AYCE tariffs on the 4th October after the EU judged they couldn’t do so any more as it is in breach of net neutrality, so they will probably have to stop AYCE all together soon, will probably cap all data whether tethered or not instead.
I’m still on the one plan and they have had a couple of grand from me since 2016, I don’t think they will look to get rid of me any time soon.
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsSorry, I mean since 2012.
Hopefully they don’t force me off I call them last year to get a upgrade and 3 would not give me a new handset unless I changed my plan to a frankly crude deal to all this conserned I refused to change and called there bluff I have had to buy my own phone as I was not willing to change not even for a flagship phone as unlimited tethering is a must and the only reason I chose 3 to begin with and it’s unacceptable to force customers off there plans I’ve been using the service as my main Internet connection and would cost me a considerable amount more to replace the contract and get broadband. Besides how can they get away with telling customers how to distribute there data they already payed for I meen ffs the teather charge is a joke I meen u don’t get the water company telling u to pay extra because u used the water somewhere else if u paid u paid. I meen hell if I wanted I can run all the same software on my phone or a pc and can use just as much data as I could with a computer what’s the difference I paid for my data why can they tell us what to do with it once they sent it. What a joke imagine if you got a pastie from a shop and he said you have to eat it in the same town or he was going to charge u extra mmmmmmm
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsTo be honest, it’s people abusing it to use as their main internet connection on PC’s that got the thing cancelled in the first place, so we all lost out because of the few people like you. Cheers..
Sounds like you’re regretting paying for broadband when it was in your pocket all along! haha
I use as main internet have for years I can’t get any decent broad band where I live.
NGL I pay enough for it but I always thought it was because I don’t use the phone with the contract and I’m using something aincient… Thought 3 might not be able to tell I was tethering as I’ve never asked for a one plan and I’m sure my plan says 12gb teth an I’m using like a 1000
https://polldaddy.com/js/rating/rating.jsLike you, I was annoyed by the fact they went against common practise and rather than stop the plan for new customer, and perhaps get rid of excessive users or warn them to limit their usage somewhat (but as you say, a 1000 GB example is bound to be seen as an invitation to do the same, month in, month out – though I thought I saw the figure only in a review by some website, not from Three).
No matter what I said, they offered me no sensible alternatives, though I have to say I was pushing to not spend more than £15, as I had a second contract with them (now finally ended after 24 months), and had been with them since 2008, I hoped they’d reconsider the price.
They didn’t offer anything suitable, so I got my PAC and, as I had promised them I would remove my custom completely, now have my second PAC to leave them completely. I think they must have had a masive change in management style because they no only scrapped that plan, but seemed to also scrap commission payments via Affiliate Window, etc, meaning that fewer web sites or even the likes of Carphone Warehouse seemed to mention Three afterwards.
Still paying £15 a month for the One plan, I got a letter last month saying the way they bill me is changing today as they will be moving me onto a new plan. Highlighted in bold is “The amount you pay won’t increase and the length and terms of your contract won’t change” Wonder what all that is about.
I’m still on the One plan and have had no letters.
I work from home and have fiber broadband, it’s rare I even use any network data. Occasionally such as times when I’ve moved home or there’s a fault with my broadband I tether and away I go for a couple of days.
4 years on and they’ve made quite a bit of money from me when my actual usage is the equivalent to a £5 a month sim only deal.
If, however three decided to move me to a tariff with data restrictions it would remove the reason I have the thing in the first place – as a backup to getting online used once, maybe twice a year for 1-3 days max. I pay £19 a month for that backup, rarely make calls, maybe 10 minutes and 20 texts a month.
Until that day comes I shall continue to pay the bill and use the phone as I always have done. Responsibly. That’s possibly why I’m still on The One Plan anyway.
The moment that stops is the moment I request my PAC and look at options more suited to me. The Sky deal with data rolling over for up to 24 months seems great, and cheaper. Time will tell..
I’ve not received the dreaded letter yet. I’ve been out of contract for over a year now and I’m still paying £45 a month for a 3 yr old iPhone 5s. I tether a lot at work so I don’t mind paying it. Maybe 3 are not sending letters to stupid people like me who are paying well over the odds for what basically now is a sim only deal. Long may it continue!
Yeah, my parents still have One Plan contracts where they’re probably paying around that per month for iPhones (even though each has since bought SIM free phones). Not that I think my mum has ever activated tethering and my dad does it rarely to hook up an iPad for Sky Go.
Wish I would get the letter. Absolutely worse network ever
I’ve also settled for this after direct call to customer complaints in Glasgow: £20/mnth for 200mins cross net, 2000min 3to3, ACE txts and data with 30gb tether.
Customer of 4 yrs on payg One plan. Paid approx £17 per month.
Didn’t use much talk, text or phone data. Did use about 50g per month personal hotspot.
Transferring to 30G for £25 pcm on contract doesn’t appeal, although once i’ve looked at competitors it may be that there’s little else out there. PAC code acquired as I was offered nothing after 20 mins chat
Had the letter today. Currently pay 17 a month as I have a rolling discount after the one plan was originally miss sold to me. Originally told 0870 and all those numbers were included in the allowance. I will definitely be ringing those natives and give them a rollicking as that’s all they understand. If nothings done that sim card is going to get hammered I’m sure I can manage a few 1000gb in a week. I’ve never abused the tethering, only used it occasionally and its more the peace of mind factor but this is taking the pee offering a 30 quid contract with 3 quid discount anyone can get. I had this problem when I had a dongle with 3 I was out of contract and they put the price up but only to reflect inflation. This price hike is extortionate. I nearly took a deal the other month with vectone they were offering unlimited everything for 8 pound wish I’d taken it now. 🙁
Quick update to the ongoing 3 ACE extortion plan. In a nutshell have had contracts with 3 since the network opened. £15 a month for ACE x 3 contracts which they wanted to double to £30. After pac codes and escalation to complaints I sttled for £20/mnth for 200mins cross net , 2000min 3to3 , ACe txts and data with 30gb tether. rolling monthlycontracts. suits my needs but still feels like screw the loyal customer for all they can get…….seems to be the way of business for all utilities. Hope this assists
I negotiated 30gb limit with all available for tethering and unlimited calls and texts for £20 per month. I have never used above 18gb even when tethering so think I’ll be ok.
Was annoyed they changed One Plan, and pointed out I’d not abused the data so didn’t feel I should pay more. I think £20 a month is fair price for this.
Hi, What magic words did you use and which dept did you speak to? I’m having no joy..
30 GB will cot £33 apparently. I’m waiting for my PAC code ..
I was just very very nice to the nice Indian lady on the phone, and said straight off I was horrified by the letter and didn’t see why I should pay more than the current £20 when I’d never abused the usage. I told her I was also told in the shop when I started the contract that it would roll after 2 years. I bought my own handset so there wouldn’t be an issue and I was very disappointed. I was just very nice I think. I said I was sure she’d had to deal with a lot of unhappy people, which must be horrible for her, all because 3 had really upset people. I think it was the being nice and chatting that got me somewhere. She did have to go away and ask someone before offering it to me. I do feel sorry for those guys at the moment- a contant stream of annoyed people phoning up! Niceness and slight desperation about the cost seemed like a good tactic. Good luck.
Thanks. My guy wasn’t for budging.
I received my letter today incorrectly telling me that my monthly contract has expired. I have a 12 month contract which has rolled over for the past 3 years. Initially spoke to customer services who was obviously trained by an African grey parrot and didn’t understand the concept of rolling contracts. I escalated to the complaints department and got a lady who was taught by the same parrot. I did point out that I considered Three to be in breech of contract as my rolling contract had existed for over three years and no communication to the contrary had been received from Three during this period. I ended the ‘Computer says no’ conversation. I have received a text confirming that my complaint has been registered and await an offer. Although Three sucks for what they are doing I prefer to stick with them as long as I can have AYCE data and reasonable call minutes as this and the use abroad is worth it. I’m not paying £30 for it and will switch if no deal is offered
I failed miserably with them, they did nothing for me, rude, obnoxious staff doesn’t even come close. They know they have you and are prepared to do nothing. I will be posting up the full conversation on my site soon, and hope you don’t mind if I add a link into your comments here, just so people know what they are dealing with!
Odd. I only just heard of this from a colleague (trying to get someone to use a referral to giffgaff 😉). Am a longstanding Three customer currently paying £15/month on the One Plan AYCE data.
And that is current as of the end of *March*, with the latest such bill dated 17th March. I never received that letter. Is it just being rolled out gradually, or what?
Not sure what to do myself, I’m on the One plan £25 per month -£10 credit per month and not had any notice as of yet, I can get the BT 20gb for £16 per month (no tether though) but that ends in a few days. Does anyone think Three will move EVERYONE off the One plan eventually?
Yes. Absolutely every one on the One Plan (and all other legacy plans) will be moved on to a newer plan eventually.
Just an update on my post, just rang Three to get my PAC and they have given me (after 25 mins on the phone to them!) unlimited everything and 12gb tether for £19 p/m, although, I have checked My3 and it says £20? I’ll have to check that again later. They have basically left my £10 ‘loyalty’ credit as it is.
I just got 8GB AYCE minutes and texts (with 8gb tethering) on a (very exclusive apparently) 1 month contract that online would usually cost £27 for only £18.
I don’t use large amounts of data but also don’t like the worrying about it.
It was a stressful two weeks – definitely leave them hanging (they keep calling when you have a complaint open) just until it is almost too late and thats when suddenly there are exclusive offers.
I managed to haggle them down to the 8GB, AYCE Minutes and Texts for £18 that most people had offered. I waited it out further, played a silent game and got this down to £16. It’s not ideal, but my average monthly use is 4GB. The fact i can ‘add on’ extra GB if i need it makes this ok. I’ve never been over 6.5GB… i’m mostly on wifi at home and work. Plus, as i’m on the 1 month rolling contract i think it will be worth a call in a couple of months to see how they can better it data wise.
You did well Jon to get the top plan with AYCE data and discounted down to £20.
my complaint was escalated to Glasgow and i spoke to a really helpful guy but he wasnt able to do anything on the costs or making sure i get an applicable discount,
i was transferred to the india “retentions” team, and the best i could negotiate was the 8GB plan with ultd calls/texts for £18 per month down from £27.
I’d hoped to get the same you had, and i’d read others getting as well, the £30 plan discounted to £20.
i’ll have to now be more careful with data, although i wasn’t an abuser, 11GB in a month was my max and i was mostly in the 4-8GB on a monthly basis.
it’s just a shitty way to treat a loyal customer after 5 years. Most of the time i had 2 contracts during that period so i was averaging a £50-65 monthly spend.
Three senior management will not take any responsibility for there actions and likely if they get to take over 02, they will do the same there as well.
Called today. I’ve been moved from The One Plan with unlimited everything for £18 per month to 8GB data, unlimited minutes and unlimited texts for £16. This was after they offered me the new One Plan for £30 per month.
Sad to lose the cushion over unlimited data but I’ve only used a max of 9GB data in the last 12 months and average out at 3GB.
It’s remarkable how different all of these offers are.
Just call!
Called Today after getting the dreaded letter last week and they seem to be getting your average usage over the last 12 months and reading this out to you and then advising one of the alternative plans, In my case the 600 min/4GB data @ £16 (Why they didn’t just suggest that on the letter in the first place, I don’t know!). They make out that this deal out as if it is made just for you, But no hard sale ironically.
Tried to get them to budge with the 600 min/AYCE Data @ £25 but was advised to purchase add-ons if i needed more data starting from £3 apparently. It may make sense if you have an average data usage that is covered in the new plans like myself but liked the assurance of AYCE Data…
It’s also worth factoring in that you will no longer get a separate allowance for 3 to 3 calls.
They can add 2000 3to3 minutes. I was even shown this as a special offer when logged in to My3 so if you say that they can add it at no extra cost.
Wasn’t aware until i checked, Thanks.
COMPETITION COMMISSION.
The underlying cost of cellular phone and data connections is falling fast as the capital cost of infrastructure is paid down. In the context of these falling costs, Three Mobile has just demonstrated that it’s own pricing is anti-competitive and in turn that the industry as a whole is acting Anti-competitively.
Send ‘the letter’ to mobile number ****751929 and expect my swift and public complaint to the Competition Commission.
Disgusted.
Today I called them, I was on the 15£ the one plan, and I got for 20£ unlimited data, 200 min with everybody, 2000 with 3 customers, unlimited texts and 12 GB tethering. Was it a good deal?
Not bad if you don’t use talk time too much,I rang them twice first they offered me AYCE talk/texts 8gb for £18 I had taken this but a week later seeing people were getting AYCE everything for £20 I rang them back but didn’t say nothing about this deal just said I know you can give me something better if not I want Pac code, so they put me through customer relations after a bit of tit for tat,customer relations straight away they offered me AYCE everything £20, so I’m sticking with this for now but if you want this you might have to haggle and ask for Pac code.
I went to Vodafone and took their 20GB for £20 got 85 sterlings quidco and 1 years free Spotify Premium, so i cancelled my £10 apple music.
**** Three and **** Jackson You suck.
Great deal! i couldnt get the 30 reduced to 20 on AYCE. Like Dr T best i got was the 8GB on one month rolling for £18 instead of £27
have been waiting for my letter (still not recieved) but have got the email, as have the other 3 members of the family. So it looks like another 4 customers will be leaving three this weekend if they can’t/won’t offer a suitable package.
Hardly used any mins or sent texts, and averaged around 7-8GB per month (never gone over 10GB, but go close one or twice) – never tethered either.
So long three, it’s been a good 2 years (was with Vodaphone prior to move, had been since 1994 (same number and tariff too – lol)
Nice way to treat customers.
Thankyou for sharing this! I knew id find some info online about this because I was curious to know what was happening as haven’t received the letter yet but my sister has! As soon as I get it Im going to request for my PAC code! Three will lose a lot of customers! #Threemakingitwrong
Three you have lost many loyal customers….treating your customers fairly and not forcing them out of contracts is not acceptable! I know exactly how the customer service work as I used to work for Three, this “3 pound discount” is nonsense, we can select how much we want to discount when processing it for a customer IN STORE! Three customer service is appalling, I hated calling them up for customers, they don’t listen to employees let alone customers…on top they read from a script.
Goodbye One Plan….AND….Goodbye Three from one of your many loyal customers…time to move my family and friend off this network before they try change their plans later down the line. Three has lost my trust!
#GoodbyeThreeMobile
got my letter today, goodbye to AYCE everything for £15, they offered AYCE for 30 – £3, went online for a chat and got a couple of other offers, 4gb for £14, 8GB for £17, but I dont really care about tethering and calls.
anyway i asked for AYCE data for £20 and they said no, so i’ve now got my PAC and considering switching to vodafone where 11gb and unlimited calls and texts can be had for equivalent of £16/month( if i knock the cost of the new S7 from the monthly cost)
I’ve been with three for 12 years and you guessed it I got the letter, they offered me £30 ayce which I’m paying £15 one plan it was good while it lasted. I only use max 4gb and around 1000 mins every month so I gave them a call to see if I can haggle, they offered me 2 packages with discount after I told them I will leave 1) 12 month contract, AYCE mins & texts 4gb data for £14 pm coming down from original price £21 so I’m getting £7 discount. 2) 1 month rolling contract AYCE mins & texts 8gb data for £18pm coming down from original price of £27 so I’m getting £9 discount. I have taken option 2 so at least I can move elsewhere if something better came along without being in a 12 month contract, hope this helps you guys getting a better deal, good luck.
Quick update: I rang three again after haggling I’m going to leave and go to gif gaff they put me through to customer relations, straight away they offered my AYCE everything for £20 month.I’ll stick to this,think it’s a good deal.
Just an update, I rang again saying I’m still not happy I want Pac code they put me through customer relations, they offered me AYCE everything for £20 so I’m going with this.
I was paying £18 on the One Plan and received the letter this week. I only used tethering a couple of times per year and in low volume. I rang the retentions dept and they offered a poor deal (compared to what I’d read what others have been offered). I told them I’d heard about people being offered AYCE data/mins/texts for £20 and the guy claimed those people were lying. He refused to offer anything better so I got my PAC and am going to BT (20GB data, AYCE mins/texts) for £16/month (as am BT Broadband customer). The two other mobiles in our house will also be moved off Three.
I’ve listened to bank shareholder results on many occasions and know customer inertia can be heavily profitable. I’m certain 3 will end up making more money overall from those who stay and pay £30/month – but the word of mouth from customers about the way they’ve been treated over this this will almost certainly affect their volume of business in the future.
I won’t miss Three’s poor coverage, unreliable data and awful Asian call centre.
Well said Patrick
I was on the one plan since the iphone 4S i think, managed to get it down to 15 quid over the years.
When i recieved my letter, I called asking to cancel Asian Bob tried to sell me a 4GB 12month contract for 18 quid, I just laughed at him and asked for my PAC.
So much for customer loyalty
**** THREE!
executive office claim that they will not negotiate.. Take it or leave it!.. good news is EU look set to block Merger with O2.. and three said they will freeze prices for 5 years if merger happens.. REALLY!
ID Look great including Roaming FREE is 29 countries.
Our TakeAway plans give you the freedom to spread your wings. You can roam for free in the following 29 countries, and keep in touch with family and friends in the UK without racking up huge costs. No shocks, no surprises… no excuses NOT to call home:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and USA.
I got the letter last week, I am on the One plan AYCE package rolling 1 month as 12 month contract finished a good while ago.
Now I don’t see why I should pay an extra £12 per month but nothing lasts forever & I am out of contract like everybody else.
Before calling Three I analysed my usage and average about 300 mins and 1.5gb data, the max I have ever used is 496 mins & 3gb. I rarely tether but when I originally took the SIMO package I wanted piece of mind and the deal was great £25 with £7 off so £18 a month. The offer in the letter was ACYE with 12 GB tethering for £30 rolling month.
TBH I have always been happy with Three and I think the CS has been quite good. One of the key reasons I wanted to stay was Feel at Home as travel a lot and been to USA 3 times within last 12 months and canaries too and has been invaluable. So I made the call, it is obvious at the start that they have very little movement apart from the 4GB plans. After a good chat I was offered 4GB & Unlimited mins on 12 month, normally £19 but keeping my £7 discount so £12 a month. If I do get near the data limits they text and then cut off your data so no nasty bills. The bonus in my view is that you can buy a monthly Add-on of 4GB data for £5. For me personally I am actually saving £6 per month so a good result.
I am a Three One customer and just got my PAC code off my friendly customer service rep …who offered nothing what I could not get elsewhere cheaper…. Three are going MAD. I just signed up with “iD” from Carphone W. crazy thing is, the network they are piggybacking is (you guest it) Three !!!, so I’m porting out of Three to iD mobile who run on Three for 6Gb Data, 500mins, unlimited txt £12.50… So my original Three bill (£23) will now be cut by £10.50.
Who said good does not come from idiots?
Yep, just got the same letter. Unless retentions can offer me a *really* good deal compared to their current plans I’m off to another network (they might retain me at £12/month max with at least 12GB of data and 600 minutes) I’m really angry at the way they’ve handled this, it’s a bare faced cash grab and “up yours” to their loyal customers. I really hope the backlash burns them badly, they’re relying on customer apathy, £30 month probably seems like pocket change to the executive that dreamt this up but I think that in these straightened times the doubling of a monthly bill will jolt a lot more people into action than they expect.
I’ve been paying £18/month on the one plan SIM only, though over the years I’ve seen it advertised for as little as £12/month for new customers. Didn’t use the tethering that often but stayed for the peace of mind I got from knowing I could always use it if need be (typical usage 10GB/month) and never pay more than £18.
Still fuming – I’m tempted to try to see if I can hit the 1TB “fair usage” limit this month before I leave just for the hell of it.
I’m sorry but you’re having a laugh! No network would give you 12gb of data for £12 a month so why do you expect three to? You will have to pay the same price as new customers which is only fair.
I’m not expecting them to actually offer me such a good deal in today’s marketplace, it’s a reflection of how annoyed I am with the way Three have handled this. They’d have to offer an astonishingly good deal to retain me, not just match what I can get elsewhere. As it is I have BT broadband so can switch to their £20/month 20GB/unlimited minutes plan. The gifffgaff £20/month unlimited plan is also interesting.
If you consider the discounts Three used to give to retain customers £12/month for 12Gb and 600 minutes actually isn’t that ridiculous. Three offer that plan for £22/month to new customers, a £10/month discount is exactly what many people now leaving Three have had for years (paying £15 for the £25/month “One” plan). The only reason we’re not seeing those good deals any more is consolidation in the market meaning fewer, bigger players can collude to squeeze more money out of people – the cost of bandwidth itself is on a downwards trend.
If anyone does get a better offer whilst ringing Three for a PAC could you please post the offer here. Would be nice if the currently offered deals costed less, sadly the AYCE is quite a deal and peace of mind and I don’t really want to have to lose that. I’m yet to speak to a human to negotiate, there is only so much music on hold I can deal with.
Not had my letter yet. Currently running 2 SIMs on this deal although I am paying around £23 per month as I came on board a little later.
Must be for a couple of years now I have had these on 1 month rolling plans. Bearing in mind I have not changed within that time, maybe I should consider taking out a 12 month or even 24 month contract with someone else and get the benefit of a hardware too?
I am not sure at this stage exactly what I will do. I generally use 4-6GB data per month so puts me in the middle of most tariff options.
Very poorly timed by three with the #makeitright campaign and I think this will cost them more than they gain by taking extra money from those that will stay will be paying.
I think it is fair to say many in the tech community have been the ones to push three and allow them to grown by offering out recommendations etc. Leaves a very sour taste…
It’s a great shame that they couldn’t have offered a special plan for One Plan customers, say with the same minutes and texts and a 50GB data limit including tethering. It would have removed the customers causing problems and placated the majority. But I guess they have to screw as much money as possible out of customers to fund the o2 purchase.
I’d have accepted the same 12GB tethering limit applied to the new plans, just not the £15 price hike.
Got the letter today. Been a customer for over 10 years (when they were branded 3 Huchinson Telecom).
Really annoyed as was a perfectly happy customer who didn’t take the Mick with the unlimited data, but was comforting to know I wasn’t.
I had my letter today. We have been with 3 almost since it first started. We are absolutely disgusted ! Definitely leaving ! I am not bothered about tethering, I only used it occasionally when at my Mothers as she is 90 and doesn’t have broadband. I shall never be loyal again will look for the best deal and change. We rang 3 and they were NOT interested in keeping us or offering a decent deal. As I’m on sim only I’m off !
I had my letter today been with them over 2 years and have 3 sim contracts I will move to another provider as giffgaff over unlimited everything for £20 a month and from April can use ur phone abroad like three
I received the letter yesterday, gutted would be an understatement, I’ve been with three for about 10 years on and off various price/allowance plans, but I’ve been on the one plan for over 3-4 years. I’ve decided I’ll phone the retentions team and see if they can offer me something in the same price bracket (£14pm) with similar allowance, I’m not too bothered about tethering, I ‘only’ use roughly between 10 to 15GB PM. If that doesn’t pan out I can always start building a reputation with another service provider, it’s a shame really, you build a reputation with a company and they decided to give you the boot, there is no such thing as loyalty nowadays. Never again, I’m always gonna go for the best priced plans out there, regardless of who’s the provider. Rant over. Three suck. lol, only last week I was boasting to my mates about the “great” plan I was on. I hope they didn’t switch to three hoping they could get the same in the future. Now the rant is over.
Same here a real shame and a mess
I have been a Three customer for about 6 years now and pay two other sim only plans for family members. AYCE data is my only interest as to be honest call quality and data speeds are pretty rubbish. Being able to do what I want with data without worry is worth a lot to me.
Looking around at other offers there is nothing that comes close to what Three offer and that is why they can afford to screw us over. Yes people will shout about leaving but most will just suck it up as there is still nothing better. If I was EE or Vodafone I would be putting together a nice offer for Three customers right around now!
You’re right that Three is hoping people will stay. While I am sure many will, I can see from Twitter than a lot of other people have had the letter this week and are leaving. If you’re on SIM only, the big benefit is being able to change easily and this is a time where people are exercising that right. It doesn’t mean people won’t come back to Three in the future.
I’ve been on the One plan sim only for years £13 pm, waiting for the letter lol 😁
I am on The One Plan and pay £18 and have not yet received the letter yet but I am going to get my PAC code and move to the Vodafone 20gb plan. Data speeds with Three are not great in the south east and the feel at home roaming a complete waste of time. I have heard lots of good reports about Vodafone and my experience with Three is progressively getting worse.