So Long (3UK) and Thanks for all the Frustration – Part 2

Unilaterally moving the contract goalposts is not on when the Customer loses out, and especially not on when that same power is not offered up to the Customer – have you ever tried to break a mobile contract early, they normally demand your firstborn as an “Early Termination Fee” irrespective of the reasoning?

I Took the Out.

Well documented on the various mobile forums were tales of horrendously long calls, multiple hoops to jump and pathetic retention attempts by 3.  But being one for a challenge and having seen the text message from 3 that made it quite clear one was at right to terminate should one wish I leapt in.

And all the forum messages were right.

3UK: “As a goodwill gesture 3 would like to offer you £20 for the inconvenience”

Me: “No thanks. I want to cancel the contract as allowed for in clause 10(?) of the agreement”

3UK: “Have you used the 3 Like Home Service?  The new pricing is in line with the EU recommendations.”

Me: “Just NO.  I want to terminate my previously acceptable chaining to 3 for another 10 months (or so) as I no longer trust 3 won’t move those goal posts again.”

It took a number of conversations over a good 50 minutes BUT eventually I was given the terminations group and offered up a PAC for porting my number over to another network.  They even unlocked my phone for a fee, which I had to haggle down from £90 odd on the grounds that the move was initiated by 3’s actions.

And so I went my merry way.

Time for a New Service

Now I’d  like to be clear here – I like 3 as a brand; they are fresh, truly innovative (not just the usual mobile operators trick of pseudo-innovation by releasing a new pricing plan), have some great plans, lead the market with their mobile data offerings.  Hell they even offer up a few decent phones (where’s that Android handset?).

I like 3 to the point that in the following couple of weeks I even took notice of several of their newly announced shorter 30-day commitment plans.  Hell they offered EVERYTHING I had/used prior on contract for about half the price.

I visited a 3 Store and asked “Can I transfer my out of contract 3 mobile number to another 3 account, say a Pay As You Go or another contract?” which was of course met with an affirmative response – after all why wouldn’t 3 want to let me retain myself as a Customer

So last week, a good 8 odd days before the PAC expired I rang 3’s direct sales team on their 0800 number, explained what I was trying to do and ordered up a 30 day SIM.

“Just ring Customer Services once the SIM arrives and they’ll sort the number transfer”

Number Porting Pitfall 1

The SIM arrived on 29th June (the day before that PAC ran expired) so dutifully I rang through to 3 Customer Services only to be told, in no uncertain terms, that there was no way in the system my existing 3 number could be ported to this new 30 day SIM, however moving the number to a PAYG was easily done.

When I queried why I had even been sold the thing by 3 the silence was deafening.

A quick transfer to another department saw a mercifully short cancellation of said SIM and another call to Customer Service.

Number Porting Pitfall 2

The second Customer Service call was met with a similar response, it appeared that 3 was completely unable to transfer my number to ANY other product.

When I re-queried this the response was once again a true shocker;

3UK: “What I’d suggest Mr er….. Craggs is that you could use your PAC number as it has another day to go before expiring to transfer your number to another network, and then in 30 days transfer back to the 3 account you want.”

Me: “Seriously?  You are suggesting that I actually leave the 3 network to come back in a month?”

Now I love the self-belief that what ever experience I have with A.N.Other network for those 30 days will be so bad that I’ll forget all this crap and come back to 3, cap in hand begging for a deal.  But it’s hardly a sustainable retention plan is it?

Number Porting Pitfall 3

So with all haste I head over to O2’s website, check out some of their comparative plans, find myself not at all disgusted by the offerings and give them a quick call to check on that whole PAC thing.

Turns out that the 30 days expiry for a PAC isn’t 30 days to use the PAC, rather the whole process HAS to be completed within that timeframe.  Sure would have been nice to have known this previously.

Best go back to 3 and ask for another.

Number Porting Pitfall 4

Yup you read that right, a process put in place to try to make the whole porting of numbers between operators more Consumer friendly has failed me a fourth time.  It’s not entirely far to blame the porting system I know, it is at least if not more so 3’s failing but my patience is beginning to wane by now.

So back on the phone to the inevitably droll and awkward Customer Service for another session.

This time something a little different, which whilst a change was not a welcome one.

3UK: “I see you have another 9 months to go on your account.”

Me: “Really, someone hasn’t updated your system, I cancelled the contract 30 days ago and got a PAC”

3UK: “But you haven’t used that PAC and it has expired.”

Me: “No it hasn’t it expires today, but more to the point I’d like another PAC so that I can actually complete the number porting to another network as suggested by you yesterday.”

3UK: “Sure, but as the ability to cancel your contract based on the removal of the 3 Like Home service ended yesterday and you have another 9 months to go we’ll have to charge you an ETF and….”

Me: “Errr NO!  I’ve tried for over a week now to remain a 3 Customer via two attempts to port that number to a new account so the ONLY reason I need a new PAC is because 3 has effectively stalled me.”

3UK: “I understand but I’m sorry there is nothing we can do.”

Me: “Please escalate this to someone who can help or transfer me to the Glasgow team so they can help.”

3UK: “I’m sorry we have no number for Glasgow and no one here can further help.”

Me: “I know you do have a number for Glasgow and this really isn’t good enough.  3 have created the problem, 3 have mis-sold, mis-led and mis-informed me and now I want 3 to fix it.  Please give me another PAC.”

3UK: “I will go and talk to my manager who probably won’t be able to help [what’s the point of them then? bc]”…. after a couple of minutes.. “thank you for holding Mr er… Craggs, as a one off gesture we will waive the ETF and issue a new PAC.”

Rather obviously at this point I assume a win.  Now I know as a professional that one is never supposed to assume anythng but really this does look a lot like I am getting just what I have asked for, no?

No.

3UK: “Can you please just tell me again why you want to cancel your account?”

BC: “I can, but I have already cancelled it, 30 days ago but for clarity’s sake…” and I recount the whole saga AGAIN.

3UK: “Now there are just a couple of things I need to make you aware of with regards the PAC.”

Me: “Okay, no one told me anything about it last time but carry on.”

3UK: “You must use it within 30 days and we will send you out a final bill for the next 30 days.”

Me: “WHAT?!>?”!?  Er… you want to charge me a whole months fees for a service I neither want or can use once the transfer takes place, a service which I had cancelled, a service which I have tried to replace and have been held up by 3’s failings.  No.  I’m willing to pay pro rata for the month whilst the PAC takes effect for the transfer but nothing more.”

3UK: “I’m sorry but we can’t do that you will be charged for the whole 30 days.”

Me: “Right then, let’s have that PAC, I’ll cancel the direct debit and I’ll take the billing issue up with someone who CAN help.”

And that my patient and attentive friends is where we are at so far.  I have activated the porting process and by Friday should be a fully signed up O2 Customer.  Not because I wanted to change network, not because 3’s reception problems annoyed me and not because 3 didn’t offer exceptional value for money.

I’ve moved on because that value for money was delivered by cutting corners on the single most important function of any business; it’s customer service.

I’ve moved on because Customer Services, a single lone department, had destroyed my trust in the brand.

In this day and age businesses live and die by their after-sales service.

But What About That Final Bill?

Well right now it is unresolved but I am in a privilidged position.  I have contacts, I have friends – and a great many of them are working within the mobile industry.  I can (and have) made direct contact with 3 executives over this issue.

They will converse on my troubles and probably provide the that resolution.

Hopefully they will learn and change, saving all those other poor sods, without my priviledge, the trauma and pain of navigating the disaster that is 3 UK’s Customer Service.