My Frustrating Customer Service Experience With Three

I thought I had bad customer service before but I feel this takes the prize.

Earlier in the year I cancelled my http://three.co.uk contract because I wanted to move to the iPhone. I called the 3 customer service line to cancel.

Then I kept getting phone calls from 3 asking if I wanted to upgrade. Each time I explained that I was moving to the iPhone and there was nothing they could say to keep me.

On the week of the iPhone launch I confirmed with a man in the retention team that I definitely definitely was cancelling. He claimed that while it showed in the system that said that I was leaving I had not put in official notice early enough so my contract had rolled over (I had never asked to continue and it was a 18 month contract, how bad is that?) so cancellation date would be August 1st.

Twitter / Chris Garrett: @_elj @xbaz because I did ...

Added: Here is Tweet I sent to that effect June 9th!

I wasn't happy but accepted perhaps I had not been clear when I said I absolutely definitely did not want to be a three customer any more.

Obviously I went ahead and bought the iPhone and gladly put my horrible 3 experience behind me. Or so I thought.

We got a strange bill saying I had money to pay 3 in August, strange because I had confirmed twice that my contract was over on 1st August. Today we called to cancel my wife's 3 contract and the lady said there was NO RECORD OF ME CANCELLING and I would have to give ANOTHER 30 days notice.

So essentially I feel like 3 has scammed me out of months of money for providing zero service and I have no guarantees that they have even cancelled this time, after all this is the third time I have tried to cancel :(

Any advice?

Added: I am told I am risking being sued so I have edited to ensure that I am only reporting my facts and feelings in the matter.

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Aug 11, 2009

dan said...

have had similar happen to me twice. a recorded letter has sorted it each time. hope that helps!

Chris Garrett said...

Thanks Dan

I think I will also write to head office

I'm feeling so stupid for throwing away the note I had with the person's name and telephone number I spoke to months ago :(

Just shows you can't trust telco at their word.

Wish my guitar skills were better, I could do a YouTube video like the United Breaks Guitars dude ;)

Martin said...

Use the company's official complaints procedure. Calls are often recorded so you could ask for a transcript of your phone conversations that took place on the dates you made them. You could take your complaint to the ombudsman (http://www.otelo.org.uk/index.php?menuid=4) if they don't sort the problem out. Not having a record of BOTH your calls on their system probably wouldn't go down very well.

Thanks Martin, I said to the lady I spoke to today (Feroza Khan for my future reference) that they should have a record because they record all calls and she said there was nothing in the system at all :(

The part that really makes me mad is the second round of trying to cancel I actually called back to CONFIRM :(

I know you don't have the names of people you spoke to from the first calls, but if you have the dates of the calls, you should still ask for transcripts. As part of your complaint, you could officially request transcripts through a FoI request. The ombudsman may be unhappy to hear that your calls were not recorded or even noted. I'd ask for a transcript of today's call too, given the information you received and the fact you took down a name.

When you say you called back to confirm, did they agree the cancellation was in place at the time!?

Matthew said...

3 are terrible when it comes to any kind of billing or support issue. I've had a number of problems cancelling and them taking more money then agreed. It all got sorted out in the end but not till several calls later and who knows how many transfers and "accidental" dropped calls on their behalf.

On the plus side I have a friend who got a contract and 3 accidentally mistyped a letter and said his top end contract was just £5 a month for as long as he stays a customer. He hasn't left them since just so he can keep a crazy amount of minutes and texts for next to nothing. He also gets full entitlements to upgrades while keeping the fiver a month contract. However, that's the only good story I have heard coming from 3 and it was only good because 3 screwed up in favour of the client rather than themselves.

Your Tweet on June 9th is also worthwhile because, as far as I know, there is no way of backdating Tweets...

Forgot to give some advice. I have spoken to Offcom? Offtel? in the past (I forget their name) but that can only happen when you've sent a recorded letter in and you're still getting nowhere if I remember correctly. It's been several years since I had to get them involved. The problem that time was when Genie (now O2) gave unlimited texts and revoked that right without notice. It even went to watchdog. LOL.

McLaughlin said...

When I want to stop any service I always do it by registered letter. Sure it's a pain, but no one can say that they did not receive the letter, you get a receipt back in the mail. I had to stop a bunch of services when I changed address and that was the only way to make sure that it actually happened.

I live in France, so it may be different here. Send a registered letter or make someone email a confirmation. If you don't get the email confirmation today then send the letter.

I found this forum thread and emailed the top three emails of there
http://www.talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3996

Probably out of date so I will try to find more up to date contacts before going to ofcom

@mac - I will definitely do that after I give them chance to respond to my emails - this is the auto-response I got ...

"The Executive Office deal with written communication received via
regulatory bodies and board members.

We've forwarded your email to our customer service team. They'll get
back to you within five working days."

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My Frustrating Customer Service Experience With Three

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