| Reviewer Name | Rating out of 10 | Review Details | Review Date / Time |
| 3gprepaidstarterkit | 5 |
I discovered the existence of the prepaid 3G starter kit in September, and bought the 12gb option. It seems to me that prepaid is the best option for many reasons, even though the cheapest contract involves paying less. I took it home, and was on the Internet immediately.
I use it at home in central London. I am moderately satisfied with it.
Usage: I use it primarily for work related browsing and email checking, i.e. no videos, games etc. so there is no problem with using it up very quickly. 1gb per month seems an adequate allowance for me, even though I browse for up to 6 hours per day.
Convenience: I am very happy that there is no contract involved, and no Direct Debit or credit card registration etc. I have not needed to give 3G any information about myself.
Speed: I use 3G primarily in the early morning, and sometimes in the afternoon. It can be slow, and sometimes it hangs while opening a page, but nothing that I can't live with. Is it possible that people with contracts or who register are moved onto a slower service after a while?
Connection: I lost the connection once when the dongle became very hot, but that was my fault for being online for 6 hours.
| 26/10/2008 10:06:26 |
| Suzie | 1 |
I live in North London where the connection has been fine for the first 3 months of my 12-month contract, though not as fast as advertised. About 3 weeks ago, the connection started to fail every time I tried to connect. I called the (useless) technical support 4 times just to find out that indeed, there is a problem in my area and they can't tell when it is going to be solved. I asked them to cancel the contract - they want 190 quid! Basicaly, they expect me to sit and wait and pay, of course for the service that is not working!
I would like to cancel the direct debit - does anyone know if I can do it without any legal stuff being thrown to my face from them? Thankx
| 22/10/2008 22:29:07 |
| Steve | 1 |
Have Hauawei 160g mobile payg and what a waste of money.I am 3oo metres from the 3 mast and get full yes full HSDPA signal. Cannot get better than 350kbps download!! Contacted 3 tech support in India on 2 occasions and my 14year old son has more knowledge and respect than those idiots. Rude and not at all interested. Took the dongle back to the 3 store and yet faced with interogation from uneducated idiots. Eventually got a replacement dongle and hey, same problems. Have had enough now and will return the 2nd dongle and let them give me stick. Went into a T-Mobile store, tested their dongle on half signal and got short of 1500kbps compared to 3 350kbps on full signal. T-Mobile offer a 14day return policy for whatever reason on their payg. My post code is ME12 Sheerness. My opinion stay clear as you will not get the speeds you so dearly need and customer servive is customer interogation and support is, I dont care 3 makes money out of this call!!!!
| 21/10/2008 20:31:52 |
| mr geoffrey michael peel | 3 |
when i heard about mobile broadband, i was eager to get rid of my bt landline as i rarely use my landline phone, and i'm pouring money down the drain in order to maintain an intenet connection. Yet, after reading the reviews concerning this new conception, i was sceptical. Fortunately, i had a relative who had already signed up to 3 mobile broadband but had lost interest after the novelty wore off. He had just lost interest in the internet, so i offered to take his laptop and dongle on a trial basis for a month. Thank god i did because i soon learnt that the service is absolutely lousy. I live in Batley, West Yorkshire where i never have had problems with a signal as regards my mobile phone, but as regards 3 broadband i have had nothing but problems. Connection is lost within ten minutes and then i cannot gain connection thereafter. It is an absolute waste of time. I would have stood to gain £25 a month had i embraced this service. To cut a long story short, i will carry on with my landline rather than waste minimal money on this dire service! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
| 19/10/2008 03:22:41 |
| steve | 1 |
THIS IS [Admin Edited for Language] IT THE WORST INTERNET I KNOW.... DO NOT GET IT
| 16/10/2008 17:51:25 |
| AJ | 3 |
Bought a 3G E220 USB Dongle in Blackpool, frustrating week-end with it not working on My Windws Disasta PC, worked on my Daughters Samsung Q1 fine, Took it home (High Peak SK23 area) works fine hereabouts but coverage patchy. Simply DOES NOT Work on PC's running Windows Disasta, any XP system is fine. 3g's useless tech support deny this and I guess if you have a Disasta PC with no other Software on (eg no CD?DVD writing stuff) you might persuade it to work. One of our Techies got it working using Dial-up connection, but each time you take out the dongle you have to re-configure it.
The E220 works best with a Billion 3G Router (And you can share the connection and run from your Car)
We are trying the trendier E160G USB, but as yet cannot get to work with the Routers, and (seems ) poorer general reception.
Overall Verdict - get Landline ADSL if you can!
| 14/10/2008 14:30:59 |
| perky 666 | 3 |
Had modem for two months and initial set up was quick and easy. But speeds are nowhere near 2.8Mb/s. lucky to get 100kb/s. Will be speaking to shop where it came from as not prepared to pay for snail when advertised as TURBO. I'm in Paignton Devon TQ3.
| 12/10/2008 11:51:48 |
| George | 1 |
Finally throw my pay as you go 3 mobile broadband in the bin. I stay in EH11 area of Edinburgh. I'd had enongh of connection problems and running very very slow, not being able to do or watch anything at all, most times. I'm now on cable
| 11/10/2008 00:11:39 |
| Caleneledh | 7 |
I have been using 3 Moblie Broadband for 6 month now, and although sometimes connection can be slow, on the whole I find it to be a good service.
Occasionaly I have been unable to connect for upto an hour, and when I have connected upload speed drops to 0. This is not usual though.
The times I have most trouble is high usage time. Mostly in the evening. I do not know whether this is so much a problem with 3, or the internet as a whole. When using standard wired broadband I have often encounted slow connections.
The few times I have had to contact customer services, though the website, I have found them to be both helpfull, and prompt.
On the whole I have been pleased with 3 Mobile Broadband. I live in a high rise block of flats at the moment, and am unable to get wired broadband, so without 3 I would be unable to get the interent at home!
Tyne and Wear, NE4
| 09/10/2008 21:02:00 |
| Ashish Saxena | 2 |
The 3 USB Broadband is the worst deal i have ever been duped into.Not able to open the homepage , dead slow , connection breaks up in between and all of this in an excellent coverage area(hounslow). Buy any tom , dick and harry usb but not three.It was good to start with but has deteriorated everyday since.The call centres are of no help , the only suggestion they have is try usb in a different machine / area and see ....Do I need to buy a XXXXXXX new house or a new PC/laptop to access the 3 usb broadband ? I was never told this when I entered into the contract !
| 02/10/2008 14:04:56 |
| John | 1 |
AVOID AVOID AVOID! It's dreadfully slow, and I mean often half dial up speed despite me being in a so-called top signal strength area,(ME13 - Kent) the coverage is better if I wander outside and use it in the car but who wants to do that!!! The speed varies from an inability to find a signal at all to poor.
I can't wait to get rid of it and find something that works properly. 3 does not seem to have a good network generally, I am lucky to get a 2 bar signal, more often it's one bar or none. I had to call customer services as it wouldn't set up without manual input, which cost me money too.
| 29/09/2008 18:38:55 |
| RICHARD | 1 |
dont get 3 they are totally RUBBISH!!!!
| 27/09/2008 08:30:11 |
| Alex | 1 |
I live in Deal (CT14) and you can get speeds up to 1200Kbps at three in the morning - however if you want to use it in the evening or at weekends you'll struggle to get 100. The signal is strong, HSPDA 5 bars, so it must be a capacity problem, yet they're still advertising totally unrealistic speeds in their shops. I'm tied in to an 18 month contract with these cowboys, don't make the same mistake!!
| 25/09/2008 20:10:50 |
| Simon | 1 |
I've just run a speed test and the results were a whopping 80kbps. Choosing 3 mobile braodband is possibly the worst decision I have ever made. I can count on one hand the number of times I've recieved speeds over 500kb in the two months since my contract started. Broadband this is definitely not.
I'm furious that I'm not getting the speeds advertised despite being in a turbo area. There is no way I'm putting up with this for another 16 months. The dongle will shortly be thrown in the bin and the direct debit cancelled tomorrow.
| 21/09/2008 17:41:21 |
| Ben James | 5 |
"Just plug a dongle into your pc or lap top and away you go" Three Mobile blurb
I suppose the comment "away you go" is valid from three mobiles perspective. You've bought your dongle, or foolishly signed up to a contract and from three mobiles perspective you have gone. Issues - poor or no reception, essential security set up codes being forwarded in an asian script on five occasions, an online "top up" section which accepts your cash, but won't allow you to use it. It's almost one for Trading Standards and the Advertising Ombudsman to become involved.
That said after two days wasted "just plugging a dongle in", I did manage to get online. It has been far better than anticipated, with good reception between 11.30am and 7.00am and occasional reception at other times. It's ok for surfing and downloads are possible, at 56k modem speeds. Most surprising is that I've rarely ever been disconnected.
Was it worth it? Not if you require a broadband connection, with security of speed and performance. And definately not with Three Mobiles "Up yours" customer care policy.
That said, if you recognise you're signing up with a mickey mouse mobile operator (I was aware of that, however neither Orange/O2/Vodafone were in my area) and just need a connection for esential emails, it's ok.
| 18/09/2008 17:21:16 |
| samela | 4 |
The connection is very hit and miss. Sometimes I receive excellent speeds, other times I'm unable to even load my webmail page. It seems to me that the problem is with the call centre. When I experience a problem, I trawl internet forums for answers rather than calling India, because I know I will not get a solution. 3 really should consider moving their call centre closer to home or else frustrations like those documented here will continue.
| 17/09/2008 14:55:26 |
| George | 1 |
I bought a 3 mobile broadband pay as you go. The service is appalling!! Runs very slow, and not reliable. while streaming keeps stopping and starting making it impossible to watch anything. I would not recomend it to anyone. I'm from Edinburgh. EH11 area.
| 15/09/2008 23:11:00 |
| Ben - Leicester | 1 |
Really encouraged to see that so many people rightfully despise three as much as I! I have just paid a £75 cancellation fee so that I no longer have to deal with their shameful customer services department.
There is however a silver lining for any poor souls who have experienced the frustration of the over inflated data costs (£50 for 500MB!) when they exceed the monthly data allowance (contract only).
Although three will never disclose this information (and will purposely mislead their customers to prevent them from finding out), should you find yourself about to exceed your monthly data limit, you can simply buy a PAYG SIM and some credit for a few quid from a local 3 store and use that in your wireless dongle at the standard '£25 for 7GB' rate.
Little wonder that three don't want their customers to know when they can charge them 28 times the going rate for data outside of their monthly allowance!
Personally, I find that level of dishonesty to be nothing short of a disgrace to the industry. Legally, I suspect that they are also on pretty shaky ground as if you challenge them on it, they will knowingly withhold this information in order to leave you, the customer with no other option but to pay their extortionate premium rate.
I only hope that people will see this and pass it onto others so that they can save themselves time and money in future.
Oh, and the broadband service is painfully slow, bordering on useless and ground-breakingly unreliable too, even in a city centre!
| 12/09/2008 22:17:08 |
| Den | 1 |
I found 3G mobile broadband|pay as you go, extremely slow and horrible! yes its very very slow, takes ages to view a page...
(Note from Admin - Sorry to hear you found this, it is very dependent where you are using the service. 3 Mobile Broadband can perform well under optimum signal conditions but this obviously was not the case where you were using it.)
| 03/09/2008 11:18:50 |
| Bruce | 8 |
Apart from the modem falling apart I have to say it has been pretty good on the whole. Given that the train from Milton Keynes to Euston passes through a fair few tunnels (not the fault of my service provider) it is frustrating at times - but better than an hour of dead-time each way!
I also enjoy the knowledge that I'm not at the mercy of every hotel and service station that offers WiFi at an extortionate cost and if I have an outage at home I am not without the means to carry on working!
It works pretty much fine anywhere I've taken it - which includes campsites, prestwick airport and my dear old mum's house which still struggles with analogue TV signals.
I didn't expect miracles so by and large I am a happy boy!
| 02/09/2008 19:45:17 |