Cancelling and getting a full refund for Add-ons

[veddycent]

Hi all,

Could someone please explain why we as paying customer cannot cancel roaming add-ons when they haven NOT been activated and instead we have to go through the time wasting process of going through the help service. It's as though you purposely do this to get more money!

I was told they do not have the ability to cancel a go roaming add-on because I purchased it. The add-on was never activated and thus I have not used the service so why shouldn't I be able to cancel this myself and get a full refund especially when its £72.50!

Instead the whole conversation went from "we can't cancel and refund" to "we can offer £20 credit" then "£40" then finally the full £72.50. Why wasn't the full amount offered instantly! 

Why isn't is clearly visible on the account page which add-ons you have purchased and which are active?!
Why can't we cancel add-ons which have not be activated?!
Why can't you provide a good customer service instead of wasting everyone's time and only doing the right thing after we have complained enough times?!

I'll be interested what the ombudsman thinks about the add-ons service where it says you can manage add-ons but realistically all you can do is buy them. Not being able to cancel them is also shady.

DO BETTER!

[JonathanB]

Hi @veddycent,

I'm sorry to hear about your experiences, but it sounds like you did receive a full reimbursement for the Add On you mentioned based on what you've shared? Add Ons are generally non-refundable, but as you've described our teams may at discretion look into a partial or full refund depending on the situation.

We'd like to pass your feedback on, but can you help us understand the circumstances a little better? Did you purchase an Add On by mistake, or change your mind, or was there some reason it didn't work as intended?

Thanks,
Jonathan

[veddycent]

Hi Jonathan,

Thanks for the reply.
Buying add-ons especially for data roaming is a terrible experience and not user friendly in the slightest. It's as though it has purposely been designed this way, which is most frustrating as a paying customer.

I purchased the incorrect add-on for the country I was in so it was never activated. The way it's been designed is terrible and confusing.

It would be great if you could answer the questions I asked in the original post.

Why are roaming charges more expensive for 1 day vs 3 or 14. It will surely cost you the same regardless?
Explain to me on a technical level why are customers charged for roaming?

[PeteG]

Hello. 

I think you might be referring to the cost difference between the bundles where groups of days are purchased together? Buying a bundle where you get days grouped together is cheaper as you're buying in bulk. Buying 14 single day passes will cost the same as just roaming for 14 days and being charged for each of those days while you're there, but buying a single 14 day pass ahead of time will work out a bit cheaper. 

As for why users are charged when roaming, this is to cover the cost of accessing a Network that doesn't belong to Three. There are roaming agreements in place between all major networks that allow customers of one network to use the services of another network, and that comes at a cost to the networks. 

Pete. 

[veddycent]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the response, it's appreciated.
I fail to see how buying in bulk would be cheaper as the cost to Three will be a fixed amount, no?
How can other operators offer free roaming?

What happens if I go to a country where the parent company of Three (CK Hutchison Holdings) also has a Three network such as Denmark or Hong Kong is there a reason why I would be charged to use the network seen as its the same company who owns it?

Thanks

[PeteG]

Almost every business offers the benefit of savings when purchasing groups of items or products, it's not uncommon. I don't know the specifics of the roaming agreement, but yes I imagine the cost to Three would be the same, meaning the customer is getting more value. 

There could multiple reasons other networks may offer it. Some examples could include - the company have a different arrangement for their roaming agreement, or they budget the cost of roaming into the baseline cost of price plans. There's no way to know for sure what each company is doing as that information isn't public.

Everything has a cost associated with it. Each company has to look at their customer base and try to determine what things those customers would want to see included within their plan, and which things would they want as additional options. That's going to look different for most companies.  

If you go to a Country where there is a Three network, you would still be subject to the same roaming rules as other similar destinations. EU destinations, Around the World destinations, and Around the World Extra destinations. Specifics for each location you are interested in can be found on our Roaming Support page.

Pete.