Don't rely on Three "go roam" services abroad - data allowances/caps incorrectly applied/notified

[linewait]

I've just returned from 10 days in Europe.

A few days in to my trip, despite (to the best of my knowledge) having used nowhere near the 12GB "fair use" allowance, I got two texts in rapid succession, one advising that I'd used up 80% and then one saying 100% of my allowance. In the middle of trying to make some ticket purchases online, while on the move, I panic-bought a roaming add-on, but as far as I could tell this was not necessary because in fact I'd not used my allowance up at all.

I could see that I'm not the only one to experience this - the same problem is mentioned in multiple other threads on here, eg.

https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Account-and-services/Incorrect-Go-Roam-12GB-Limit-Texts/m-p/15842

https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Account-and-services/12GB-Fair-Usage-Limit-Data-Roaming/m-p/14179

https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Network/Three-text-notifications-vs-three-app-logistics/m-p/14965

https://community.three.co.uk/t5/Account-and-services/Data-Roaming-in-EU/m-p/13952

So, 3 ought to have been aware for some time that there is some kind of malfunction here.

A contact with support via live chat was not very satisfactory, although I did manage to get the unnecessary add-on cancelled. I was given wrong information about how much data allowance I had used, and the basic problem (the erroneous messages) was not ackowledged. So I was not left feeling very confident that further problems would not arise. But contacting support, on my phone, via hotel wifi, while on the move is not very convenient so I gave up pursuing things further.

A few days later, my access to networks became blocked completely. Again, to the best of my knowledge, I'd still used nowhere near the data limit. A notification led me to an information page that told me a spending limit had been reached and could not be altered.

Again I contacted support, on german rail station wifi, in between changing trains. But again the basic problem was not addressed. I was told that if my chat session got broken, they would revert to me. It did, and they didn't. For the remainder of my trip it didn't seem worth spending ages trying to resolve things during the limited times I had access to wifi networks, so I gave up and had no access to any mobile networks until arriving back into the UK.

The horribly messy and confusing Three app and account details webpage don't make it very clear at all, what allowances I have or haven't used, or what I might be billed for. There appears to be some indication that I have been charged for data access in the EU - why, I don't know.

Anyway, if you are planning a trip to the EU, don't rely too much on Three being able to provide you with a functional mobile service. Of course, reliable access to mobile data is increasingly important, now that this is how many things like travel tickets can be accessed and paid for. So when it all stops working, with no clear indication of what's happened or how to resolve things, it's rather stressful and unwelcome.

This experience has certainly prompted me to start looking at moving to a different network.

[valdemarp]

The same happened to me.

I'm also seeing a degradation of services around London. Initially I thought it was something to do with my IPhone (a quick on-off-on airplane mode normally fixes the issues) but more and more friends are facing with the same problem.

[linewait]

Do you mean generally slow connection speeds (within UK)? I feel like I have also seen a degradation. And whenever I get a 5G signal it seems to be very lethargic. I'm also in London.

[JonathanB]

Hi @linewait @valdemarp,

I've sent a reply on another thread you've both posted to. I'm really sorry that these issues have persisted. We've reopened the investigation, and I've sent you each a PM so that you can chat with my colleagues who are gathering info about this issue.

To view your private messages on the community, click on your avatar image in the top right of any community page, then "Messages".

Thanks,
Jonathan

[Mamcleod]

This is happening to me!!! 2 weeks without data since returning from Cyprus. Been on the phone at least 10 times with three customer care online and on the phone and still no data!!! Not good enough Three

[tromans]

Hi,

Yesterday I took this as far up the chain as the CEO of Three and their Executive Team and got email replies from both (yep - I have a reply from the CEO of Three about this) so hopefully it will be taken seriously now.  I have a recorded call from customer services promising to return the two £20 GoRoam costs for my wife and daughter and that we will get no extra fees.  I am also pushing for more compensation from the Executive Team - suggest anyone who reads this does exactly the same!  I'd take any replies on here saying it's fixed with a pinch of salt as it clearly isn't.  Telephone customer service said they'd never even heard of the problem and they've had no calls about it - which, as we know from comments on here - is utter rubbish.  In my opinion, the warning texts contain a clear breach of contract as they say that surcharges will be 17p/mb instead of the contracted 1p/mb and the contract also says they must give 30 days notice of any changes to charges.  So, even if it is a mistake in the text, if you want a way to get out of your contract, it's likely there.

[HfF123]

I can’t even find an email them - it’s caused a lot of stress on my holiday needing the phone for maps - I have rang customer service and used live chat 3 times to no avail 

[linewait]

Aside from the issue of the erroneous 80% / 100% allowance usage texts, I'd like to get to the bottom of what exactly happened when I got cut off completely.

When that happened, I got a notification on my phone to "sign in to network" (or something like this), and when I followed that, I got directed straight to this page:

https://www.three.co.uk/support/customer-communications/spend-limits

(note that "spend limits" are not the same as "spend caps")

I found this very unhelpful, because that page gives no directions at all on what to actually do when this happens. I did not receive anything else, no texts or anything. My connnection just suddenly disappeared, whilst on a train journey and trying to look up timetables, sort out that night's hotel booking and so on. The only way I was able to contact three was to wait until I could get onto a wifi signal, and try doing a live chat to support. That live chat failed to resolve the problem (or even understand what the problem was).

It seems to me there should be a better plan for what happens when someone reaches this "spend limit". Because even if it had been somehow reached as a result of my actions (and I'm pretty sure it wasn't) then what is a user supposed to do? I had two days left of my trip, so basically decided not to waste more time trying to get it fixed, and just survive off wifi signals for that time. But if this had happened at the beginning of my trip, would I have just had to accept that I wasn't going to be able to use my phone until the next billing cycle, or something?

The world is now such that lots of things rely on having a data connection whilst travelling. Unexpected extra charges are one thing ... losing connection altogether is another.

Don't know how other operators deal with this.

[DeeJay]

I ansolutely agree with everything that has been said above.

I first had all this on a trip to France in April and it caused considerable stress. I was responsible for a group of skiers and needed emergency contact with them at all times. I started getting the same 80% warnings within a very short time of starting the holiday and with hardly any data being used. Then the same threats of the service being cut off etc. I spent hours firstly trying to make sense of the totally hopeless Three app, then trying to find any way of speaking to someone. I failed to find any customer phone number that led me to anything other than the list of options, none of which led anywhere. The app clearly suggests that 333 will lead to speaking to an operator and as we all know, it does not. I spent a considerable time, a number of hours trying to live chat and wad cut off multiple times mid chat and reverted to the sign in page. Eventually I did manage to get through a chat session to the point where I was assured that I had not used anywhere near my quota and to ignore the texts. I was also told that the problems were caused by my spend cap being too low, which it was not as I had already calculated my normal bill total plus £2 per day of the holiday plus some leeway. The app was of absolutely no use in checking what was going on.

This last 17 days, I have been in France again. The day before I left, I spent a considerable time on the app and then the website trying to find how to buy a 14 day add on to reduce the £2 per day charge. Eventually I found the right page and managed it. 20 minutes after my ferry left Dover AND WITH DATA ROAMING STILL SWITCHED OFF I got the first text to say I had used 80% of my allowance ! Having then driven to my hotel, now with roaming on, I spent over two hours trying to resolve the problem on live chat. Despite my best efforts to type quickly on my admittedly small iphone, the chat operator kept interrupting my description of the problem, which they seemed unable to grasp, by asking if I was still there and ic not they would end the session. Eventually I was told that all would be well. I continued to my destination an met friends, an older couple who are also Three customers and had already been in France for 3 weeks. They absolutely rely on their phone for a serious medical condition and they had also received the threatening data usage texts to the extent where they were so frightened of loosing the service that they had switched the phone off completely for most of their holiday. I checked their phone and found they had used under 2 Gb of data in the whole of the last 12 months, let alone 12Gb in the last three weeks!

I spent over 5 hours then trying to live chat, being cut off from the session multiple times (with a very good mobile signal) to rectify the problem with their phone, then mine.

The whole system is absolutely disgusting and only those that have experienced it will reslise the stress that it causes.

Eventually, in desperation, I tried the only option left on the 333  and chose ‘are you thinking of leaving us’. For the first time this then routed me to an operator. I was able to explain the situation and they did try to help. This still took some time and  I am absolutely certain we were given incorrect information about the spending caps, but at least some of the issues were put straight so we could use the phoned. Throughout the 13 days that i have been here, I have received multiple texts re 80% usage and threats of being cut off despite only using around 6Gb of data so far.

yesterday my 14 days of European roaming add-on came to an end and I spent over 2hours trying, on the app, to add a further 3days for £5. This would not work and a box showed saying that ‘we are unable to complete actions for this number. Please try again. This morning I tried again amd received the same message, then I received a text to say I had been charged £2 for the day. Then more to say I had reached my data limit. Tonight I have eventually managed to add the 3day roaming pass by using the web site rather than the app.

I am absolutely appalled that this situation is being allowed to continue.

[linewait]

Having registered a complaint, which is still shown on my account as open, I have not heard anything from 3 for a week now.

Meanwhile I have received a bill that covers the time I was abroad, which includes various roaming charges but the way it is set out is completely indecipherable to me, so I have no idea what I am actually being charged and why.

Later this week I will be in the EU again and am rather nervous that I am going to find the system still broken.