[ChrisJBrady03]

Open Letter to Three

Dear Sir

I am NOT happy with Three. This is not the first time that I have had
to complain about unprofessional service THIS MONTH, and FIVE times
this year.

On the evening on 19 August I had problems connecting to my mobile
broadband account +44 (0)789...

In fact instead of going out with friends - I live in London - I
cancelled arrangements and spent the entire evening trying to adjust
the settings of my 3 dongle and getting it to connect. I use it on two
computers - a laptop and a notebook. I even uninstalled and
reinstalled the 3Connect software many times. At 1.00 am I gave up.

On the Friday morning (today) I borrowed a friend's 3 phone and
contacted Customer Service on 500. This is probably as well since the
call to 3 lasted over 30 minutes.

The agent told me that my account had been SUSPENDED.

WHY WAS I NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS? WHY WAS MY ACCOUNT SIMPLY CUT OFF? FOR
WHAT REASON?

I then had to wait 10 minutes listening to inane music whilst the CSA
found out. Luckily the call was free.

THEN I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A VIRUS ON MY COMPUTER. HOW DID HE KNOW
THAT?

THE AGENT REFUSED TO TELL ME. THEN AGAINST ALL ADVICE REGARDING
VIRUSES HE WANTED TO SEND ME AN EMAIL WITH AN ATTACHED PROGRAMME FOR
ME TO RUN ON MY COMPUTER!!!!

I **NEVER** RUN UNSOLICITED SOFTWARE ON MY COMPUTER ESPECIALLY FROM AN
EMAIL ATTACHMENT. THAT IS HOW TO GET A VIRUS. HE SEEMED SURPRISED AT
MY ATTITUDE.

THE AGENT THEN SAID THAT I HAD SENT VIRUSES OUT VIA EMAILS. HE REFUSED
TO TELL ME WHAT THOSE EMAILS WERE OR TO SEND ME A COPY SO THAT I COULD
CHECK WHAT WAS GOING ON.

THEN I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH A MANAGER AND WAS KEPT WAITING ON HOLD
AGAIN FOR 10 MINUTES. HE TOO WAS UNABLE TO ADVISE ME.

In all my years involved with the Intermet I have never met such a
pack of time wasting amateurs as THREE. The company is quite prepared
to take customer's money, but it is **NOT** PREPARED TO OFFER A
CUSTOMER FOCUSED AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE.

I THOUGHT MOBILE PHONE COMPANIES WERE BAD BUT THREE IS RIGHT AT THE
BOTTOM TO BE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE.

TODAY MY ACCOUNT REMAINS SUSPENDED. I REFUSE TO RUN ANY SOFTWARE ON MY
COMPUTER(S) THAT ARE ATTACHED TO AN EMAIL. I SHALL RESEARCH ELSEWHERE
FOR A MORE PROFESSIONAL MOBILE INTERNET SERVICE.

C.J.Brady

=======================

To news: comp.risks

> From: Chris J Brady
> Subject: Three Suspends Paid-up Mobile Broadband Account
> For No Reason And Refuses to Explain
> To: "Risks Digest"
> Date: Friday, 20 August, 2010, 13:26
>
> Three (a UK-based mobile phone company) recently suspended
> my mobile broadband account. I was fully paid up being the
> one and only time I ever 'do' direct debit. I normally pay
> £15 a month for this, but the last payment was £11 due to
> a snafu with the billing so they'd given me £4 credit.
>
> So unable to connect to the Internet, and not knowing why,
> I spent an entire evening trying to connect - missing a
> social engagement with friends - including uninstalling and
> reinstalling the Three mobile broadband software on TWO
> computers. I gave up at 1.00 am.
>
> The next day I borrowed a friend's Three mobile phone to
> call their customer services in India. The agent then stated
> that my account had been SUSPENDED because I had a virus on
> my computer which was sending out unsolicited emails. I
> don't 'do' viruses and in the lifetime of the Internet (I
> was there at the very start) I have never ever had a virus
> on any computer I've ever used. At home I use Norton
> Internet and Microsoft Essentials; and my sole email
> accounts are web-based with Yahoo and Google - they both
> have independent virus checking processes. I never use
> Outlook for sending emails due to the risks of an incoming
> email having a virus attached which is then automatically
> activated
>
> The agent refused to tell me more (and probably couldn't).
> He refused to tell me how Three knew that I had a virus on
> my computer.
>
> But he then said that he was going to send me an email with
> some software attached for me to run on my computer(s) to
> scan it for viruses. I refused this point blank. I *NEVER*
> run software received by emails - THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GET
> A VIRUS.
>
> So I would like to ask - and Three refused to tell me:
>
> * how did they know that I have a virus on my computer?
> * why did they complain that I was sending too many emails
> from my account - my main account is web-based Yahoo Mail -
> I don't 'do' spam and never have done - I generate about 10
> emails a day or less
> * why did they not warn me about all this by email &/or
> mobile phone?
> * why did they simply suspend the account without notice
> when it was fully paid up?
> * why did they tell me that I had a virus, when in fact I
> DON'T have a virus on my computer(s), and have never had one
> - ever?
>
> And importantly
>
> * why did the Three agent want to send me an email with a
> virus checking s/w attached?
> * and why did he then expect me to run this software -
> against all advice from Internet security professionals?
>
> As is usual with Internet companies Three seems quite
> prepared to take customer's hard-earned money, but keeping
> them safe and offering a professional service seems to be
> totally beyond them.

=======================

[Ben]

Hi Chris, welcome to Talk3G :)

How bizarre! Do you know how much data you'd transferred in the billing period?

It'd be very interesting to learn more about the 'process' they undertake of detecting 'infected' customers and disconnecting them... especially as it doesn't seem to involve notifying them!

[miffed]

OK , I am not saying this to defend Three , but a friend of mine had a near Identical situation with Sky Broadband ! I was told by someone (who is possibly reading this post ) that this a symptom of a MAJOR problem , and that drastic measures have to be taken to resolve it !

for my friend , this involved having 3 Computers professionally formatted ,and then supplying Sky with the bill before the'y re-connect them !

Same thing appied ! , they were completely un-interested in the fact that she only used web based mail , and kept harping on about outlook.

Sorry can't be of any help , but thought I'd mention its not just you / three !

[Hands0n]

Mobile network operators and ISPs are taking an increasingly hard line against virus and malware botnets. So it is no surprise but incredibly frustrating to read these tales with ever more frequency. That said, I have witnessed first hand the havoc that botnets can cause to an ISP, and it isn't pretty.

I have to wonder at Three's customer services who seem to do nothing but ruin the company's prospects at holding on to existing customers and drawing in new. Tales like this from frustrated users get widespread distribution and inevitably cost Three a significant amount of business as prospective customers decide to take their chances elsewhere. For Three the situation is compounded by the length of history that this low-quality customer services team have behind them. There cannot be a person in the UK who does not know of the poor service to expect from Three's CS operation.

I swear, Three's off-shore CS will be the ruination of the company.

What to do? Well as a first step I suggest getting a Tweet out on Twitter to @ThreeUKLatest and/or write up on Three's blog at http://blog.three.co.uk where their Web team will take a keener interest than the Muppets of Mumbai. They may be able to at the very least get you the answer to Why and How that you've asked in your original post on this thread.

One has to wonder if Three UK will ever be able to get a grip on the Indian operation and make it work. I know from personal experience that they are desperately trying to do so. But it is an outsource, it is off-shore, it is Indian and so is bound to be low quality as are all Indian outsources, historically.

[ChrisJBrady03]

Whilst I know that Three doesn't read posts here (well they might) the contents are picked up by search engines. Also I need to warn others who may be in a similar situation. Three suspended my account without notification, and they are refusing to re-instate it unless I run their stupid software (which they refuse to tell me what it does) - due to no fault of mine. Their customer service has been APPALLING and exceedingly AMATEURISH from the start.

=========

My attitude of severe irritation is engendered from a 30 minute 'run around' call to Three customer services.

On my Toshiba Qosmio I run Norton Internet Security - I have now done a full file scan - it only found a few tracking cookies which it removed.

On my Acer Aspire netbook I run MS Security Essentials - again nothing found - not even tracking cookies.

I ONLY use Yahoo Mail and Google Mail - both web-based. There is no need for me to virus check outgoing / incoming emails and attachments 'cos Yahoo / Google do that server side.

But what really riles me is that Three suspended my account and then did not bother to inform we when and why. My Three account has my alternative phone no. and email address after all.

The impasse is now: run the software that we will send you as an attachment via email, or your account remains suspended. They are refusing to tell me what that s/w does. As I said I do NOT run anything sent to me as an attachment to an email. Period.

All emails to Three have so far been ignored - par for the course.

CJB.

[Hands0n]

Yea, I do think that your treatment so far has been appalling. But I also think that it is completely scripted. And that is where Three's CS falls over. They are incapable of going off-script, even it seems for when a customer wants escalation.

I reckon either tweet to @ThreeUKLatest or write up on their Blog and you will get a response from a UK person and possibly the answers that you are asking for, not unreasonably at all in my book. Corporates have caused problems with their software and it is completely sensible for you to want to know what they intend doing on your hardware. In the wildest imaginings their software could very well be capable of performing a disk wipe! /

So I'd press the web channels for a response.

[Hands0n]

Perhaps rather appropriately to this thread I found this posted up on Twitter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJDyZkwqQYY - Echoes of a previous experience. More people should do this perhaps, then the evidence is quite empirical.

[ChrisJBrady03]

Thank you. I have emailed as many Three staff as I have found addresses for - most bounced.

The appalling aspects are:

1. being accused in the first place - my laptop and netbook are both clean - and always have been

2. no evidence has been provided of any wrong doing

3. I was not warned by email or phone or letter that my account was to be suspended - they just did it

4. I wasted an entire evening until 1.00 am trying to get the dongle to connect (and I missed out on a social engagement with friends)

5. I have anti-virus s/w running on both - I don't have viruses on my computers and never have had (apart from tracking cookies which get removed a.s.a.p.)

6. Three customer services are rude and inefficient and are not prepared to work with a customer who knows more than they do (I was a small part of the design team for a major airline booking system); and I have been involved with the Internet since it started

7. when I called 555 the Three customer service agent - in thick Indian brogue - stated that I could only have my account reset if I ran some s/w that he would send me by email; he seemed incredulous that I refused to do this - I don't ever run s/w sent to me by email - period. [An incredibly stupid risk that warrants a mention on news:comp.risks]

8. I have tried Twitter, all the email addresses I could find on the forums, and the Three blog - but no-one, zero, zilch, sfa, have bothered to contact me (my details are on my Three account). Also I have posted to ThreeComplaints.com (an independent website).

9. Next a DEADLOCK LETTER has been demanded. This will be sent to Ofcom (somewhat toothless) but also to BBC Watch Dog. It will be scanned an uploaded to the web.

10. This will be followed a webpage detailing the issues that I have had with Three over the last year - 5 serious issues (three this year alone).

[The Mullet of G]

Whilst I know that Three doesn't read posts here (well they might) the contents are picked up by search engines. Also I need to warn others who may be in a similar situation. Three suspended my account without notification, and they are refusing to re-instate it unless I run their stupid software (which they refuse to tell me what it does) - due to no fault of mine. Their customer service has been APPALLING and exceedingly AMATEURISH from the start.

=========

My attitude of severe irritation is engendered from a 30 minute 'run around' call to Three customer services.

On my Toshiba Qosmio I run Norton Internet Security - I have now done a full file scan - it only found a few tracking cookies which it removed.

On my Acer Aspire netbook I run MS Security Essentials - again nothing found - not even tracking cookies.

I ONLY use Yahoo Mail and Google Mail - both web-based. There is no need for me to virus check outgoing / incoming emails and attachments 'cos Yahoo / Google do that server side.

But what really riles me is that Three suspended my account and then did not bother to inform we when and why. My Three account has my alternative phone no. and email address after all.

The impasse is now: run the software that we will send you as an attachment via email, or your account remains suspended. They are refusing to tell me what that s/w does. As I said I do NOT run anything sent to me as an attachment to an email. Period.

All emails to Three have so far been ignored - par for the course.

CJB.

I realise its maybe a point of principle and generally I wouldn't open attachments in emails, but in this case if it was the single thing standing between me and the internet, then its a no brainer. Besides if your AV software is as good as you think it is, then downloading a program via an email you got days ago is pretty safe, its hardly a zero day attack, personally Norton doesn't fill me with confidence though.

Its also unlikely that a Three CS agent would send you a rogue program....yeah I know they really are horrible, but I don't think they are quite that bad yet. :)

Perhaps rather appropriately to this thread I found this posted up on Twitter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJDyZkwqQYY - Echoes of a previous experience. More people should do this perhaps, then the evidence is quite empirical.


That was brutal, it got about halfway through and even I was shouting "OMFG give him the damn PAC code" My cousin is with Three, they phoned him to ask if he wanted to upgrade from a Nokia N95 to some basic Nokia S40 brick, he rightfully told them no and no again, they still sent him the phone and stuck him on a new 18 month contract regardless.

[Hands0n]

You and me both were shouting at the YouTube video. I kept thinking "... I don't care if you are Indian and English is not your first language, you are being belligerent for no reason whatsoever ... give the man his PAC".

That is part of the reason that I will not deal with Three Customer Services on the phone. When I terminated my last go at USB dongle with them a year or so ago I did it via their webmail interface, and kept screenshots on my Mac just in case they were needed later. Same with O2 really. Got my PAC overnight when I requested it via the email. They have an OFCOM-regulated SLA to comply and so can't dick around if the request is in writing. It also saves having such inane conversations as the lad in the YouTube video had.

I just wish more people made such recordings, purely for customer service reasons you know, and put them on public display. The mobile operators simply must up their game and it is not acceptable for someone to be treated as shabbily as that lad was.