Kudos to Vodafone for actually ponying up the balls to charge users just £2 for the first 25mb of roaming data. Yes I’m flipping annoying that charging reverts to £1/meg after that amount, but at least we’re getting somewhere. £2 is highly reasonable in the context of Three’s pricing charges.
By default, 3UK insist you spunk £1.28 per megabyte. Period. No ifs, no buts, no bundles. £1.28. And then they’ll happily switch you off after they’ve taken £45 from you in a calendar month, so as to try and, you know, look as though they care for your wellbeing.
This, by the way, from the network that claims it’s the best go-to operator for smartphones in the United Kingdom, offering ‘truly unlimited data’. Until, that is, you go abroad and the cash spunking begins.
Thanks but no thanks Three. It’s utterly ridiculous.
No good reason why they can’t offer same as local deals plus say 5% – but they won’t until they are made to
I agree I am taking a 3 sim and a Vodafone one with me. Like you i get 25mb a day free which is great as the press area has free WiFi anyway and the hotel will have WiFi. What i dont like on Vodafone is the crazy £5 per mb once you go over the free 25mb and the 5mb after that. However I do think Three should look at roaming data more, £1.28 per MB is cheaper than what Vodafone charge if you go over the 30mb but there are no deals as you rightly point out.
I would have been happy to add say £20 onto my bill for a bundle of say 100mb or something like that knowing the costs are fixed but no such option exists. Still look at Voice calls, other networks still charge silly prices for that, at least with Passport you get a much better deal
Hi Hugh thanks for your reply to my post too. I didn’t see this reply at first and did a search for your name and saw you work for Three, then i see you mention it in this reply above (will teach me to look harder next time!).
LOVING the work you are doing in the UK with data use, removing the restrictions is the way to go and great to make such a bold move.
Hugh, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to post. Thank you for your patience! I’ve been all over the place.
I was pretty direct about Three in this post — but that passion comes from the heart as a huge fan and customer. I think I have 3x Three contract accounts that all together deliver £100/month minimum to you in revenue.
The iPhone 4 works particularly nicely on your network — and I have to say, the MiFi is just brilliant.
Why do you have no provision for higher spending users? I appreciate the transparency of £1.28/meg — and the £45 monthly spend limit. However if Telecom Austria can offer European-wide PAYG rates of €0.59 via it’s service abroadband.com (and presumably make some kind of margin on that rate), do you not think it would be possible for 3 to offer something similar?
How about if I paid you £20 per month for ‘data roaming rights’, would you move my data-roaming tariff down to £0.50 per meg?
I’m keen for a discussion, Hugh!
Ewan