Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

[Tinkicker]

I have steam issuing from my ears.  To cut a long story short, I have been attempting to cancel my account with Three Mobile.  Oh yes.

 

Phoned up. Lines are closed.  Try live chat.  Bloody hopeless.

 

Contract ended a year or so ago and I no longer need the account as we just went full fibre broadband.

 

So live chat with " prakesh".

 

I can help you cancel your contract.  I will.send a text with a code.  Just send me the code and I can cancel.

 

But its a data sim, not a phone sim.

 

Yes but you can send me the code.

 

No I cannot read the code because the sim has only ever been in an internet router.

 

OK.  Can you send me the email address associated with your account and I will send you the code. 

 

It will be one of two.  I have one on outlook on my pc and a different gmail one on my tablet.  I never use the outlook address anymore.

 

I need the specific one...

 

I do not know which it was.

 

Without the code I cannot cancel your account....

 

Do you have another phone number in your name?

 

Yes.

 

What is it?

 

It is an 02 number.. Hang on I will go downstairs and get my phone.... .......... runs downstairs, stubs toe on step, gets phone , runs back up.

 

We appear to have been disconnected... Bye.

 

 

Aaaaargh.

 

God I hate the modern world.  They assume you have a bloody phone welded to your hip and you have memorised every date, every 20 digit password and every phone number in the world.

Spending 10 years on 24 hr callout, I hate mobile phones with a passion.  

 

To make things even worse, if he had sent the code to my tablet on gmail, if I navigated away from the chat page to get the code, the browser would have closed the chat down.

 

Technology and its misdirection is a joke.  I had the last letter they sent by post in my hand.  Reference numbers, account numbers, the lot.

 

 

Im getting old... Although the young uns at work agree, cancelling a phone is a ballache.

 

Edited November 11, 2024 by Tinkicker

[husoi]

Cancel the direct debit and they will call you in 10min

[bonio]

1 hour ago, husoi said:

Cancel the direct debit and they will call you in 10min

Not sure about that. You just get the threatening letters.

My son tried to cancel a contract with Vodaphone. In fact, he had evidence that he had cancelled it - confirmation emails and so on. But the letters promising a visit from the bailiffs still came. The whole saga went on for two or three years. In the end he coughed up what they said he owed as it was just too much hassle for him to chase it through legal channels.

Edited November 11, 2024 by bonio

[husoi]

8 hours ago, bonio said:

Not sure about that. You just get the threatening letters.

My son tried to cancel a contract with Vodaphone. In fact, he had evidence that he had cancelled it - confirmation emails and so on. But the letters promising a visit from the bailiffs still came. The whole saga went on for two or three years. In the end he coughed up what they said he owed as it was just too much hassle for him to chase it through legal channels.

If your contract ended 1yr ago you're on a month to month roll contract.

They have no power to keep you on a non-existing contract.

You can, if you want to, write them e letter stating that you are lo longer their costumer specifying the date you want the subscription to end, as date.of cancellation of DD.

They will probably call you several times to offer you a new one which you're free to decline.

Mobile phone rules changed some time ago and none of the operators have the power to hold anyone to the contract even if it was still running.

[RideWithStyles]

You have to be careful….

You really just can’t stop paying without notice without potential repercussions. Problem is you are still bound by the contract of the terms of the rolling contract that is connected to the original agreement… so if your now rolling contract states you must contact them to stop before you do you must. 
From the sounds of it they are just doing the security work that they must do but their service or the impatient/lack of time they allow doesn’t work all the time, typically three.

when it re directed you most of the time it will be still there on the system in the background stacked but used a different app or page.

 

i agree it is very annoying but at least now you know what you need to get ready and know about before you have another go with them.

 

[bonio]

40 minutes ago, husoi said:

If your contract ended 1yr ago you're on a month to month roll contract.

They have no power to keep you on a non-existing contract.

You can, if you want to, write them e letter stating that you are lo longer their costumer specifying the date you want the subscription to end, as date.of cancellation of DD.

He wrote to cancel the contract, but somehow they never carried his request out, so the contract never got removed from their system. It was their mistake, but he couldn't ever it corrected, even though he had proof he'd written to them to cancel. So you're right, they have no power to keep you on a non-existent contract. Equally, he had no power to make them correct their mistake, no matter whom he spoke to, or how many times he contacted them. Meanwhile, Vodaphone sold his debt at 10% face value to a debt collection company, who kept up the stream of letters threatening the bailiffs. In the end, he coughed up the £170 pounds they said they wanted rather than continue to carry the stress of it all.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Tell them you're dead. 

[RideWithStyles]

So who one? The dept collector mostly and second the mobile supplier, the customer has been failed once again and suffered greatly for it.

[Fozzie]

13 hours ago, bonio said:

Not sure about that. You just get the threatening letters.

My son tried to cancel a contract with Vodaphone. In fact, he had evidence that he had cancelled it - confirmation emails and so on. But the letters promising a visit from the bailiffs still came. The whole saga went on for two or three years. In the end he coughed up what they said he owed as it was just too much hassle for him to chase it through legal channels.

 

I had very similar, and was chased by B W Legal for several years over what I'm sure was a £50 charge. I might have paid it, but they wanted about £400 to cover their fees and it wasn't my mistake. I sent proof it wasn't my mistake, I was free of the contract, their counter amounted to "that person shouldn't have told you that, and they hadn't ticked a box on the computer to log it, so it was never formally actioned. So you still owe us". Just told them to get stuffed and ignored their calls. They sent letters, threatened CCJ's, but nothing ever happened. They chased me for 5 or 6 years but they gave up in the end, hope it cost them an arm and a leg. 

 

But to Tinticker, I wouldn't cancel the direct debit, as it can be a lot of hassle unless you are able to put up with them chasing. If you can get access to the email accounts, and work out which one you signed up with, hopefully a quick call back will get it over the line. 

[S-Westerly]

I'm lucky. I've a lawyer in the family so anyone sends me threatening letters gets one straight back. Usually that results in a rapid readjustment of attitudes. 

[husoi]

I had the bailiffs once for £35 from BT.

Then I send the invoice for 10k of lost revenue because I couldn't use the internet.

Never heard from them again

[Mickly]

I was chased by Coventry City Council for a missed Council Tax payment.

I provided a copy of the bank slip proving that it had been paid, apparently that wasn’t good enough & they threatened court action, I said see you there suckers, then I got notification that it had been heard in court (without me being notified it was happening )& they were instructing Bailiffs to recover the payment plus costs.

I asked the bank to explain to the Council that it had been paid, it seems that the bank had sent it but the Council had not received it, it had disappeared down a digital black hole. 
So there I was, being responsible for something that I had no control over.

I made several threats to the bank about losing my money & that I would be suing them if the Baliffs took any stuff.

Miraculously the bank came up with some kind of magic code to give to the Council ( they wouldn’t contact them directly on my behalf )

I then got a letter from the Council saying that in  this case they “would not be taking any further action” 
My visit to the Council house to tell them what a bunch of lying b’stards they were provided much entertainment to the people queuing & although I insisted that I did not blame the counter clerk personally, my repeated insistence to speak to their boss ( who was hiding round the corner ) resulted in me being escorted from the building.

None of my emails or written letters were ever responded to, despite them being firm but polite.

*As part of my Trades Union membership I got free legal advice & they backed me all the way ( well except the Council House Rant )

[husoi]

When I moved from London to Scotland I bought a dvd player for my daughter.

Curry's apparently have the obligation to communicate with TV license thieves when someone buys any TV equipment.

I actually didn't have a problem with it.

Before that I updated the address for the TV license online which was in the name of my ex so she could have a proof of address.

 

A few weeks later got a pleasant letter stating that I had bought some TV equipment and I didn't have a license and would be fined £1000 if I didn't get one.

I wrote back with a similar pleasant letter saying that I was finding it very odd but if they would send me a check of £500 I would investigate it thoroughly and would report the results within 2 weeks.

 

They even replied saying they don't operate that way. And they wouldn't be paying for me to do anything for them.

 

Funny thing, never heard from them again

[Stu]

On 11/11/2024 at 21:02, Tinkicker said:

 

God I hate the modern world.  They assume you have a bloody phone welded to your hip and you have memorised every date, every 20 digit password and every phone number in the world.

 

 

@Mawsley can't even remember a 4 digit pin so he is going to be screwed with this one.........

 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Ah, I had a cunning plan. My PIN is listed somewhere in my phone. I rarely use it so it was somewhat frustrating and embarrassing to be in Currys this afternoon buying a new laptop and discover that I had somehow wiped the entry out of my phone. 

 

Cue transferring money between accounts in order to pay on my debit card. And then discover that my banking app can remind me of the PIN anyway. 

[RideWithStyles]

Until you forget you app details

[Tinkicker]

Drove 20 miles to three store.  They are not allowed to cancel in store.... Another attempt to cancel today.  Have a transcript.  Read it and weep.  If you are considering three mobile you need your head looking at.......             Here's a record of your online chat with Three today

Three: Hi, I'm your Three Digital Assistant. Three: So that I can get you all the right info, please select one of the below options: You: I'm a Three customer Three: Great, thanks. Three: Please enter your Three phone number (07xxxxxxxxx). Three: We use this to get you the right help. You: 0******076 Three: Thanks! Three: In a few words, please let me know how I can help. You: Cancellation Three: If you'd like to discuss cancelling your contract or to get your PAC code, please chat live to our team. You: Live chat Three: To save you time when chatting to our team, I just need to ask you some quick questions. Three: So that I can connect you to the right team, please choose the plan you'd like to discuss: You: Mobile phone or SIM plan Three: Okay, thanks. Three: And have you bought a new SIM, device or upgraded in the last 4-6 weeks? You: No Three: We have just sent you a SMS with a one time passcode to proceed. If you cannot access your device or you are not receiving the SMS, just wait 60 seconds for more options. Three: What is your one time passcode? Three: Sorry, we didn't receive it... Would you like to try again? We'll send the SMS again. You: No, I am not receiving the SMS, or I lost my mobile Three: Please provide your first name. You: M Three: Your last name. You: R Three: What do you need help with? You: Cancellation Three: Thanks. Checking availability… Agent: Hi this is Anas at Three, thanks for completing the prechat details. So just to confirm, you are looking to cancel? You: Yes Agent: Mark, I can certainly help you with that today. Agent: For the security of your account, I've sent you a One Time Password by text message. Please confirm the code back to me. You: Great. You: Sim is data sim only. It is in internet router. Cannot receive texts. Agent: No worries, I've sent you a One Time Password by Email. Please confirm the code back to me. You: 1151 Agent: Thank you for confirming the one time password Agent: Thank you for the time you have been with Three and we want to look after all of our customers, can you tell me a little more about what’s brought you to this decision? You: Internet too slow. We do not have 5G. You: Have gone full fibre. Agent: So you are referring to cancel the number ending for 076? You: Yes. Agent: So I can see that this is an sim only number or you want to cancel for the broadband? You: Cancel the 3 account. Agent: So may I know which number you want to cancel           ou: Number ending 076 Agent: So I can see that this an contract sim only number You: Yes Agent: So you want to cancel this number correct? You: Yes Agent: Thank you for confirming. Agent: can you tell me a little more about what’s brought you to this decision? You: Internet too slow. We can not get 5G where I live. We have had fibre broadband fitted instead. Agent: I'm so sorry to hear about the issues that you've been facing. This isn't the experience we want our customers to have. Agent: I understand that, we sense the importance of being able to stay connected. Thank you for bringing this to our notice. Agent: So you want to keep the number? You: No Agent: You want to cancel this number completely! Agent: I'm sorry, the fire alarm has just gone off. I need to leave my desk and end our chat now. Please chat back with us again in a few hours. You can start a new chat here:- http://www.three.co.uk/support/contact-us. bye for now. You: Yes. It was only used in an internet router. Not a phone. Agent:

Edited November 15, 2024 by Tinkicker

[Tinkicker]

Success.  Final bill or refund will be sent on the 9th of January.

 

Praise the lord...

 

They tried every trick in the book to head me off and wear me down.  I will never darken Threes door ever again.

Edited November 15, 2024 by Tinkicker

[Fiddlesticks]

Sounds like a shortened version of my 6 hour chat trying to convince Virgin Media we were done.

[JRH]

Similar when I cancelled my sky subscription. 

[Tinkicker]

7 hours ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Sounds like a shortened version of my 6 hour chat trying to convince Virgin Media we were done.

 

 

Yep. I reckon it took six hours in total to cancel three subscription.  It took about six minutes to set it up.... Very easy.  Charlatans.