Major changes coming to 3 pre-pay from 22nd April

[mobileman]

3 Alerts are sending out text messages to their pre-pay customers, informing them of significant changes that will take place on the 22nd April.   

The crafty blighters put the good news in the text, but leave it to the small print to show just how much it will cost users overall.   
It seems clear to me that what they give with one hand, they will more than claw back with the other!   

Let's start with the text message itself:-

From 3: On Apl 22 some price changes. You still get free texts, internet & 3 to 3 calls. New free Twitter & O.facebook.com
http://ghp.three.co.uk/comms/payg/a

Please note the URL they give works from your 3 mobile ONLY: if you try to access it from your PC you get an error message.   

Hidden away in the small print that you can view on your handset are the follwing unpalatable changes:-

>  No more free voicemail, (now to be charged at 15p /min;)
>  Price rises for many call types, including calling other networks to be 25p / min. instead of 20p / min.;
>  Picture messaging (MMS) increasing from 30p instead of 25p;
>  New price bandings for calling countries abroad, each of which has to be viewed separately;
>  All standard calls from the UK to abroad will go up by 5p / min.;
>  Higher charges for calls when roaming;
>  Increased costs for receiving calls abroad;
>  Call charges for 084 and 087 calls going up (both the connection charges and the rates!);
>  Costs of calling a premium rate number to increase;
>  There will be a new call price checker provided at www.three.co.uk/specialcall
(This last link does work already, from both your mobile and from a PC.)

All in all this seems very bad news for most customers.  Kids may like the Twitter and O.facebook being provided from free (in additions to skype calls and windows messenger), but most of the rest of us will be paying through our noses for the 2 additional freebies.
From my personal perspective the loss of free voicemail is particularly regrettable.  Not only was it the best freebie of any pay & go tariff, but it was particularly useful for skype users who sometimes find that incoming skype calls are sometimes diverted to voicemail.
It will no longer be possible to retrieve these from free, but will cost a hefty 15p / minute.   

[mobaholic]

As mobileman said, '3' have unhelpfully restricted restricted the link to only work from handsets.       

However, there is a copy here, which details the forthcoming changes.       

[Dave]

It seems to me to be time to ditch 3 pre-pay, for calls at least.  Their prices will be in silly land!  Much better to use Asda or GiffGaff for calls at 8p / minute (and texts at 4p)   

As with Orange Voicemail, you can retrieve Three Voicemail from another phone on 07782 333123, then hit the hash key (#), and dial your Three number followed by your Voicemail Pin.   
This can be saved as a string in most phone memory, and is handy if you have access to a 'phone with inclusive calls.   

Regarding the price rises, one commentator wrote on the internet:-

It's extraordinary that Three are raising PAYG prices when other networks are lowing theirs, whilst at the same time only offering a single fixed PAYG tariff without any bolt on options!

Three Tariffs manager must be on drugs?

[Graham]

Thanks for that tip on another way to retrieve voicemail on Three, Dave.  These forthcoming changes may please Twittering twits, but I think the majority of 3 Pay and Go  customers will be cheesed off, to say the least!

[delaro]

I could understand international calls and roaming price changes.. although I think that three has already risen the prices due to the weaker pound. Rising UK call prices make no sense for me.. unless they want less customers..

[mobaholic]

I have read some posts, elsewhere, speculating that the announced price changes may only apply to the current 3Pay tariff.       

Apparently customers on older tariffs are receiving the same text message, but all the price details ( i.e. the existing prices ) are wrong for Flat 12 users, for instance.       

Free voicemail is still shown at:-  http://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_Go/Flat12, but then we haven't reached 22nd April yet !       
( http://www.three.co.uk/Pay_As_You_Go/What_it_costs also hasn't been updated for the same reason presumably. )

It would be very nice to know whether Flat 12 users will continue to get free voicemail or not.  I shall attempt to get an answer from '3', but if anyone else hears before I do, please post below.       

[mobaholic]

Clarification on '3' pre-pay tariff changes.

Not trusting '3' to reply to an email query, I called them at 06:30 to ask about the position of tariffs other than 3Pay.  ( At that time of morning, I find you can get straight through to speak with a customer adviser. )       

The answers I got were both clear and comprehensive.       

With regards to the imposition of charging for voicemail messages, '3' ARE imposing this across the board.
It will apply to older tariffs, such as Flat 12 and WePay, as well as to the current 3Pay tariff.       

However, he volunteered further information of relevance to Flat 12 users.  The voicemail charge will be the ONLY change on Flat 12: everything else remains the same.       

This is good news for those who still have Flat 12 SIMs, as I do, as we will still be able to call X-net for just 12p / minute - which is slightly less than half of the ridiculous 25p / minute that it to be charged on 3Pay from the 22nd April.       

HTH.

[mobaholic]

Three have now posted a blog entry regarding their price rises.

http://blog.three.co.uk/2010/03/24/changes-to-payg-on-3/