How many people do you know who are on 3?

[Hands0n]

This came up as a bit of a quip in another thread but it does rather seem a reasonable question to ask.

I have long been a strong advocate of 3, the UK's first and only 3G-only mobile phone network. Its short history has been chequered with disaster and limited success. 3 is not reknowned for being a premier network provider, and has developed - in my opinion - a significant credibility gap with the UK buying population. Its reputation has been tarnished by a series of high profile situations. It has featured several times on the Watchdog TV program and has spawned no end of vitriolic forum threads over the years. That 3 survives to this day does say something - although I'm not entirely sure what.

But on the positive side 3 do seem to have learned some lessons from their short history. The infamous Walled Garden is now nothing more than a hated memory. They have cleaned up their dealership act, and their high street stores are nice to see. Their handset range is improving, as is some of their tariff offerings. Their forage into Internet and Data has been rocky to start with but now seems to be a good offering.

So with all of that on the go I got to wondering how many people I know (family, friends, colleagues, associates, distant acquaintances, anyone at all really) who are Customers of 3 today. The answer surprised even me, 1 (One!) and even she [one of my staff] cannot wait to tell 3 where to put the contract come renewal time.

Thus my question to you is, good reader, "How many people do you know who are on the 3 network?". These can be anyone at all that you come into contact with either directly or indirectly. How many?

Please feel free to comment but make sure you cast your vote.

[miffed]

I actually voted one , but then remembered the guy in question is actually on Vodafone ! - the reason for my confusion ... He actually manages a Three store ! (feel free to edit the poll ! )
I think that speaks for itself !

[Ben]

I voted none, I haven't included Talk3G members.

[getti]

i wonder who that member could have been lol!!

[3GScottishUser]

The one I know I put onto 3 as he was a low orange PAYG user.

He now has a £15 a month texter deal and a shiney new Nokia 6120 which he seems happy with.

He likes the phone and the bucketloads of free texts but don't ask about the call reliability.... he reckons you get what you pay for and seems OK with the less than perfect service for the low monthly charge.

[gorilla]

5, but growing. One mate left to go to orange and regrets it. Another is joining next month.

The only people I know on vodafone have company phones. Quite a few of my mates are on O2. One poor fella is on t-mobile.

[miffed]

5, but growing. One mate left to go to orange and regrets it


This is Three's one saving grace -The demise of Orange has mean they go up a peg , allbeit by default !

Of course , I would say that the same is true of Vodafone , which puts Three up two pegs ! ......But I realise I am alone in this train of thought , so I'll keep my mouth shut (when in Rome ....and all that :D )

[3GScottishUser]

Its good to have a poll but the results on a 3G forum are unlikely to be representitive.

According to recent reports Kevin Russell 3 UK CEO reckons they had around 3 million active subscribers in August 2007. Virgin have about 4.5 million and each of the big 4 (02, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile UK) have between 14 and 18 million each.

So of all the mobile networks its least likely you would know someone on 3 and this is something 3 UK made much of when they were trying to protect their excessive termination charges. (They claimed they paid out disproportionately).

[Hands0n]

Its good to have a poll but the results on a 3G forum are unlikely to be representitive.

I would dispute that :)

There is no reason to suspect that the pundits on T3G are any less or more representative than other demographics. True, we all share an interest in things 3G. But then 3 is a 3G company and so would draw our attention.

Consider also - for the group of Family, Friends, Colleagues and Associates that I have cited you could pick any one of them and you won't find them on T3G. You might find them in a sailing boat on the Thames on a Sunday, in a youth rock group most weekends, a grandparent, an aunt, several builders and tradesmen, a few IT workers, several mothers and fathers in anything other than IT, and so the list would go on. Pick any of them and as they have a similar association of fellow human beings to me then you would have to cite them as unrepresentative also. But that would not be the case. Collectively we all know a group of peers who are not or have never been Customers of the 3 network. And at that point no poll is then representative, and nor could it be :D

My point is that this poll is no more nor less representative than any other - unless it were restricted to a highly regulated control group of techie folk like us - which it isn't.

So there :p

[mob453]

1234567.

7 off the top of my head, 6 contract, one payg.

[gorilla]

post 651!

loads of people, well 8 at least. It\s a great network.

[Ben]

I currently know one person. To give Three credit, that's 100% more than the last time I posted :rolleyes:

[Hands0n]

Apart from our Skypephone triallists I know of no-one who is on 3 anymore. The last one left in disgust at 3's Mumbai CS vowing never to return.

Shame