Am I right 3 do not accept company users

[lotus_man]

Just tried to order 2 A1000's on 3 to be told they do not accept company accounts.

Is this for real


Been with O2 for 5 years

[dj1471]

Yep, that's right.

Don't do it - the network is (in my experience) NOT reliable and you WILL lose business. As I business user am I right in thinking that you might want to use the Internet and/or make data calls? 3 can't do this either.

You might want to consider Vodafone 3G.

[gajet]

yeah dj1471 is spot on. Even 3 know there network hasn't the depth of coverage to meet the needs of business users yet. It's on the cards for the future though.

What were your needs? looking for PDA phones? If so, surely O2 would give you a deal on SE P910's? or XDA's? If it was a costing issue, then your out of luck unless you order them personally.

[Looney]

I have to echo what has been said above

Using a Three phone at work I was laughed about at first (there was a "post it" note by my name and number on the noticeboard saying "don't bother , never works !")

And things took a more serious turn when my MD interpreted my unavailability as a "lack of interest" at my appraisal

THREE AND WORK DO NOT MIX ! you had a lucky escape IMO ( much as I like the a1000 )

[lotus_man]

Thanks for your comments

I was looking at the P910i initially but the A1000 looked a better bet with the perhaps not so apparent 3G advantages.

I want to email, have a good address book with appointments etc.

PC Link

Extras like GPS navigation, Excel

Hands free speaker phone


I notice Vodafone do the E1000 are they likely to do the A1000 ?

Or is 3G with them likeley to be no better than 3


Recomendations well received

PS. Currently running Nokia 6310i's spending about £1200-£1500 a year on 2 phones.

Regards

[Looney]

I'd guess that it won't be too long before a 3G SE pXXX is on the market ! - now that'd be good , or if you could get an a1000 onto another network ......

[gajet]

OK As far as I can see, there are no "3g advantages" for business users with 3 as data calls are blocked.

Email would be restricted to 3mail only, the adress book and appointments are nearly identical between the P910 and the a1000.

PC Link, problematic for many with the motos, the software tends to be a little over prone to excuses not to work.

GPS Navigation, not really possible on three for cars as software either downloads maps off the net (which wouldn't be allowed for 3) or software such as tomtom is not supported.
Hands free speaker phone, yeah you get that on a1000 not sure about P910 but a bluetooth headset would be better anyway.

I have to say reading your requirements I would of thought the ideal phones 4U (sic) would be the XDA II. It does all you want better than the a1000, can run full pda GPS software and use Excel spreadsheets, word docs etc straight out of the box. They are a bit bigger than the a1000 (although thinner), but leans more to PDA than phone.

I'd be having a word in O2's ear about getting a bargain. They may hand them out to you for cheap considering there is a newer version about to be launched.

[evoloution]

Visit a 3 store, they support small business users and have a dedicated customer service department for business users. Don't take no as your first answer, good luck!

[3gtrooper]

I'd not bother, I'd go with Vodaphone, they have a good range of phones, of course support business and also have an unlocked network.

[dejongj]

This is unbelievable, the kind of childish, unfactual and generalist opinions being voiced in this thread is just beyond believe....

Three and work do not mix, Three makes you unavailable, Business Users want data (like the security department would make you access an exchange server, not)...

I don't get paid by three but this is just such nonsense. Nothing wrong with Three in general, I am certain there are black-spots like there are on any network; I haven't found any yet...At times is goes back to 2g or 2.5g, but you can still make and receive calls....

[Looney]

This is unbelievable, the kind of childish, unfactual and generalist opinions being voiced in this thread is just beyond believe....

its called realism - if you want to ignore the issues with Three , then fine , just don't expect everyone to share your fantasy

Three and work do not mix, Three makes you unavailable, Business Users want data (like the security department would make you access an exchange server, not)...

Our reps had been happily using our VPN (via "outdated technology" nokia 9210's) so Three was just out of the question for them - so again , nothing wtong with your fantasy , just don't expect us all to subscribe to it

I don't get paid by three but this is just such nonsense. Nothing wrong with Three in general, I am certain there are black-spots like there are on any network; I haven't found any yet...At times is goes back to 2g or 2.5g, but you can still make and receive calls....

When things revert to 2/2.5G there are no problems! it is when your phone is desperately trying to cling on to a signal in a 3G area that the problems occour (as surely you must have experienced ? ) or even worse - when you have 5 bars of full strength 3G signal , and the network wont permit you to make calls , or when you move from cell to cell and you calls drop like clockwork - and I KNOW this can happen on any network , but I am talking avout the CONSISTANT , REGULAR dropping that occours as a daily event

If you are happy to trust any aspect of your business to this kind of carp - then best of luck ! you'll need more than denial to dig you out of the hole you end up in

BESIDES - Three won't accept the guy's order anyway - it appears even they agree they are not up to the job !

[18736]

Hey, hang on, miffed!

First. 3 DO accept company users. They have seperate contract forms for business and different ID policies, compared to personal users.

Second, the network is the newest around, hence sometimes signal quality won't be as good as say, a network that has been around for 10 - 20 years.

Third. I use MY phone for business - 2000 mins a month. No prob. Call dropout maybe 5% max. I just call back - no sweat.

Fourth. ALL networks drop calls. Not ONE network is 100% reliable.

Fifth. 3 offer MASSIVE call savings to both business and personal users alike.

Lotus man - speak to a DECENT dealer about signing with 3. Make sure you have the relevant proofs - ie purchase order. Proof of ID, etc. Try ONE handset on 14 day trial. If it is not for you, then return it.

Try it and see!!!!!

PS; Just had a thought. Your initial post said "three do not accept company accounts". Do you mean they won't actually accept your companies BOOKS (accounts) as ID???? That could just be lack of communication. No, books are not acceptable for application, but PO / Letterhead / proof of director's / proprietor's ID IS.

Also, many small businesses put the phone in their individual name, but STILL claim tax relief on the phone. You don't HAVE to have the phone in the company name to get tax relief, or claim as business expense.

Hope that helps. :)

[dejongj]

@3SellerNW - Those are some valid comments and good suggestions. There is an additional benefit by having the phone in an individual name, ie. the lack of taxable benefit.

@miffed - The point I was making was regarding balanced comments. I think your title "Professional three hater" says it all. You are correct, three operates currently a 'walled garden' approach and creating a VPN to a corporate network won't work. So if that is a requirement don't use three, but that is no reason to slag them off. It is not that long ago that the 2G providers only provided walled gardens for WAP and GPRS services...Or to put it in more simplistic terms, if you want a BMW don't go to a Vauxhall garage and have a go at them for not supplying it, even though both are car dealers....

Also you state there are no problems with 2/2.5g but there is if your phone is trying to hold on to a 3 signal...To me that sounds more like a problem with the phone than with the network...On the good phones you can select the sensitivity and if you are in a bad reception area you can always set it to manual and lock on to your preferred network. Exactly what users in border areas have to do to avoid expensive international calls...Again not a fault of the network....

I do agree however that 3 doesn't seem to be business focussed, and I do not mean that in the context of accepting business users. It seems to me more focussed on 18-25 year olds with the content they do provide in the walled garden, i am referring to the rubbish like Xfactor, the silly Comedy material etc...This is of-course very much a personal opinion...

To use it as a phone I don't think you can beat it for business use to reduce your phone bill...In addition 3Mail is free which is great as I have my office support forward me any important e-mails that require my attention. I do ask them to pay attention to commercially sensitive material ofcourse as it is not a secure way of exchanging corporate email....But for those purposes they can send me a fax...

[gajet]

I think you guys are all missing the point. It's about the poster requirements.
GPS, Excel , Email.
None of these are realistic options on 3 and can all be found better elsewhere.

[dejongj]

@Gajet: ROFL, I am glad if my business users can text in lower-case, understand how to use predictive text, add the contact entries correct in their phone books (ie. they never put in the International dialling code, or use the multiple phone number per contact option).....They hate the bluetooth headsets, the words tellietubby are used a lot, can't stand how those don't shut down the radio or their built-in Sat Nav whilst they are on an important call...Use of Excel and Email by corporate users on a phone, you must be joking.....
Perhaps a small business with just 'youngish' people who have fully embraced all the technology available, but that is not really representative of the workforce in the UK...

[Looney]

dejongj - Do you work for Three ? if not you shoud approach them because you think in EXACTLY the same way they do !
Someone comes on here and tells you what they want - and you retort by telling him he doesn't wan't it !
Jesus H ! when a customer tells you exactly what they want it should be a sale on a plate - unless of course, you know damn well your products are insufficent to fill his requirements ....

[dejongj]

@miffed: ROFLMAO No I don't work for 3....So you think the Vauxhall dealer should start selling BMW because someone walked into the wrong showroom?

There are very few succesful businesses that sell everything and will meet any demand when a customer asks for it...However if that customer wants something that you don't sell, they will have to pay for it....Actually the only company I know of is Harrods...It is just doesn't make any business sense...

Just like it doesn't make any business sense to slack off someone or some company when they don't supply what you want to buy from them...They don't supply it, so don't expect them to sell it to you!

Finally, can you please tell me to who on here I 'retorted' telling that they don't want it?

[gajet]

Er dejongj, you do appear to have completely missed the point. I can only assume that you scan read the rest of the post. The original poster stated he wanted a phone that could handle Excel, Email and GPS. So I pointed out that all of this is available elsewhere, but not on 3.
Just because you and your retarded business users don't want those things, dosn't mean nobody else would. Plenty of corporate users have been using email and excel and word on their phones and PDA's for some years now. Hence why the poster is interested in PDA smartphones.
Oh and if I walked into a Vauxhall showroom and asked to buy a BMW, I'd expect the salesman to politely point out my error and advise me to look elsewhere, a good salesman would even find out where the local BMW dealer was to create a good impression to a potential future customer.

phone manufacturers and networks sell exactly what this customer wants and he should be advised to look towards them. eg the XDA's.

[dejongj]

@Gajet; I think we have gone full circle know as I joined this thread regarding the childish behaviour. There is no need to start using words like retarded, that is quite offensive behaviour.

In addition if you had any comprehension of language you would notice that my comment regarding use of Excel and Email was in no means directed at Lotus_Man. If that's his requirements than that is it and I did not say anything against it.

However I will direct it now at him, using Excel, writing E-mail (and looking at all the attachments) and using it for GPS Navigation is no joy on a small screen. Just as making a lot of phone calls with a large device against your ear is also not a joy for 'heavy' users. My advice is don't let those requirements thwart your original intention. If you are currently spending 1200-1500 per annum on two 6310, it seems you are either heavy phone (voice or gprs) users or are on a very expensive tarrif. As such my advice would be to focus on the phone requirements.

[18736]

I think you guys are all missing the point. It's about the poster requirements.
GPS, Excel , Email.
None of these are realistic options on 3 and can all be found better elsewhere.

Sorry. I disagree...

First. A to B by car is being trialled at the mo...

Second. The cost savings on voice calls for ANYONE cannot be ignored.

Third. The A1000 is a quality phone.

Fourth. 3 has 20 months of experience in 3G. The other networks DON'T.

Fifth. A 14 day trial to evaluate the service / handset wouldn't hurt. Would it?

Sixth. I should be on commission for all this advice :)

Thank you!

[solo12002]

Well for the record,Im on O2 Max 1000 mins and 50 texts a month, £75 per month my Trade union pays for that, if I switch to 3 Talk and text 900 it costs £40 pounds per month and right now I can get it for £20 for first year, to me its to good a deal to miss, I could then review at the end of the year and switch to another net work then, if I need to.

[Kaz]

hiya, ur best bet is take it out and try it like already mentioned that is why all networks have a 14dmg. i know ur on about vodafones 3g byt their coberga for this isnt even 40% of uk population. where as three is 82%, this will limit u to using the full service on voda. i reckon you will still have the drop calls on vodafone with this being a new thing for them. also with voda only recently launching we are not fully aware of the problems that may be on the network this may come out in the future when the press find out. but u can get a business contract on three cos u can get upto 10 phones on one account. hopes this helps u mate. like i said there is the 14DMG so might aswell use it.

[3//JimmyD]

Guys,
Three do indeed do company/business deals. I put one through today, a guy came in asking for 10 phones.
You need company ID things such at tax codes, company letterheaded paper etc. More than 3 phones and we have to order it through retail helpdesk, but up to 3 we can do in store.