Orange Vs Three...

[J4MES]

So, my contract is up for renewal... do I:

a) renew with Orange (6230 free, £30 per month, your plan 200, 200+200 mins +100 txt, +£80 airtime credit, as i threatened to renew with dialaphone)

b) renew with dialaphone (6230 + bluetooth headset free, £15 per month for 6 months, same plan as above, £10 cashback but get new phone number)

c) change to 3 with dialaphone (LG8120 free, £4.49 per month for 9 months, 500 minutes xnetwork netime 100txts per month)

Anyone on Three? Recommend? LG8120 any good???

[Aaron]

The LG isn't a bad phone at all.

3's customer service, unbelievable, is even worse than the current big four operators. It's a real amateur operation. They also don't allow you to access the internet from their service either, which really limits the 3G service IMO.

If you don't want to access the internet and don't mind awful customer service, then you can't really beat their tarrifs.

[Swafe]

its coverage and customer service Vs price

depends what mean more i guess

[Atomic]

I wouldnt touch 3 with a barge pole. Not until they get their own network anyway.

My mate has a 3 phone, and he gets dropped calls and crappy signal all the time.

In our local pub I have full 5 bars of signal on both O2 and voda, yet he only has 2 bars.

I wouldnt go with Orange either, but thats due to the lack of coverage where I live. Ive heard they are excellent from people who live in London tho...

[Spud1]

as atomic said, dont go near three, would be the worst decision you ever make. 3 Have you want customer service ppl who cant speak english, a network that drops your calls constantly, a huge phone [the lg is still big] that pretty much featureless, poor voice quality when you do actaully get a connection....need I go on

Its not worth the hassle mate, I personally would say go with voda anyway, but if you want to stay with those 3 options above, the second one seems best value imho

[Lee H]

Orange gets my vote.

THREE have the crappest signal ever. My mates on 3 and in my house I have 4 bars on O2 and my mate the same on Orange - 3 phone has no bars.

As for their phones.... I though my p900 was BIG but the NEC phones, Jesus all you with them should be arrested for carrying an offensive weapon as its huge

[Gunbuster]

Orange have the most consistent coverage in my area thats why I use them. Find out how your friends/family have gotten on with various networks and go for the one that serves your area best. All the fancy tech in the world can't overcome lack of signal.

[Stoo]

Between 3 and Orange? Orange every time.
Now the big networks are bringing out their 3G services 3 is going to have a real struggle on it's hands.. Vodafone's service is already 15p a min cheaper than 3 for video calls, and that gap is only going to get bigger with the rest of the networks 3G services coming online..

Atomic - I've been on Orange and I never had a problem with it in Norwich, or anywhere in Lowestoft (which is severely backwards compared to Norwich..)

[Atomic]

No not in the city centre. Go outside 1mile of there and the signal drops off.

[Stoo]

Odd, I even got perfect signal coming in to Norwich in the car, and that's really out in the sticks with cows and sheep for company..

[XiXora]

an nec e616 SCARRED my ex when she dropped it on her foot!

i'd recommend orange anyway... 3 are useless with shoddy cm and crap coverage ( there is NO 3g signal in my area... )

[0iD]

I'm on orange & travel a lot and I've only hit one or two dead spots. Most local one was (maybe still is) Long Melford in Suffolk. I live in a village in the ar**-end of nowhere too & the signal is good.

[Tumble]

Well we got lynni a 3 mobile purely on the basis that calls cost 20p a minute to the IOM, as opposed to anywhere between 60-85p a minute anywhere else... Customer service is, however rubbish to the point of being S**** BUT if you kick up a stink and ask to be put through to the call centre in Scotland you at least talk to someone who speaks english

[J4MES]

so... is it worth paying £5 for 500 minutes on 3, or £30 for 400 on Orange ?? are they that bad?

on 3, can you select to be on the voice only network (if it's better)?

[walibe]

Alot of people say "3 has poor coverage" Well errr, noo. It has exactly the same coverage as O2 because thats the network it uses when it can't find a 3G signal. Its not like you'd be using a 3G signal on an Orange contract until next year anyway so its hardly a valid argument. Also 3 has the best 3G coverage of ANY network and its in the 80% area.

[Gunbuster]

Sorry but o2 have poor coverage, t-mobile as well, at least in the areas I've been in. 3G maybe you have a point, but as far as I can tell J4mes just wants a nice new phone on a contract, not specifically 3G.