Latest news with #ThreeUK
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Vodafone Launches Share Buyback of Up to $589 Million After Revenue Grows
Vodafone VOD -0.93%decrease; red down pointing triangle Group launched a share buyback of up to 500 million euros ($588.6 million) after its first-quarter revenue rose, helped by the completion of its merger with rival Three UK. The U.K. telecommunication company said Thursday that for the three months ended June 30 revenue rose to 9.385 billion euros from 9.04 billion euros for the same period a year earlier.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
My £1,200 Samsung phone was blacklisted - by a network that I've never even used! SALLY SORTS IT
I took my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 in for a repair to a damaged screen in January this year. The repairer informed me that they could not fix it as it's been blacklisted by Three UK. I was shocked as my network provider is O2 and I purchased the £1,200 phone new directly from Samsung in September 2022. Since then, it has always been in my possession. The device has now been blocked. I can't afford to replace it. Please help. F. S., New Malden, London. Sally Hamilton replies: The mystery of your blacklisted mobile is particularly baffling as you have never been a customer of Three. Initially, you spent considerable time on the phone to both Samsung and O2 urging them to help unblock your device. You said they made every effort to help but concluded that only Three could resolve the problem. After a slow start, Three launched an internal investigation which, maddeningly, also concluded that it could not help. The firm simply sent you a deadlock letter to enable you to escalate the complaint to the Communications Ombudsman. You hit yet another brick wall when the Ombudsman said it could not consider your complaint as you are not a Three customer. Arrgh! I was your last hope if you were ever going to be able to use your pricey phone again. On my request, Three reopened your case. It kept in touch with you throughout the process. It was three weeks before I finally received the good news that your phone had been unblocked and removed from the blacklist. Three confirmed your device had been blacklisted on November 22, 2022, but could not confirm whether it was Three or another provider that had requested this, or the reason. It won't share details of the mechanics of the blacklisting process either in case fraudsters take advantage of the information. Devices are blacklisted via their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, which is unique to each phone. Providers or networks tend to do this if a mobile is lost or stolen, if there are security issues, if a customer fails to pay their bill, or the device has been reported as used for fraud or spam purposes. Theft victims may find they are unable to claim on their insurance until the device has been confirmed on the blacklist. No one was able to work out what happened in your case. It's possible the IMEI number from another phone might have been mistyped when it was reported stolen. We will never know. You were grateful for my intervention and can finally get your phone repaired. It's a pity there is not a simpler and speedier way for innocent victims of blacklisting to get their devices removed from the list. Granddaughter in Australia can't access account Our granddaughter emigrated to Australia with her parents 16 years ago at the age of three. At the time she had a Child Trust Fund with Nationwide Building Society. Recently, she tried to access the £402 balance, but Nationwide blocked the account because she has not been into a branch. Can you help? F .S., Nottingham. Sally Hamilton replies: You said your granddaughter posted certified copies of her driving licence and passport to Nationwide's head office, along with a covering letter explaining that she would like to withdraw her money. But these were not accepted. Staff told her only the original documents would do. She was reluctant to send these to the other side of the world as she feared never seeing them again. Nationwide insisted the only way to resolve matters was for her to go into a branch and present identification in person. But as she lives in Queensland, Australia, and has no plans to visit the UK, this was not possible. You say friends of hers with CTFs at other banks have been able to access their accounts online, but she doesn't have an internet account with Nationwide. Scam Watch Households should beware a scam email impersonating British Gas, consumer website Which? has warned. The tricksters claim you have an overdue bill which needs paying as your last direct debit 'hasn't gone through'. The fraudulent email says you are £7.21 overdue and you are prompted to click a link to pay the remaining balance. But the link will lead to a malicious website designed to steal your personal and financial details. Do not click on the link – instead, forward the email to report@ She faced an additional frustration recently when the building society distributed £50 to eligible members as part of the so-called The Big Nationwide Thank You. This was a bonus handout following its purchase last year of rival Virgin Money. Your granddaughter was issued a cheque but was unable to pay it into her Australian account as that country's banks no longer accept cheques in foreign currencies. I stepped in to ask Nationwide to resolve both the problem of the CTF and the bonus cheque and give her access to her £452. It took about three weeks but eventually Nationwide found a way 'given the exceptional situation'. It agreed to verify your granddaughter's ID over the phone and sent the CTF funds and the bonus to her Australian account by bank transfer once it received an emailed copy of a recent bank statement. A spokesman for Nationwide says: 'We apologise for the time it has taken to find a solution and we will offer her £50 as compensation.' By coincidence, reader D. F., from Stroud, Gloucestershire, had a similar tale regarding her grandson's savings account with Coventry Building Society. Now 21, he emigrated aged six to New Zealand, but in January tried to access the cash to help with his university costs. He was told this could be done only by closing the account and raising a cheque for the £787.86 balance. This was done, but New Zealand also no longer accepts foreign currency cheques. All was resolved by reopening the old account, paying the cheque back in and raising another in the name of his grandmother. This could be done only on receipt of a letter of consent from the grandson who also had to provide a copy of his passport and driving licence, validated by a Justice of the Peace. After a tedious five months of effort, D. F. will shortly be able to transfer the money from her account to her grandson's. Straight to the point I booked an easyJet flight from Newcastle to Paris for June 6 but the airline cancelled the flight the night before. I was given no explanation. I've tried twice to claim compensation through the website but it keeps telling me my details don't match the customer on the booking, when it does. It's almost impossible to speak to someone on the phone. N.A., Durham. Easyjet apologises and says you will be compensated. It says the first claim was filled out incorrectly while the second was rejected due to a mismatch of information. *** I bought a television from John Lewis for £2,999. It has a 'price promise', which means if I find the same product at another retailer for a lower price within seven days of making the purchase, it will refund the difference. I found one for £2,699 so submitted a claim, but it was rejected. I made the purchase at 10.30pm on a Tuesday so thought I could make a claim up to the same time the following week. I made the claim around 4pm the following Tuesday, but John Lewis won't accept this. R.W., via email. John Lewis says it recognises your frustration and has refunded the price difference. *** In May my phone, which had my bank card in the case, was stolen out of my pocket while I was in Benidorm. The thief used my Apple Pay, which was linked to a different bank account, to transfer money to the account linked with my physical card. They withdrew £1,450 from cash machines. I couldn't freeze the account until four days after the card was stolen as I no longer had my mobile phone to do this on the app. I later attempted to dispute the transactions with the bank, but it says they aren't fraudulent. B.B., via email. Your bank apologises and is paying you the £1,450 along with £250 in compensation. Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@ — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
Daily Record
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Record
Three Mobile customers 'leaving network' after being unable to text or call for hours
The company issued an apology last night after customers were left in the dark for hours unable to use their phone Three UK has apologised to its customers after a day-long outage wreaked havoc for thousands of Brits up and down the country - with some users unable to make or receive calls for more than 15 hours. The issue began around 7.45am on Wednesday, June 25, and was not resolved until 10pm. The mobile network says services are returning to normal after the blackout saga - but that is not good enough for some people. Exasperated and aggrieved customers have threatened to abandon the network after being left in the lurch for hours on end, with some even claiming to have missed medical appointments and several others unable to call 999. In a late-night update to customers, Three UK took to X, formerly Twitter, writing: "Following an issue earlier today, Voice and SMS services are now returning to near-normal levels. "Data services continue to work normally and we're monitoring the network closely. We understand how disruptive this has been and sincerely apologise for today's inconvenience." Almost 10,000 people logged issues with the network yesterday, with the majority of complaints (80%) from those who could not make or receive voice calls. Around one in five (17%) reported that they could not get phone signal and three per cent were having trouble connecting to the internet, as per Downdetector, which monitors global outages. Three UK has since been hit with a deluge of messages from users demanding compensation for the loss of services. One disgruntled user responded to the update saying: "I'm afraid I'll be leaving after this latest episode. I'm now having to work at the weekend to play catch up with a full day lost today. It's the lack of information that really stings. Poor form." A second asked: "Will customers be compensated for loss of services?" another replied: " Compensation needed for all today, breach of contract," while several others claimed their voice and SMS services were still not working. One customer claims they missed a scheduled doctor's appointment as a result of the ongoing issues. "This is crazy with Three just missed an online doctor's appointment. Rubbish network," they said. Yet another frustrated Brit scribed: "It's now been 24 hours since I lost the signal on my phone. No access to calls, data or SMS. If a family member tries to reach out they can't... "@ThreeUK are you guys fixing this or its time to move to a different provider?" The network provider has been actively replying to people on X with options to discuss compensation. Representatives have also been re-directing customers to their website for more details. However, at the time, Three UK couldn't give customers a rough timeframe for when they could expect problems to be rectified on Wednesday, telling them "we don't have a timeframe to share at present." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mirror
26-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Three UK apologises for day-long outage but customers are all saying same thing
Fuming Three UK customers threatened to ditch the network on Wednesday after being left in the dark for hours - with some even missing doctor's appointments and several others unable to call 999 Three UK has apologised to its customers after a day-long outage wreaked havoc for thousands of Brits up and down the country - with users now demanding compensation after they were unable to make or receive calls for more than 15 hours. Fuming customers threatened to ditch the network after being left in the dark for hours, with some even missing doctor's appointments and several others unable to call 999. The outage, which began at around 7:45am on Wednesday, was not resolved until 10pm. In a late night update to customers, Three UK took to X, writing: "Following an issue earlier today, Voice and SMS services are now returning to near-normal levels. Data services continue to work normally and we're monitoring the network closely. We understand how disruptive this has been and sincerely apologise for today's inconvenience." But the mobile network provider was then inundated with requests from furious users demanding they receive compensation for the loss of services. Almost 10,000 people logged issues with the network yesterday, with the majority of complaints (80%) from those who could not make or receive voice calls, 17% who could not get phone signal and 3% who were having trouble connecting to the internet, according to Downdetector. One user responded to the update saying: "You forgot to add what are we getting for the disruption?", while another threatened to leave. "I'm afraid I'll be leaving after this latest episode," the disgruntled customer said. "I'm now having to work at the weekend to play catch up with a full day lost today. It's the lack of information that really stings. Poor form." A third asked: "Will customers be compensated for loss of services?" One simply replied "Compensation needed for all today breach of contract," while several others responded to the update claiming their voice and SMS services were still not working. One customer claims they missed a scheduled doctors appointment as a result of the ongoing issues. "This is crazy with Three just missed an online doctor's appointment. Rubbish network," the customer said. Another said: "Can't make or receive calls. Newcastle Upon Tyne. Compensation now!" The furious comments came as the network provider apologised for any inconvenience caused - but failed to offer customers a rough timeframe for when they could expect issues to be resolved on Wednesday, telling them "we don't have a timeframe to share at present."
Daily Mirror
25-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
All we know as major UK mobile network goes down for entire day
A mass outage has left Three customers unable to make or receive calls - and some say they are also experiencing problems with text messages and mobile data connection Thousands of furious mobile phone customers have been left unable to make or receive calls after the Three network went down for an entire day. Some users said they were still experiencing problems this evening after a major outage took out "voice services" on the mobile network operator, which currently has 10.5 million active customers in the UK. Three - which recently announced a £16.5 billion merger with rival Vodafone - said it is "continuing to investigate" the problems and was "so sorry" to customers who have been affected. While the network says that data services are unaffected, some have said they are also unable to connect to 4G and 5G. Here's everything we know about the Three network outage: What's happened? The outage affecting the Three network started at around 7.45am this morning, according to Downdetector. It's left many customers unable to receive or make phonecalls - with some taking to social media to complain that they had missed important calls from work, family members or their doctor as a result. Three have been providing updates on their X (formerly Twitter) page throughout the day, and said in its first response at 9.36am: "We're aware of an issue affecting voice services and are working hard to fix it." Are data services working? According to Three, while many customers have been unable to make calls during today's outage, data services such as 4G and 5G should be working as normal. But some users have got in touch with the Mirror to say that they have also experienced problems with their data connection, in addition to the issues with telephone and SMS services. Are other networks affected? iD Mobile, which also uses the Three network, has also confirmed issues with calls, text message's and the Live Chat function this evening. Customers on Smarty mobile, which is owned by Three, are also reporting issues. Why can't I use Vodafone signal if they're the same company now? After approval from Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year, Three UK recently merged with Vodafone in a bid to create a "new force in UK mobile." However, Three customers can't use Vodafone's network just yet. In the FAQs section of its website, Vodafone says that "from mid-June" Three UK customers would receive a 20% boost in 4G data speeds, and that "within a few months" Vodafone and Three customers would be able to "automatically use each other's networks". It means that today's outage has likely come too early for Three customers to benefit from the merger. What's the latest? Though reports of the outage dipped on tracking services such as Downdetector later in the day, some customers say they are still experiencing problems. In an update this evening, the mobile network said: "We're continuing to investigate an issue affecting voice services on our network. Data services remain unaffected, so customers can make calls using third-party messaging apps. A small number of text messages are also impacted. "We understand how frustrating this is and are so sorry if you've been impacted."
