500mb Data Add-Ons

[Add_52023]

I just received a text message stating: 

From Three. We would like to let you know that the 500Mb Data Add-On will no longer be available for sale from the 3rd of May. If you have purchased before this date will only be able to use your booster for 28 days after it was purchased. If you need information about domestic or EU roaming rates associated with your account, please visit 3.ie/8ml or come into your local Three store

Is this service being entirely withdrawn or is there another plan that allows me to purchase these data bundles? 

[imjosh]

I have received the same SMS and upon checking the article Three has published about it (here) I am really frustrated by the nonsense of the "justification" the company is presenting for removing this Data Add-on:

Why is this happening?
This change is because this add-on is no longer available with your current prepaid plan.

We are removing this data booster as it is a legacy product no longer supported on our systems.

Not supported on our systems? I call BS on that.

Are there any other data boosters available for my plan?
As you are on a legacy Three plan, no other data boosters are compatible. In order to get All You Can Eat Data you will need to move to one of our latest prepay plans which offer a range of enhanced benefits such as All You Can Eat Data and EU roaming allowances.

This is a blatant tactic to force users on legacy prepay plans to move to current prepay plans which, amazingly, "support" data addons (wow!). But of course these "current plans" don't let you keep your credit to use it like the legacy ones. And this is the reason why Three is removing data addons from legacy prepay plans. Not because they "can't" be supported, but because customers were using the credit they kept from the top-up to buy Data addons without having to top up again.

If I can't stay on legacy plans and buy data addons with my credit as I always did (because Three doesn't want to let me do that) then I will simply transfer to another operator. This was the only reason why I was staying at Three, without this, there are better/cheaper providers out there. 

[Three_Shane1]

@Add_52023 Hi there the 500 MB Data Add-On is being completely withdrawn. If you're interested in our newer prepay plans check them out here. You'll see lower down the page that we do have add-ons tailored for each plan. If you have any questions about the plans or add-ons let me know. 

[Three_Shane1]

@imjosh Hi there, I'm sorry to hear you're considering leaving. Although the add-on will no longer be available you can still stay on your legacy plan & avail of the All You Can Eat Data & free 5G when you top-up by your plan amount.

[imjosh]

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@Three_Shane1 wrote:

@Add_52023Hi there the 500 MB Data Add-On is being completely withdrawn. If you're interested in our newer prepay plans check them out here. You'll see lower down the page that we do have add-ons tailored for each plan. If you have any questions about the plans or add-ons let me know. 

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I know, but those are useless as I can't keep my credit when I top up, correct? If I move to one of those "new" prepay plans I can't use these addons as I won't have any credit left after the top up expires. Now I could use my credit after my €20 top up expired to buy data addons.

And this is the reason why Three is removing them from legacy plans, to prevent users from using their credit on that. This is why this addon is being withdrawn.

[imjosh]

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@Three_Shane1 wrote:

@imjoshHi there, I'm sorry to hear you're considering leaving. Although the add-on will no longer be available you can still stay on your legacy plan & avail of the All You Can Eat Data & free 5G when you top-up by your plan amount.

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I know, but you are removing my capacity to use my credit to buy Data, without any justification rather than "we don't want you to use them". There isn't any "technical" reason why you can't provide this addon to legacy plans, as you have been for years. Now suddenly you "can't". Okay then.

[Add_52023]

I thought the same, it’s a blatant attempt to force customers off the legacy plan by withdrawing a valued service. This sort of goalpost-shifting tactics damages trust in the company so I’ll also just switch providers rather than be forced to take up one of their newer plans that don’t let you keep your credit top-up at the end of the month. So disappointed in this as I’ve been a customer for over 15 years 

[imjosh]

Same, I've been a Three customer for a decade. I moved from TescoMobile, so I'll gladly go back to GoMo or Tesco again and get AYCE data 5G for €15 instead of the €20 it costs at Three Prepay. TescoMobile has a €15 prepay plan that let's you keep the €15 credit (like Three legacy plans) and then you can buy 1GB data addons for €5, so it seems it's the perfect place for me to move and continue keeping my credit after topping up. What's better, this top up is €5 cheaper 🙂

Keeping my credit after top up and the data addon was the ONLY thing keeping me at Three, because your coverage at the area where I live is terrible (and I live in Dublin). If you remove this, I will have zero reasons to stay.

[Add_52023]

I hadn’t known about that deal from Tesco mobile. Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully the coverage in Dublin is good as Three’s 4G speed has been very up and down.

Very disappointed in Three for deciding to just change their policy on a whim to force customers onto a new plan for their financial benefit while putting out some nonsensical excuse about it ‘no longer being supported on our systems’. I can’t trust them not to pull a similar stunt in future when they again want to boost revenues. Would have respected them more if they didn’t try to hide behind some made-up technical jargon. 

[Add_53122]

this was one of the main reasons why I stayed with 3 for so long and now I'll be going elsewhere.

Keeping my €20 credit whenever I topped up and buying 500mb add ons after the unlimited data expired for that month.

I always used the 500mb for WhatsApp texts/calls and light internet browsing.

€20 top up lasted me for 3/4 months depending on usage.

Now I will change to 48 since it's only €13 per month