Three Mobile customers across the UK experienced a massive outage with users unable to make phone calls for several hours as the network has issued a statement
Three Mobile customers are on the warpath following a disastrous 14-hour network failure, spurring calls for compensation. On Wednesday, swathes of customers were left in the lurch, unable to make phone calls or send SMS text messages.
The glitch wreaked havoc nationwide; countless individuals found themselves cut off from the world, and scores of doctor’s surgeries which use the system spiralled into chaos as appointments were cancelled.
Monitoring service Down Detector recorded ongoing problems with the Three network still this weekend.
Via X Three said: “We’re aware of an issue affecting voice services and are working hard to fix it. Data services are working normally. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
Later, they added: “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.”
Voice call attempts were met with frustrating error messages when they tried to connect to the network – a plight shared by users of associated networks such as ID Mobile.
Amid the mayhem, disgruntled customers took to social media seeking reparations. One perturbed subscriber demanded: “Will customers be compensated for the loss of services?” while another implored: “What are we getting for the disruption?”.
One annoyed customer fumed: “I hope we all get compensated from you.”
Another asked: ” 10 hour outage ….. any compensation ?” A third user added: “You forgot to add what are we getting for the disruption?”.
Three responded to the complaints, saying: ” Hi there, we know how frustrating this outage has been, we’re unable to confirm compensation, however our customer care team can check this for you here.”
Customers can claim compensation by contacting Three’s customer support team via a provided link.
However, unlike broadband and landline customers, mobile users are not automatically entitled to compensation under Ofcom’s scheme, often leaving them without redress for service disruptions.
Uswitch mobile expert Simrat Sharma sympathised with affected customers, stating: “Three’s reported outages this week will be incredibly frustrating for customers – and it’s understandable that many will be thinking about compensation.
“Ofcom advises that compensation for mobile signal outages is ‘dependent on the circumstances’. But in severe cases where repairs are significantly delayed, customers may be eligible for a refund or account credit,” she explained.
“If you’ve endured major inconvenience due to the outage, don’t hesitate to approach your provider to request assistance.”
An Ofcom spokesperson has stated: “Anyone who has been affected by this outage should get in touch with Three directly, and if they are dissatisfied then they can consider logging a formal complaint.”
Down Detector reports indicate that the troubles began just past 08:00 BST, and complaints rocketed to more than 9,300 at their height.
Voice call ability was cut off for a significant 79 per cent of those affected, while 17 per cent struggled to even obtain a phone signal.
The turmoil also hit the ID Mobile and Smarty networks, both subsidiaries of Three UK, disrupting services there too.