3 Italy Prepaid disaster
 

During a recent visit in Italy I wanted to recharge our 3Prepaid card. I paid the charge in a 3Shop.

All they managed to do was partly inactivate the card. The card was still logged in to the net but with no functions. All in- and outgoing traffic was cut off.

Still after a couple of weeks and appr 7 hours of talking to the shop assisant and the client service, absolutely nothing has happened. No chance of refunding money payed for nothing. And on top of that, they started all over each time I asked why the card was partly cut off. We have been working with prepaid systems for about 15 years now. I have never before met such an incompetence before (maybe with the exception of Yackie/Paytoo).

Since we are in the prepaid business I tried to follow this issue through, to see what an average tourist/client would fight against.

Since an English speaking Italian is as rare as crocodiles in Italy, all conversation had to be in Italian.

So, all visitors, be warned; 3 Italia is not the prepaid card to buy.

We have been using TIM cards, Wind and Vodafone Prepaids for more than ten years without any problems at all.

I can, but only partially, second your thoughts.
First above all, a "captatio benevolentiae": it is true, you need some luck to enter a 3 shop and exit with a properly configured (or not misconfigured so that at least you can DIY).
Myself, I had to go to the shop 3 times to make a 3 SIM card work properly. And it was my 2nd 3 SIM, therefore I knew what I needed and what to ask.

But 3 gives you the cheapest mobile internet access in Italy, with a coverage which I rate good, even if not complete. But it rarely lets you down for long and wide in my experience.

Furthermore, going with other operators does not mean their people know what they sell... I have had bad (but also good, which however also applies to 3) experiences with all of them. Service has not always been excellent also with them, and then you pay more for the same bad service (Wind is in my opinion perfectly in this line, though not the most expensive).
In Spain, getting a prepaid with Vodafone has been a nightmare and I almost taught the people of the shop what I needed... It only took a visit to 3 Vodafone shops and 45 minutes of red tape once I got it right... call it high service quality!
All world (and all mobile shops are) is a small country...

First weapon is patience and perseverance, especially the first day, when you try to get what you want and the people in the shop do not even know what they have in store!
People from here usually know far more and better than those supposed to sell you the services!

Cheers!

Sleepy

I think I was extremely patient and polite. I went there 8 times and called them 2 times. I was waiting patiently for no results. Since I speak Italian they did understand what I was saying, but no result.

As we work in the line of systemation of prepaid systems, I would think I have above average knowledge about what can be done and what can't.

Dear Borjeg,
I was not implying you had not been polite or patient. I am sure you were, and I myself would not have been if I had to return 8 times to have a service correctly enabled...

I only was saying that unfortunately these things are more or less common to many operators here and there. 3 is no better, no worse...

Cheers! :)
Sleepy