3 Store

Not the best experience. When I first arrived in the UK I purchased a 3 SIM card from an airport vending machine. I’ve been using it for about three weeks now and I constantly have network connectivity issues, but the main problem is that I can’t connect to the internet most of the time (I paid for 3 GB but was able to use only ~500 MB). So a gentleman at the 3 Store by Charing Cross advised that if I was to register online I would be able to come into any 3 store and exchange the SIM card, since he thought it was the SIM card that was causing the issue.
When I came to the Camden Town 3 store, all 3 sales assistants were playing with their phones and didn’t care that someone entered the store. Eventually one of them came up and asked if I needed any help. I explained the situation but she said they could not help and that I needed to call the customer service. Eventually I did get the new SIM card but throughout my time at this store all the staff were very disinterested and I had to go out of my way to get them to do their job.
I wouldn’t recommend this store nor using 3 as your operator.

A woman named Natalia helped me, and she was possibly one of the most disinterested people I have ever encountered. She sold me a nano SIM for an iPhone 5, but she had actually given me a micro SIM instead. I understand she may not have wanted to work on a lovely Saturday afternoon, but all she had to do was give me the right SIM card, but apparently that couldn’t even be done correctly.
I didn’t realize until I had gotten home. Now I have to return to the store to exchange it. Note to (your)self: check your SIM card before you leave the store.

I enjoy fast service.
Picked up a SIM 100 and a SIM 300 card for my Samsung Galaxy S and iPhone 4 in fifteen minutes flat. Not the fastest experience I’ve ever had but it’s up there in the top five.
The staff was professional and on-​point. No up sell, no cross sell, no fuss.

Walked in and walked out with a phone in under 3 minutes. Got the cheapest piece of crap they had — 30 quid — and set it up in under 15 minutes. Easy in and out. Three stars because the phone is a POS, but the service was excellent.

My impression of this store was negative from the moment the two attendants looked so offended that I’d walked in. I was dressed appropriately, I didn’t smell, so I can think of no reason for the look. Customer service has changed somewhat if the people who are working are so affronted when they have a potential sale. Anyway one of the guys came over as I looked at the Blackberry Bold. «You want the Nokia mate. The Bold is alright, people say its alright, but you want the Nokia.» «Do I? Do I really want the Nokia? No! No I do not.» If I’d of wanted a Nokia I’d of asked about it. What is it with phone stores pushing the Finnish behemoth of phones on me?
I just didn’t get a nice vibe about 3 in Camden. I respect they have some great offers, and the latest cool 3G handsets, yet if I was going to purchase a handset from 3, it wouldn’t be from this store.