Zero Tolerance Policy
1. Introduction
Three Ireland (Hutchison) Limited and Three Ireland Services (Hutchison) Limited (together “Three”): Three is committed to treating our customers in all of our interactions with respect and fairness and we expect that our customer will equally engage with Three in this manner so that we have a safe and respectful environment for our staff and customers. As a responsible employer and service provider, Three will take appropriate steps to protect its staff and customers. We have the right to terminate a customer’s service for breaches of their contract with us. If a customer’s behaviour is of an unacceptable nature, we can rely on clause 10.2 (b) (ii) of the Terms of Service. [para. 2 below refers to 10.2(b)(ii)]
2. Three’s Terms
10.2(b)(ii) We may end this agreement in the following ways… if we believe that your communications with Three Customer Services or any of our retailers or agents, or your use of our Three Services, are jeopardising the operation of the network, or are of an unacceptable nature.
3. Forming an Acceptable Behaviour Policy
It is therefore necessary to set out a policy that elaborates on what we deem to be unacceptable behaviour and when we can terminate a customer’s contract on foot of such behaviour. We have zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour.
3.1 What is “unacceptable behaviour”
(a) From a Retail perspective:
When a customer is in store, and they exhibit any of the following behaviours:
- Any violence, including: Kicking, Spitting, Hitting, Pushing
- Close physical proximity with the intention to intimidate
- Violence of any sort, threatened, perceived or actual
- Videoing on a mobile phone in order to threaten using the footage against a Three staff member on social media or elsewhere*.
- Using offensive language, for example, swearing, making sexually explicit, racially abusive, homophobic/transphobic/anti-LGBTQ+, sexist, ableist or ageist comments.
- Any criminal behaviour
(b) From a Care Centre perspective:
- Harassment/Prank calls
- Abusive calls: Where a customer uses unacceptable terminology or language that causes offence or makes an advisor feel unsafe. Examples: Sexual abuse, Sexual noises, sexually explicit language, Racial abuse, racially abusive language, Mimicry of accents, Homophobic/ Transphobic/ Anti-LGBTQIA+ behaviour or language including defamation of religion, sexist, ableist, ageist
4. Actions that can be taken
4.1: Retail Agents
(a) If our retail agents believe that you are being abusive or harassing them, they may direct you to the front of house poster as a reminder of the types of conduct that we consider to be unacceptable.
(b) If the abusive behaviour continues, the retail agent can ask a customer to leave the store immediately. Any violent or threatening conduct will be reported to the Gardai immediately, and a record will be placed on the customer’s account.
4.2: Contact Centre: Care Agents
4.2.1 If you abuse or harass our contact centre advisors, we will follow a “One Strike” policy and warn you to cease the conduct immediately or the interaction will be terminated.
4.2.2 If the abuse or harassment continues, our agents will end the call or chat and make a record of the incident on your account.
4.2.3 Depending on the severity and frequency of the abuse, we may decide to disconnect your account, as well as take additional measures to prevent you from contacting our agents in the future, for example by blocking your IP address.
4.2.4 Ultimately, Three has the right to terminate a customer’s service if the customer has breached this acceptable behaviour policy. Three has zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviour.
*Videoing/Filming/Photographing a conversation that you are party to is not illegal, but nonetheless the act of doing this coupled with the threat to an agent to use it against them can amount to unacceptable behaviour as it is intimidating and threatening to the agent.