If you are going to ride an English 3 speed you should know how to adjust the indicator spindle and know how to shift the bike smoothly...

They upshift nice under moderate loads and down shifting requires that you back off on the power a little or coast for a second...my 8 year old just got her first 3 speed and has already figured out how it shifts and likes the ability to shift down at a stop.

If the shifter cable is slack it will default to third gear which is a common problem I see on 3 speeds that come into our shop as well as shifter cables that are sticky or frozen in the housing although this will keep the shift box from moving or it wil move and nothing happens.

The SA hub is such a robust unit that I have rarely came across one that did not work and would have to revisit the manual to take one apart as it has been such a long time I have needed to overhaul one.