Many people have genuine grievances and have as much right to complain as others have to defend O2's position and handling of the outage which was limited to just a few people but to hundreds of thousands of O2 customers.
Let me say straight off, I had no problems and I have a contract phone, two O2 P&G phones and an Orange P&G. Quite why I have 4 phones is down to circumstances beyond my control but let's just say that I have been through personal circumstances such as those presently happening with dublincanadian7.
However, there are a great many of those complaining and making silly comments on the forum whose only inconvenience has been the inability to text their mates and update their facebook page. Unfortunately because of the vast numbers of people affected compensation could run into the hundreds of thousands and that is if you compensate everyone just £1.00 each.
I think this is probably why O2 are hinting at compensation 'in an O2 way' which I am thinking may mean free minutes, free data or whatever else they come up with.
It's easy for me, as someone unaffected, to say that this is to me the most sensible approach but I think If you were to be in one country with your family in another then ok, you can contact them by other means but what if there was a family emergency and they only have your mobile number? They cannot contact you at all? Maybe I would be shouting compensation at that point.
I have to say that in my opinion, O2 were badly at fault by not keeping people fully up to date on their homepage and as an automated announcement on the jammed phonelines much earlier in the day than they eventually did. A lot of the bad feeling would have been avoided.
My thinking is that people genuinely put at risk or losing out financially should write into O2 complaints and these should be dealt with on a one to one basis. The less affected (and there are a great percentage) should be compensated 'in an O2 way).
Dublincanadian7, I think you should make a complaint through the official channels @ http://bit.ly/NvVy47 and state your case for compensation within that complaint.
I hope all goes well with your father and you are able to return home to your family soon.
There will always be people with bad experiences as sure as there will be people with good experiences. That will go for any network be it O2, Vodafone, Orange or the company that shall remain nameless. You take as you find and if someone isn't happy, the most logical thing to do is move on. I would have no hesitation if I felt that way, but so far after 14 years I am still with O2.
....they must be doing something right for me to stay with them.
