topic Re: Problems in Bracknell area in Discussions & Feedback

Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2011 12:58:04 GMT

We're a business customer - currently have a large percentage of staff mobiles without coverage within our Postcode area (RG12).
Business support say no ETA and no idea what the problem is - completely useless.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:51:41 GMT

The status message says they are working on it.
I would just tell the staff that there is a problem, its being worked on and there isn't yet a timescale for repair.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:09:21 GMT

I'm sure they have more details open to them if willing.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

adamtemp64 — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:14:43 GMT

well depends on the cell site if on private ground o2 have to get permission a site in surrey made watchdog due to it taking a week to get permission to go onto the MOD land to fix a fault.
O2 clain to have 200 enginers working on faults etc.
Do you have a gauranted service SLA in place etc
It is a mobile phone network that occassionally fails. And o2 are the only one that has a page like the status page.
For my rural postcode it says they are working on masts in my area 7th may as I am 2g only guess we will be without signal.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:20:28 GMT

With that in mind Adam, an ETA that lets us know if it'll be down for hours, days or weeks, would be welcome.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

adamtemp64 — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 06:52:28 GMT

this was the surrey case http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/200 ... phook.html
Having worked in the business continuity industry unless you have a specific sla in your contract that states you must be given an eta for fix then the info you have been given is all o2 have to provide. (and in my opinion with the status page they are ahead of the game)

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:32:02 GMT

Merely suggesting that a rough ETA isn't that hard to attain, and must be something they know internally. Rather a rough ETA, and that get broken - than no ETA at all.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:15:24 GMT

You're basing your entire argument on the assumption that it's not 'hard' to provide an ETA. I question whether that's a valid assumption, given that there will be several third parties involved and you have no idea what the actual issue is.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Fri, 06 May 2011 07:56:24 GMT

Accuracy is not an issue. To the degree of "hours, days, weeks or months." - hopefully data they should already have.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:23:09 GMT

devgav,
I am completely with you. I run a small business, my mobile is my lifeline and I am in Bracknell with no phone coverage.
I just want to know if it will be back today or not, not a lot to ask is it?
To the others that think it is complicated, it isn't. The technology is there to post key updates remotely (unless thay cannot get a signal LOL!) by mast/post code in real time. They know whether the mast has "burnt down" or not, they know when a service team will be on site. I understand a final ETA might be difficult to pinpoint, a seemingly small issue can turn out to be much bigger, but some update on progress and confirmation that someone is actually taking this seriously would help.

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

Anonymous — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:31:12 GMT

We're not suggesting O2 haven't supplied anything that they should have.
Merely that a rough ETA isn't that hard to attain, and must be something they know internally anyway. Passing that information on when a customer asks wouldn't be the end of the world.
If our internet line goes down, we get an ETA for when it'll be fixed. Same goes for electricity, heating, and various other services.
Wouldn't harm O2 to give the customer more information - saying that they are better than the competition (who have nothing), isn't much of a compliment to O2.

Hi devgav
First and foremost, we're sorry for the inconvenience this fault is causing you.
The fact that the fault is listed on the status page is (as far as it can be) a good thing - it means that we're aware of the issue, and that engineers are working hard to get it fixed.
However, fault resolution on cell sites doesn't come without its fair share of hurdles - there could be problems with getting access to the land that the site's on, or with getting an obscure spare part that's needed to that location. Some of the different parts of a cell site (both hardware and software) need the attention of an specialist engineer, but that can't be determined until the fault's been identified and evaluated. These are just a few of the reasons why faults can take a little longer to fix than first thought, and that's why customer service don't have any timescales to quote - the first guess could end up being wildly inaccurate if more than one of the above factors were to creep in.
We understand that it's frustrating when technology fails - but what's more frustrating is broken promises. For that reason, customer service will only be able to advise that we're aware of an issue and working to fix it - empty promises aren't helpful for anyone.
Rest assured - I've seen the engineers at work in the past and can guarantee that there's something going on right now to fix that fault, even if it's not apparent to you at the moment. They'll have it fixed as soon as is humanly possible.
I realise this reply still doesn't give you any ideas (and I'm afraid there's very little more that I can offer in that respect) but I hope I've clarified why that's not always the best way, and managed to reassure you that every fault suffered is given our full and urgent attention.
Thanks
Chris

Re: Problems in Bracknell area

adamtemp64 — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:58:43 GMT

Thanks Chris for the input