topic Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?) in Discussions & Feedback

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:55:24 GMT

I know this has been discussed a few times before but i just wanted to see if anyone was getting the same impression from O2 that i have been getting?

I have been an O2 Pay monthly customer for 6 years , my average monthly spend across this period has been £50 a month. before taking out the monthly contract i was a PAYG customer for 3 years regularly updating my phone and topping up at least £20 a month.

I have had no problems with the service recieved, and the contracts offered have always been good value and provided me with a choice of handsets and options..... untill recently that is!

The reason i have now decided to leave O2 is because they are basically giving me no choice.

The contracts are no longer competative and the choice of handsets is currently by far the worst on the market. If you dont want a iPhone there is very little to chose from, and what is on offer is outdated.

My last contract expired in May, i enquired about the iphone but for what i wanted it was to expensive and decided against taking the contract but was willing to wait for new options to arrive and switched to the £20 simplicity to fill the gap in contracts and see what O2 would have done once the second quater came to and end.

What they did was nothing! There are very few new desirable handsets and nothing has been offered to me by O2 (basically i think their is little interest in holding onto customers who dont want an iphone or something similar). So basically i have only one option left move to orange or vodaphone and actually get some choice.

Im pretty dissapointed i dont really want to leave O2 but there is nothing on offer i want and no sign of this changing. 4 months down the line and the choice of handsets still hasnt changed.

Is anyone else finding the same thing when it comes to remewing thier contract??

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:28:46 GMT

I roam a lot and much as I wanted to leave O2 (I'm fed up with constant 'network busy' messages in the City of London), they seem to be the most competitive for roaming in Europe.

- £50mb data roaming for £50
- 25p / min calls and free to receive when roaming in EU (for £9.99 / month)
- free roaming texts at 4:1 ratio out of your allowance

I've spoken with other networks and they can't get close to pricing like that, which saddens me as I really want to leave! Can't blame you for going though, especially if you do roam.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:05:31 GMT

OP, if you're going due to the fact o2 aren't doing retention deals any more and have a poor choice of "upgrades" then I fear you won't do any better with another provider.

Have you actually studied the deals of o2's rivals? Do you really want to sign up to a 3 year contract with Orange, for example, to get a decent phone? :mansurprised:

I've found over the past few years, if you have the money up front and will be keeping the handset for a while, that going onto Simplicity and just buying your own phone either SIM-free or PAYG is cost-effective. Even if it wasn't you have a choice of pretty much any handset you want.

I would never again rely on o2 or any other provider to sell me an "upgrade" (I quote the word because their new phones are generally downgrades nowadays).

Save up. Buy exactly the phone you want and a SIM only deal, is my advice

SV

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:33:12 GMT

Strange_visitor its not related to retention deals, i have been offered deals by O2 but on phones such as the nokia 5800 which is now pretty out dated and at a contract price well above what is being offered by other networks (it was at least £15 more than Orange IIRC).

Its more to do with the lack of new handsets being made avaliable, Outside the iPhone there are very few affordable desirable handsets being made avaliable to O2 customers.

I have looked at all deals from other rival networks and they simply win out because they can offer me different handsets. For example, Samsung Jet £30 a month 600 minutes 3000 texts unlimited data and web free phone avaliable on both Orange and Vodafone over 18 months. Very reasonable affordable deals.

Can o2 match or better that? No simply because they dont stock the handset, same with the N97, Samsung Pixion 12mp, HTC hero the list goes on. Thats the main problem lack of choice, which is what consumers expect now days.

Also in theory you plan to buy the handset outright is a good one (and may well work for some people like yourself) but consider:

Samsung jet Handset £300 over 18 months is £16.67 add that to my £23 simplicity deal thats £39.67, costing me nearly £10 more than picking the phone up from either Orange or Vodafone.

N97 handset £439.99 over 18 months £24.44 add that to my £23 makes £47.44 costing me again more than i would be spending on other networks.

Once you factor in the fact i have to actually save the money to pay up front and then wont be able to possibly negotiate any loyalty discount as my average monthyl spend will be so low whats the point?

This post is not designed to slate O2 and not a rant, as i said I like O2 and the service they provide but im not going to blindly follow on if they wont make an effor to give me value for my ££££££.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:08:41 GMT

Why don't you upgrade through P4U instead? They can offer the Jet on o2 tariffs.

Personally I stay with a network for customer service and am happy to pay more per month to get better service. Its the same with most things that you get what you pay for, some networks offer the world and its wife, but they just don't come up with the goods in terms of service, and thats often why they have to offer so much, just to tempt people in.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:20:55 GMT

Why don't you upgrade through P4U instead? They can offer the Jet on o2 tariffs.
Personally I stay with a network for customer service and am happy to pay more per month to get better service. Its the same with most things that you get what you pay for, some networks offer the world and its wife, but they just don't come up with the goods in terms of service, and thats often why they have to offer so much, just to tempt people in.

I cant seen the Tarrifs for o2 on phones4u online, they only have Orange and vodafone (they probably have them in store but you tend to get online discount), but if i switch to phones4u wont my contract and account be managed by them instead of O2 anyway meaning i will still have to switch which is what i will have to do anyway?

As for paying more for customer service in this day and age you really shouldnt have to, also i have friends and family on other networks and they recieve just as good a service as me (in the case of Vodafone latley it has been better than 02 when my GF has been dealing with them).

So your telling me if O2 slaped an additional £10 (hypothetically speaking) on your bill a month and limited your options you would gladly pay?

If you value the service that highly then thats fair enough, whatever works for you, but i dont think what i recive now (which IMO should be standard for any company) is worth an additional £10.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:30:30 GMT

wanty works for o2 so she may be a little biased

However, I'm not - every time my contract comes up for renewal I look around, do plenty of research and still resign with o2. I've always had a decent signal, good customer service etc.

I've got friends who are on Orange or T-Mobile who have reception probems here in Leeds and scare stories of poor customer service.

The handset may be shinier but the grass isn't always greener

Granted, as I no longer bother with upgrades I'm basing my judgement purely on 5 years of customer service, decent prices and good coverage.

Moving to another provider, I may gain, I may lose, but it's not worth the risk to me. I know what to expect from o2 and they'd have to go downhill fast for me to look elsewhere.

SV

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:46:58 GMT

wanty works for o2 so she may be a little biased

Not when it comes to me as a consumer. Yes I want a bargain like anyone, but I'm happy to pay extra if I feel I am getting value for money. Like an ISP, its all well and good getting it for £5 a month, but if when it goes down you have to speak to an Indian call center who can't understand the problem and take a week to resolve it I'd much rather pay £20 a month and get fantastic support. If o2 don't come up to my standards then I would leave like a shot even though it means I'd be paying a heck of a lot more (losing my discounts).

If you take it out instore through P4U, just urm and arhhh a bit and they'll start throwing in some deals such as cashback or free accessories. I can tell you now they do the Jet, the Pixon12 and pretty much most new phones on O2 instore. Your contract will be with P4U but your network, billing and customer service (so long as its not a problem with your contract) will all be handled by O2.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:12:23 GMT

wanty works for o2 so she may be a little biased

Not when it comes to me as a consumer. Yes I want a bargain like anyone, but I'm happy to pay extra if I feel I am getting value for money.

I agree wanty. No offence meant, the reference to your "bias" was tongue-in-cheek.

SV

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:13:32 GMT

First of all I never buy phones from a provider's range, as I choose my phone and then a provider that can give me the best deal for my requirements.
All my phones are unlocked, so they can be used with any sim card, as I strongly believe that locking phones is immoral, you wouldn't buy a car that you only can fill up at BP petrol stations, or would you?
I think mobile phones and provider contracts/PAYG should be 2 separate things.
1.) Choose the mobile phone that comes closest to your needs, then
2.) Choose the provider contract/PAYG plan that comes closest to what you need and is the most cost effective one.

I personally will change from Vodafone to O2, as they offer the best deal for the iPhone I now have, despite the fact that O2 signal is very bad (no signal downstairs, maybe 2 bars upstairs), but VF is much better. That's rural England for you.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:32:39 GMT

All my phones are unlocked, so they can be used with any sim card, as I strongly believe that locking phones is immoral, you wouldn't buy a car that you only can fill up at BP petrol stations, or would you?

That analogy doesn't work, because BP, or whoever, are not subsidising the cost of your car.

Plus, it's hardly immoral. Murder is immoral. Adultery is immoral. Locking phones to a provider is just good business practice.

Anyway, o2 contract phones (apart from the iPhone AFAIK) aren't locked to o2. But o2 still subsidise the handset's price (not by a great deal, admittedly, as you pay £10 more than the Simplicity rate in order for o2 to recoup some of the cost).

o2 PAYG phones are locked and they are heavily subsidised, but AFAIK o2 will provide an unlock code after 12 months.

SV

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:58:39 GMT

That analogy doesn't work, because BP, or whoever, are not subsidising the cost of your car.

True, this comparison is not ideal, but the principle is the same.
You have a product which usability has been severely limited (only sim cards from one provider possible), on the other hand you pay for the phone with the higher contract payments.
My usage would not justify any contract, hence to buy it unlocked or locked and then get it unlocked is much cheaper then having a contract over a certain time period, which would cost more in the end. But this is unique to my personal circumstances and does not apply to everybody.

Plus, it's hardly immoral. Murder is immoral. Adultery is immoral. Locking phones to a provider is just good business practice.

I still think it is immoral to limit the use of a product to only one provider and also often the branded firmware of the phones have certain features disabled, but then again this is my personal opinion.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:25:33 GMT

I still think it is immoral to limit the use of a product to only one provider and also often the branded firmware of the phones have certain features disabled, but then again this is my personal opinion.

Fair enough, I respect that.

I was just noting that I can understand the business reasons for the service providers operating the way they do.

I do think that the 2 things should be divorced (handset and contract). To some extent they are now, but I think it would certainly be easier if you could buy all handsets SIM free with the firmware intended by the manufacturer, then shop for a SIM only contract (which they would all be in this ideal world) from whichever provider has the best coverage and customer service that suits you.

There would be none of this harping on about "when it this phone coming to o2?".

Granted the handsets would be more expensive, not being subsidised, but competition would drive prices down over time, and the consumer would win, if the SIM only contracts were 30 day notice ones.

Obviously it pays companies like Apple, Palm and HTC to strike exclusive deals with service providers and while this state of affairs exists, consumer choice will always be limited.

SV

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:08:59 GMT

Unfortunately the providers are the ones with the power according to a Motorola OpenSource spokesman, as he stated that the providers are insisting on digital signature of firmwares so that they can not be changed by modders to "unlock" disabled features. I have asked him because digital signature and OpenSource does not really go together.
Over the years I had my experience with providers ("3", Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2) and sadly came to the conclusion that the UK branches are not very helpful unless you open your wallet.
For example I had 2 Motorola RAZR2 V8 2GB from the US, locked to T-Mobile US (T-Mobile UK never offered these, but other European T-Mobile branches did so). Because T-Mobile US locked phones are no good in UK, I asked T-Mobile UK to get the unlock code. T-Mobile UK asked for £25 for each unlock code. T-Mobile US on the other hand gave me the unlock code for both phones for free.
Orange UK is same story, they unlock for £20, which they would take of PAYG sim balance. OK bought a Orange UK PAYG sim with £25 credit. Then Orange UK said I actually have to be a Orange UK member for 3 month before they will give me the unlock code, they somehow must have forgotten to tell me this BEFORE I bought the sim card.
And so on ....

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:46:13 GMT

At the end of the day unless you really have no other choice then don't ask a network for the unlocking code.

Networks see this as a service and like any other business will charge what they think people will pay for this service.

Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:52:00 GMT

Exactly!
That's why I have a brilliant Unlocker on Ebay, which gives me the unlock code within hours for under £5.
I try to keep any dealing with providers to the absolute minimum and I have learned to keep my expectations close to zero when I have to contact providers.
Quite sad really!

"o2" is now unoffically known as "I-2"

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:15:28 GMT

I have had my upgrade on standby since june2008 yes well over a year. Why ? Well because there has literally been no true market leading phones available other than the iphone in the last 12 months. I don't want an Iphone, so ermm what’s my options well ..ermm lets see shall we? www.o2.co.uk/shop

Hmmmm the answer = a pile of rubbish phones. All the other providers have such a varied range of phones from smart phones - to pretty girly phones - to ridiculously high mega pixal camera oriented phones. o2 ermm lets see ... has IPHONE & IPHONE ...and that great alternative called IPHONE or go home.

Now why am I still with o2? Well cause I work for a sister company of o2 who sell some o2 products and thus we get a discount on o2 contracts. BUT even with the discount I’m still very close to leaving as I think I’ve waited long enough for a decent smart phone to arrive on o2. I joined o2 for its unique xda phone when it was the new boy on the block. The IPHONE of its time shall we say ,, But back then it’s not like o2 didn’t also have some great other options, now it’s like all their efforts are focused on the IPhone with its rip off tariffs & it new "copy & paste" options ..yup were living the future there ..." ".

I can see myself going vodaphone if I don’t hear some positive new release news in next month... Customer “loyalty

Re: "o2" is now unoffically known as "I-2&

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:36:54 GMT

upgrade nonsense

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:21:06 GMT

Hi people

Been interesting reading the forum. I have also been a 'loyal' customer of O2 for several years and with three previously with no trouble. Come to end of contract this month so I have rang up to see what my options are and I am sorry to say that the variety is absolutely zilch and the contract being offered are more expensive than what I have been on previously. So I requested a PAC code and looked at three, they offered me N97 with 1100 mins or texts, 300 3to3 mins, 200 video calling mins, unlimited landline and unlimited mobile internet all for £52 per month (I qualify for a £6.75 nhs discount making it aprox £45.25) oh not forgetting skype and IM. Then surfing the net I saw the galaxy had come out and the day before when I had enquired I was told it wouldn't be out for a while yet. So ringing up in anticipation that they would at least match the tariff being an existing cutomer, I have been on 1200 mins with unlimited wkends for £35 per month in my last contract, I was told that to have the same and with a web bolt on would be £52+ and there would be no budging.

Three have been fine for me in the past and from some friends I know who are all on three are finding the web quite excellent.

What a shame that a once dominant company is falling by the wayside - even the others offer better contracts.

Re: "o2" is now unoffically known as "I-2&

Anonymous — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:36:02 GMT