topic Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available in Discussions & Feedback

Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Sun, 21 May 2017 21:41:47 GMT

I have just received the great news that my daughter has run up a massive bill of texts because she went significantly over her limit. Being the account owner and bill payer, and looking at previous threads, it is so easy to say it is my responsibility to constantly monitor usage through apps. Think about it....I am a busy hardworking parent. I can't proactively monitor everything my kids do. Why wasn't I notified via email that my daughter's account was at it's limit and that it was racking up a huge bill? How can Tesco mobile offer a cap service on the O2 network and yet O2 cannot? Why?

Why did O2 allow my original tariff cost continue even though the contract had been fulfilled? Why did they not reduce the monthly payment automatically to just the SIM only deal?

Giving the line that it is the responsibility of the account holder just doesn't wash. It is a business plan of Corporates like O2 that know, if they keep quiet and put all the responsibility of account management on the end user, they will increase revenue while holding their clean hands up and saying "not my problem". So typical of Global Corps now. Buyer beware. Shame on you O2.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

MI5 — Sun, 21 May 2017 21:45:10 GMT

All covered in the T&C's which you agreed to
http://www.o2.co.uk/termsandconditions

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Sun, 21 May 2017 22:02:18 GMT

You agreed to be liable for any charges when you signed the contract. O2 aren't obligated to warn you. You must keep an eye on the account yourself as you are the holder. I suggest maybe keep checking the myo2 app to keep an eye on the allowances or get her a pay as you go tariff

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Mon, 22 May 2017 07:40:33 GMT

Or change tariff to get unlimited calls and txt then you just save to worry about the data Which is then capped

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

PhoneChanger — Mon, 22 May 2017 09:14:35 GMT

@Anonymous Did you buy your daughters contract through O2 or a third party such as Carphone?

As O2 only sell the refresh tariffs now which mean once the handset has been paid off the monthly cost will be reduced accordingly so your only paying the airtime amount only, and at this stage you are free to leave with 30 days notice.

O2 are not the only network that don't incorporate useage caps. I would recommend if your contract is up (ie 24 months have passed) to either move your daughter to a network which will allow you to set a useage cap or change tariffs to one with unlimited texts, however if your daughter is texting shortcode numbers (competitions and the like) then these are not included in any allowance on any network so will always be chargable

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:21:28 GMT

@Anonymous O2 do not cap tariffs at all

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

gindygoo — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:38:22 GMT

It seems you're aware that you needed to keep an eye on this, but yet didn't. Unfortunately it's the responsibility you agreed to take on when signing the contract.

As for moving you to a SIM only deal, that's been covered by a previous commenter.

If it's an issue then moving to a provider that meets your needs is obviously the sensible thing to do as O2 don't cap contracts.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

jonsie — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:48:11 GMT

Definitely go for unlimited texts and minutes as data is automatically capped once the allowance has been used. It might be worth considering putting your daughter on P&G until she learns a bit about responsibility herself. It's difficult to blame kids but you need to teach her how to keep a check on her remaining allowance.

Send a blank text to 21202 free for remaining allowance.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

PhoneChanger — Mon, 22 May 2017 12:49:44 GMT

Considering most (if not all) of O2's current refresh tariffs come with unlimited texts I have a feeling some (if not all) of the seen charges will be shortcode / competition charges which would occur on any tariff on any network

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

MI5 — Mon, 22 May 2017 13:04:40 GMT

@PhoneChanger wrote:
Considering most (if not all) of O2's current refresh tariffs come with unlimited texts I have a feeling some (if not all) of the seen charges will be shortcode / competition charges which would occur on any tariff on any network

Sounds plausible.

Accidental MMS sending advice here, if that is the case https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Products-and-Services/Accidental-MMS-Sending-and-How-to-Avoid-it/ba-p/1014132

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:12:31 GMT

Thanks to all for the advice, especially the gloating self-righteous ones who point out it is clearly written in the T&C's and that as the account owner I should monitor my daughter's usage or perhaps pay higher rates on PAYG or just pay for a more expensive tariff to have the privilege of unlimited usage.

The fact remains, regardless of the T&C's and the rest of it, O2 are not willing to do anything to prevent this daylight robbery from happening to innocent, busy, stupid or lazy people, of which you many have so kindly taken the time to point out that I belong to one of those categories.

If other network providers or their subsiduaries are able to provide caps and safety buffers for hardworking parents, why on earth are O2 blatantly refusing to do it? Because it is easier taking money from the innocent, busy, stupid and lazy idiots like me.

I feel sorry for all of you that may have felt good about your comments to me or somehow justified in informing me that it is my fault. You are sticking up for a multi-million pound Corporate who blatantly do not protect the consumer. In this day of technology and communication, charging 20p for every text over the limit is clearly outrageous, and shame on you all who stand by and let it happen and say that it is okay.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:25:18 GMT

It's not daylight robbery & they are in fact allowed to charge for any outside charges & as I said previously they don't have to warn you because it's in the t&c you agreed & there is the myo2 app or desktop version to keep check. If you want to complain

http://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain

Good luck but o2 aren't in the wrong here

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

MI5 — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:29:34 GMT

No, your right. It's everyone else who is irresponsible for reading the T&C's of legally binding contracts that we sign, monitoring our kids usage and paying attention to what they do.
However, I also agree that it's much easier to do none of the above and blame someone else for my own shortcomings when something goes wrong!

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

jonsie — Mon, 22 May 2017 23:13:41 GMT

All comments here are by fellow customers who give their time to help and advise others. Of course you don't have to agree with or accept that advice.

However, if you posted merely to rant, then job done. This thread may as well be closed now because we have explored all your options, of which none are acceptable to you.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Anonymous — Tue, 23 May 2017 20:05:53 GMT

You have perceived my comments as a rant perhaps through either a sincere lack of empathy, personal experience or just pure lack of interest. What I am asking for is actually very simple, for O2 to provide a low cost, good value capped tariff for families/children or an automated notification service to the account holder where limits are being approached or exceeded by any phone on the account holder's contract. It's that simple.

For example, my current bank offers me current accounts for my children up to the age of 18 which;

Cannot go overdrawn
Provide an automated notification service (via text and email) to me as the parent when a defined limit of a linked account is reached

Therefore...I know I do not have to check their bank accounts regularly on an app (as has been suggested) nor will I be stung for a huge overdraft bill at the end of the month (as I just have been). I can rest assured that I am in control of my family’s finances through the services and products offered by that responsible provider.

It is therefore not beyond the wit of O2 to do the same for families....but they are choosing NOT to, which is irresponsible. I know for a fact that I am not the first that has been financially stung by their kids accidently overrunning the limits purchased and unless there is more assistance offered by this provider, I certainly will not be the last parent to pay exorbitant rates for a child's mistake. So it is my duty to warn as many parents as possible of this risk with this provider.

My request is therefore very simple. If this is a forum that can actually assist me by applying pressure on O2 to help improve its service for busy parents like me rather than simply setting traps in T&C's or costly alternative tariffs, then my "rant", as you so eloquently put it, is still valid. If you are able to actually assist me in getting the message across to the decision makers of O2 and convincing them to change their business model, then you can congratulate yourself that you have benefited many busy, hard working parents like myself across the globe who thought that 500 texts per month would have been enough.

If, however, this is a forum which is not able to position or influence any service improvement within O2 product management and portfolio, then yes, by all means, patronise me and other parents by calling it a "rant" once more, then close the thread and pardon me for wasting your time. Clearly as someone who has the ability to post 51,469 comments on this forum (which unbelievably equates to a minimum of 107 full working days even working on one minute per comment!!!), you must to have a lot of time on your hands to assist.

So, the big question to the supporting community of O2, are you able to use your time to help by being a force for change and escalating this issue to protect poor parents like me, or will you acquiesce and close this thread? Let's see.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Beenherebefore — Tue, 23 May 2017 20:18:21 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

It is therefore not beyond the wit of O2 to do the same for families....but they are choosing NOT to

And that is the salient point..........you did not need to contract with O2 for the supply of the service.

You chose O2.......they did not choose you.

Therefore you must play by O2's contract clauses until the contract expires then you select the best provider for your needs.

Just call it "lesson learned".

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

jonsie — Tue, 23 May 2017 23:20:38 GMT

I agree that O2 could introduce a capped tariff for those wanting or needing it. The whole point of any advice given is that O2 do not have such a tariff or any option to cap on any of their tariffs.

Hence the only viable alternatives can be given to you.

Will O2 introduce this? Who knows? This community has no influence on those responsible for making business decisions so we can only advise on tariffs and facts as they stand.

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

Julie63 — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 20:03:56 GMT

This is alarming. I have just renewed a contract with O2 for my daughters phone (i am the billpayer) and was soecifically told that it was capped and that she could not buy anything that could be added to the phone bill. When i checked her latest bill the are 2 charges of £2.79 for itunes. I was specifically reassured that she could not buy anything with her phone unless she used het debit card. Also she does not have an i phone so how come she apparently is able to buy itunes??

Re: Beware of O2 irresponsibility - Capping not available

MI5 — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 20:10:02 GMT

@Julie63 wrote:
This is alarming. I have just renewed a contract with O2 for my daughters phone (i am the billpayer) and was soecifically told that it was capped and that she could not buy anything that could be added to the phone bill. When i checked her latest bill the are 2 charges of £2.79 for itunes. I was specifically reassured that she could not buy anything with her phone unless she used het debit card. Also she does not have an i phone so how come she apparently is able to buy itunes??

See your other post here @Julie63

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly/Charges-to-a-capped-contract/m-p/1173301

This post you have added to was first published prior to capped contracts being available on O2.