Apple Watch error 08 - 4 weeks and counting

[mjs_1]

Hi all

I'm nearly 4 weeks in trying to get a cellular plan setup for my Apple Watch.  

Currently I'm stuck on error code 08. I have followed the forum support guides, spoke to 202 phone support over 10 times, 202 chats, cancellations, retention, sales, visited an o2 shop for a new SIM card, put support tickets in to messenger and twitter and nobody can help or know anything about Apple Watch. I've asked them to reset the watch esim but they can't. I

The brand new physical sim allowed me to restart the activation process, but this never completes and I never get an SMS confirmation. I can however login to the o2 screen, select the Apple Watch plan at £7 per month, but this never activates.

I've been with o2 for 20 years and trying to sort this on a new iPhone and new apple watch bought from Apple. I've got a sim only monthly contract, pay by direct debit, £10 spend cap.

I've been sold a generic smart watch SIM card plan about 3 weeks ago (before I knew that it is wrong) and subsequently cancelled. I've been credited £20 already. 

I've been told to wait 24 hours, 24 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 5 days, 10 days. Nothing changes, the technical support tickets get cancelled and then a new one opened. 

I must have read through all the o2 forums and it seems that people just move on to EE or can never get it working.

Has anyone managed to get an apple purchased watch working on o2 or is it actually impossible?

If you have got it working somehow, do you have a physical sim or an esim in your iPhone?

Any more inside info on where to go next?

[gmarkj]

Everything we know is in the Activate Apple Watch Guide @mjs_1 

If you can't get it to work then the suggestion is to get in touch with o2 using social media - they are UK based, and most seem to be better at problem solving than the normal customer services.

[mjs_1]

Thanks, yes I've seen that and read all points.

I've also tried twitter and messenger support - they don't offer any actual support for this, only able to open a case or check a technical support ticket. They can't actually do anything to get this resolved.

I was hoping for some real world experience from real customers

Has anyone successfully got an error code 08 Apple Watch plan active, with the watch bought from apple and not o2?

I see older posts when o2 advisors were on these boards, that there were possible fixes, but it's all behind private messages and then it all goes quiet.

Is there any specific wording to use when speaking to 202 or social media support? 202 phone support is absolutely abysmal and that's at best. So many promised technical support tickets and returned phone calls, but nothing. Being told to wait days and days and then same again, nothing.

I asked the o2 shop staff about the problem and even the person that worked there said they couldn't get their Apple Watch data plan connected - and they work for o2! The rest of us have no hope!

I've also tried asking about sync1 connections, which I think is the technical name for the Apple Watch data airtime connection, but it just falls on deaf ears at 202 - they have literally no understanding or knowledge of any of these systems relating to Apple Watch data plans.

[Enlli]

Yes, it's  a pity the advisors we had here were removed over a year ago.

The problem we have is many of the people who come on here with problems rarely come back to tell us the fix.

[mjs_1]

Yes, I've seen all of the posts on this forum with the multitude of ongoing errors for months at a time.

It seems like the fix is done at o2 side and takes only minutes when it's been applied.

The closest I've got is to physically replace the SIM card from o2 shop, which then somehow resets the activation process. The new SIM card allowed me to start the whole process again - select Mobile Service on the iPhone, login to o2 and then select the Apple Watch airtime plan at £7 and continue.It then gets stuck on the activating, but I never receive an SMS and it never activates even after days of waiting. As a last resort, I thought of trying to cancel the Apple Watch data plan in 202 cancellations, but they cannot see any activation, so it hasn't even registered the request. There's no other way of me re-running the activation process.

I've removed the data plan from watch, un-paired, erased settings and every other reset, erase option possible. Nothing changes.

I guess the only other option I've got is to change from physical sim to eSIM but I've seen so many problems on this with others having the physical cancelled immediately and then waiting 3 weeks or more for the eSIM to be activated. I'm not going to do this though, it's not worth the potential hassle of being locked out of my phone number, banking etc

[Oxonian]

I personally would try the social media route again @mjs_1 ; this was previously advocated by @gmarkj because the social media team are based in the UK and have a good reputation for solving customer problems.

Bear in mind that whilst you have already tried that team, all advisors will have their strong points and areas of the role that particularly interest them. It is just a matter of persevering until you find an advisor who knows about Apple watches. 👍    

[mjs_1]

@Oxonian Thanks - sadly the social media team do not seem to be as proficient as perhaps they once were on these forums.

I've had a ticket on messenger and also twitter now for weeks and all they say is it's with technical support and they'll come back to me. I've done the whole waiting 24 hours, 3 days, 5 days, 10 days but it just seems to be a ploy to get you off the call, or off the ticket in the hope that you'll forget or perhaps just move on. Nobody has ever come back to me.

[Oxonian]

Keep reminding them @mjs_1, perseverance can be the key ! 👍