Aerial Direct - Has anyone managed to get out of the contract?

[django90]

Hi 

I have seen muliple posts about Aerial Direct the 'trusted' business partners of 02 on this forum and online. Has anyone been able to sucessfully get out of their contract? I dont need to be told about the business ethics of this company, I have seen the previous posts and have been fooled for a while! 

Any advice please?

[CarolineHart]

I agree! any advice for me too!

[mjj]

Aerial Direct are crooks. They phone you up in advance to sign up on a better deal but fail to inform you that the period of the contract will get extended. I am now stuck in a 30 month contract that is only coming to an end in November 2019. They actually had the nerve to phone me again asking me to sign up for a new better deal...12 months before expiry. They would then bold the remaining 11 months on to the new contract...a 24 month contract turns into a 30 month contract!

[jonsie]

The most untrusted of any partner!

[KatyJon]

Hi all, I seem to have a similar Aerial Direct issue - I've been with o2 since they were BT Cellnet then out of the blue in 2014 I get a cold call "Hello it's o2 here your business service provider we've got a great deal for you" later I questioned who they were and they said we are your o2 Business partner. I was tired (I have mental health issues including bipolar and anxiety disorder) so I accepted what they said and renewed my o2 contract I thought with a legitimate trusted o2 subsidiary - no handset was involved just minutes and data. I had to complain later to get the £3pcm promised rebate off the normal o2 rate. Since then I get called every year to ask if I'm happy with the amount etc and I say yes, and they renew it. At no stage have early termination fees been mentioned for a SIM-only contract or detailed contracts been sent out, I've not signed anything in this time. I needed a new phone that was 5G for work so I looked around and O2 website had the best offer and 3 separate o2 staff said porting my number from o2 business to personal, and moving the number from the other line to the new 5G phone would be no problem. But Aerial won't release it without £400 early termination fee. They've blamed o2 and said they should never have sold me a new phone and told me to get that cancelled within 14 days instead and come to them to get a new phone instead - only their tariff is much higher and lacks global roaming which I need and that would lock me in even longer with them. They say they only keep recent phone recordings and that the ones of the original misrepresentation and misselling are not stored. I have been trying to transfer my number for a week now and o2 and Aerial are not playing ball, the latter being one of the most disreputable dodgy companies I've had to deal with it turns out from my research and recent experience. What can I do except cancel the o2 contract and let the Aerial one run and never go back? I'm vulnerable, anxious and angry and this is stressing me out no end. Wish I'd never been hoodwinked away from my regular o2 contract and astonished that o2 can allow them to misrepresent o2 and partner with them 😞 

[jonsie]

Any help from admin @Marjo   @Martin-O2 ?

[Gerard1954]

Exact same thing happened to me,I am waiting to September for my contract to end to get away from them. Ariel Direct are a horrible company, shame on O2 for supporting them. What they do although barely legalis not fair nor moral,😥

[Gerard1954]

Same story for me as I joined over 20 years ago as Orange! Ended up on 32 month contract as a business with no cooling off period, cute or what? I will not please  them to buy out of my contract so roll  on September  till I can get far away from Ariel Direct  and their  partners O2. Spread the word to all your friends and family  about them also write to local press and radio phone ins to warn people about their methods. Horrible  horrible outfit but hopefully they get thier comeuppance, karma and all that.

 Regards Gerard 

[kev_castlecroft]

I have been stuck with Aerial Direct for 36 months. I wish i'd never accepted the original offer from a cold call that I had.

They then make contact midterm & offer to review your tariff, the last time I said I didn't want a new handset but was told I should still switch my plan to slightly less data as I wasn't using it all & I could save a few pounds each month, I agreed but realised when I looked on my o2 Buisiness they had added another 12 months on my contract just for switching a tariff!

My 36 months is up on the 27th Jan 2020 so I thought I will pay up the remaining time and switch the number to a consumer deal.

I was given a pac number & a settlement amount by o2.

I phoned o2 business & paid up 2 days ago but have now been told that the money will be held in credit & the number will not be released by Aerial until the end date of 27th Jan 20 so nothing o2 can do about it as it is in Aerials term of business.

I am disgusted by this company! Why when I pay them all outstanding amounts will they not release my number for internal migration to o2 Consumer.

It all stinks

[jonsie]

---

@kev_castlecroft wrote:
....

I was given a pac number & a settlement amount by o2.

I phoned o2 business & paid up 2 days ago but have now been told that the money will be held in credit & the number will not be released by Aerial until the end date of 27th Jan 20 so nothing o2 can do about it as it is in Aerials term of business.

I am disgusted by this company! Why when I pay them all outstanding amounts will they not release my number for internal migration to o2 Consumer.

It all stinks

---

Is this actually legal? Does anyone know? @Martin-O2 @Marjo ?

[KatyJon]

I have the same thing a PAC code and final settlement amount but been told that these terms of business are down to o2 systems and not Aerial's fault and that even if I terminate my number will die and I can't keep/migrate it. Aerial say o2 can do it they can't. o2 say Aerial can do it they can't. I've spent 7 hours on the phone with them both since 4 Dec and I have until 17 Dec to sort this when the 14 day cooling off period runs out on the new consumer o2 contract worth £2k to o2 over 3 years that I'm trying to transfer my number too that I've had for 15+ years and is now being used against me.