02 Ripped me off and customer services have been disgraceful

[Anonymous]

So I've been with 02 for many years, always received family and friends discount on my contracts as I know a lot of people working for them, I have spent a lot of money with them over 2500 in one year previously.<br><br>Now I was due for an upgrade last April, but I was pretty sure that in a few months a new iPhone will probably come out so I'll just wait till then...<br><br>Long behold the iPhone 5 came... So I thought I'll do what I always do, upgrade over the phone and arrange my discount application after.<br><br>So I called them and arranged my upgrade, I then asked my friend to arrange my discount, so they completed the normal forms and put it all in for processing.<br><br>A few weeks passed so I called O2 customer services to see if the family and friends discount had been applied to my account.<br><br>They then told me NO YOU'VE TAKEN STOCK FROM CARPHONE WHAREHOUSE SO YOU WON'T RECEIVE DISCOUNT.<br><br>So O2 have decided to get stock from carphone wharehouse so nobody on iPhone 5 can get discount on the iPhone 5.<br><br>I said nobody has told me my contract has been done with stock from carphone warehouse and they were actually offering cheaper deals and I went with you guys so I can have my f&amp;f discount.<br><br>I got told well we don't do discount for iPhone 5 and you're passed your cooling off period.<br><br>Now I'm in January, my brother and a friend have both decided to get iPhone 5, they got there's from the O2 shop and guess what... They both got f&amp;f discount applied in store!<br><br>So I called O2... Hey O2 can I have my discount nowadays you seem to be giving it now?<br><br>No, you can't have discount because you did your upgrade over the phone!.<br><br>No matter how much I tried to explain to them that this is totally out of order and that I was never advised of any of this they just fobbed me off and had a power trip on the phone to me.<br><br>Totally disgusted with them, it's not even the money, I paid full whack £300 for my iPhone and would pay more if I had to, the problem I have is how can they reject me from having discount and give it to others and make me buy stock from carphonewarehous without telling me,<br><br>Not happy O2!<br><br>Customer services said there's nobody that can help you now!<br><br>Basically O2 skanked me buy taking more money from me for the same thing I could have got from carphone warehouse, made me by stock from external company without telling me and then lied to me about the discount as they are offering it to customers!<br><br>Can't wait to be out of this contract! Will pay extra to any other mobile company rather then paying this scandalous company!

[Anonymous]

This is what I do not understand, it is not a normal customer service issue as it goes through staff accounts. Surely they can send a email to get confirmation of what the company position is on your issue.

You have had a fair bit of discount over the years so you are not exactly out of pocket.

[Anonymous]

Nobody in O2 is ready to help, they just told me to basically deal with it or pay up and cancel your contract.

Regardless of me having a fair bit of discount I still feel this is unacceptable. And I have spent a lot of money with them, I regularly used to have £250 bills on average for quite some time. End of the day, it's not the money, I just don't appreciate how I've been treated.

Fact is they should have told me that the way I'm upgrading is different to usual and they should have told me then that I wouldn't be able t get my discount and they didn't.

Just wish I could cancel with them now, don't want to deal with them at all now or give them anymore custom.

[perksie]

I think if I were upgrading the discount would have been the first thing I would have checked.

It must be difficult to do anything about once you have signed up to a new one.

[Anonymous]

@ Perksie, My point exactly. 

If you was to go into a car dealership and you knew somebody that could get you  a discount then the first thing you would mention was had blah blah mentioned staff discount.

[perksie]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@ Perksie, My point exactly. 

If you was to go into a car dealership and you knew somebody that could get you  a discount then the first thing you would mention was had blah blah mentioned staff discount.

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Ever tried it in Curry's, er I bought a new tv in here yesterday but now I want to claim a discount! 

I get the feeling it wouldn't happen.

[Anonymous]

next time, research thoroughly & make it known you have a discount & do it in store rather than online then this mess would not happen

[Anonymous]

@Stuart1983. 

Really??? lol

[Anonymous]

I don't know if you guys have ever had discount applied to your contracts ever but they specifically told me that the steps I have to take are to do the upgrade and then ask the O2 friend to complete an application to apply the discount and that then gets processed via staff accounts dept. I've done this for years! On 2 previous iPhones also, so why would I think this is different on this occasion, they changed the rules, so they should have advised me! Especially when the advisor checked my account fully to advise me if the best tariff at the point of sale, Clearly they just wanted the commission!

And on my last contract I attempted to upgrade in store and they kept telling me to comeback as the iPhone 4 wasn't instock blah blah blah for 2months!! One phone call to upgrade over the phone and it was delivered next day!

O2 is a joke! Simple! They've set up some stupid rules and they should change them!

Trading standards are getting a call and hopefully this contract will get cancelled! And they'll have to pay out to deal with the external companies!

[Liquid]

Wish you the best of luck with trading standards.

However because the f&f isn't a publicaly available product I don't think your going to win here sorry to say it.

My mate at O2 would give me discount if I brought the phone in store. She made that clear I had to buy in store to get it.

[version7point0]

Did you ask about the availability of the discount on your purchase?

Did you speak to your "friend" before hand on the rules regarding F&F discount and iPhone 5?

Do they work in one of the stores or in back offices, front line were made aware of the situation well in advance.

Friends and Family discount is a bonus, in the same category as the staff tariff, it does not come into play with terms and conditions of your contract (chances are if we compare contracts, yours and mine would be identical yet I pay a completely different monthly charge).

From a business point of view, would it make sense to discount something that is provided from a different company?

I have handed a fair few discounts out in my time, but never have any of my friends, family or acquaintances expected it, when they started that then I would stop handing them out.

Lastly I really hope your "friends" do not see this...