Cant return a damaged mobile phone that is insured?!

[Anonymous]

I have all my mobiles with O2 and until today had no complaints.

My daughter’s mobile was damaged on Saturday. I went to an O2 shop that I use all the time and was told I had to report it over the phone. When I did, I was told they were too busy to deal with my call and could I ring back on the Monday (today). Good customer service right there.

I made the call as they requested, but was told i can’t return my damaged mobile because they can’t see when it was last used. I explained they had sent a text to it with a security code that very morning and I was using it as I spoke to them. None of this evidence mattered. I was told I would have to ring again in the afternoon, or the following day. I asked what if they still could still not see any evidence of use (even though they admitted I was indeed using it as we were speaking) and they could not answer.

In other words, it would appear I am stuck with a broken phone that is insured, but I can’t return because they have a problem their end (they admitted it during the conversation). It was apparently a companywide issue (since Saturday) and no one will be able to return their phone at the moment.

Is this true, no one is able to return a phone if broken at the moment?

I am perplexed and disappointed with this poor customer service. It would be interesting to know if they told me the truth about the issue being companywide. I assume the calls are recorded so they could verify this has been said to me?

[jonsie]

It's such a shame how things have gone for you. Hope all will be OK now but please update us if things don't. 

I have never agreed with excess fees, just another charge to offset their losses. You're either insured or you ain't,  never mind, yes we will insure you but you pay the first £100....all designed to stop you claiming at all.

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous ... as all have posted above  ^  ^  ^  I'm sooo sorry you've had all this unnecessary kerfuffle ... it's, as @jonsie says the insurance companies doing what they do best ie screw us all ... I'm well insured for all things including water pipes from the mains in the road to my home as I live in a house built in the 19th century so it makes sense I do this ... as regards mobile phone insurance I believe I have it under house insurance with my bank & silly sod that I am £6 per month with O2 insurance that I've been told is useless & only covers me for accidental damage 

[welshsteve76]

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@jonsie wrote:
I have never agreed with excess fees, just another charge to offset their losses. You're either insured or you ain't,  never mind, yes we will insure you but you pay the first £100....all designed to stop you claiming at all.

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I couldn't agree more.  Excess fees are legalised theft in my opinion.  I recently claimed on my insurance and had to pay a £50 excess fee to get a new phone, even though I'm paying £10 a month in insurance, and even though for the last X number of years I've been paying insurance and never claimed, so all that money they made out of me for doing absolutely nothing.  It's daylight flippin robbery and the whole insurance industry needs an overhaul as it is essentially scamming the consumer out of money.

Personally, I think if you have insurance for a year and make no claim, there shouldn't be any of this "No Claims Bonus" rubbish, which amounts to nothing, even minus, due to the increase in the premium the next year.  Instead, if you make no claim and stay with the same insurer for the next year, the insurance company should legally be forced to either:

* Offer you the same premium as the previous year, minus a 5% discount for each year of no claims.

or

* Half price premiums for the following year

They have, after all, in effect been handed money for doing nothing for each of the years you make no claim, so are getting money off you for free.

[Cleoriff]

@welshsteve76Absolutely true about excess fees being legalised theft

Someone posted on here yesterday about O2 Insure Premier policy. Interesting to note that the excess was £60 for the first claim.....THEN any other claim would incur an excess of £115.

As things stand currently those people who have never claimed on insurance are paying for those who do..

Only one winner with insurance ... 

[jonsie]

For sure, only one winner and it isn't the customer. No such things as excess fees here. How good insurance actually is makes you wonder. Car and motorcycle insurance is not compulsory but you have to pay for the car damage and pay the police if they are called.....they are always called!

Any insurance policy is only as good as the claims process and I always found that UK companies make it as hard as possible to claim. They love raking in the premiums but seem to have an awful aversion to paying out.