Customer Service agent hung up on me - Totally unacceptable

[Anonymous]

1) My husband purchased an i-phone for me in December (around December 22nd) in Carphone Warehouse in Grafton Street. I visited the shop later that day to confirm details and sign contracts etc.. I noticed that my date of birth was wrong and alerted the staff member who was dealing with setting up the account. He noted the change and asked me to initial it on a form which I did. Subsequent attempts to contact 02 were frustrated by the fact that my date of birth had NOT been updated and I could not remember the erroneous date.

2) I repeatedly contacted 02 to find out why my service was not connected and you told me that migrating customers from Vodafone were experiencing delays but that I would be connected "any day soon." My mother was in hospital at the time and it was extremely stressful to have no phone and to be unable to contact my family with updates on her condition etc.. I repeatedly tried to contact 02 - often hanging up because I simply do not have the time to wait interminably for a reply. I eventually did contact your office to say as you had failed to connect me, I was ceasing my contract and sending back the phone. I subsequently got some services on my phone and called 02 to say that as I had no service for until mid January I was not willing to pay the first month's fee.

3) I was billed for the first month anyway.

4) I called 02 several times but was unable to get through.

5) I got notification (see below) that the direct debit instruction to my husband's account had failed.

6) I sent you the mail below and received your response which didn't seem to understand the situation - that the bill is being paid from my husband's account - and that we had no idea why it failed.

7) I tried over several days to contact 02 by phone to clarify a) what had happened to the direct debit b) to resubmit the bank account details and c) to clarify the amount I was being charged. When I eventually got through, I spoke to someone WHO WAS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO EXPLAIN why I was being charged what I was being charged - even though she worked in accounts. I also asked her to change my date of birth which she did. I asked her to put me through to someone who could explain - and when she did I was on hold (in work) for 14 minutes before I had to hang up.

😎 I tried to contact 02 again but my date of birth had not been changed.

9) This morning I tried again, date of birth still not changed and vowed to give you 10 minutes to receive an answer. I got through in a reasonable amount of time and attempted to explain the situation to your agent. 1) That I did not know why the direct debit had failed. 2) To enquire about the amount I was being charged and 3) to clarify that I am unwilling to pay for the first month because I had no service. (Vodafone's migration delays are not problem - they are yours.) I asked your agent if I had made myself clear. She said she understood. I then told her I was on a train and so the reception might be poor. As I was speaking she said "SHE IS NOT GOING TO LET ME SPEAK. I HATE THESE ONES." And then she hung up.

This is totally unacceptable. I know call centre calls are recorded so I demand that this call be located and that the agent explain herself. I am completely and utterly frustrated by my attempts to deal with your company. I am not willing to make any more phone calls to you and this is my last attempt to resolve this deplorable situation. May I remind you that it you who wants money from me, not the other way around. As you know I can have the phone unlocked and get a new sim card if I wish. That call today where your agent hung up on me is totally and utterly unacceptable and gives me the feeling that I am well within my rights to do exactly that.

Overall my experience of 02 has been hideous and I hope you will take this opportunity to rectify the situation immediately. I am not available to engage in any more phone calls - I am simply too busy. I want a written response to this email and if I get a satisfactory explanation of my bill, a waiver of the fee for the first month, and explanation and apology for your agent's behaviour this morning - then I will sign a new direct debit mandate.

[Anonymous]

The only problem, no-one was O2 monitors this forum. It may be an O2 forum, but it's not monitored/admined/moderated by O2. So you are not going to get a response from them after your long post here.

😞

[Anonymous]

Is it also not possible that because you were on a train, the call cut out rather than you were hung up on? It seems to me that Carphone Warehouse and Vodafone made mistakes, so your ire would be better directed to them.

If you really want to complain then you could do it properly by contacting the O2 Complaints Review Service as detailed in your paperwork. I would say though that I find a simple statement of what has happened and what you would like to happen work much more effectively than an argumentative rant.

[Anonymous]

Not trying to sound rude but your first point of contact is carphone warehouse as you took the contract out with them and not O2 directly.
All your contract information is with carphone warehouse, not O2.
If you have an issue with the setup of your phone then start with carphone warehouse customer services and work your way from there

[jonsie]

It does sound like CPW may have messed up but obviously the situation wants resolving. In fairness, the details on your account (d.o.b.) should have been changed if you were told that they would be.

Can I ask, without wishing to offend you, did you discuss the problem in a calm manner when on the train? I know how frustrating it is when you have tried to sort out the problem many times over the phone but did you allow the adviser 'to get a word in' or perhaps you were a little anxious that the phone would disconnect and trying to rush the call?

If the call was ended by the adviser, then you are right, that is disgraceful and unacceptable. Personally, I think you should now make your complaint in writing to the relevant department. Write to:

complaintreviewservice@o2.com

or via post to:

O2 Complaints Review Service

PO BOX 694

Winchester

SO23 5AP
More information here : How do I make a complaint?

Tell them: 
• Your name and address 
• Your mobile and account numbers 
• A daytime phone number 
• A suggestion of how they can put things right 
 

Also have a look here at the Ccode of Practice for further information.

Hope this helps and that you get the satisfaction you deserve.

[Anonymous]

To mention about the port in as well. All ports are handled by the doner network, in your case Vodaphone, so there is nothing O2 could have done in this situation.

If your direct debit has bounced and O2 have the correct details then you need to chase this up with the bank as to why they refused the direct debit. You can pay your outstanding balance either over the phone or online.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, the conversations between a customer and an agent are recorded randomly. So we can't really figure out who hung up on who.

I have to agree that you being in a train may had caused signal interruptions. What you should have done was to patiently wait for another connection.

Not all of them are that good in tech service as well as customer service, you know.

[Anonymous]

And lets face it, customer service agents only have to take so much. If this is how you rant sitting down writing on the forum I wonder what a recording of your conversation might sound like. Agents are not paid to take abuse no matter how much you might think you are in the right.

Your main problem is with Vodafone as they do the port! Or CPW for not getting you the support as they are your supplier.

[Anonymous]

brendan002 just answered that issue the best possible way i can think of...