Just thought I'd share this experience in the hope that it might be noticed and passed on somewhere in the O2 "food-chain" because I really do feel that something needs to be done about the information being passed to customers.
I managed to get online and order my new XS Max 512gb at 7:30am on pre-order day... so half an hour before telephone orders started to be accepted (I believe?) in the hope I'd receive the phone on launch day (today).
Yesterday morning, I'd heard nothing about disptach (and my O2 app still showed my order "in progress") so I jumped onto Live Chat at work to query the dispatch / delivery. A very helpful operator told me that my order was being processed and whilst he could see that I'd ordered very early in the day, he couldn't be 100% sure that I'd receive my handset today (release day) but that he'd hope I would.
It got to 8pm last night and I still hadn't received dispatch notice so I jumped onto live chat again. This time, the operator was useless - every sentence felt like a copy and paste solution (the best one being "rest assured that we as a team are taking care of this for you"). Eventually he gave me a tracking number and told me that it was for UK Mail. He told me to wait a moment and he'd check for an update. 2 minutes later and he told me that they'd tried to deliver my handset that day, and that I hadn't been in. Wow, I thought... same day delivery?? Next he told me that they'd left my £1,500 phone at number 71... which made me panic a lot because I live at number 160 and have no clue in this rabbit-warren of a new build development where number 71 is!!! 2 more minutes passed and I'm told "my bad" (I quote!) it'd been dispatched, definitely with UK Mail but he couldn't give me more information other than the delivery would be 3-5 days.
Off to the UK Mail website I went with my consignment number which was not recognised. I did however spot where the operator got his number 71 info from... there's an example missed deliver card on screen which he didn't bother to read properly (unless my name is Joe Bloggs and the delivery date is June 2020, it definitely had nothing to do with me). UK Mail are now part of DHL - so I tried their website. Nothing.
Fast forward to this morning and still no updates via UK Mail website, or DHL despite my order showing as "COMPLETE" on my O2 app. Back to Live Chat and again, confirmation that UK Mail have my parcel and will deliver it within the next 1-3 business days (not the 3-5 I was told yesterday!).
Finally, out of the blue... a text from DPD confirming that my order will be delivered today. DPD. A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CARRIER. Why on earth have O2 staff been telling me for 2 days to expect a delivery from UK Mail? Are they not capable of logging correct tracking information on their own systems - which begs the question of how on earth would they resolve a problem if for some reason it weren't to arrive?
As busy a time as I appreciate this must be for all handset retailers, there really is some work needing to be done with customer service and the way in which information is logged and passed on.
