Leaving O2 (anyone else feeling the same?)

[Anonymous]

I know this has been discussed a few times before but i just wanted to see if anyone was getting the same impression from O2 that i have been getting?

I have been an O2 Pay monthly customer for 6 years , my average monthly spend across this period has been £50 a month. before taking out the monthly contract i was a PAYG customer for 3 years regularly updating my phone and topping up at least £20 a month.

I have had no problems with the service recieved, and the contracts offered have always been good value and provided me with a choice of handsets and options..... untill recently that is!

The reason i have now decided to leave O2 is because they are basically giving me no choice.

The contracts are no longer competative and the choice of handsets is currently by far the worst on the market. If you dont want a iPhone there is very little to chose from, and what is on offer is outdated.

My last contract expired in May, i enquired about the iphone but for what i wanted it was to expensive and decided against taking the contract but was willing to wait for new options to arrive and switched to the £20 simplicity to fill the gap in contracts and see what O2 would have done once the second quater came to and end.

What they did was nothing! There are very few new desirable handsets and nothing has been offered to me by O2 (basically i think their is little interest in holding onto customers who dont want an iphone or something similar). So basically i have only one option left move to orange or vodaphone and actually get some choice.

Im pretty dissapointed i dont really want to leave O2 but there is nothing on offer i want and no sign of this changing. 4 months down the line and the choice of handsets still hasnt changed.

Is anyone else finding the same thing when it comes to remewing thier contract??

[Anonymous]

All my phones are unlocked, so they can be used with any sim card, as I strongly believe that locking phones is immoral, you wouldn't buy a car that you only can fill up at BP petrol stations, or would you?

That analogy doesn't work, because BP, or whoever, are not subsidising the cost of your car.

Plus, it's hardly immoral. Murder is immoral. Adultery is immoral. Locking phones to a provider is just good business practice.

Anyway, o2 contract phones (apart from the iPhone AFAIK) aren't locked to o2. But o2 still subsidise the handset's price (not by a great deal, admittedly, as you pay £10 more than the Simplicity rate in order for o2 to recoup some of the cost).

o2 PAYG phones are locked and they are heavily subsidised, but AFAIK o2 will provide an unlock code after 12 months.

SV

[Anonymous]

That analogy doesn't work, because BP, or whoever, are not subsidising the cost of your car.

True, this comparison is not ideal, but the principle is the same.
You have a product which usability has been severely limited (only sim cards from one provider possible), on the other hand you pay for the phone with the higher contract payments.
My usage would not justify any contract, hence to buy it unlocked or locked and then get it unlocked is much cheaper then having a contract over a certain time period, which would cost more in the end. But this is unique to my personal circumstances and does not apply to everybody.

Plus, it's hardly immoral. Murder is immoral. Adultery is immoral. Locking phones to a provider is just good business practice.

I still think it is immoral to limit the use of a product to only one provider and also often the branded firmware of the phones have certain features disabled, but then again this is my personal opinion.

[Anonymous]

I still think it is immoral to limit the use of a product to only one provider and also often the branded firmware of the phones have certain features disabled, but then again this is my personal opinion.

Fair enough, I respect that.

I was just noting that I can understand the business reasons for the service providers operating the way they do.

I do think that the 2 things should be divorced (handset and contract). To some extent they are now, but I think it would certainly be easier if you could buy all handsets SIM free with the firmware intended by the manufacturer, then shop for a SIM only contract (which they would all be in this ideal world) from whichever provider has the best coverage and customer service that suits you.

There would be none of this harping on about "when it this phone coming to o2?".

Granted the handsets would be more expensive, not being subsidised, but competition would drive prices down over time, and the consumer would win, if the SIM only contracts were 30 day notice ones.

Obviously it pays companies like Apple, Palm and HTC to strike exclusive deals with service providers and while this state of affairs exists, consumer choice will always be limited.

SV

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately the providers are the ones with the power according to a Motorola OpenSource spokesman, as he stated that the providers are insisting on digital signature of firmwares so that they can not be changed by modders to "unlock" disabled features. I have asked him because digital signature and OpenSource does not really go together.
Over the years I had my experience with providers ("3", Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2) and sadly came to the conclusion that the UK branches are not very helpful unless you open your wallet.
For example I had 2 Motorola RAZR2 V8 2GB from the US, locked to T-Mobile US (T-Mobile UK never offered these, but other European T-Mobile branches did so). Because T-Mobile US locked phones are no good in UK, I asked T-Mobile UK to get the unlock code. T-Mobile UK asked for £25 for each unlock code. T-Mobile US on the other hand gave me the unlock code for both phones for free.
Orange UK is same story, they unlock for £20, which they would take of PAYG sim balance. OK bought a Orange UK PAYG sim with £25 credit. Then Orange UK said I actually have to be a Orange UK member for 3 month before they will give me the unlock code, they somehow must have forgotten to tell me this BEFORE I bought the sim card.
And so on ....

[Anonymous]

At the end of the day unless you really have no other choice then don't ask a network for the unlocking code.

Networks see this as a service and like any other business will charge what they think people will pay for this service.

[Anonymous]

Exactly!
That's why I have a brilliant Unlocker on Ebay, which gives me the unlock code within hours for under £5.
I try to keep any dealing with providers to the absolute minimum and I have learned to keep my expectations close to zero when I have to contact providers.
Quite sad really!

[Anonymous]

I have had my upgrade on standby since june2008 yes well over a year. Why ? Well because there has literally been no true market leading phones available other than the iphone in the last 12 months. I don't want an Iphone, so ermm what’s my options well ..ermm lets see shall we? www.o2.co.uk/shop

Hmmmm the answer = a pile of rubbish phones. All the other providers have such a varied range of phones from smart phones - to pretty girly phones - to ridiculously high mega pixal camera oriented phones. o2 ermm lets see ... has IPHONE & IPHONE ...and that great alternative called IPHONE or go home.

Now why am I still with o2? Well cause I work for a sister company of o2 who sell some o2 products and thus we get a discount on o2 contracts. BUT even with the discount I’m still very close to leaving as I think I’ve waited long enough for a decent smart phone to arrive on o2. I joined o2 for its unique xda phone when it was the new boy on the block. The IPHONE of its time shall we say ,, But back then it’s not like o2 didn’t also have some great other options, now it’s like all their efforts are focused on the IPhone with its rip off tariffs & it new "copy & paste" options ..yup were living the future there ..." ".

I can see myself going vodaphone if I don’t hear some positive new release news in next month... Customer “loyalty

[Anonymous]

I have had my upgrade on standby since june2008 yes well over a year. Why ? Well because there has literally been no true market leading phones available other than the iphone in the last 12 months. I don't want an Iphone, so ermm what’s my options well ..ermm lets see shall we? www.o2.co.uk/shop

Hmmmm the answer = a pile of rubbish phones. All the other providers have such a varied range of phones from smart phones - to pretty girly phones - to ridiculously high mega pixal camera oriented phones. o2 ermm lets see ... has IPHONE & IPHONE ...and that great alternative called IPHONE or go home.

Now why am I still with o2? Well cause I work for a sister company of o2 who sell some o2 products and thus we get a discount on o2 contracts. BUT even with the discount I’m still very close to leaving as I think I’ve waited long enough for a decent smart phone to arrive on o2. I joined o2 for its unique xda phone when it was the new boy on the block. The IPHONE of its time shall we say ,, But back then it’s not like o2 didn’t also have some great other options, now it’s like all their efforts are focused on the IPhone with its rip off tariffs & it new "copy & paste" options ..yup were living the future there ..." ".

I can see myself going vodaphone if I don’t hear some positive new release news in next month... Customer “loyalty

[Anonymous]

Hi people

Been interesting reading the forum. I have also been a 'loyal' customer of O2 for several years and with three previously with no trouble. Come to end of contract this month so I have rang up to see what my options are and I am sorry to say that the variety is absolutely zilch and the contract being offered are more expensive than what I have been on previously. So I requested a PAC code and looked at three, they offered me N97 with 1100 mins or texts, 300 3to3 mins, 200 video calling mins, unlimited landline and unlimited mobile internet all for £52 per month (I qualify for a £6.75 nhs discount making it aprox £45.25) oh not forgetting skype and IM. Then surfing the net I saw the galaxy had come out and the day before when I had enquired I was told it wouldn't be out for a while yet. So ringing up in anticipation that they would at least match the tariff being an existing cutomer, I have been on 1200 mins with unlimited wkends for £35 per month in my last contract, I was told that to have the same and with a web bolt on would be £52+ and there would be no budging.

Three have been fine for me in the past and from some friends I know who are all on three are finding the web quite excellent.

What a shame that a once dominant company is falling by the wayside - even the others offer better contracts.

[Anonymous]

I have had my upgrade on standby since june2008 yes well over a year. Why ? Well because there has literally been no true market leading phones available other than the iphone in the last 12 months. I don't want an Iphone, so ermm what’s my options well ..ermm lets see shall we? www.o2.co.uk/shop

Hmmmm the answer = a pile of rubbish phones. All the other providers have such a varied range of phones from smart phones - to pretty girly phones - to ridiculously high mega pixal camera oriented phones. o2 ermm lets see ... has IPHONE & IPHONE ...and that great alternative called IPHONE or go home.

Now why am I still with o2? Well cause I work for a sister company of o2 who sell some o2 products and thus we get a discount on o2 contracts. BUT even with the discount I’m still very close to leaving as I think I’ve waited long enough for a decent smart phone to arrive on o2. I joined o2 for its unique xda phone when it was the new boy on the block. The IPHONE of its time shall we say ,, But back then it’s not like o2 didn’t also have some great other options, now it’s like all their efforts are focused on the IPhone with its rip off tariffs & it new "copy & paste" options ..yup were living the future there ..." ".

I can see myself going vodaphone if I don’t hear some positive new release news in next month... Customer “loyalty