Local Mast Down For Over 3 Weeks

[Anonymous]

Hi

my local mast has been down for over 3 weeks! i am unable to send or reply to calls or texts, i spent all last friday afternoon trying to get an anwers, after waiting 15-20 minutes just to talk to someone! i was passed around the WORLD several times, this happend on 4 occasions!

Were can i find out when the mast will be repaired???

[Anonymous]

Im not disagreeing with you, but how long do you wait? i am following procedures i have put a complaint in to O2 and waiting to hear, as for Ofcom they may not get involved yet but they are aware.

please as you seem to know the procedures, "How long is a reasonable amount of time"? remembering you are paying for a service that you can not use!

[MI5]

O2 say the aim to respond within 5 working days but may occasionally take longer.
All you can do is chase them up for a response if you get nothing back and keep records of correspondence in case it is needed to go to OFCOM with later on.
If you ultimately get nowhere with O2 you can request a letter of deadlock which you can then take to OFCOM but by then your service should be resumed and hopefully o2 will have compensated you.

[jonsie]

8 weeks is the normal waiting time and then you need to request a deadlock letter after which you are free to pursue your options .

[Anonymous]

"3 weeks isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things" - WHAT?!? 

3 HOURS is a long time without signal when you're paying for a service you may rely on for business, safety etc.

Currently, (different area) I've been looking at the same status message all day, for the second long outage in as many weeks:

Sorry a phone mast close to you isn't working

This means you might experience problems making calls, using the internet, or sending/receiving emails.

Updated 18:30 (refreshed hourly). Recent faults might not show yet.

That's not an acceptable form of communicating with a customer.

I'd expect to see, at the very least:

Sorry a phone mast close to you isn't working

This means you might experience problems making calls, using the internet, or sending/receiving emails.

We have identified the problem as (whatever).

An engineer will be on site by (time).

We expect a resolution within (x hours).

Updated 18:30 (refreshed hourly). Recent faults might not show yet.

[Anonymous]

It would be good if the Mast Service Status gave that info 😄

Will it sometime soon - most probably not.

Will it Ever - maybe.

[Cleoriff]

Hi @Anonymous  If you are going to quote my statement...then please quote in full.... I said........

"I agree that 3 weeks isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things...It is however, a damn long time when you are without a working phone and paying for a failure in service"

I am not condoning any of this by O2. It is an absolutely appalling state of affairs

Unfortunately, from previous posts on here we know this is a major ongoing problem....:smileysad:

[MI5]

I'm not sure how it helps the customer to know what the fault is?
As far as timescales are concerned, they will fix any issue as soon as they can - it makes no sense to leave a defective network with issues any longer than necessary.....

[Anonymous]

Can we please clarify something here re OFCOM and also the 8 week rule.

1. OFCOM do NOT get involved in individual complaints. They will collate the detail of complaints made to them and will only take action against an operator if enough complaints are received but they will not respond to the individual other than an acknowledgement letter.

2. The 8 week rule ONLY applies if o2 have failed to give their FINAL RESPONSE after 8 weeks (through the complaints review service - not customer service). If o2 CRS fail to respond in 8 weeks then the complainant can refer to the OMBUDSMAN SERVICE (not OFCOM).

3. If However o2 respond with their FINAL RESPONSE before the 8 weeks period is up, then the complainant does NOT need to wait. At that point they can refer the complaint to the Ombudsman Service (not OFCOM).

[Anonymous]

@Anonymous

Over the last 12 months I have spent significant time working in the background with other customers who have come across o2's t&c's. The advice given on here is broadly correct.

1. No network across the globe will guarantee service 24 hours a day.

2. If a fault develops there could be a multitude of reasons why a fix takes time including:
2a. Land access. Most masts are on private land and there may be conditions attached re access.
2b. Parts for mobile masts are specific and expensive, sometimes costing £10's or even £100's of thousands of pounds. Therefore you will understand why o2 don't just pop along to "stores" to get a part.
2c. Most of the mobile networks now rely on fibre broadband to carry our calls texts and data. The fault may be with a supplier such as BT and so outside of o2's hands (we all know about Openreach's legendary customer service guys don't we).
2d. The fault may be to do with the landowner. For example one mast in Dorset has been down for months due to the building it is on suffering from serious damage.

These are just a small number of reasons why a quick fix may not be possible.

To answer your comment about o2 not being able to update your credit file while a case goes to Court, I am afraid you really are barking up the wrong tree. For the record if you choose to leave your contract part way through without paying it off, o2 WILL update your credit file fairly quickly and even if you subsequently paid it off they will NOT remove it.

Believe me. Don't believe me. That decision is yours. But earlier this year a family were refused a mortgage due to a £12 debt marked on their credit file by o2. They paid it immediately but o2 refused to remove it. With help and guidance it was sorted but they were just a matter of a few hours away from losing their dream home.

We have tried to help you. If you wish to be aggressive with o2 feel free. But I promise you there will be one winner and one loser and o2 will not be the loser.

Please let us know how you get on

[Anonymous]

Wow talk about aggressive and intimidation, you have summed it up my friend, if funny but ever since i opened this discussion i have had nothing but advice how i can not win if i take on O2! i cant help but get the feeling that there is a big corporation behind this advice! not to difficult to find out with the freedom of information act. I would be interested in asking you people do you have ANY association with O2 in any way shape or form?

I own my own home and i don't do credit, i pay for everything! yes O2 may put a mark on my credit score but it has to be removed by LAW if i am found not to be in breech of my contract, on the other hand O2 may be found in breech of the service they are charging me for, and not receiving!

This is a very interesting forum and i would like to see what the media has to say!