O2 Coverage Checker - Fit For Purpose or False Advertising?

[Anonymous]

Frequently on this Forum we have customers who come on and say that they signed up to O2 based on the Coverage Checker only to find the reality is anything but that that o2 advertise.

The Coverage Checker is a computer simulation and whilst the o2 website does state half way down the page that the checker is only a guide for outdoor coverage, when a perspective customer puts their location or postcode in they will invariably get for example 3g "good indoor and outdoor coverage" and so based on that they buy a contract.

Whilst on here we recommend people get free payg sim cards to actually test the network most wouldn't think of that. The result is unhappy customers.

So, o2 coverage checker. Fit for purpose or false advertising? ?????

(For clarity the Advertising Standards Authority have deemed the o2 website compliant with its rules. This went to appeal, o2 were made to make some changes and what we have now is deemed by the ASA as acceptable.). In my opinion the detail about outdoor coverage and only a guide should be at the top right next to where the actual result of the search is recorded.

[jonsie]

The network is under a great strain with 23.6Million customers. Add the 3.5M Tesco 1+M giffgaff customers (not to mention Lycra) they badly need to sort the network out. They are no longer the self named 'innovative' network.

[Anonymous]

Im getting the feeling that the Giff Gaff customers wont be a problem in the near future

[Anonymous]

It is unlikely that o2 will offload the GiffGaff customers as o2 own GiffGaff as I understood it.

Even more surprising then that o2 this week launch a cheap deal for those in the public sector which could bring more customers on board.

[MI5]

They really do seem oblivious to the problems many customers are having....

[Anonymous]

That or they just don't care 😞

[jonsie]

The problem is that there is now no easy fix. They have reached capacity and they need to speed up the roll out and upgrade process drastically.

[aldaweb]

Which suggests that the backhaul infrastructure needs upgrading urgently too.

[jonsie]

I would agree. They appear to be a network in decline at the moment.

[Anonymous]

So given the comments from a number of regulars here, who advise other customers and potential customers on here, and that this can be found via Google. Perhaps @Toby could feed this up the line for an official response?