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.

[Anonymous]

Yes I fully agree it should be made more clear

[Anonymous]

@Toby / @Anonymous perhaps if O2 added a footnote on the Checker page advising a prospective customer to try out a Payg Sim to affirm signal strength could be an option ?

[MI5]

I still find it amazing that people will buy into a 2 year contract without checking actual usage and of course there is the legal 7 day cooling off/get out period to consider too.
If others think the same way as I do, a mobile phone is "mobile" and therefore you gain in some areas and lose in others (or use 3 different networks lol)

[Anonymous]

Yes I agree they should really check and the indoors one you can't really depend on because of so many factors building stricture etc but if it says there is excellent coverage outside and you get next to nothing I do think that is wrong

[jonsie]

Sadly, people want the latest tech devices and many people have to enter into a two year contract to get them. All too often they see the deal they can afford, the shiny sparkling device and it's capabilities and never a thought as to whether they will be able to use it due to the coverage issues.

However as MI5 states, there is the cooling off period. It's the customers that are being affected after months of no problems that I feel for.

[Cleoriff]

Truth of the matter really is ....too many devices...too little coverage.

I know some people have a job where they travel and have a number of phones on different networks so it will be rare thing if they are unable to get coverage..

Sadly though, that isnt the case for many others...and it must be really frustrating when they sign a contract and find their one phone is practically useless...

[aldaweb]

It's one thing to buy a phone and have poor coverage at that time whist it can still be returned and another to have good coverage that gradually deteriorates over time as the network becomes more congested. 

The coverage checker can perfectly accurately report a good signal but if that is heavily congested, no matter how good the signal it becomes unusable.

[Anonymous]

Yes that is very true aldaweb personally I think if the phone becomes unusable due to no fault of the owner they should be let out of contract and if you pushed that I'm sure you would win

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Truth of the matter really is ....too many devices...too little coverage.

:

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Nail on the head

O2 has far to many devices all trying to use the current network, the network need's to improve.

Don't hear much about the big 4G roll out network upgraded that was being shouted from the roof tops in the past, is O2 slowing things down / short of money?

If Telefonica got bold & offloaded all the Giff Gaff users as that would help to, dump the data hogs of the O2 network & also off load the waste of money spent on Giff Gaff at the same time.