O2 are horrendous

[Anonymous]

Having been a O2 customer for over four years and never once missing a payment I canceled my contract to move with Vodafone when I cancelled the contract I called O2 and let me tell you even trying to speak with someone on the phone took a very very long time. So I asked the O2 advisor the outstanding amount of my bill so I could pay it and move on he advised me 37 pounds which I paid in full so for me that was me finished with O2 but oh no in there infinite wisdom they thought they would get straight in touch with a debt collecting agency for a outstanding balance of 89 pounds rather than calling me and discussing it. So this has really affected my credit score I am currently trying to get a foot on the property ladder and I have been punished by O2 not because I did anything wrong only because they are so incompetent.
I would highly recommend that anyone who is still with O2 to leave they really are horrendous

[Cleoriff]

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@MI5 wrote:
You understand correctly Gerry, yet over and over again we see these kind of issues arising, for some reason?
My feeling is that if a DD is left in place after supposed cancellation and O2 do error in some way, they will at least get their money (the customer can have it returned at a later date) and these defaults would be negated somewhat....?

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Not sure I agree with that reasoning @MI5 

In my opinion if you call to cancel and settle up anything outstanding then that should be done at that point. Not when O2 get their act together and find a couple of months later that there is even more....

Once I have settled anything my DD is cancelled immediately

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

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Not sure I agree with that reasoning @MI5 

In my opinion if you call to cancel and settle up anything outstanding then that should be done at that point. Not when O2 get their act together and find a couple of months later that there is even more....

Once I have settled anything my DD is cancelled immediately

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I think what @MI5 means is that O2 seem to have a bit of a reputation for getting things wrong, so to be on the safe side, to avoid the possibility that O2 try to recover some money and fail and thereby generate a "default" notice on a credit report, it may be better to leave the DD intact for a limited period.  There is nothing to lose in doing so, and there is the DD guarantee if O2 take a sum they are not entitled to.

Gerry

[MI5]

Where you have a level of competency within a companies billing dept, I would agree, however, with O2, it's prudent advice if you wish to protect your credit rating.......

[MI5]

Spot on Gerry

[Cleoriff]

Yes of course I understand @Anonymous  However it seems that we are compounding an issue....by allowing O2 to get away with appalling practice..

In my opinion they are the ones that need to get their act together....and stop poor customers falling foul of them.

I still maintain that once a debt is cleared, I have every right to cancel the DD

[Cleoriff]

EDIT...not everyone would come on here for advice pre-cancellation...

[jonsie]

When you call up and cancel an account it would be difficult to give a final figure bearing in mind that charges are sometimes not updated until midnight of that day and in some cases roaming charges can be up to 72 hours later. Therefore much better to leave the direct debit until the next billing date at least. We see defaults for piddling amounts which can so easily be avoided.

Having said that, in this case the OP was billed for £89 which would indicate to me that O2 just took payment for the latest bill or the account was terminated before the minimum term. What it doesn't do is excuse the many cases we hear where O2 have made no attempt to contact the customer to advise them of an overdue payment and happily sell the debt on to a recovery company.

[Anonymous]

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@Cleoriff wrote:

Yes of course I understand @Anonymous  However it seems that we are compounding an issue....by allowing O2 to get away with appalling practice..

In my opinion they are the ones that need to get their act together....and stop poor customers falling foul of them.

I still maintain that once a debt is cleared, I have every right to cancel the DD

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@Cleoriff   I think we all agree with you - in theory, in a perfect world that's what might happen.  But when importnat things like mortage approvals are at stake, it is reasonable to suggest things that people might consider doing to help minimise the risk of circumstances arising in which they are refused a mortgage.  That's all that is being said and indeed it is just advice, not set in tablets of stone.

Gerry

[Cleoriff]

Well as it has never happened to me in all my many years of managing household accounts I must be one of the lucky ones.

[jonsie]

I think it's more to do with the way O2 do things....