O2 have lost my number.

[GamerRaver]

So 5 weeks ago I purchased a new iPhone + watch outright directly through Apple.

the first eSIM for my iPhone went through fine, to my watch it did not.

o2 on the phone didn’t know anything about their own error codes completely untrained on the situation, but anyway I was getting error codes 8 from here.

https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/How-to-Guides/Apple-Watch-FAQs-amp-Activation-Guide/ba-p/1684464

So I reset my iPhone + unpaired watch, completely unguided despite calling in and the above community site, very untrained reps for Cellular Apple Watches and here we are.

Anyway, called back in requested new eSIM from o2 they tried to, but it’s been stuck in processing and nothing on app etc to say I can download a new eSIM.

The representative suggested going to o2 store and getting physical sim, they also could not give me a physical SIM to my number because of what’s going on with my eSIM.

It has been 5 weeks now, the lack of transparency with what is going on has been really awful.

the amount of times they’ve said they would call me back and never happened has been rude and unprofessional. I have chased up twice a week for update as the affect it’s having on me is quite on the high end of the scale at this point. I’ve been unable to pay bills because can’t access apps, can’t login without number as code sent to a number I don’t have access to. (Thanks o2!!)

On one occasion I was on hold for 2 and half hours (the call was 3 and half hours in total going through escalation process etc) and they cut me off at 10pm. 

Never received a call back the following day.

They have also never provided me an alternative sim, cost free to myself.

Instead so far I have had to fork out £47 for rolling contracts (that I do expect o2 to pay in its entirety until service to my number is restored.) 

they can’t even give me a PAC code at this moment either. I haven’t requested one to leave early etc but asked out of query how far deep of an issue are we in.

They have now provided me a deadlock letter so I can go to the regulator to investigate because it’s very clear (professionally speaking in the IT sector) they do not have the foggiest clue what they are doing.

I sent in a complaint and they denied receiving it, yet I never received a bounceback as expected, so it’s in their mail server as far as the IT world is concerned. Again, wholly unprofessional from o2. 

This has lost me as a customer entirely and this only serves as a warning for current & future customers. 

[Oxonian]

I think that O2 have received your complaint @GamerRaver as the "deadlock letter" - or final position letter as O2 refer to it - has been provided as a result of your complaint. 

You next step is to escalate to the Ombudsman :-

Customer+Complaints+code+250924+V0.2.comp.pdf

https://www.o2.co.uk/documents/456036/3782743/Customer+Complaints+code+250924+V0.2.comp.pdf

What happens next?

If you’re not happy after we’ve responded to your complaint, or if your complaint isn’t resolved after eight weeks, you may wish to refer your complaint to an Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is a free service, which will independently review your complaint. They investigate complaints fairly by listening to both sides of the story and looking at the facts. Their decision is binding on O2, but not on you as a customer.

O2 work with two Ombudsman service providers, depending on what your complaint is about. When you speak with our complaints team, we’ll make sure that if you remain unhappy you’re provided with a final position letter, which will detail what we’ve done and advise you which Ombudsman you should contact.

[GamerRaver]

O2 agreed with my request for a deadlock letter on the phone with the investigation over phone. The email complaint is a different process and I guess a separate thing.

I still have evidence that they denied receiving this, either way In no shape or form was this on o2’s side.

I think they were prepared to run the full course of time with an expectation of no resolution as they’ve not actually responded it’s just been “investigating” for 5 weeks (would like to know exactly what they have been doing, or will be requesting regulator to find out as I feel their investigation pulled as much effort as every broken promise for call backs,) otherwise the manager would have denied the request and told me to wait another 3 weeks as per standard process.

I am not prepared to wait another 3 weeks (as per regulator process.) for no resolution. If this could have been fixed it would have been fixed within first 5 weeks.

apologies if I appear impatient but this has affected my credit rating, I cannot access certain accounts as code sent to a number I don’t have access. I will remind you it has been 5 weeks.

It is wholly unreasonable to expect that to be within reasonable time. I believe the contract has been broken as I have read it and nowhere does it say that having no access to your sim or services is ok.

still doesn’t change the fact they have lost my number.

[Oxonian]

But you do not have to to wait a further three weeks @GamerRaver ; the fact that you have got the deadlock letter means that you can escalate to the Ombudsman without further delay. 👍

[GamerRaver]

I am… it’s just a joke that o2 think this is acceptable. 

if they couldn’t fix it in the first place they should have been honest. Shouldn’t take 5 weeks to retrieve my number from ‘the system’ 

I’ll never be going to o2 ever again. Never heard of this situation and recommend anyone looking for a new contract to avoid o2 at all costs.

the signal is barely usable in london anyway. 

we have a 1000+ sim contract at work and thinking of switching to EE because everything with o2 is extremely poor. Signal, customer service etc.

do you think o2 will be contacting multiple companies on my behalf to retrieve my accounts back? Or do you think I will have to go through the headache of being on hold?

I already earned £120 out of o2 for keeping me on hold for 2 and half hours for no reason late at night when it was supposed to be my downtime from work. It wasn’t compensation as made it clear at the time that this was not compensation  only payment of my IT services which o2 need to learn are not free. 

Pathetic joke o2 are. 

[GamerRaver]

Just done bit of research and appears O2 have a system failure with eSIM swap.

i highly recommend o2 issue a statement and speak to the regulator before complaints come in about this.

effectively they have cut multiple customers off with no warning let alone lack of access to their number.

O2 will hopefully get fined for this because the scale of customers impacted and the affect.  

for example no one was given fair warning before services were cut off, how many emergency calls needed to be carried out while the customer had no access to their SIM card/services that they pay for that o2 have cut off due to eSIM system outage on O2’s end. I’m sure ofcom will be happy to hear about this.

o2 not once have ever provided an alternative at cost free to myself, safe to say that goes for all O2 customers affected from this given what poor quality standards O2 adhere to in the first instance.

doing a bit of research on google, Reddit, and twitter speaks volumes.

they need a huge internal investigation for it.

disgusting corporate responsibility from o2

I will never be a o2/virgin media customer ever again. My corporate virgin media contract is over in January and they can say goodbye to me.

[GamerRaver]

It’s now week number 7 and I am without access to my eSIM

on the 23rd of September O2’s eSIM system failed, I have been on phone countless of times and been told they have been investigating it. It’s stuck in processing and has been like this since 23rd September.

I am also aware that this is also breaking UK mobile network regulation as I have effectively been cut off from ESIN and this outage is now considered unreasonable.

not once has o2 offered another temporary sim at free cost to myself.

i am at my wits end with this, simply changing numbers will not suffice. I have multiple accounts behind 2 step verification that they simply cannot just “turn off” or help “recover” my account. 

this is beyond a joke now. O2 only have 1 more week till regulator is going to be involved.

i am effectively cut off, no idea how I am able to sign into my o2 account as it tries to verify my number then I go back a page and this logs me into the community support page.

I have no access to my contacts, my friends numbers, Facebook, whatsapp. We are now at the point it’s affected my mental health and my performance at work.

7 weeks too long now. I just want my number and to leave O2 due to contract being broken. Is that too much to ask?

[GamerRaver]

Just going to keep bumping this every day until this is fixed. I hope the fines regulator imposes on o2 are substantial at this point.

[Enlli]

Bumping it here will do nothing, everyone being customers like you and having absolutely no power or influence in these things

[Silver_Lake]

Hi @GamerRaver.

I feel your pain, and while there may not be anyone in the O2 community that can help you much, I'm afraid that O2 customer service has disintegrated ever since their call centres went overseas, at least from my experience.

I've had multiple calls dropped without any warning, and it's always been when I've been calling them to complain about things going wrong. They don't seem to have any common sense, and just seem to want to sell me a higher priced service, without even trying to resolve the current issues. I hope you get a good resolution from the Ombudsman, and a decent amount of compensation for all your stress, inconvenience and wasted time.

I'm only on a 12 month SIM only contract, and I've had to do most of the legwork myself, even having to change my O2 username to resolve the issue that I was having, so I can only empathise with your situation, which must be extremely frustrating for you.

As a previous EE customer, I can personally recommend their customer service. However, I only left them because of a poor signal, but I may rejoin them myself if O2 don't improve.