I've had a rather bad experience of late with O2. I've been a customer for 9 years, 2 years on my current pay monthly contract, on a Sony Xperia S. As my contract was coming to an end I requested an unlock code, as I decided to switch provider. The guru's got me one within a day and I entered it. It didn't work. I went back to the online chat and they encouraged me to keep trying. To no avail. Then started 6 weeks of occasional emails and online chats with different people, who wouldn't tell me anything, or didnt seem to understand what was going on. I always asked to speak to a supervisor at various times of the day but they were always busy.
I then got so fustrasted I began to tweet O2 on Twitter. 6 weeks later I finally found out via Twitter my phone was deadlocked from entering an incorrect unlock code too many times, using up my network unlock attemps. Not one online chat advisor warned me of this and even encouraged me to keep trying. I asked o2 where this left me and they replied that they might be able to send it to Sony to have my handset reset - get this - at my own expense. They said if it was £20 or under they may compensate for half but in reality I shouldn't have had to pay or wait this ridiculous amount of time for a working unlock code. My partner had exactly the same phone and contract and unlocked his phone with no problem. I am now stuck with a phone that can only be used with O2 but I have already bought a SIM and rolling contract with another provider shortly before these problems arised.
As a loyal customer I was extremely disappointed at this outcome and after lengthy, exhausting to-and-fro with online advisors and twitters I am wondering would it be worth my while contacting a consumer ombudsman to hear my complaint. I feel like as a consumer my rights to change and use the phone I had paid for, for 2 years should be the least I am owed.
