Since purchasing a personal hotspot, I've been trying to return it for 14 days but can't get help

[FranceskaM]

On the 29th of August, 2022, I foolishly purchased an Alcatel Linkzone personal hotspot device that didn't work. I returned to my local shop in St Albans to get help with the device and then when it still didn't work, I returned a few days later to return it. I stood in the shop for an hour waiting for an employee to help me. When it appeared no one intended to help me, I got on the phone the call customer service to try to return my device while I was standing in the O2 shop. Twice I was put on hold and then hung up on by customer service. I couldn't get help in person or on the phone. So I called again the next day (still within the 14 day return time in your policy for returning faulty equipment). I've been hung up on by customer service more times than I can count. When I go into the shop, I get treated by employees who don't have any customer service skills and are often patronising and keep parroting back to me their return policies which I'm very aware of, having spent the last 14 days trying and failing to return this worthless piece of junk that I stupidly bought from your worthless company! 

Now I'm past the 14 days for your pointless return policy and I'm still unable to get any help from your company. 

I think the only way I can get the attention of this company is if I attempt to find a lawyer willing to fight for me and all the other fools who have wasted money and time in your shop buying devices that don't work. 

Maybe this is the objective of O2, to ignore the customer during the 14 day return window so that they're then stuck with faulty equipment for the remainder of their contract. 

It's criminal! 

I regret ever walking into your shop. 

I've been an O2 customer for ten years and if I'm ever able to return the piece of junk I bought from the O2, I plan to transfer over to another phone company. 

Don't you care about your customers? 

[MI5]

@FranceskaM 

If purchased in store you have to return it in store.

Be more forceful with the staff.

If you let us know which store it is we can get our community managers to escalate this for you.

[FranceskaM]

St Albans in Hertfordshire is my local shop. Forceful how? Give suggestions? Staff don't know how to help customers or how to be nice for that matter. I'm stressed and fed up and apparently going to be very out of pocket if I want to cancel this stupid contract for a device that doesn't work! 

The manager in the shop today was patronising, rude and unhelpful. He couldn't care less and he made it very clear. Money is all the O2 cares about. 

[MI5]

@Breanna 

@O2Georgina 

Can you assist @FranceskaM please?

[O2Georgina]

@MI5  Thanks for the tag

@FranceskaM  I will private message you now

[Breanna]

Hey @MI5 thanks for the tag. It looks like @O2Georgina has picked this up. Do let us know if you get this solved @FranceskaM 

[MI5]

@Breanna 

I tagged you for store feedback.

Customers should not be given the run around by incompetent store staff.

[Breanna]

@MI5 I did gather that and agree with you. Rest assured it will be noted on our side and passed along.

[MI5]

Thank you.

[FranceskaM]

I thought I had solved this as I returned the faulty device and was told it was cancelled but now looking at my upcoming bill, it appears I'm being charged £13 for the device which never worked the entire time I had it. 

Going into my local O2 shop today to try to sort it out, reminded me that customer service is not the first thing on the minds of the staff here in St Albans so here I am again reaching out to the community to try to find out why I'm being charged for something that never worked, has since been returned and cancelled and yet is still generating a bill and even more exciting has knocked my credit score down forty points. 

Please can you help me learn what's happening and why I'm being charged and how to resolve the utter destruction caused by O2?