Upgrade help please

[Anonymous]

I'm due an upgrade on 2nd July - how do I go about actually getting an upgrade as my sister had to fight to get a decent one.  Her upgrade was paying the same per month and paying loads for a new phone 😕  Not much of an upgrade.  Surely customers who've been paying monthly for 2+ years should get some kind of deal?

Any tips would be great thanks as I'd love a new phone but certainly can't afford a new one - my iphone 3gs is rubbish with internet.  I can only use it with wifi even though I pay for internet per month.  I spent a morning trying to fix this on chat on here and they couldn't sort it, said someone from technical support would call me and they never did 😞  Hell, I just want a new phone that works properly now thanks.  I have been paying for 2 years now so would like a good upgrade.

[Anonymous]

please

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Ring 202 from your mobile when your ready to upgrade and ask to speak to retentions and use buzz words like loyalty, PAC Code.

Ask to speak to a senior line manager if your not getting near what you want.

Look at the current deals online and in store, but not just 02 High-Street Stores. Look in places such as Carphone Warehouse who can do your upgrades too, plus they have a lot more options on handsets.

Have in mind what phone you want and how much you want to pay.

Think about what you want in your bundle such as minutes, texts and data.

Dont be unrealistic as loyalty does not account for much these days but you wont get if you dont ask !

Whats happening with your 3gs !

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I'll have a look about. Maybe I won't even stay with O2 then. Bit annoying as thought there would be some sort of loyalty 'bonus' though 😞
I'll be selling my 3gs I think. Cheers

[Anonymous]

Hi,

iPhones tend to hold good re selling prices so good luck with the sale.

All the best.

[Anonymous]

Buttoon, do not be fooled - loyalty counts for nothing.

I've been with O2 for the past 12 years and was due an upgrade last Saturday. I went to Carphone warehouse, where I've always upgraded, &  I couldn't get an upgrade because the account wasn't recognised, as O2 had reset my date of birth to 1.1.1900 making me 113 years old!

O2 customer services said that I had to provide a birth certificate to prove that I wasn't 113 before they could change the account!

I ended up not getting an upgrade but doing some homework.

There are 100's of better deals around. O2 is one of the most expensive service providers and in my opinion, their tariffs are terrible! Try Carphone Warehouse, and don't be afraid to leave O2 - they're much more greedy than a lot of the others. 

I bought a sim free hand set ( samsung s3 mini) and got a Giffgaff SIM card. Over 24 months, this will save me £300 over the cheapest O2 tariff, & as Giffgaff use the O2 network, the coverage won't be any different!

Remember that loyalty doesn't mean a thing & don't rely on customer services to resolve any problems. They've ended up losing not just my contract, but those of my 3 kids and my husband.

Well done O2, you just lost 5 contracts.

[Anonymous]

Hi Slinky,

I agree that loyalty does not count for much which is what I've said in my earlier reply.

I also choose to buy my iphones sim free factory unlocked and choose the PAYG option, but not everyone has the disposable income to pay outright for a handset, hence why many opt for the contract option.

It sounds to me that your issue was a result of an administration error when your account was being updated, and by an overzealous customer service employee when you attempted to resolve the issue.

Up until that point I assume you were happy as you have so many running contracts with the 02 Network.

I too have been tempted by GiffGaff for their unlimited Goody Bag for £12 but I know quite a few people on that network who have issues with call drop outs, slow or intermittent network use and are not impressed with the lack of Customer Support.

That being said a few colleagues I know are happy with GiffGaff too !

Hope things go OK for you on your new network and with your new phone.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

don't rely on customer services to resolve any problems. O2 employ a load of numbnuts as C.S. reps! 

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Thanks

In my experience, the only time you ever see a date of birth as 1/1/1900 is when a contract is done through CPW.

And CPW rarely upgrade accounts if they can help it, so I'd be willing to bet that last upgrade you had they created a new contract and you had to migrate your number to it. But you would probbaly not be aware of that - thinking that it was just a standard upgrade.

The reason you are asked for proof is not that O2 don't believe you are younger than 113, it could have said ANYTHING there, they just need proof of your actual date of birth cause that would no longer be anywhere on the system.

[Anonymous]

Hi Bandofbrothers,

Thanks for the post. I do appreciate that not everyone has the disposable income to buy a new handset, but I thought it was worth a mention as it usually turns out to be the most cost effective option in the long run.

I have read that Giffgaff have had some issues. Although it's inconvenient & annoying when it happens, to expect a small & fairly new outfit to run without any glitches at all is a bit unrealistic. I don't think they set out to provide a deliberately sub standard service.

O2 have been at it for years, and even they had a massive power down not so long ago.

Equally, I know a number of very happy Giffgaffers.

As for the lack of customer service, Giffgaff do make it clear that there isn't anyone at the end of the phone, but issues can usually be answered in their forum.

To be honest, judging by the appalling standard of customer non-service that I've received from O2 over the years, a forum response can only be an improvement!

I'm willing to give it a go at any rate. It can't be worse than the "computer says no" mentality that I witnessed on saturday!

Thanks again & I'm sure I'll have many happy hours playing with my new phone!

[Anonymous]

Sorry Opium, I'm sure you are a very effective O2 employee.

I have upgraded all my O2 contracts with CPW and never experienced this problem. In fact, the chap at CPW couldn't have been more helpful if he tried. The person who gave me all the greif was the O2 C.S. rep, and when I logged in to my O2 account from my pc, sure enough, my date of birth was 1.1.1900. There is no facility to edit it to the correct date.

The long & short of it is, that I received notification from O2 that I qualified for an upgrade, and as an extra special treat for my years of loyalty I could have it a month early. (I am rendered speechless by O2's boundless generosity).

When I actually tried to claim my upgrade ( putting by some of my very valuable time, driving to town & paying £4.60 in car parking, in anticipation that I would return the proud owner of a shiny new smartphone....), I was told that I couldn't have it, through no fault of my own, and after 40 minutes of frustrating conversation with an honours graduate of the 'Little Britain school of customer service', I would have to forefeit the promise of a new phone, my time and my £4.60 parking, to go home, dig out my birth & marriage certificates & send them to O2, to prove that their system was wrong and that I wasn't really 113 years old!!!!Duh!!

When I pointed out that, as the fault was not mine, I should not be inconvenienced, she said that there was no other way around it as it was 'part of the protocol' that she should follow - like that's going to help!

Personally, if I were part of O2 HR, I would find it extremely worrying that a decidedly unhelpful customer service rep is capable of losing O2 5 contracts simply by opening her mouth! As it is, I think it's hysterically funny! You don't need a better example of O2's customer non-service!

If, when it comes to upgrades, your computer says 'no', don't send me an email telling me that I can have one. At least then, you won't lose business from disgruntled ex-customers!

Thanks anyway, for attempting to explain this farce, but I hope you'll forgive me when I say that I won't be recommending O2 to anyone, anytime soon.