Can't Register an 02 account online

[Trez]

My mum has been an 02 pay as you go customer for over 20yrs years, same as me. Today we tried to register her for an 02 account so that she can get the £10 bundle each month, same as me.

Went onto registration page, entered email address, got code, put it in registration page, got code to phone, put that in registration page, then it bombed back to having to put email in again, did that, got code again, put that in registration page then got code to phone again. Basically it just stayed in this loop. 

So phoned 02 customer service and got passed around 3 people. The last person tried to sell me a bundle she didn't need. Eventually he accepted that the problem was that we couldn't register her an account online. The 02 guy sent a security code to her phone, it never arrived. He sent another code it never arrived. After 45 mins I had to end the call with him as without the code he was sending we couldn't proceed.

The security codes he sent arrived 1hour and 30mins later.

There seems little point in phoning 02 if the codes won't arrive in a timely manner.

Anyone got any ideas please on how we can get my mum set up with an 02 account for her pay as you go phone and add the £10 bundle to it.

This shouldn't be this difficult according to 02s help guides.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@Trez 

If you're already on Pay As You Go, text the following free to 21300:

10DATABB for the £10 tariff

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/pay-as-you-go/big-bundles

[Trez]

Thank you for your reply. If we texted to get the big bundle wouldn't we still have the problem of my mum not having an account. Therefore we wouldn't be able to auto top up every month.

[Oxonian]

I believe that you @Trez would need an account to set-up an auto top-up regime.

You need to contact O2. Unfortunately, this is a customer to customer community so we cannot access your account of offer other direct help.

I suggest that you message O2 on social media :-

Facebook : https://o2uk.co/O2CFB

X (previously known as Twitter) : https://o2uk.co/O2CTW

Instagram : https://o2uk.co/O2CIG

The social media team are based in the UK and are adept at solving customer problems. 

Whilst this is being addressed, you can top-up by voucher and buy a Big Bundle by text as already advised.  

[MI5]

Lots of ways to top up without an account which really is not needed on PAYG.

Guide How to Top Up (PAYG) 

[Trez]

Thank you for your reply. Yep I'll have to go through all the stress again of dealing with customer services 😒

[Oxonian]

I think you will find the social media route relatively painless @Trez ! 

Please let us know the outcome. 👍 

[Trez]

Thank you for your reply. 

[Trez]

Thank you for your reply.

[Trez]

Update. Tried setting up an 02 account again for my mum today but this time I used my tablet instead of my mobile. It took the email code OK, then the phone security code OK then bombed back to wanting a new email code. Put a new email code in again and at last it let us set up an 02 account for her and apply the £10 bundle. Looks like it was 02s systems glitching. Many thanks to everyone who replied with suggestions.