Appalling Mobile Data in Manchester and Surrounding Areas

[TerribleData]

I have been with O2 for years and have a year left on my contract but it has always been so so bad for data and lately even worse. It is so bad around Manchester that I had to get a PAYG EE sim card for my dual sim phone because O2 is just simply unusable in Manchester and surrounding areas.

I'm wondering if it is possible to get out of the contract somehow seeing as they are not delivering the product and actually costing me £10 a month in PAYG as well as the £30 monthly which I'm not even using. Maybe even a refund as well - what are my options here?

I recently took trips to London and Southampton and O2 was always the worse of the two so I didn't even get to save any data on those trips, seems the issue is not just Manchester.

I'm supposed to get a generous 160GB per month in data - well it's easy to offer a huge amount of data and then just simply not have the infrastructure to deliver it, might as well give me 16000 GB per month I would still only be able to use the same amount - 0 GB. I've already used up my monthly EE Data and it's just a sickener that I have all that unusable data on O2. 

[MI5]

@TerribleData 

If on refresh, pay off the device plan and leave for free Guide: How does O2 Refresh work? 

[TerribleData]

Not sure what Refresh is but I'm on a Sim-only deal. 

[MI5]

@TerribleData 

You can try a complaint but don't hold out much hope tbh.

https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

[Enlli]

@TerribleData Bit stuck then

O2 are seriously oversubscribed in places, seen complaints about parts of Manchester but not all over.

Sadly, we are all customers here so you will have to take things up with O2 direct 

Guide: How can I sort out my network issues? 

[jonsie]

In the 20+ years I've been with O2 I can confirm the coverage in and around Manchester is awful but I am able to use data in most of the area that I travel in so no real grounds for you to escape the contract and jump ship to EE

By the way, the second sim in my phone is also EE and is my much preferred option indoors anywhere

[TerribleData]

It is sometimes OK if you are outside, but as you walk from area to area it will simply stop so it is effectively unusable. When going inside e.g. coffee shops it usually won't work at all. EE works 95% of the time in any indoor location or when walking or driving/bussing between areas. I don't even have 5G with EE, it's on 4G, but do pay substantially for 5G on O2 which doesn't work, how can they not remedy the situation after all these years? How do they have any customers left ? Did they all make the same mistake as me thinking it must get better soon ?

[jonsie]

I worked in the Bury call centre for a few years and even there, indoor data coverage was pee-poor

[Oxonian]

@TerribleData 

The trouble is that the T&Cs of all of the mobile 'phone companies are very similar and they do not guarantee you much in the way of service. If you want a mobile 'phone, you basically have to accept them. 

My advice to anyone is, before entering into a contract, get a few PAYG SIMs on different networks and find out what is the best for you. All of the networks have strong and weak areas, so what works for me might well not suit your needs.   

[jonsie]

If we are talking Manchester area then EE is the network to be on!