Charged for a contract I haven't started yet?

[Anonymous]

I am in the process of moving from EE to O2. I preordered the new iPhone 6s in a Carphone Warehouse store last week and was given my SIM card on the spot, but will obviously collect the phone on release day. The SIM card hasn't been inserted into any other phone yet but I have already downloaded and signed into the "My O2" app.

The app is telling me that I have a bill "available to view tomorrow"... does this mean I'll get charged for a bill for the month of September for a phone I haven't even received + a contract I haven't started using yet????

Very confused here, I don't want to have a montly bill taken from my account before I've even used my new phone???

Any help or similar experiences would be useful. Thanks in advance. 

[Pissedofalready]

I have the same issue now that I’m moving to O2 and already thinking about leaving lol
They started my contract since I ordered the SIM.
And it doesn’t make sense at all. How they active the account to use it immediately if you don’t have the SIM to use it immediately? Completely Non sense, definitely the reason about squeezing people is winning at the moment.

[Spartan_Missile]

Exactly the same experience and I ordered on a Thursday during COVID lockdown so no post at the weekend and the SIM arrived on Monday. I'm fine with paying a month in advance, as that'll work itself out when I leave or cancel the contract, but paying for four days of a service I don't have access to (even though it's only a couple of quid) is not on. I had a really long and circular discussion with the O2 live chat guy who insisted the SIM was delivered in line with their service standard (1-3 working days) and just couldn't see that that only worked if it was posted the day you switch and arrives the next day. The charges are valid he kept saying. 

I tried to compare this to being asked to pay rent before you get the keys to the flat and pointed out that for those four days I was still paying EE. No pennies were dropping here. 

Eventually he could sense it was worth him offering me my couple of quid to silence the dissenter (and I was tempted not to accept given it was badged as a 'goodwill gesture') but I'm going to take it further. If they skim a couple quid off every new contract that's a lot of money.

I really do have too much time on my hands...

[jonsie]

Forget live chat

Call and speak to an adviser

They can see what date you started using it

They will refund the unused days from receipt of the sim.

[Spartan_Missile]

Shouldn't have to do anything, especially now when the wait for call centres is extended. They're making money from all the folk who don't notice or can't be bothered. If you get a top of the range iphone 11 on a 12 month contract those four days would set you back over £20