No signal for weeks/months in the centre of Middleton, Greater Manchester

[MarkF]

I noticed quite a few weeks ago that the signal from O2 would disappear when I was in Middleton. I kept thinking it was a temporary situation but this seems to have been the case for what feels like months.

I reported it through the app weeks ago.

So the other day I had chance to call in at the O2 shop in the Middleton shopping centre. The guy I spoke to was nice and friendly but knew exactly what I was going to say before I got half way through the first sentence. Seemingly there has been a problem with the mast for weeks now. The guy said the problem was one of access to the mast as it is on top of a very large derelict mill in the centre of Middleton. I can't remember the name of the mill, sorry. The only advice he could offer was for me to write to O2 (even though they are already aware of the problem and have been aware of the problem for some time)

Can anybody throw any light on this situation? Surely there has to be some obligation on O2's part to remedy the situation on behalf of their paying customers in the area?


 

[Buberlub]

Moved to Smarty who use 3 network and allow free roaming the reason I left 3 O2 refunded me my termination fee due to ongoing issues 

[pgn]

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@Buberlub wrote:

Moved to Smarty who use 3 network and allow free roaming the reason I left 3 O2 refunded me my termination fee due to ongoing issues 

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Hope it does the trick for you, @Buberlub - I hear 4G calling is offered on SMARTY, whereas only Contract/Business tariffs on O2 give you that.

[Enlli]

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@pgn wrote:

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@Buberlub wrote:

Moved to Smarty who use 3 network and allow free roaming the reason I left 3 O2 refunded me my termination fee due to ongoing issues 

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Hope it does the trick for you, @Buberlub - I hear 4G calling is offered on SMARTY, whereas only Contract/Business tariffs on O2 give you that.

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Smarty support 4G Calling and WiFi Calling. Three is in the early stages of winding down 3G

[Buberlub]

Just pleased to have a working signal and don’t have to take work’s phone to tether for a signal

[Junior82]

Yet they know about a mast being totally missing and unable to provide the coverage and still sign up new customers in the area, knowing they are blatantly selling a service they not just don't provide ,they can't provide.

I'm sure that's fraudulent.

[Junior82]

They are still signing up new customers, knowing that the mast isn't only not working, it was stolen over 8 months ago.

They just won't tell you.

Scamming us all.

[MarkF]

So here we are, months on.

• Mast still not working
• O2 in Middleton still signing up new customers in the town centre shop
• O2 still charging customers every month for a service they aren't getting from one side of the town to the other

But you can let them know and they will send you text messages saying they are working on it and giving you a date (add another month to the current date, basically) when they say they will update you.
I can see no sign of any work going on. Just the regular, monthly text keeping me informed 🙄

[pgn]

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@MarkF wrote:

So here we are, months on.

• Mast still not working
• O2 in Middleton still signing up new customers in the town centre shop
• O2 still charging customers every month for a service they aren't getting from one side of the town to the other

But you can let them know and they will send you text messages saying they are working on it and giving you a date (add another month to the current date, basically) when they say they will update you.
I can see no sign of any work going on. Just the regular, monthly text keeping me informed 🙄

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You could download the O2 My Network app from your phone's app store, and configure it (needs its own username and credential) and then let it tell you when things are changing in areas you frequent, signal-wise (or mast-wise): https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/my-network

Rumour has it the app also lets O2 know if things around it worsen greatly...

[MarkF]

A 'sort of' update.

You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that several years down the line this is STILL not fixed.

Absolutely beyond belief. I seem to remember that, after complaining to O2 about this issue, they 'compensated' us for a couple of months bills. Maybe two months, not sure.

It didn't cross my mind that the problem would still be the same half way through 2024!!!.
I think I first wrote about it in 2022 but others had already raised it the year before.

[Oxonian]

I have a degree of sympathy with O2's position @MarkF ; when you used the phrase "derelict mill", my immediate thought was that this sounds potentially complicated to sort out. 

Have you considered trying another network when your contract ends ? I would be inclined to procure PAYG SIMs for the other networks and to thoroughly test them in the areas that you frequent ; that will give you a clear indication of what will work for your pattern of usage. 👍