O2 chat once again. Gotta laugh...or cry :)

[cyrillicguy]

Hi there

So I've damaged my O2 Pay&Go sim, ordered a new one, and once it has arrived went to the O2 chat in order to get my number transferred to a new sim.

Posting a transcript here, as to me it tells a thing or two about the O2 customer service as well as puts a kinda sad smile on my face.

info: Welcome to O2. Someone will be with you soon.
info: You're through to 'O2'
O2: Hi I'm *****. How can I help?
Eric: Hi
Eric: As I damaged my PayGo sim, I asked for a new one to be sent out to me
Eric: Now it has arrived, so I'd like to transfer my PayGo number, tariff, credit and alowances onto that new sim
Eric: could you help me with that?
O2: I'll help you in transferring your number.
O2: Can you help me with your old number and its SIM Serial number?
Eric: which one is the "old" number?

(I know it sounds like a stupid question to ask, but I did just in case )

O2: The one which is damaged.
Eric: it's 07*********
Eric: i don't know the serial number of that sim though
O2: Can you help me with the 2 numbers you frequently call or send text?
Eric: just a sec
Eric: *********** and ***********
O2: Thank you.
O2: Just give me a minute.
O2: Thanks for waiting.
O2: I'm sorry to say that this is a special number and we won't be able to take the request for this number.

("SPECIAL" NUMBER? :[ ] Any ideas what that could mean? )

O2: I'll help you with the link to send the request for the number transfer.
Eric: what do you mean by the "special number"
Eric: ?

O2: Click here (THE LINK LEADS TO http://swapmysim.o2.co.uk/)
O2: Special number is a specific series of numbers and we've specialized team on call which handles theie query.
O2: their*
Eric: so you gave me that link
O2: Click here to send the request for number transfer
Eric: Are you aware of the very first step your website asks me to do once I click that link?

A PAUSE....

Eric: hello?
O2: Yes, I'm with you.
Eric: Are you aware of the very first step your website asks me to do once I click that link?
O2: It ask you to enter the number.
Eric: it asks me to enter the number, so it can send me a verification text
Eric: how am I supposed to receive that text if my sim is damaged?
O2: Therefore I requested you to call our team. (NO, YOU NEVER )
O2: From your O2 mobile 4445 25p per call
O2: From a landline 0344 8090222 Standard UK Rate
O2: From abroad +44 7860 980 202 International rates

WELL, NOW YOU HAVE REQUESTED TO CALL THE TEAM

Eric: why you gave me the link then if it's clearly unusable
Eric: ?
O2: Opening times
O2: Monday - Friday 08:00 - 21:00
O2: Saturday 08:00 - 20:00
O2: Sunday 09:00 - 18:00
O2: We provide this link to call the customers for self serve.
O2: I'm sorry, if this would've been possible from my end, I'd have already helped you

Have a nice evening, folks

[gemz4the1]

This thread is about livechat.

Time for me to put my two penneth in.....

I think livechat is ok for basic issues, such as ordering a sim, etc. 

However I think that livechat is useless when it comes to complex issues, such as charges to your account.  Specific account queries should be discussed with O2 on the phone as, even though they claim to be able to see your account, I don't think that livechat have full access to your account.  To be very honest it makes me laugh reading other people's threads about their complex issues that they try to get resolved by using livechat, but it would obviously make me cry if it was happening to me.

That's my opinion - agree or don't agree

[viridis]

"However, you stating you could tie up regulars on here with no problem was not insulting at all was it?"



"It's a fact. I have demonstrated my technical knowledge in numerous threads."

So? So you could tie up some people with knowledge of a certain field.
Well I'm sure I could tie people up in a certain field too, difference is I have never been inclined to state it.

"As I said before, I am unable to reproduce the same problems other people claim to have had with the live chat. The difference I see is that other people, sooner or later, become sarcastic, post unclear or confusing information, "

Or you haven't had the same problems.
And again, many of the live chat problems are not by anyone being sarcastic or giving confusing information.

[gemz4the1]

Unless you specifically ask to be put through to an O2 Guru, you are just talking to a standard O2 advisor.  They are not, and they do not claim to be, technology wizards.  They usually talk from a script.  They only understand basic queries.  It is unfair to be rude to anyone on livechat simply because they can not help with your query.  In my experience with livechat, if it is a complex query, I do try to ask them for help, but they tend to push me in the direction of calling O2 to ensure that my issue is dealt with.

[cyrillicguy]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

@cyrillicguy wrote:

It's not quite about what I am obliged to use, it's about what kind of tools the company provides to me and other customers in order to handle our CS enquiries. The chat facility itself is just one of the methods to have a conversation, like a phone line, or a face-to-face chat. To me, calling it a "replacement" or "non-replacement" for CS is not quite logical, as it is (or should be anyways) essentially CS, just delivered  differently (or via different media if you like).

So would you be in favour of taking CS representatives off of the phones and putting them in live chat, thereby reducing the number available, and making waiting times on 202 longer?

That would be the trade off you took.

And realise that operators who are skilled at handling telephone based queries may struggle to talk to ten people at once on a live chat - or do you think that they just deal with one at a time?  Ha!

---

Sorry,  but it sounds as if you trying to force me to make some sort of a decision for O2, even if it's just a hypothetical one  I don't want to make any decisions,  don't want to be thinking whether I'd like to trade off A in favour of B etc.  I'm a customer,  and I'm probably going to repeat myself here,  but all I want is for O2 to clearly tell me what's available and for what purpose. Like I said, if I need help from O2, I look for the 'door to chap'. I see the Live Chat link -  I do assume that this is one of the 'doors', and why shouldn't I?  Nothing suggests for it to be any different from,  say,  the '202 door'. 

[jezza1234]

I would go with the dubious shop support. just before Xmas i was in my local town centre and for some reason my phone had no voice or data which was odd as the site is on the high street and there is wall to wall coverage inc 4G.

so.... I thught I would just wander into the O2 shop and see if they new of a problem.

conversation went as follows;-

Me: Hi do you know if the town centre O2 site is down

Shop advisor. Pardon?

Me: Repeat question

Shop advisor: not to the best of my knowledge. why do you ask.?

Me: (explain issue and that there is no 3 or 4G either

Shop advisor: (whilst he is holding my phone) well this isnt a 4G phone so you wont get 4G!!!!

Me; Actually it is a 4G phone

Shop advisor: are you sure as if it was it should be getting a 4G signal!!!

Me: now losing patience, as i have said im not getting any voice let alone 4G!

shop advisor: (whilst handing my phone back to me) well there is nothing we can do here the network is fine

Me: well ill just go then.

Shop advisor: sorry about that

Me; left shop turned my phone off turned it back on and it worked fine.

Great service was well impressed with that.

[gemz4the1]

Sounds like a crap experience for you @jezza1234 

I hope the issue is now resolved or is it intermittent?

[Anonymous]

---

@gemz4the1 wrote:

Unless you specifically ask to be put through to an O2 Guru, you are just talking to a standard O2 advisor.  They are not, and they do not claim to be, technology wizards.  They usually talk from a script.  They only understand basic queries.  It is unfair to be rude to anyone on livechat simply because they can not help with your query.  In my experience with livechat, if it is a complex query, I do try to ask them for help, but they tend to push me in the direction of calling O2 to ensure that my issue is dealt with.

---

I agree.

So what we might hope to achieve, realistically, is to improve that service a little bit, by reducing some of the common mis-understandings.

That's all I ever wanted to do.  But the thread just spiralled off in to a slanging match, first against live chat, then against me.

[gemz4the1]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

That's all I ever wanted to do.  But the thread just spiralled off in to a slanging match, first against live chat, then against me.

---

Please don't get offended by things that are said on here.  Most of the time, due to it being typed, it can come across as being said wrong.  I'm sure it wasn't intended to offend you.

[viridis]

"the thread just spiralled off in to a slanging match, first against live chat, then against me."

I think you need to re-read this thread before implying others spiralled it into a slanging match against you.

[viridis]

As Gemz said^^^