O2 contract customers face 3.2% price hike from February

[darrengf]

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/23540/O2_contract_customers_face_3.2_price_hike_from_February.aspx

Never welcomed News I'm affraid.

Just a shame it's had to happen.

So no network Is amune from the price increase now 😢

[Anonymous]

Perksie- I don’t recall saying that all Terms and Conditions should be read out to every customer, but I don’t think it unreasonable to expect to be given a correct answer, even if the adviser does have to double check.
I’m well aware that others have done this, which is why I asked whether it could affect me and by how much. It was a pleasant surprise to be told that it was a set price.
I’ve not actually mentioned the 3.2% in either of my previous posts- my issue is more with the lack of integrity rather than the financial implication.

Pablo- It is difficult not to get into semantics when O2 responds to a question by apparently thinking its ok to give an answer to a different question.
As I said in response to Perksie, my opinion isn’t that I should be given all the information, but that I should be given an accurate answer to a specific question that I ask.
Also- it took me 2 hours to apply for my mortgage- the biggest debt I’ll ever have- I think O2 needs to simplify their products and terms and conditions if it could take days to go through everything properly just for a phone contract (I’m quite sure/ hopeful that comment was an exaggeration, but I did get accused for semantics!)

[Liquid]

A mortgage is in a different league.

I read O2 T&Cs before I took out a contract and I was in store. Now whilst I understand what you were told is incorrect.

Personally I wouldn't trust anyone especially a sales advisor to quote T&Cs to me. Not only could they be wrong(as you found) but the way their written misquoting a clause can change the entire meaning of the clause with relative ease.

I honestly don't believe o2s T&Cs to be excessive and in reality it only takes 20 minutes to skim then read over the more subjective parts. In total maybe 40 minutes.

I think people really need to be taught what they're signing on for, a bit of common sense goes a long way. Especially when your talking 4 figured contracts.

[Anonymous]

Speekers so you're not happy that you asked the sales rep if the cost could go up and he said no. Probably just a case of passing off opinion as fact, where you're so sure thats something is unlikely you answer no. Done it before in the past myself.

However, like everything, you get a copy of the Ts and Cs and the recommendation is to read them. You know, just in case...

Far too many people don't bother reading Ts and Cs, not just for mobile phone contracts but for loads of stuff, and then complain that they weren't told things from the outset. Theres a reason you get told to read them, if you choose not to then you can't exactly claim ignorance.

[perksie]

What are you trying to do here, build a case against O2 so you can take them to court over this?

Highly unlikely that would succeed, we only have your word that you asked if the price could ever go up, do you have a record of this?

It's because of people like you the terms are as complicated as they are!

[Anonymous]

Where I used to work, if a member of staff gave an answer that contradicted the T&Cs, it was treated as misrepresentation, and the mistake was either honoured or if that not possible, appropriate compensation arranged. It wasn’t a company that was too keen parting with money it didn’t have to, so presumed it a minimum legal requirement. I was expecting people to think it normal that businesses stood by what they told their customers, but apparently not.
Not been able to get anyone to listen to the call I made so far- hopefully they will when they finally look at my formal complaint- all I have is the time, date and first name of the person I spoke to, no other way I could have recorded it. But if O2’s stance is that verbal answers to questions cannot be relied upon, perhaps its irrelevant anyway.

That's why they have to make T&Cs so complicated though- otherwise they really would have to live up to what they told people.

[jonsie]

I'd be interested in their response, please keep us posted.

[Liquid]

An I the only one paranoid enough to record audio when conversing with prospective clients about to sign?

[jonsie]

Yes!:smileywink:

[womble-wwfc]

So is this a one way street then, I've just noticed that the on & on contract advertised on the site is now £10 cheaper than when I took my contract out, unfortunately (according to C.S) it's a special offer & existing customers can't take advantage of it - even though o2 TV advertising says that they look after existing users the same as new users, surely this should mean that we should be able to take advantage of the current tarrif price if (as lots of you have said before on this thread) we would like to.

What i'm getting at is that it's OK for o2 to increase our tarrif but not ok for us to decrease (to the current price) our tarrif accordingly

[adamtemp64]

the fair deal only applies to you at the end of your minimum term not mid way through your contracted period.