Pay & Go. You can pay, but you can never go.

[Anonymous]

I bought O2 Pay & Go with the exact purpose to use it a year later abroad. I was asured in store that the Pay&Go phones are not locked for O2 mobile network. Being on holiday in Europe I had a problem with a local sim-card. On coming back I called the Customer Support and they say: No, no it's not us. It was that European network.
Now I am in the US, wasting a month for awaiting for unlocking details. Having been promised twice so far to check my email, spent hours chatting with agents just to be asked againn and again to top up and only than they will send me the unlocking details.
Eventually, I qiuted saying good bye to O2 and just feel sorry for wasting my time and money on roaming with them.
Every time I asked them to unlock my phone they asked me for new additional info, and then told me to wait for a week, then for a week and now more than 30 days later and an unfair request to top up 15 pounds maintaining balance (which I can't spend on anything. It should be there for yet another 7 days) I am still with a locked phone. I've just given up.
Stay away from O2. There are much better mobile networks in the UK.

[Anonymous]

You can only unlock your phone on a uk o2 phone whilst using a o2 phone signal in the uk. 

Good luck with your new carrier but I suspect considering your posts you will be in a similar situation.

Safe travels.

[Liquid]

I've unlocked a few phones with O2 so it does work. You do have to have an O2 signal unfortunatly I believe it's a security precaution.

[Anonymous]

Why do you think I'll be in a similar situation? I've travelled a lot in my life and never been in the situation like this before. When I bought phones from other networks I was given a clear info from the very beginning unlike O2. Thank you for good luck wishes. Same to you

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot for your info. If O2 agents had been as efficient and clear as you I wouldn't have such a problem which was caused by incompetent employees. But aren't people working for the company represent its message and policy? If O2 lets the employees mislead the customer with inaccurate information and then leaves the customer with it just like that? Should I keep quiet and pretend nothing happened? Yes, I had to do this and that, but I relied on the info given to me by O2 representatives. I can't be blamed for that.

[Liquid]

No of course not. It's a shame you wer not given the correct information. Unfortunatly O2 employ thousands of staff it's impossible to make sure they are all up to standard. I struggle with 5 staff haha.

There's a complaints email address I can find for you if you'd like?

Sorry it's not an easy fix.

I do envy you travelling so much. I don't get to leave the country as much as I'd like to.

[ComaChameleon]

@liquid

You have to be able to unlock it on a non-UK network, 'cause in Germany are maaaany people with an iPhone who got it from UK. My uncle has one too. But you have to do 2 calls to UK numbers.

[And btw, 15 pound are nothing, I would be lucky to be able to have some troubles and pay such a mini-price, over here unlocking costs 200€ (162.42 GBP)]

[adamtemp64]

https://www.o2.co.uk/apps/help/help?qid=1&q1=2&route=unlocking&case=Handset%20Unlocking%20Form is the form to use to request unlocking

[Anonymous]

Doesn't help anyone but as one of the 5 people who developed the original standards that became payg over 20 years ago we developed it specifically for people to be able to travel to other countries, buy a local sim and pop it in the phone without any need to involve the original operator. It is frustrating to see all the contraints that operators have managed to put on the service.

[Liquid]

Your claim to have created the basis of PAYG?

Intriguing, what do you do now?

Welcome to the forum:)

[jonsie]

As far as I'm aware you fill in the unlock form and £15 is taken from the credit. Unless you have an iphone an unlock code is emailed to you which you then enter into the phone.

Is this what happened with you?

How do I unlock my phone so it can be used on other networks? | Support | O2