Police took my phone as evidence

[Loz_Koz]

I havent had the pleasure of my phone usage since 080818 and have had to delete my DD for pay monthly tariff.. I tried to get a clone sim but that didnt work out either... Why should I pay for a service that I havent used t all since then as I have had to use a really old Sony Simian P910!! and a different pAYG number?  Eventually I will have my phone returned...

[Bambino]

@Loz_Koz Your post is a little confusing. What do you mean you 'tried to get a clone sim'? Did you call customer service and inform them that the police had your phone? Did the police need the sim that was in the phone or just the phone? Did you ask O2 to deactivate the sim that was in the phone and supply you with a new one? Had you done that, you could have used the sim in any phone.

It is not O2's fault that the police took your phone for evidence, nor is it O2's responsibility. It is, however, your responsibility to pay what you owe on your contract, and canceling your Direct Debit doesn't absolve you from paying your bill. You've made things much worse. O2 will now demand payment for the entire length of the remainder of your contract, as you have defaulted on the payment. If you don't pay, O2 will pass the charge to a debt collection agency, and they will put a negative marker on your credit rating, which will prevent you from getting a contract with any network. You will not be able get credit for anything, or apply for a mortgage. If you're a renter it will impact your references.

You need to contact O2 customer service first thing in the morning and explain the situation to them. https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus Do not use Live Chat. You need to speak to someone asap.

[Glory1]

Hi @Loz_Koz

Have you contacted Customer Services http://www.o2.co.uk/contactus and explained your situation?

The thing is you signed a contract which included in the T&Cs regular monthly payments. That your phone has been taken by the police as evidence is unfortunate but you are still liable for payment of your monthly bill as O2 are not in any way at fault here nor are they responsiblr for your not having your phone. And, as you say, you will get your phone back, eventually.

Additionally, you should not have cancelled your DD as this could cause you all sorts of credit problems down the line.

I would suggest you speak to Customer Services as a matter of urgency; 8-8:30am is the best time to avoid a long wait. And also, reinstate your DD as soon as possible.

Good luck and welcome to the forum 

[Cleoriff]

@Loz_Koz 

I can only reiterate what's been said above by @Bambino and @Glory1

You need to reinstate your direct debit as soon as possible. If you refuse to pay what you owe, your credit rating will suffer badly. You say you will get your phone back eventually. If you have stopped payment on it you will find O2 have blocked it.

If you were buying a car on credit, and the police impounded it for whatever reason, the finance company would still expect payment for the car. There's no difference between the two situations...

[Martin-O2 · Accepted solution]

Hi everyone, 

O2 customer services have a process in place that can help people in this situation so we wouldn't suggest reporting the sim/handset as lost or stolen. This could potentially interfere in an investigation. 

You should contact customer services with the below infomation and the advisor will be able to assist you. 

• A Crime Number (if you have one)
• The Station or force investigating the crime
• The officer dealing with the crime or the investigating officer and badge number (if possible)

[Ashmatash]

I contacted customer services and they did nothing wouldn’t even take the information I had asked the investigating officer for. I was told to pay out my contract or suck it up basically. Can someone please help

[Glory1]

Hi @Ashmatash

You need to persevere with Customer Services, I'm afraid. Hopefully you will get a more sympathetic advisor.

You've not explained but I assume like @Loz_Koz your phone has been taken by the police as part of a crime investigation and will be returned in due course.

You need to follow the advice given by myself, @Bambino and @Martin-O2.

I don't believe we can help you further, sorry.

[Ashmatash]

@Glory1 it was indeed yes. They asked me to bring it down yesterday to be downloaded and I was told it would be returned instead my partner got a phone call late last night to tell me I could have my SIM back but not the device. 

I followed @Martin-O2 advise and collected the required information and they never asked for it all just told me to pay the contract or leave it.  I’ll keep trying and see what happens but thank you for replying

[Glory1]

@Ashmatash do you not have an old phone you can use the sim in, until your main phone is returned? That would be the best bet if you're struggling with Customer Service.

If you continue to have problems with Customer Service, please come back and I will tag our community managers to see if there's any way they can progress this.

Good luck and welcome to the forum 

[jonsie]

You need to get the sim back from the police. It can be used in any phone so you will be able to carry on with your contract as long as O2 agree to you paying the arrears.