Pricematch? Promised but 'can't' do it...

[Anonymous]

I have been an o2 customer since the days of BT Cellnet, back when I was 11 or 12, I have never changed provider. I have been contracted since the age of 18, and spent a fair bit of money on o2 over the years. Loyalty counts for nothing anymore, as I found today.
Last week, my other half was eligible to upgrade from his iphone 3G. After doing most of the legwork researching deals, and being told spurious lies by our local franchised o2 store (confirmed lies by o2 CS), he found better deals online for o2 advertised through P4U's web deal of the month (June). After a long conversation, he was offered an iphone 4 for a one off payment of £29.99 instead of the £100+ you'll see on various o2 pages, but he would have to increase his monthly bill from £35 to £37. Can live with that, so have gone ahead.
A week or so later (today), it's my renewal date. I phone to upgrade to the same deal, I know it can be done as it was done last week. After discussing red tape etc and individual emails to marketing on pricematchs, I look for the suggested 'well-known' websites to price match against (they won't do 'unknown' site pricematchs). I come back with a price from moneysupermarket.com, on o2, £37pcm, handset for free. Won't pricematch against ms.com... Was told P4U or CPW only now by second retentions advisor.
Retentions have advised me that they can give me the contract at £37 per month, the same as my other half. Only I will have to pay £63-odd for the upgrade. I'm not happy about this as I know that they can allow it at £29.99, so I said that that was what I wanted or we take our money elsewhere.
I have been promised a callback from management before 6pm tomorrow, but I don't understand that o2 seem willing to lose £2000 worth of contract (other half still technically in cooling off period) for the sake of £33. I don't want to move from o2 but at present feel that I don't have many other options. As a local government employee we've had a pay-freeze in force for several years now, and I have a budget to keep to. The cost of everything has gone up and I don't understand how I can't have the same contract (which I pay for incidentally) as my other half, a week ago.
Apologies for the rant, but I'm a bit peeved.
Answers on a postcard please, unless o2 seem happy to run themselves into the ground, throwing away good, hard-earned money like this.
(This message is posted elsewhere in the iphone specific forums, not sure where best for it to go)

[Anonymous]

Retention have rules as to which companies they can price match and to which they cant which have been set by o2 and deals on these other companies websites can change so do the pricematch deals

[Anonymous]

O2 have basically never done retentions deals on iPhones. Mainly due to the laws of supply and demand - you can walk but someone will take your place very quickly. Don't take it personally, you're not dealing with the local butcher, loyalty means nothing in the big corporate world.

Anyway, the best thing to do is just find the service you require at the lowest price.

[Anonymous]

Indeed. just take your business elsewhere. As you rightly say they just don't do loyalty, unless you are a very high paying customer.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you just get the deal your partner got from phones4u?

[Anonymous]

i when on money supermarker today to search for a offer on the galaxy s and i found:
free phone
300mins
unlimited txts
500mb
24month
27pm
o2
however if i went straight to an o2 site and instore they said that the cheapest was £32 plus i had to pay £80, so i rang up nd explaned it he then put me through to the retitions department? anyways he matched the deal after about 2 mins of being on hold...think i got a gd deal there
plus he asid that if i found a better deal the we could "re-discuss" the offer

[Anonymous]

i when on money supermarker today to search for a offer on the galaxy s2 and i found:
free phone
300mins
unlimited txts
500mb
24month
27pm
o2
however if i went straight to an o2 site and instore they said that the cheapest was £32 plus i had to pay £80, so i rang up nd explaned it he then put me through to the retitions department? anyways he matched the deal after about 2 mins of being on hold...think i got a gd deal there
plus he asid that if i found a better deal the we could "re-discuss" the offer

[Anonymous]

O2 are really expensive, I got an htc wildfire for £10.50 per month 600mins 500texts and 500gb Internet. O2s closest match was £26.
Only my mum left to jump ship,

[Anonymous]

You do mean 500mb of internet, of course, but that is still a very good deal. Who is it with?

[Anonymous]

Yeah 500mb lol
It was t-mobile, not the best signal but can use orange