Unauthorised upgrade when asking for pac code

[Anonymous]

Two days ago I asked O2's web chat staff for a pac code. They kept trying to sell a new contract so the chat took 1.5 hours! I declined all offers and eventually got the code. 

Yesterday I saw on my account that O2 had renewed my contract without permission. I asked web chat staff to remove the upgrade and to log a complaint that this had happened. They said the upgrade would be removed from my account within 24 hours. This has not happened. They also said they would log my complaint but then refused and said I should refer to the O2 complaints webpage - which says that web chat staff can receive complaints. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor, which took 1/2 hour, who also refused to log my complaint. The whole web chat took 2.5 hours and actually did nothing. They did not correct the upgrade nor log my complaint. 

It is apparently very easy for staff to collect commissions on upgrades which are not needed and not agreed. It is apparently very hard to correct this malpractice. I see on reviews of O2 that this problem has remained unresolved for a long time, 

http://www.s21.com/o2.htm Perhaps this type of fraud continues to be tolerated by O2 as they benefit from locking in customers who don't use the pac code in time?

[Cleoriff]

All I can say is it's a damn good job @Anonymous was so vigilant...

[Anonymous]

Good idea to email CEO; done. TY@Cleoriff 🙂

[jonsie]

Web chat strikes again...

[Beenherebefore]

There will always be bad apples in any group.....it's almost impossible to eliminate them.

[Anonymous]

Though this is more a case of a bad tree? O2 sales techniques and pac process set up to cause the problem. O2 corporate culture set up to prevent solutions to the problem. No action has been taken to resolve either my specific case or the company's systemic failures. O2 is so far unwilling or unable to act against fraud committed in its name. If anyone in the company can do any better I'd like to hear about it.

[Anonymous]

I had an email from O2 'mycare', "Good news, we've now completed your tariff change to O2 500 24M 500MB

4G. ... If you have a query about your service please visit www.o2.co.uk/help or email us at mailto:mycare@o2mail.co.uk where it will receive our attention.

Regards, O2 Customer Care

When I replied to that address asking for help they said, "Thanks for your email, but we have now shut down our email support service."

Perhaps both O2's complaint review service and their 'mycare customer care' are just no-care no-service no-support autoresponders? 

[Anonymous]

Copy of my reply to the O2 complaints review service:

Thanks for your response. I wouldn’t say it’s a full response as it resolves neither of the main problems I experienced. 

1. The unauthorised upgrade is still applied to my account. You are the fourth person at O2 to fail to fix this. 

2. Your complaints page says the web chat staff should take formal complaints. If there is no formal response acknowledging a complaint then it’s not a complaint, it’s only feedback. If web chat staff cannot take complaints then you should change your page to specify the lower lever of service actually available. 

You would know more about the wider issue, of this problem recurring at O2, if O2 staff actually recorded complaints rather than refusing them. You appear to be overlooking the total failure of the complaints process both to solve my specific case and to prevent it continuing to happen at O2. If staff can refuse to log complaints then you’ll never even know the extent of the problem. It seems customers who have asked for pac codes are fair game for being messed around in return for undeserved commissions.  

I don’t feel you’ve made a serious effort to resolve anything and other customers remain totally unprotected against this happening to them in future; so I’m not happy. I have already wasted more than a working day in attempting to sort out this nonsense so I’ll be less happy if I need to now contact the Financial Ombudsman Service. 

Best regards

James

[MI5]

Nice reply but in my experience it won't get you any where, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Yes the surprise contract renewals and avoidance of complaints seem very deeply entrenched. 

I do hope however that someone in O2 can get around to removing the dodgy upgrade?

[MI5]

You would hope so