Upgrade con?

[Anonymous]

I popped into my local O2 and had a play around with a few phones as I can upgrade.

Quite liked the Nexus 4 and can see on the website that it is avaialble as a refurb and "in stock" I can go to the check out and buy this as a new contract.

However for upgrades, it is shown, but listed as out of stock? It is either in stock or not and I can't see why you can buy it refurbed on a new contract but not as an upgrade?

??

[perksie]

It's highly unlikely to be a con as you put it, more likely one of the pages hasn't been updated.

Better to phone and ask.

[Anonymous]

Or better still visit your high-street 02 Store.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I've just posted about a similar issue. You get the same thing with refurbed i phones. I rang about this and was advised to take the deal as a new customer and then transfer your number to the new contract / direct debit and cancel the old. Apprantly those deals are not available to existing (loyal) customers. Bit dubious though that this could go hideously wrong?!

[Anonymous]

I went to my local O2 store who said with a refurb I would have to do it online/over the phone.

I looked online and the refurb is 100% in stock, but even though it is showing as an upgrade option, it then is magically out of stock!

O2 states"As an existing customer you'll always get our very best deals."

Obviously not then!!

Edit** and just got through to upgrades who can't help as they have different stock to sales-load of cack if you ask me!! O2 should say "As an existing customer, we will always fob you off"

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Well I spoke to someone on online chat on Sunday who told me that these deals are not available to upgrading customers - apparently the stock for upgrades is separate from the stock for new contracts. 

I wanted the iPhone 4S 16GB for £27 a month, Unlimited Calls Texts and 1GB Data. It was free upfront too for the refurb model, a cracking deal. I couldn't take a new contract and cancel the old as I had 9 months remaining on my sim only contract.

Anyhoo, I had a moan about it not being available and said it's not fair to loyal customers. As a result, I was offered an iPhone 5 16gb for £32 a month and no upfront cost (should have been £119.99) - I did take a lower tariff of 600 mins / unlim texts, 750 Data - but thats more than enough for me.

My point is that it's always worth talking to the advisors and I've found that you can get better deals online on the chat system really, you just have to be prepared to negotiate.

Good luck, hope you get it sorted and get a deal you're happy with!

[Anonymous]

For some reason the online chat thing is busy all the time!

I was told the same thing (i.e upgrades have different stock to sales) which essentially equals then that as an existing customer I don't get the same deal as a new customer!!

I have spoke to an advisor over the phone and they just reiterated the stock scenario and didn't try to offer me any sort of deal.

Poor poor service!!!

 And to further add

"As stated above and the Nexus 4 refurbished is only available for New customers on a new Pay Monthly account or even for existing customers on a New account. It isn't currently available for an upgrade and this is as per the Management decision."

So O2 lying in the statement about treating existing customers the same.

[MI5]

I can only assume they want existing customers to take out new contracts so that the "new connection numbers" look favourable to the shareholders (cynical?), otherwise I don't see the point of differentiating between an "upgrade" or "new contract" for existing customers.


Just take the new contract then cancel your old one and transfer your number over....

[Anonymous]

So it seems to me the following-

1. The statement about giving existing customers the very best deals is actually a load of tosh!

If I can buy a particular phone on a new contract I can't see why that isn't avaialble for an upgrade. I was told it is out of stock for "upgrade customers" which essentially then confirms my point that I am being discriminated for being an existing customer and treated differently and then not getting the very best deals!

2. I have noticed that all the decent refurb phones are out of stock for upgrades but not for new customers. To me this then is false advertising as O2 have no intention of actually supplying these phones as an upgrade although it's listed as an upgrade option. One solution is for me to completely cancel my contract and open another one and then transfer the number etc-but I don't see the point in that and don't see why I should have to?

3. O2 can't seem to get their story straight as first I'm told it is out of stock, then I'm told it is not available as an upgrade (management decision), then told it is avaialble to existing customers, but it's out of stock again (although I can order the phone via the website etc)

It just doesn't cut it to say it is avaialble for others, but not for existing customers-we either get the very best deals or we don't?

4. I'm from an IT background and have an interest in mobile phones whereby I use custom roms/software. i try to keep up with the mobile industry and feel i have a fairly decent knowledge of the hardware etc. My point here is I have been bombarded with calls from the O2 Manchester sales team as I'm avaialble for an upgrade, but please don't insult my intelligence with trying to tell me that the S3 mini is EXACTLY the same as an S3 but just with a smaller screen-if you have this phone on this premese--you have been conned. The S3 is basically an overclocked Ace 2 running Jellybean (not a bad phone, but not in the same league as an S3) So stop telling lies to customers and trying to get them to sign up with lies!!

I have written to O2 outling my complaints and will post their response here as I feel it just not right that they are offering something which quite clearly they are not.

If anyone has been able to upgrade on such refurb phones as S3 or Nexus 4, it would be interesting to know and please post here what tarrif you have gone from and then to.

Regards

RR

[Anonymous]

The refurb stock are generally for new customers for one reason only, stock availability. Hence why only avaliable through the one channel which doesnt need as much stock.

no point in having it avaliable for upg if 10mins after being released its sold out and due to the nature of refurbs they may never be sold again.

hope this helps