Who is 'at fault'

[amici-pat]

I was recently away from home for a few days, during which time my mobile bill was due.   Having recently changed banks I had not had time to set up Direct Debit payments.    On the date my payment was due, I logged into my O2 Accounts and made the required payments which were accepted and 'verified by Visa'.

However, I started receiving messages on my 'phones that I had not paid my bills, and, eventually they cut off my services.    Each time I tried to make a call I was just diverted to an automated payment service so could not speak to anyone at O2 to find out what had happened.

During my trip I had no access to the internet so was feeling very cut off.  

Upon my return home I had received 2 e-mails from O2 stating that my payments were not taken as something had 'gone wrong' at my bank and I was told to use an alternative method to pay, and get service restored.

I had managed to make a payment on one of the phones, duplicating my payment, as I assumed.

I visited my bank today, and they investigated there and then as there was nothing on the system as to why the payments were not made, but, after a further telephone call, it was found that the reason the payments were not further authorised because the security code numbers had been incorrectly input by O2 when finally trying to take the payment.    They suggested that O2 telephone the bank for confirmation that they were at fault and not me.

Now, I am a pensioner on State Benefits and cannot now pay my other bill until next Monday (pay day).   Assuming my payment had been taken from my bank account, I used the money as shown available in my account whist away from home.

So, I have suffered a curtailment of my services due to no fault of my own?   O2 chat are telling me the only way to get my service back on is to pay the bill.   So, who has broken their Contract me or o2?   I will also have a late/missed payment registered on my Credit File!

[Anonymous]

She mentioned in one of the posts that they have put her services back on and then they went off again and then she got the contract cancellation. 

This has been going on for a few days and I think she has emailed high level complaints so hopefully if nothing happens in the meantime they need 10minutes to sort it out. 

[Beenherebefore]

In her 1st post :

"On the date my payment was due, I logged into my O2 Accounts and made the required payments which were accepted and 'verified by Visa'."

Then goes on to say :

"Upon my return home I had received 2 e-mails from O2 stating that my payments were not taken"

"I had managed to make a payment on one of the phones, duplicating my payment"

So how many phones are involved and how many payments have been attempted ?

I agree with @Anonymous that something isn't ringing true. But if the payment(s) didn't go through then surely a screen would pop up stating rejected by Verified by Visa ????? 

[Anonymous]

Or is the OP in credit on one phone and in debit on the other?

I think this thread poses questions which may indicate (or may not) that o2 may not be entirely to blame here. ......

Only the OP can update us. I have tagged earlier but no response as yet.

[Anonymous]

And yes @Beenherebefore when making a payment online if the payment is not successful it tells you on screen normally instantly.

However the OP has stated that they have authorisation codes to show the payments were successful. But as o2 have emailed to say they weren't on this particular component of the story I don't see what else o2 could reasonably have been expected to do? ??? Payment failed. Email notification sent and received.

[Beenherebefore]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

I think this thread poses questions which may indicate (or may not) that o2 may not be entirely to blame here. ......

---

Reminds me of that famous statement by Donald Rumsfeld

"The message is that there are no "knowns." There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know. So when we do the best we can and we pull all this information together, and we then say well that's basically what we see as the situation, that is really only the known knowns and the known unknowns."

[amici-pat]

Getting a little frustrated now!!

I have 3 accounts with o2 - Talking about one only others are ok, and I have never been in arrears with any of my accounts.   No 'ongoing' issues.    Have even got copies of my Credit Files which show no previous problems with any of these 3 accounts, all showing up to date on 1st December 2014.

I made the payment online, which was accepted as verified by Visa and a receipt number was issued.   All information was confirmed and accepted as correct.    The e-mail from O2 confirmed this.

So far then no error on my part?

O2 informed me by e-mail that my bank had rejected their attempt to get payment.   So I too assumed the error to be with my Bank.

I have been with my bank for over 40 years, and they have on occassion made errors to which they quickly responded and accepted the blame.    There were sufficient funds in my account to cover the £17.46 that is in dispute.

At first my bank could see no reason as to why they refused payment to O2, however, upon a more in depth investigation over the telephone from branch to who ever handles these payments, the branch was told catagorically that:

a) all information entered at the time of the payment by myself and verified by visa was correctly entered and

b) Subsequently (and I do not know how payments are 'transferred' etc.) an entry was made by o2 which did not have the correct 3 digit number from the back of my card. 

So herein lies the problem either o2 or the bank are not being truthful.    I can only re-iterate on here that I have no reason to tell falsehoods.

I have hard copies of all the e-mails received from o2, so silly of me to be untruthful, I can post them if required.    I have a copy of my 'tech chat' too, so again, no reason to lie.   

Thankfully it would seem, I have not been able to make an actual telephone call which I may not have been able to 'prove' what was said. 

So, I can only carry on along the lines already mentioned.    I am well aware of having to bear the costs if I lose, but that would mean someone somewhere would have to be less than truthful and that will most definitely NOT be me!

All this fuss over less than £20 - are you really that hard up o2?

[amici-pat]

Oh heavens above !!!!!!

Just checked my e-mail before retiring and I have January's bill online from o2 for this account!!! Correctly showing how much I owe, ie, December payment and January payment. No mention that the Contract has been or will be terminated. I know that they consider the full amount due for payment immediately the Contract is Terminated because they have already told me that fact and the amount already!!!

WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!!!!!!

[Cleoriff]

Hi again @amici-pat 

Thanks again for your further clarification. I am sure you are frustrated at having to repeat things over and over again. The problem is of course, that every day something new arises.

Your last post about the January bill (without mention of the contract termination) is probably because the bill was already in the process of being generated....

Your other problem is that we are all customers here like yourself and have absolutely no access to your account.

I can't honestly see that further advice from us will help you, sadly.....(it is just taking up time and stopping you actioning anything further with O2)

You have my sympathy with this. I think you have been treated badly. On a personal note I can only wish you the very best of luck with whatever you choose to do next....

[amici-pat]

Many Thanks

[Beenherebefore]

---

@amici-pat wrote:

I have been with my bank for over 40 years 

---

" Having recently changed banks I had not had time to set up Direct Debit payments."

@amici-pat ........this is one reason why I am confused.