Why are network providers so difficult

[Barton]

Around September 2016 I bought a samsung s7 edge from carphone warehouse. £49 a month, unlimited everything. Every month my bill is around £52. Vodaphone is charging me for sending multiple texts in a single text message, charging me for a Multimedia message (even though I've unlimited texts, and there's no picture or sound...) so get my phone unlocked and think about returning to o2, my previous network provider for a good 10 years no problems.

November 2017 I went into an o2 store to buy a new pay as you go contract reduced from £22 to £16. Unlimited texts,100 calls few G data a month.

2 weeks later I stop receiving calls and texts. Using o2's chat I was told I needed to go into the store, something has happened but they couldn't tell me what. At the store I was put on the phone and told my case had to through their fraud team and I wouldnt hear anything for a couple weeks.

Get billed and think it best to try and chase up again as i havnt heard anything. Being that it was a year ago now I can't remember what happened that day but I know I cancled paying as I hadn't received any service from o2 (other than the 2 weeks at the start that I paid for, including 2 weeks I was cut off for) I remember they told me my phone was stolen but I showed them it in my hand.

Try to find new employment, recruitment agencies need me to have a mobile number. I buy a new ee sim for £10, but after topping up I don't receive a text saying my new balance. A day of investigating the problem takes me back to o2.

After alot of messing me around, being told to phone this person who will put me through to the right department who takes me back to the first person. I'm told the reason I was cut off is because the address on my account is wrong, someone got a letter saying they had started a new o2 contract and called to cancel which classed my phone as stolen which got it blocked. Although it seemed to of been a quick fix, im quite happy that there is finally an answer, I ask to have my phone reconnected and to continue with the tariff. Get put through to a very rude lady who says I need to pay over £250 to unblock my phone and £45 for my unpaid tariff. I state im not paying nearly £300 for a £16 per month contract when I only had 2 weeks of service. She complains that I will pay it otherwise I won't be able to get a mortgage or loan in the future. With this I leave.

I need a number to get work. I need money to get a number. I need work to get money. I am not paying more than i had received, but that means I need to pay around 200 for a half decent replacement... desperatly need help please. This has to be illegal, and I'd be happy to take the time to sue, and I now badly need the money. Thank you for your time.

[Anonymous]

Get a PAYG sim, stick it in a random phone and you’re in business

Then when you’ve got time, sort the rest of the crap out

[Bambino]

@Barton Please follow the advice of @Anonymous, but you should also check your credit rating, which by the sound of what you have said, may be in jeopardy.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a dead cert that the op's credit rating will have been negatively impacted.

While it can be very tempting to respond to perceived bad service from a service provider by cancelling your Direct Debit, don't do it as you'll inevitably be more negatively impacted than they will be, it won't motivate them to sort out your problem.

It'll be recorded as a default on your credit file which means that you'll either be refused or offered less favourable terms on any credit you apply for (e.g. a credit card, loan, mortgage or possibly even accommodation rental)

@Barton

If you aren't happy with what O2 CS has told you, it might be best to try Resolver https://www.o2.co.uk/how-to-complain

The quickest way at the moment to get yourself a working mobile is going to be PAYG as @Anonymous suggested.

[Barton]

Thank you allvfor your advice.

I've bought a ee sim but I need a new phone for it to go into. And found an interesting job through deliveroo but need android 5.0, which is what brought me here. As I have an s7 I don't want to give up on it, and a £10 replacement phone won't do. I was hoping there could be a middle ground where I pay like 30 quid (still 2 months of credit when I only used 2 weeks and have already paid a month) and everything could go back to normal, as it was an error on their computer that caused this.

I feel like I've gone to a burger stand and been charged 300 quid for one, after being handed it, with no returns. Scammed.

I guess the only thing I can do is get a Nokia 3310 type thing and deal with my pulsating bleed rear after being legally anally explored. Glad they didn't completely kill my phone, I'm also glad they didn't come to my house and kill my cat... given then they have the wrong address maybe they tried...

[EmilieT]

Hi @Barton, I'm sorry to see you've had so many issues with this phone since last year. I've just sent you a Private Message to get a few more details so we can check on our end if there's anything we can do to help you get this all sorted!