Wrongfully disconnected 😒

[Anonymous]

So apparently sending back a device gets your current contract disconnected. I was on the phone to someone trying to ensure you guys have received the device I sent back. Got put on hold for 5 mins and then the next thing I know my phone cuts out and when I tried to call back I get a notification on my phone saying "no registered to network". Me thinking it was a network issue contact o2 guru on chat for them to tell me that my phone was disconnected so I checked my o2 app and my number and phone disappeared from the list. How the hell do you disconnect the WRONG NUMBER???????? The guy says to me that I can call the disconnection line, to which I said I didn't have a land-line and o2 store isn't close by but apparently he can't read or understand what I am saying. I get in contact with another person and the same thing happens. You allow people to chase up orders and change tariffs online but you can't connect someone's line back on which you disconnected by not paying attention! I am not going to go out of my way to fix a problem you idiots made. I'll be cancelling my direct debit. Thanks for nothing.

[MI5]

Facebook is usually better than the offshore outsourced live chat - I'd give them a chance to sort it for you tbh.....

[Anonymous]

Good Afternoon,

Just a quick question that is only vaguely related to this, I have seen the advice a few times on various post do not cancel a DD or there will be a black mark on your credit file, and I do not understand where this advice comes from.

A mark will be made for non payment, it differs depending on Experian, Equifax or Call Credit, but as far as I am aware mode of payment is not enforceable in law, as long as a blance is paid, by the due date, it doesn't matter by what method it is paid.

[Bambino]

The worst that can happen is they get it wrong. You have nothing to lose but a little time.

[Bambino]

@Anonymous We suggest not cancelling because people that do say they're going to are intending not to pay. That will incur a negative mark on their credit rating.

[Anonymous]

Good Afternoon,

Thank you, it is slightly misleading as there are people who have said cancelling a DD leaves a black mark, whereas, as we all agree, it is non payment that does.

Although again there are levels to that statement, correctly it should be stated that non payment of an undisputed balance will leave a black mark.

JenLou probably hasn't taken a look at their bill yet, but I assume that as the have contract has been cancelled, O2 will have applied early termination charges, if they are disputing that they requested termination then they a have a right to not pay those charges (although only the termination charges, their normal monthly payment will not be in dispute and is therefore payable on the due date.)

[MI5]

The fact that all charges would be collected by DD and the fact that people threaten to cancel their DD meaning they are refusing to pay all charges means the advice given is correct.
Hairs can be split over semantics but the advice to not cancel is sound advice.
Any non payment of a bill that O2 think is justified will result in O2 handing the debt over to a collection agency and will leave the customer with a default on their credit rating, hence why we always follow up with "you should address this issue with CS" in order to get the account out of dispute and correctly balanced.

[Bambino]

@Anonymous You've completely got the wrong end of the stick. The OP didn't request a cancellation. I suggest you read the original post.

As I said in my last reply to you, normally when someone comes onto the forum and says they're going to cancel their direct debit, it's because they're intending not to pay. You're splitting hairs with your interpretation.

[PhoneDoc]

If you cancel a direct debit in protest, you're unlikely to go out of your way to phone up and pay by card on the due date.

Section 5 of O2's Pay Monthly terms and conditions stipulate that you must pay by direct debit, unless permission for alternate forms of payment has been given by O2. If you cancel your direct debit, O2 are under no legal obligation to accept other forms of payment. If they felt like forcing you to reinstate the direct debit, you would probably be overdue by the time this is done.

This also excludes the fact that many customers have O2 Refresh contracts, and will be in default of a credit agreement if they miss a payment. 

[Anonymous]

My apologies but I wasn't questioning the OP, I was questioning the advice given to them, as depsite people claiming it is good advice, it is incorrect and therefore bad advice in my view. Cancelling a DD does not cause a black mark. Non payment of an undisputed payment can cause a default notice to be applied which may create problems with obtaining funds at a later date. People may say it is semantics, but the advice originally given could lead to the OP keeping a direct debit in place that they may not be able to afford,

Say for example they are on the  tariff for the iphone 6 plus 3gb a month, £50 a month they have been on it for two months. O2 claims they canceled, so their early termination fee is £1,000.00, she keeps a direct debit active because she is scared due to people saying that she will get a black mark, but she earns £1500pcm and her £600 rental has come out. DD bounces and she is charged £25 for the priviledge, two days later O2 come back and say sorry our fault, your bill should have been £50 not £1,000 we will adjsut it at our end, and she has taken a fee for nothing. 

I'm not trying to create an argument on the forum, I just want the advice to be accurate, people cannot make an informed decision without accurate advice.

[Toby]

Hi guys,

Everyone here is correct in terms of the advice they are giving. 'Splitting hairs' is a personal opinion. The general advice is that cancelling a DD as a result issues with payments will eventually result in later payment issue, but its the payment failure that causes this. You're all correct, so lets all get along