I have complained about the fact that whilst at home, work, college and my other family member's houses I cannot get a signal!
I initiated the complaint within 2 days of getting my phone and SIM card (over 10 months ago) via the Chat Service. The solution offered was O2’s 2GoApp. In theory, this application would be great to have as a back up but the problem is that it does not really function as it is suppose to.
When I went into the store to ask them to make sure that I had installed the application properly, as it was not working properly I was advised to delete and reinstall it and that it would work then. I followed their instructions but I still have issues with it.
The other concern with the application as a solution is that I must be in a WiFi Network in order to use it and that is not always possible. O2 are quick to tell you that they have many free WiFi locations, but in my area (10 mile radius) there are 2 Hotspots, which are basically next to each other. Furthermore, you have to drive to those specific locations in order to get Service, not to mention the fact that you have to register at each location. Every time you register at a location you get heaps of junk mail from the place that offers the WiFi (i.e. McDonalds) -- this is even the case when you remove the tick from the box that says that you agree to receive promotional data etc. Additionally, you are increasing your chances of getting your phone hacked as you make your phone’s content accessible to unknown folk when signing into an open network not controlled by you or people you personally know.
I have gone into the store months later to follow-up on my complaints because I felt that perhaps the people over the phone were not passing my concern to the appropriate resolution team. At the time, I was told that the problem was the phone and was referred to the Apple store, which was in the same shopping center. I made an appointment and got my phone seen too; however, after inputting 3 other provider’s SIM Cards, it was determine that the problem was not the phone and was sent back to the O2 store. I got a new SIM card and was told to give it a few days.
I went back to the O2 Store weeks later to once again tell them that I was still not getting any signal. The women at the counter changed my SIM Card again and said that my phone’s cover (an Otter Box) was what was causing the problem. She reckoned that it was obstructing the phone’s signal and advised me to not use any cover and see how I get on along with the usual statement “come back if the problem continues”. I must highlight that I live more than 25 miles from the Nearest O2 Store and that it takes me about an hour to get there and my parking fees are not cheap either.
I went back to the store a couple of days after but this time with a cracked screen. Being angry is a kind word to describe how my husband and I felt. The guy at the store this time admitted that I was located in an area that has no reception. He sympathized with me because I wanted my phone repaired free of charged and needed to get a solution to the NO SERVICE issue raised.
He at the time was offering me no solution, as his boss was not there to guide him. I had to walk away for a few moments because I was going to explode in anger – it was not helping me that I was being starred at by the representative like a deer in headlights. After an hour of him going “um, um sorry” and fiddling with his fingers he picked up the phone and called customer service and passed me the phone. He did the same exact thing I could have done from the comfort of my home.
Customer Service this time said that I could leave O2 but had to pay out my contract! I was quoted an extortionate amount (over 400 quid). When I refused to do so, I was told to write an email to the complaints department. Today, that email remains unanswered despite my follow-up calls.
I have been lost for hours with two toddlers without the ability to call anyone for help with directions or open up a GPS app like Google Maps because I get NO SERVICE in most of the area surrounding me. I have missed important phone calls: I am simply fed up! I had given hope and was tired of wasting my time and fuel driving back and forth to the store and calling a whole bunch of useless customer service representatives who offered me no sensible solutions to my problem. Until this past Saturday when I began to cry because I was once again lost!
I am FURIOUS because not only have I been paying more than £50 for a service that I get very little use off but also when I signed up for O2 I was told the following “Good News! You can get 30% discount on your Airtime plan every month for entire contract term”; 10 months into my contract I am still waiting on this discount to be applied. By the way, I am aware that the 30% discount excludes insurance.
Furthermore, I was offered a gift voucher of £40 for my referee and myself; the exact words used were “The referrer and Referee would both receive £40 voucher. Get a £40 M&S E-Gift Card or a £40 Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate. Total gift voucher will be £80”. Both my referee and myself are still waiting on the Amazon gift vouchers that we selected. I have followed the instructions given to qualify for both these offers and have even shown my student ID card at the store although, unsurprisingly, nothing has been done about this.
I once again raised my concern via the Chat Service this time. I did this for two reasons: (1) to have proof of my complaint (2) I did not want to be speaking to some whose English was not their forte – I do not mean this in a derogatory manner as English is my second language as well but sometimes you get people on the phone with such heavy accents that it is difficult to understand them or whose vocabulary is limited and they have difficulty understanding the customer.
Anyhow, I complained on Saturday and after an hour of chatting (with two different reps) I was told that I had to try the next day. On Sunday, I began my chat before noon as advised the previous day and after being disconnected from my chat (by the O2 Reps) on four separate occasions, I was able to finally chat with a supervisor. “Pancky”.
Pancky ultimately passed on my details to a customer relations team that could help me. It is my understanding that they are the only ones that could give me my PAC Number without first charging me an arm and a leg to cancel my contract. She/He advised me to wait 3-5 business days for a response. Yesterday, I spent more than two hours chatting again with a member’s of the complaints team and their supervisor trying to get a response to my complaint launched on Saturday/Sunday (5 business days ago) but got no joy. I was assured that my complaint would get responded by the end of the business day; at nearly 15:30 GMT, I gave up!
Today a week later, Saturday, February 28, 2015, I am still in limbo. I feel that the O2 customer service group purposely-lead customers to frustration so they give up and either buy themselves out of the contract, which in my case would now be £280, or continue paying the contract till the end. They dangle the carrot in front of you that if you cancel your direct debit you will suffer the consequences that come along with breaching your contract (ruin your credit and having difficulty obtain service and credit elsewhere). This company’s customer complaint handling service is a DISGRACE, UNPROFESSIONAL and simply INEFFECTIVE. I want a full refund for all these months that I have paid for, my vouchers and PAC Number. I want this without paying a cancelation fee and without the termination of this contract reflecting negatively on my credit report. If O2 wants the phone back, that is fine but I believe that as a gesture of appreciation for my infinite patience and all the grief that they have put me through for more than 10 months I should be given it. Can anyone help? I will be writing a letter similar to this one to the Ombudsman and Ofcom; wish me luck.
