let down by o2

[Anonymous]

hi, i am at the end of my tether! been with o2 since it was invented and always been happy, until. last july upgraded on line to iphone 4s. sighned new 24 month contract because i believed i would never have reason to look elsewhere. within a few days i was having reception problems, complained to o2 who told me i must go to apple. drove 30 miles to apples store only to be told i have to make an appointment! returned 2 days later and they replaced my handset, next day having same problems ! now on my 3rd handset! when this one started to go wrong and fed up with waiting at least 20 minutes every time i contact o2 on the phone, i went on to website and used live chat, the guy told me if my phone was not working properly, and o2 would not help, claim on my insurance !!!! (FRAUD)  by september i was fed up of trying to get o2 to change my iphone for something that would work so bought a cheap nokia to use when the iphone dont! last week, because my agency could not contact me i lost a job worth £1400 !!! very annoyed so got on to o2 to ask for a termination figure to get out of my contract and was quoted over £600 but i am happy to pay that. however, the guy at o2 persuaded me to let him talk to the returns and repairs team and sort out my problem, which he did !!! they offered to take back my iphone and replace it with a samsung galaxy lite. to be delivered last thursday to my home, what they did not tell me was the courier wanted to take my phone when he dropped off the new one ! rand o2 yesterday and they seem incapable of any flexibility, why can they not send me a new phone and let me send back my old one or swap in an o2 store? also, realised they want to give me a refurb phone which is not what i pay for! i could have had a refurb phone for less money when i sighned up!!!  can any one give me advice, i have spoken to trading standards who are willing to take up my case and suggest i sue o2 as my phone is unfit for purpose, but it all seems so ridiculous!!!

[Anonymous]

seems like you have had a tough time of it buddy, is it the area you live which was affecting the signal or was it just bad handsets, i wouldnt accept a refurbishied phone either tbh

[Anonymous]

Seems like there's a bit of perspective needed here.

To start - legally O2 aren't liable for whether your handset works or not; they are liable for the provision of the airtime service (minutes, texts, data). Your handset is the responsibility of the manufacturer (Apple). What O2 will do is administrate the manufacturer's warranty. However, as you've done, you can go direct to the manufactuer too if you wish.

O2 offering to replace your handset with a different one is a gesture of goodwill on their part. They didn't have to; nor where they legally liable to. The cost of doing that came out of their own pocket and not the manufactuer's. The offer of a refurb phone is like-for-like as your phone is no longer new. Its been used.

They offered a courier swap. You haven't really said why this was an issue. Its a straightforward transaction where the courier delivers your replacement phone and takes your phone in return. This could have been organised to happen at your place of work for the sake of convenience.

I actually think you've done well to get O2 to replace the phone; they didn't have to.

[perksie]

Pablo, I think you'll find that O2 are liable as they are the retailer in most cases.

[Anonymous]

The onus is on the retailer to sort it out firstly if they are able to, most people go to apple straightaway because apple take care of their customers & most likely walk out with a new phone