Terrible signal coverage

[Renaty]

Hello!

I am currently in Bedford and I have a terrible network coverage. In our area it's been like that for months and no one is doing anything to improve it, not sure why! It is not just me - it's my husbabd with his phone, a friend of ours when he comes to visit also has the same issues. We barely get 2 bars, in most of the cases it is just one bar. We didn't realise how bad it is until we decided to switch our internet provider and for a couple of weeks we are left with our mobile network only. It is horrendous! No restarts, resets, turnings off and on again are fixing it. And I saw in the status checker that they know it can be busy sometimes in our are. No, it is not sometimes - it is all the time and no one is fixing it! 🙁 We live close to a park, so I am guessing there's no good place to put another cell closely to our location, but the signal should be improved somehow or we are just leaving the operator as it is unbearable - we pay for nothing! 

[madasaf1sh]

@Renaty 

o2 will be looking at how in your local area they can improve signal, but the process to put up new infrastructure can take months, as it requires planning permission, surveys, NIMBY's get to object to the proposal, they need to dig up roads which requires permits and much much more, and then your local council can object. 

Also it could be your home, and what it is built from, as the laws of physics applies to radio waves, and some materials absorb radio waves. 

If looking to leave, get some PAYG sim cards from other networks and test them, as you may have the same issues.  also be aware you will need to pay off in full any outstanding device plans or termination fees.  Full details on how to cancel are here  Guide: Cancelling Your Contract 

[gmarkj]

To support the good advice above, also check the guide below to see if they have anything that helps.

Guide: How can I sort out my network issues? 

[Peterkin1010]

Regarding paying off the contract etc. Networks have been taken to court over a failure to provide a service and have had to write off the customers liabilities. I agree that this isn't a hard and fast rule but being left stranded without a resolution in sight is unacceptable.O2 should at least be giving some guidance in this area and perhaps a credit on the account for the trouble  

[Arasheed]

Some mobile companies have coverage checkers (including O2) here are some to see if they are better in your area

Virgin media:

https://www.virginmedia.com/support/help/service-status/ip-identification/results

O2:

https://status.o2.co.uk/

Vodafone:

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/network/status-checker

BT:

https://www.bt.com/products/mobile/about/coverage-checker

Three:

https://www.three.co.uk/Discover/Network/Coverage

EE:

https://coverage.ee.co.uk/coverage/ee

check them and see what is better for your area 😉

[Renaty]

To be honest that's pretty much what we did - only we bought a few SIM cards to check it first hand and we have a winner - Vodafone provides much better signal than O2. We had a long walk around the town and their issue isn't only in our area. The best signal that we've got was in the industrial area, which makes us believe that they have issues building their network in the areas with lots of houses and no industrial properties nearby.

Anyway, it isn't acceptable half the town not to have a good reception, so we are moving to another network. No outstanding bills, contracts, etc are left, so the move will be smooth. Although @Peterkin1010 is right - the network fails to provide the services that is paid for.

Thanks, everyone!