May 27, 2011
A little end-of-contract feedback for O2
…after about ten years as a pay-monthly customer.
Things you could have done better
1. When my contract came up for renewal at the end of last year, you might have let me know. Obviously, I’m a grown-up and could have kept track of the date myself, but it would have a) given you an opportunity to transfer me to a nice new lucrative contract, and b) not made me feel five months later that I was still paying top whack for what was now a very uncompetitive contract and a handset at the end of its life.
2. Remember that bollocks about me having to prove to you that I was 18? That.
3. Have a data signal available in London. Even just sometimes. Oh, that massive black hole between Battersea and Croydon? Up to an hour of my working day, every day? That too. (Your competitors don’t have this problem, you know. It’s not an insurmountable engineering problem, honest.)
4. Customer service. When I ask for stuff to be emailed to me, rather than having to grab a pen and write it down–this is not some modern, crazy self-indulgence on my part–it’s how normal people communicate.
5. Insurance. Oh dear. I paid you £7.50 a month for a comprehensive policy, including accidental damage. When my phone stopped working, firstly I had to work out the magic words to say: not, apparently, “it’s stopped working”, in which case you were not prepared to help me, but “it got dropped in water” or “I lost it”, in which case you were. How stupid do you think your customers are? How many conversations are suddenly interrupted at that point by the sound of a flushing loo?
6. Actually, you must think they’re fairly stupid. At the end of nearly three hours of my time spent chasing paperwork that you “needed” for the insurance claim, you then told me about the excess–rather more than the handset was worth. Thanks for that. Another tick in the box.
7. And when I went to my new mobile provider, they said, “check your home insurance policy, you’re probably covered”. And I was. So thanks for taking that rather-more-than-£200 in premiums for something I didn’t need.
8. Calling me to sell me other services, like broadband, no matter how often I asked you not to.
9. Junk-texting me. Ever.
10. Stopping one of your really useful services–the ability to buy an overseas data bundle–meaning the only option was a usurious £3/MB and NOT MENTIONING on your website that the option didn’t exist any more. Resulting in your customers going around and around the site in circles for an age, trying in frustration to find where you’d hidden it.
Things you did well
Nothing, really.
I share some of those pains that you’ve had with o2, especially the international data. With so many of us using smart phones these days please can mobile providers make it a little easier to bolt on international data so we don’t have to pay huge amounts for “roaming” data!
Brilliant. Just out of interest, which network have you gone with now? My decade of doom is just about up with these tele-clowns…
1. It’s your contract, if you are happy with it you do nothing (like you did) if you are unhappy with it, speak to your provider, before the end of your contract and they can even do something with it then.
2. Better than kids having access to adult material. – yes kids do have phones that are on contract. The phone user is not always the account holder.
3. The iPhone has been mainly responsible for the explosion in data use, and as O2 had a multi year exclusive the problem was acute, now as other networks have the iphone (and the other smartphones that followed) they too are now seeing the problems of data on their network. I have sim cards from multiple suppliers and none will give you good data speed/access every where.
4. Unless you are a VIP, you do not get an account manager so to ask someone to email you details will then give you the advisers email address and then They will be your sole source of contact for everything on your account when they are not best to deal, their job is to speak over the phone and they have targets for that, dealing with you by email will jeopardize their targets, plus if they do not get back to you as they are on holiday/lieu day/ off sick,then you would be even less impressed.
5. If you take insurance it is for loss/damage. Think about it if your car breaks down, you take it to your dealers not your Insurance company.
6 Fairly Stupid, you took out an insurance policy and did not check the excess.
7 Home insurance covers you for a mobile phone, fantastic, you should have known that when you took your home insurance policy out, bet you never gave them your IMEI number though which is what they normally require to cover you.
8. There are rules about this. Seems like the box was not ticked. I never receive phone calls about products from O2.
9 what is a junk text, some can be be service texts, which you would then be upset if you did not receive, like the ones telling you that you what your data rates are when you go abroad.
10. The overseas data bundles were stopped in line with the directive for Data pricing in the EU which had to include data caps. Not saying its good, but things change, otherwise we would still be on Nokia 3310’s
Do you work for O2? ;)
I used to be with O2 and Orange prior to them, but since finding out about giffgaff.com a year ago, I’ve been happily with them. Free calls to family and friend for 3 months just by topping up. £10 unlimited data/texts and 250mins. Order a sim from http://bit.ly/freeggsim or http://bit.ly/freemicrosim and get £5 extra free credit when you activate it.
timst
Hi Paul. We’re very sorry to lose you and sad that we haven’t been able to resolve the issues you had with us before you left. We do work, really hard, to make things simple and easy for customers and obviously this time we didn’t manage it. We hope you won’t rule out giving us a second chance in the future.
[…] Paul Clarke is ending his ten-year relationship with his mobile phone provider. It didn’t go well. Comment (RSS) […]
But giffgaff are O2 and O2’s network is a solid reason to be nowhere near them.
I used to be with O2, have been for years but defected to 3 since then.
I didn’t think I would ever go back to O2, they were unhelpful and the coverage was appalling but the GiffGaff SIM I received gives me more coverage than I ever got on O2.
Welcome to O2. Someone will be with you soon.
You’re through to ‘Rianna’
Rianna: Hi there. My name’s Rianna I am an O2 Sales advisor, how can I help you today?
Steve: O2 seems to be much more expensive than other networks. Are you better somehow? (I use iPhone)
Rianna: We use a best customer service with best network with us.
Rianna: We do have best sim only deals for you, which you can use in your iPhone.
Rianna: And you’ll save a lot of money on the sim deals.
Steve: You say “best”. All providers say they are the best. What makes O2 the best?
Rianna: You can buy tickets to shows at all O2 venues, including the O2 arena, 48 hours before they go on sale to the public on our O2 Blueroom.
Rianna: With O2 you will get award winning customer service.
Rianna: We have Great network coverage across the UK, to check your area you can use our coverage checker, just click here.
Steve: I’m only interested in the what makes your network better than others. Don’t care about tickets etc.
Rianna: Alright.
Rianna: Shall I get the best sim deals for you?
Steve: No. I have already checked the prices, and you are more expensive than other operators in the UK. The only reason that I might consider O2 is if you are offering something better than the other operators. You cost more. Why?
Rianna: They are the third party dealer and they offer contracts of all the network providers to attract the customers.
Rianna: If you place an order through them then it’ll be based on their terms and conditions.
Rianna: So, if you have any issue you’ll need to contact them.
Rianna: I’d recommend you to always to directly with the network providers.
Rianna:
Steve: I am talking about going direct to the network providers. Not a third party or a shop. Direct to providers shows O2 more expensive. I want to know if O2 offer specific features for iPhone that other operators do not.
Steve: Surely you should be able quickly provide a list:
Steve: O2 do visual voicemail…
Steve: O2 do…
Steve: If you don’t know what differentiates you from the other operators please pass me to someone who does
Rianna: Which iPhone are you looking at?
Steve: I already have one
Steve: (4s)
Steve: (unlocked)
Rianna: Alright.
Rianna: Click here to check iPhone 4s
Steve: Why? I already have a phone! I don’t need a new phone. I don’t need the specs for the handset. I want to know the difference between you and the other networks.
Steve: I don’t think you understand what I am asking.
Steve: Please pass this to your supervisor
Rianna: The best thing is that we don’t charge if you exceed your data allowance. It is just that the Internet speed will slow down but Wi-Fi will be still accessible. Isn’t that great?
Rianna: With other service providers you’ll get charged for it.
Steve: Sorry but this isn’t “award winning customer service”.
Steve: Please pass this session to your supervisor
Rianna: Alright, I’m sorry to know that.
Rianna: Is there anything I can help you with?
Steve: See above. Please pass this session to your supervisor.
Rianna: I’ll surely pass the feedback to my seniors.
Steve: No. I would like to speak to them now please.
Steve: This is not feedback. I still would like to speak to someone who understands what I am asking.
Steve: Please pass this session to you supervisor so that they will talk to me now.
Steve: Could we move this along please
Steve: Hello?
Steve: ?
Steve: Am I being ignored now?
Rianna: Thanks for waiting.
Rianna: Please be online I’ll transfer your chat to my Manager.
Rianna: Are you with me?
Steve: Yes please
Rianna: Sure, Please be online.
Steve: (Still with you!)
Rianna: Alright.
And to my utter amazement – it gets worse…
Steve: Am I being ignored now?
Rianna: Thanks for waiting.
Rianna: Please be online I’ll transfer your chat to my Manager.
Rianna: Are you with me?
Steve: Yes please
Rianna: Sure, Please be online.
Steve: (Still with you!)
Rianna: Alright.
Hold on. You’re being put through to Kain.
You’re through to ‘Kain’
Steve: Hi
Steve: Unfortunately Rianna doesn’t seem to understand my simple question. Perhaps you can help?
Kain: Hi Steve.
Kain: May I know, how can I help you?
Steve: All network operators say they are the best. O2 is more expensive than the other UK operators. I have an iPhone 4s. I don’t want to upgrade. If I am going to sign up to the most expensive sim-only pay monthly in the UK, I want to understand why I should pay more. Surely if you want people to pay more, then you must be offering something more than the cheaper network operators.
Steve: The simple question is: what makes O2 better than the rest
Kain: Yes, because all our customers believe in our service due to which they pay for us and be with us.
Steve: Really??? Take a look at the above session!!!
Steve: Are you a Manager?
Kain: Yes, I am.
Kain: I’ve checked that.
Steve: OK. What makes the O2 network better?
Kain: We have Great network coverage across the UK, to check your area you can use our coverage checker, just click here.
Kain: We have a best network all over UK.
Steve: you say “best”. What does best mean?
Kain: If you want, you can take the contract or go on pay and go with us and try it.
Steve: Should I? I have asked a very simple question, but neither of you seem to be able to answer the question.
Kain: O2 is a brand name which attract all the customers and believe on it.
Steve: I didn’t ask about Brand. I asked about your network.
Kain: Yes, O2 provides best network and service.
Steve: It is very simple question. Here’s a starting point: O2 offer visual voicemail for iPhone. T-Mobile do not. What other differences are there?
Kain: We also offer TU Go app.
Steve: Anything else?
Kain: There are many things which O2 offer.
Kain: May I know, what exactly you’re looking for?
Steve: You’re kidding right? Is this some kind of joke? How many times do I have to ask the same simple question.
I experienced coverage problems at my home address for more than 6 months and have spent hours trying to explain about my connection problem but it was never resolved. Finally, after a 1 hour conversation I have been promised a partial refund, but when I called later to see why I still didn’t have it, they said that I haven’t been awarded a refund or what so ever.
I am so disappointed from O2 services – coverage and customer support, I will never purchase an O2 sim card again