250 free cross network minutes catch with O2

Angel007_2 · 22 May 2006 at 1:11PM

After using the mobile phone cost comparison tool I signed up for a 12 month contract with BuyMobilePhones.Net. The offer included a free Sony Ericsson phone, 12 months line rental, 250 free minutes per month to any network and 50 free texts. Every quarter you send back the invoices from O2 to BuyMobilePhones.Net in order to get a refund for the £35 per month line rental. The deal included free insurance for the first few months which I cancelled at the end of the free period. Unfortunately I've been caught out as I didn't realise that I had an extra 250 minutes free for the first three months. I was not told that this would be continued after the first three months or the cost. So my April bill was a staggering £94.99 instead of £35.99 and my May bill £65.00 (despite being within my 250 free minutes!) I joined in November and still haven't received my refund for the first quarter and I don't know if I can claim back the cost of the additional 250 minute per month bolt ons that I don't need and have paid. HELP!!

hoffy · 22 May 2006 at 1:56PM

Hi Angel007
Ok you mean to say that you were not told about your extra free 250 mins will not continue after first 3 months...isnt it?.......you were in the impression that every month u r getting 250 mins extra above the normal 250 free mins.....so a total of 500mins/month........well O2 has this promotion schemes of first 3 months of double mins and texts for 12 months contract and first 6 months of 18 months contract.......it must have been written in your contract.....just have a look and clarify what exactly is written in your contract.....please clarify what exactly is the offer........its a bit confusing what u have written........

amf · 22 May 2006 at 9:30PM

Angel007.......all I can say is SNAP.

The first few bills do give a clue - mine say "250 Shared Minute Bolt On - free". There was no mention of any bolt on when I took out the deal but, being unused to contract phones, I just let it go (as it was free). I also don't use my 250 minutes a month under the contract, so I've never used one of the bolt on minutes. Like you, this came back to bite me on the bum with a bil for £95. I phoned 02 and cancelled the bolt on.

I then phoned Buymobilephones.net who said that the bolt on was part of the T & Cs and it needed to be cancelled before it became chargeable if I didn't want to pay. I printed off the T & Cs relating to the cashback but didn't print off all T & Cs relating to the whole deal. I am absolutely certain that I would not have missed this when I took out the deal, but I can't prove it so I've taken the hit.

Whilst I was on the phone to buymobilephones.net I enquired about my first cashback. I pointed out that the 56 day period they take to issue cashback had passed (only by one day, I didn't add). The gentleman said he would pass on details of my enquiry to "the accountant" and hopefully a cheque would follow in 2 or 3 days. A cheque was posted first class the next day, so a bit of a result:)

fiish · 22 May 2006 at 9:53PM

Ouch. This is a pretty nasty deal, considering you can get free double minutes for 3 months direct from O2 (which just stops after that, no additional charges). Most dealers do that deal, and your deal was probably advertised as such.

Caveat emptor.

Mobile_Mole · 22 May 2006 at 11:24PM

If you connect to O2 250 via buymobilephones you are not getting connected to the standard O2 250 tariff. You are actually being connected to O2 Best for Business 250. The Best for Business tariffs have different
terms and conditions to the standard consumer tariffs and the double minutes promotion works slightly differently:

Free minutes are applied as free Shared Minutes Bolt Ons. Once the Promotional Period ends the Shared Minutes Bolt On becomes a monthly chargeable subscription - to remove the Bolt On at the end of the Promotional Period and avoid additional monthly charges, call Business Customer Services at least 30 days before the Promotional Period ends.

The buymobilephones website does not tell you that you are connecting to a Best for Business tariff and, based on the comments from Angel007 and amf, it appears they don't inform you that you will need to cancel the Shared Minutes Bolt On.

Connections to O2 250, O2 400 and O2 600 via buymobilephones will all use Best for Business tariffs. Given that buymobilephones do not make this clear I continue to advise people to avoid this dealer. I find the practice appalling.

I believe the reason that retailers like buymobilephones do this is to earn greater commission from the network than if connecting via a consumer tariff.

Cheers
Mark

jnm21 · 23 May 2006 at 12:36AM

The key clue here (as to the contracts being best for business) is the 50 free texts - the normal tariffs have 100. Not much use to the current posters, but may help someone else.

heyho_3 · 23 May 2006 at 12:46PM

If i were you I would complain to O2 directly as you have been mislead into an incorrect product.

Although there is no reason why they will help you they may be able to stop other people being misled in the future.

amf · 23 May 2006 at 6:59PM

Mobile_Mole wrote:

If you connect to O2 250 via buymobilephones you are not getting connected to the standard O2 250 tariff. You are actually being connected to O2 Best for Business 250. The Best for Business tariffs have different
terms and conditions to the standard consumer tariffs and the double minutes promotion works slightly differently:

The buymobilephones website does not tell you that you are connecting to a Best for Business tariff and, based on the comments from Angel007 and amf, it appears they don't inform you that you will need to cancel the Shared Minutes Bolt On.

Connections to O2 250, O2 400 and O2 600 via buymobilephones will all use Best for Business tariffs. Given that buymobilephones do not make this clear I continue to advise people to avoid this dealer. I find the practice appalling.

I believe the reason that retailers like buymobilephones do this is to earn greater commission from the network than if connecting via a consumer tariff.

Cheers
Mark

Spot on Mark.....I still have the screen print showing the deal was supposed to include connection to the 02 250 tariff. When I enquired why the connection to the BFB 250 tariff buymobilephones.net merely responded by saying "its just a different name"! No mention anywhere about the bolt on!

heyho, I appreciate your point, but I have £280 of a £420 cashback still to come. The bolt on has cost me £35 before I cancelled it. Its just not worth my rocking the boat too much when you compare these figures.

Angel007_2 · 24 May 2006 at 4:38PM

Mobile Mole and AMF you have both been extremely helpful thanks for your time

!

I was not told that I was on a best for business tariff and furthermore there was only one set of terms and conditions back when I signed up so there was no mention anywhere of shared minute bolt ons.

I've cancelled my bolt on through O2.

I sent my O2 bills through in February for the cashback which still hasn't come through. I too have been told that the accountant will process this within a week! So hopefully things are looking up!

amf · 24 May 2006 at 8:04PM

Now that you've contacted them Angel007, I think you should get your cashback swiftly - I got mine within 2 days of speaking to them:T

Good luck:beer:

Rjohnmatt · 24 May 2006 at 10:22PM

Sorry chaps can you clarify this for me.
I have just taken a similar O2 tariff from Carphonewarehouse ,which gives 250 free crossnetwork minutes and a 12 month rental cashback.

And 250 extra crossnetwork minutes for the first 3 months.

In order to avoid getting stung like this, should I

either cancel the bolt on 250 minutes now

or at the end of 3 months.

Thanks for replying.

250 free cross network minutes catch with O2

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