O2 - changing the rules !!!

steedie1

we currently have an old philips 'u' phone with O2, using Bt Cellnet as a pay-as -you-go .

we have been contacted by O2 to say that our sim card will no longer be supported from MAY 2006. and they will be sending us a Nokia 1100 as a replacement.

However, the Philips phone is brilliant !! we only pay 5p per minute for calls and only 5p per text. we have used the phone abroad and still only pay the 5p per text, which is great when texting home and keeping in touch with the family.

O2 will be charging us 25p per min and 49 p per text when we are abroad.

my question is ; do we have to accept their offer, do we have any other options. Is o2 within their rights to put us on a different tariff and end our use of this phone?

Christmasshopper

I've had the same message, but it actually says AFTER 31st May 2006. When I phoned them and asked what was happening they said my handset would stop working, but couldn't clarify how much AFTER May 31st. On further questioning, when I refused a new handset, it then became the sim card which would stop working. I am very cynical about this. I suspect it is just a ploy to get us to agree to a dearer tariff.
My handset works with a Tesco sim card. Although this is still twice the price of the U tariff it is still cheaper than the O2 alternatives.
I agree that the Phillips phone on the U tariff is brilliant & I don't intend giving mine up without a fight. Let's hope they still work on June 1st.

dan2002

you can count yourself lucky to be offered a new phone as they refused to give me a new one because I only use mine for emergencys although I kept to their t/c,s and keep money in the phone all the time they say I'm not topping up enough per month but you all r right u cant beat 5p per massage even when u are abroad

digp

sue the beggars or go to the daily mail newspaper

Chris4817

They can't stopthe phone working without the IMEI number which I doubt they have. It will be the SIM that will stop working so the person who is using a Tesco SIM should have no problem with their phone.

tritanium0

Chris4817 wrote:

They can't stopthe phone working without the IMEI number which I doubt they have. It will be the SIM that will stop working so the person who is using a Tesco SIM should have no problem with their phone.

Hi as someone who works in telecoms I thought you might want to know, the IMEI number of the handset is logged everytime you make a call and also the associated sim serial number (the number beginning 8944110063 on your sim) The old BRITE system, is being decommisioned which is why the sim will stop working, the tariff allowances i.e the 5p texts 5p calls etc are inherant to the account and thus the sim, so even if they blocked the sim, the imei and therefore the handset should remain active BUT the new 32k sim cards will most likely not work in the handset.

With regards to ending the service, they do have the right to end it as they see fit as long as the company adhers to their own t&c's. The fact that a replacement handset and sim have been offered should be seen as a bonus, as you are not under contract you are not being forced into paying more, you are simply being offered an alternative.

On the up side you can get free "o2 online" sims (usually through this forum) which give you 100 any time and network mins and 100 free texts + what ever you top up per month, which works out really cheap.

bbb_uk

You must be one of very few still on that tariff. That tariff was no longer available for new customers years ago. As mentioned earlier, o2 (and other networks) are within their rights to change/stop tariffs as they see fit so long as they give you notice.

See this thread for more info on the different tariffs (free calls/texts, etc) that o2 Online do.

GeoThermal

Chris4817 wrote:

They can't stopthe phone working without the IMEI number which I doubt they have. It will be the SIM that will stop working so the person who is using a Tesco SIM should have no problem with their phone.

If I remember correctly the early Philips phones on the U tariff (C12s) were tied to the sim and would not work with another sim, so if they cancel the sim they effectively stop the phone working.

Christmasshopper

Tritanium0, please can you tell me more about the BRITE system? What is it? Why is it being decommisioned? Will it only affect the o2 U tariff phones?
Thanx

tritanium0

Christmasshopper wrote:

Tritanium0, please can you tell me more about the BRITE system? What is it? Why is it being decommisioned? Will it only affect the o2 U tariff phones?
Thanx

The BRITE system was the original o2 prepay system, it is now called prepayIN, the BRITE units were the Philips handsets with, as was correctly stated above the sims were tied into the handset that they came with, it is possible to unlatch these handsets but it is long winded and definatly not worth at as the handsets were junk, it was the tariff that made the deal worth it.

(The system was also used as part of a big freebie in 1999 where Barclaycard used these as a way of getting people to signup for a credit card. (they got a free phone but had to top it up using the Barclaycard (and yes I had one... when I was a student as with everyone I like the word "free" lol)

There are no specifics other than BRITE is an old system which had limited capability which was replaced by prepayIN to allow for gprs connections, mms, etc. The two systems have been running side by side for a while and now it's time to switch it off, the remaining prepay systems are unaffected as they are completely separate.

BTW I work in the main tech support dept at o2.... you know, the depts you have to fight the front line customer service people to get through to to get a sensible answer

magic

doh. i still have mine which i use occasionally. better turn it on and check the texts.