Leaving O2 = Nightmare!

Fenris

Wondering if someone could enlighten me.

I signed up with O2 Home Access in October last year. For the first month or so everything was fine; I was still getting rubbish speeds (being in God's Waiting Room and several miles from the nearest exchange) but I was getting them at £2.50 less a month! Having previously been an Entanet customer I was lured to O2 by the promise of slightly cheaper broadband. Big mistake!

Anyway, I've had enough of the service. The router they sent me turned out to be someone else's cast-off and didn't work correctly, which was OK as I had no intention of using it. I stuck with my trusty Linksys router. When my line started droping in mid January I didn't think that much of it. Then it started droping every second day, without fail. So I changed some settings, but no joy. So I started looking around the 'net and found that constant line drops were a fequent trouble to many an O2 customer. Oh dear.

(You don't have to read this bit; it's a bit of a rant)

So, I thought I'd call their support number. Yes, well, I use the word support in it's losesest possible sense. I was told to change my wireless channel to 11, which it was already on. And if that doesn't work? Use the O2 box supplied. Oh, you mean the O2 box sitting in my garage because it's as much use as a house brick? OK. So I gave the O2 router another chance. It did connect to my PC... for about 10 minutes. Then it died. So I re-set it and it never revived. Took me about 3 hours of fiddling around with the useless hunk of junk to finally realise that it was kaput.

So, I tried another Linksys router and again constant line drops. I've been trying to upload files to my website over the last few days and my FTP client keeps droping out. Oh, such surprise.

Now, I contacted O2 by e-mail last week and, lo and behold, no response. So I found another e-mail address and sent another complaint. Genuine surprise, they e-mailed back! Yes, they're happy to cancel the service, but I'll have to pay the remainder of my 12 month contract! Err, I think not! Now they're saying I can have a MAC, but I have to phone them. I want it in writing, not over the phone. That's assuming that they don't start faffing about making me do checks I've already done! I said they could send an engineer if they wanted, but they've not actually responded to that.

I know I'm in a 12 month contract, but the service is far from acceptable. Ironically I got a generic e-mail from O2 the other week saying that they were aware of customers having problems and that they'd instigated measures to stop said problems. But, clearly, this hasn't happened. So they know their service is rubbish! They've oversold their Home Access package and, instead of admitting they've stuffed-up, they're making us pay for their mistakes. Really unacceptable.

I've just read the sticky about Offcom's MAC in 5 working days directive. Does that apply to people like me trying to leave on the grounds of useless service? I've quoted The Sale of Goods and Services Act at them, but seems like water off a ducks back! Funny thing is, they've not even said they'd try and resolve the problems. Just keep saying if I want to leave I've to pay the remainder of the contract. So I've no idea what they're up to.

Any advice on what to do? Was going to write them a proper letter and send it off today. Not sure that'll get me anywhere though.

Cheers,
Fenris.

DatabaseError

Hiya Fenris.
I'm also an access customer, and also from entanet (migrated end of last year). Up until a few weeks a go the servics has been abysmal...but it has improved..and is currently excellent for me.

The line drops you speak of..are they router resync events or wireless ones? you've obviously donw the usual checks of changing filters, modem lead and connecting via the test socket to try to rectify.

I also had problems with their supplied router...dropping the line after 24 hours...1 phone call to support and a replacement was delivered the next day...I had problems with that one as well..so I'm now using my netgear 834GT (never liked linksys)

If you want to leave..I'm afraid you do have a contract...you might get them to waive the remainder but I wouldn't expect them to..what I would expect is for them to send you a new router and have you change all wiring from the socket to the PC (ie new modem cable + cat5 cable)...and plug directly to the test socket.

O2 have very little control over your line, which is owned by BT...if you are suffering loss of sync then this is not an O2 issue, but a BT one...however if you are just losing wireless connection this is your issue.

Fenris

Hi DatabaseError,

Yes, all checks completed. I did have problems when I first started with Enta in 2006. Had an engineer come out and I'm now constantly plugged into the test socket! Don't have any filters as he put a plate on that negates the need. No other phones.

They've not supplied a new router and they've not bothered to try and resolve the problem, which is the main reason I want to leave. Add to this pittiful service the fact that my text messgaes don't get to their destination and you can see why I'm keen to be shot of O2!

I've been having a Google and my woes seem to be repeted time and again. I've told them they've 2 days remaining to provide a MAC before I report them to Offcom. Don't think it'll work, but I imagine Offcom must be bogged down with complaintsa bout O2 by now, so might as well add my twopenath! Lol!

Cheers for the reply.

Fenris.

DatabaseError

i suppose i must have been lucky...

...except I'm on access

...still unsure if jumping from enta was a good idea or not..the forum at tbb seems to be quieting down...though maybe because everyone has been alted to the ground