Screwed! o2 Tariff Change

LB1985

I am just over 12 months through my 18-month Blackberry contract with o2. I was on 1200 minutes (£45 per month, less £10 loyalty discount) and, since I was barely using 300 minutes, called o2 to change to a lower contract last month. I changed to the next tariff down, £35 per month, and was told nothing would change, bar my minutes decreasing. I was also advised that the following month I could go down to 300 minutes. Great, I thought.

Today, I noticed that I have been charged for a picture message. I called o2 who have told me that my new tariff which I dropped to no longer includes picture messages at a rate of 4 for each sent, nor roaming texts. At no point was I made aware of this when I called to ask about changing tariffs. I travel a lot for work, so the free texts from abroad have been great in enabling me to stay in contact with my family. Customer services have told me that I would have been read the new T&Cs. I definitely was not, if I had been, I would not have reduced my tariff. The best that they can do is refund me the 17p I have been charged for the picture message, but it was made very clear to me that this is a one-off gesture of goodwill! Furthermore, the lady in Customer Services was adamant that my T&Cs have not been broken and that I haven't got a leg to stand on. She told me my contract has not been breached and nothing would change. My old tariff is gone forever.

Other than writing in, which I intend to do, does anybody have any advice? Has anybody else been screwed by o2 too?

space_rider

LB1985 wrote: »

I am just over 12 months through my 18-month Blackberry contract with o2. I was on 1200 minutes (£45 per month, less £10 loyalty discount) and, since I was barely using 300 minutes, called o2 to change to a lower contract last month. I changed to the next tariff down, £35 per month, and was told nothing would change, bar my minutes decreasing. I was also advised that the following month I could go down to 300 minutes. Great, I thought.

Today, I noticed that I have been charged for a picture message. I called o2 who have told me that my new tariff which I dropped to no longer includes picture messages at a rate of 4 for each sent, nor roaming texts. At no point was I made aware of this when I called to ask about changing tariffs. I travel a lot for work, so the free texts from abroad have been great in enabling me to stay in contact with my family. Customer services have told me that I would have been read the new T&Cs. I definitely was not, if I had been, I would not have reduced my tariff. The best that they can do is refund me the 17p I have been charged for the picture message, but it was made very clear to me that this is a one-off gesture of goodwill! Furthermore, the lady in Customer Services was adamant that my T&Cs have not been broken and that I haven't got a leg to stand on. She told me my contract has not been breached and nothing would change. My old tariff is gone forever.

Other than writing in, which I intend to do, does anybody have any advice? Has anybody else been screwed by o2 too?

If they say that you were read the T&C, ask them for a copy of the audio supporting that.

iwanttosave_2

Just ask them to move them back to your old tariff. If they wont then ask to be put through to a lead advisor. Explain calmly and politely that you wern't told that you would be having your 4:1 texts removed and would like to go back to it.

Before you do that, just check that it is financially better off for you, do you make enough picture messages or roaming sms for it to be worthwhile.

trazer985

When i was clearly sharp practiced by O2, I called up to cancel my £35 a month contract. They gave me a last ditch offer for same contract, £5 a month for life. That was 3 years ago, i'm still on it. Its a wonderfully quick answer to the marketers that ring up.

"hello, Mr X, can i offer you upgrade on your phone etc etc.

can you beat my existing contract?

yes certainly, what do you have ?

£5 a month 500 minutes 200 texts

Bye.

LB1985

I travel quite frequently, potentially 3 non-EU trips per month, so the roaming texts are very important to me. I do not feel I can trust anything o2 say to me on the phone now. I have emailed my complaint in and hope to hear from them soon. If they won't change my tariff back, I want to leave. My view is they have breached the terms of conditions of my contract by not informing me of this change, which is to my detriment. The customer service advisor yesterday told me that writing in would be a waste of time - they would definitely not change the decision.