Warning - O2 won't replace/refund faulty phone

trainspotter1

If you buy a phone from O2 and it's faulty (after 28 days of purchase), they will not replace it or refund your money until it has been sent off for repair 3 times.

I bought my husband a payg O2 phone for his birthday in September. The camera didn't work and it didn't connect to the internet. He spent several hours emailing & talking to CS who told him to reset etc etc, It didn't work.

He took the phone into an O2 shop and they told him they couldn't change it for another - he'd have to send it off for repair. In the meantime, he had to pay a £25 deposit for a crappy old courtesy phone that probably cost about a fiver.

It came back 2 weeks later, supposedly fixed.

A week after that, the same thing started happening - camera not working and internet access intermittent and slowing down. We took it to the O2 store where they said it would have to be sent off for repair 3 times before they would do anything else.

If they couldn't fix it the first time? What makes them think they're going to fix it the next two times? And it must cost them more money to keep sending it off than it would to return to the manufacturer for an exchange.

I've paid money for an item that does not work and have got the hassle of taking it back 3 times and being without it for at least 6 weeks while they tr to repair it. What a joke!

I think their customer services dept are living in the stone age if they think this will do anything to retain/increase business. They're like a bunch of cowboy builders who keep making excuses when things go wrong.

I've been a contract customer with them for over 10 years and they'll be losing my custom. I'll also be telling everyone what to expect from them, ie zero customer service.

Hey O2, instead of texting me on a hot day to tell me that your store will give me a free ice cream - how about you give me a phone that works?

Mupette

DS had issues with his last 2 phones from 02,
Just one of those things, you have to give them time to try and deal with the fault,

DS was told the first time round the problem could not be fixed but they still insisted for the 2nd and 3rd time to ignore what they said and still try to repair, even though they had the report telling them the fault could not be fixed, inconvienient yes, but they have to have a chance and trying to fix the fault, part of the soga isn't it.

hoyles10

I've been with O2 for years and after being a previous customer of Orange, Vodafone and 3 I think that the O2 customer service is a long way better than any of the others.

I had a problem with a phone on 3 and had to send it off 3 times for repair before they changed it as well, and Vodafone had to send a new phone off because of a fault on the screen and I was given one of those rubbish courtesy phones until I got mine back (Which was fixed and I never had any more problems with it). I didn't have a problem with the courtesy phone as I could still ring people and text people even though it was the size of a brick.

So it's not just O2 who have these policys.

wealdroam

trainspotter1 wrote: »

If you buy a phone from O2 and it's faulty (after 28 days of purchase), they will not replace it or refund your money until it has been sent off for repair 3 times.

Is that really unreasonable?

Why should they do otherwise?

trainspotter1

wealdroam wrote: »

Is that really unreasonable?

Why should they do otherwise?

IMO it just seems really archaic and long-winded, not to mention very inconvenient. If you pay money for a product that doesn't work, they should replace with a product that does work.

I don't mind sending it off for repair once, but 3 times is pretty ridiculous and a waste of everyone's time.

loztiggy

its pretty standard to be honest,

i actually have to praise o2 as i have a phone which i got as an upgrade and was exchanged once a month for 4 months (within 28 days) via phones 4 u for a brand new one. and the handset was worth over £500 they never complained once.

trainspotter1

loztiggy wrote: »

its pretty standard to be honest,

i actually have to praise o2 as i have a phone which i got as an upgrade and was exchanged once a month for 4 months (within 28 days) via phones 4 u for a brand new one. and the handset was worth over £500 they never complained once.

I think they're fine if you're within the 28 days, but if your phone goes wrong after that, then you've no chance.

barbiedoll

The customer service at all phone companies is abysmal but O2 do seem to be particularly bad. Several years ago, my OH bought me a camera phone but the camera and other functions didn't work at all. I took it back after 6 days and the staff tried to fob me off with a "courtesy" phone, for which they expected a £50 deposit, while they sent mine off to be "tested" I told them that there was clearly a fault with the phone and I wanted a refund. They really didn't want to give it to me but I had a tantrum in the shop, in front of 8 or 9 other customers, who I told to shop elsewhere as the O2 phones were rubbish. I got my refund eventually, with very bad grace, I have to say! :rotfl:

The part that really annoyed me was when they returned the item through the till, I could see the computer screen and they returned it as being "unsuitable for this customer." I argued that was unsuitable for any customer as it was faulty! They wouldn't give me any contact details for their Head Office, as they "don't have an outside phone line for customers to call" They wouldn't even give me an address to write to. :mad: The manageress practically threw the cash refund at me and was very rude throughout the whole process, before I'd even asked for the money back. I was made to feel as though I was too stupid to own a phone and it was my fault that I couldn't work the camera, even though their own staff couldn't make it work. I'd never use O2 again, the attitude of their staff was dreadful. I've worked in retail and I'm never rude to shop staff as I know what customers can be like but I was in the right and I wasn't going to leave the shop without my money! :mad:

loztiggy

Thats standard with most companies though, after 28 days they dont have to replace immediately,,rather you have to give them oppertunity to repair the handset. if you feel hard done to speak to trading standards but they will tel you this is the norm, and will actually advise companies are allowed quite a long time to repair it.

adandem

As stated it's normal practice. We had the same with T Mobile and also Vodafone.