Have O2 gotten more strict!!?

timberflake

What's going on with O2!!? My girlfriend came back from australia on 29th Jan 2006, she ordered a new phone with O2 on 30th Jan so is therefore now entitled to an upgrade.

She's on the Online 25 tariff @ £25 per month, this used to be 100anytime any network mins and 500texts, but now only comes with 300texts.

She rang up and said she wanted to Samsung D900, which is free for new customers on the Online 25, but was told it would cost £29.99. When she asked why it was free for new customers but not for her she was told it was because of the extra texts she gets. She said "fair enough, put me on the current Online 25 deal and give me the Samsung D900 for free" but they said they wouldn't do it! She replied by saying "So I could cancel my contract today and sign up with O2 again tomorrow to get the phone for free?" and they replied by saying "That's the only way you'll get the phone for free from us on the Online 25, here's the address to cancel" !!!

What the hell are they playing at! :mad:

ultracheapskate

I wouldn't worry. Try calling again and explain the situation to them - I've often found upgrading depends on luck as the offers vary with each operator. There is no way they won't at least match the tariff offered to new customers. In fact, judging from the success of others on this board, they should even offer you a line rental discount (although this would make it more difficult to get the free handset).

Explain to them that you will cancel as you have seen better offers elsewhere. Once you threaten to cancel your contract, they suddenly come in with a flood of offers (not as much as previous years, but their efforts at customer retention are still better than orange/vodafone IMO).

stacey21_2

Go through to this number:

0870600 7102 option 2 for online billing, option 2 for cancellation

ask about taking your number to another sim card - act dumb - "whats a pac code?" etc

ive just done this and been offered an amazing deal to stay !!

GeoThermal

Same thing happened to a friend about six months ago. He wanted a particular phone free but they wanted quite a bit of money for it even though it was free to new customers. They would not budge and let him cancel and then sign up as a new customer!

natjay_2

I think that they have got a bit tougher lately, I think it may have something to do with the sale of 02 to telefonica a friend of mine had the same situation and was on a thirty pound a month contract and the only way they got the phone that they wanted was to cancel and then take out a new 18 month contract

timberflake

Well, she rang up today, went through to cancellations and asked for her PAC code. When they asked why she told them that she has seen that Orange are offering the Samsung D900 with 75 anytime cross network mins and 600 texts for £25 (which is what she currently pays). They asked her to hold, came back asfter a minute or so and said "no, we're not going to offer you anything like that, the only thing you can have is £75 cashback with no upgrade" so they gave my girlfriend her PAC code. What's going on with them! Why are they being so hard on her when loads of people (including myself) can ring up and get what they want with little or no problem!?

Lamba

Choose a lower offer to compare too em

timberflake

I don't think it will make a difference. When she first rang up she mentioned that t-mobile were doing 75mins and 525 texts for £19 a month with the D900 costing £19.99 but they still insisted she had to pay £29.99 for the D900 and stay on her £25 tariff giving her 100mins and 500texts!! It's stupid, mobile companies should be more concerned about keeping existing customers than getting news ones.

I'm able to upgrade at the end of the month and I've been with O2 for 5 years so we'll see how I get on!

matrix999

O2 have installed new retention computer systems...The system will only give you a good offer if your a "HVC" High Value Customer ie spending a lot of money with the network. "LVC" Low value customers won't get any brilliant deals and O2 will happily give you the PAC code.

This process has only came live as of January as before it was up to the advisor what discounts and promotions they gave you, now the computer makes the decisison and they can't over rule it.

HTH

natjay_2

It does seem a bit hit and miss the deal that you get with O2 at the moment, and also seems a bit strange that they wouldn’t do her a deal as she wasn’t asking for the world

It makes you mad that they will give you a new D 900 with 200 cross network minutes and 500 texts for £25.00 on an 18 month contract but the wont give the same deal to an existing customer

Seems a bit tight when orange will do 300 cross network minutes 850 texts and a free phone for £30.00 a month on an 18 month contract, and you then qualify for the free orange broadband

shinypennies86

Point out to them in the T's and C's (somewhere), there is something saying that when you come to upgrade you are entitled to at least what a new customer would get. Also I know for a fact it costs O2 money to disconnect you and reconnect you again. So it would be bad business sense!

Stooopid customer services!