O2 Upfront for Life - Free Upgrade

ceetdm

I recently managed to upgrade my "net 50 Pay upfront for Life" phone, in store. However, it now looks like I am being charged for 0870 numbers.

Shortly after upgrading I received what looks like a standard letter for contract holders stating that 08 05 and 06 numbers would be charged at 20p a minute; and 0871 at 30p a minute - even though 'existing tarrif' is clearly stated on the 'service change (upgrade)' paperwork.

If the above non geographic numbers are important to you, then don't upgrade.

On closer inspection of the paper work under 'signature' there is a line that states "and by signing below I agree to be bound by the current version of O2's terms and conditions"

Hope this is helpful to anyone attempting an upgrade.

millie

ceetdm wrote: »

I recently managed to upgrade my "net 50 Pay upfront for Life" phone, in store. However, it now looks like I am being charged for 0870 numbers.

Shortly after upgrading I received what looks like a standard letter for contract holders stating that 08 05 and 06 numbers would be charged at 20p a minute; and 0871 at 30p a minute - even though 'existing tarrif' is clearly stated on the 'service change (upgrade)' paperwork.

If the above non geographic numbers are important to you, then don't upgrade.

On closer inspection of the paper work under 'signature' there is a line that states "and by signing below I agree to be bound by the current version of O2's terms and conditions"

Hope this is helpful to anyone attempting an upgrade.

I have never upgraded my PUFL contract but am still being charged for 0870 etc numbers. I believe they sent all contract owners a text when they started charging I certainly had one anyway. Although I have not used it for those sort of numbers since so don't know what the charges are.

Crazeeshoe

Hi,

I went into the O2 store today to find out when I was due an upgrade and they told me that they no longer upgrade PUFFL and I would have to change contracs.

I'm pretty sure that it was written into the contract that you could upgrade as reguler tariff customers does but with an additional £50 charge.

The problem being that i've moved house twice since I got my phone and I now have no idea where my contract is. Does anybody have a copy of the contract that I could get hold of?

ilikepoints

Everyone on PUFFL gets charged for 0870 numbers now i believe - it is unconnected to a handset upgrade.

BTW What handsets have people received this year?

BarGin

Does anyone know if there are any bolt ons available for O2s Pay Upfront For Life tariff? I am thinking of maybe a text bolt on which would reduce the cost of texting back home whilst in Europe.

redux

You could ask them, but probably not

Use a separate SIM with data capability, and read the article and discussion thread about cheap text messages - mobile Java clients like Vyke and Voipbuster allow messages for 1p or even free.

Hitme

I managed to get a free W910i as my upgrade this year

lomna10

Wow, a free w910i. I might try and see if there is anything I can get at this stage.

wadewade

Hitme, did you go into a shop or phone them?

Anyone else been successful recently?

Leopard

I've had one of these "Pay Upfront for Life - Net 50" contracts since October 2001.

In November 2000, I had taken out a "Deal of the Day" offered online by Carphone Warehouse for a free 'phone (an unlocked Siemens C25) and 100 minutes a month - all on a 100% cashback by redemption in two instalments. This was on "BT Cellnet" for 12 months. I obtained the cashback in full (some £225 as I recall) with no problems whatsoever.

Eleven months later, I called BT Cellnet to give them their one month's notice and they tried to persuade me to continue the contract. I pointed out that my local BT shop was offering a "Phone-in-a-Box" deal for £200 which was comprised of a free (modest Nokia) 'phone and a Free 50 minutes a month for life SIM. I added that it would be cheaper for me to buy that and bin the 'phone than to continue my existing contract.

Their response to this was to offer me the "PUFL - Net 50" deal for £99 (inc VAT) with my existing 'phone. I've never accepted a deal in my life as fast as I did that one!

And so it has continued. The SIM card itself has been housed in many (unlocked) 'phones since then, has travelled the world many times and is now looking a bit tatty: but every month I get my free 50 minutes and a bill for £1 (for the itemised billing) plus any calls I've made on it abroad.

The only drawbacks are that the minutes aren't Cross-Network and that technology has moved on - it's no practical use any more for data. But its fine for calling landlines and, of course, for receiving 'phone calls from anyone.

The one thing that has really irritated me is that BT has always (I've tried many times, over the years!) refused to enable it for (even just) GPRS, not withstanding the fact that in July 2004 the monthly bills began describing my tariff as "Pay Upfront for Life - NET 50; Inclusive 100Kb GPRS bundle."

In order to use my "100Kb GPRS bundle", I point out to them, I need to have the line enabled for GPRS but the answer has always been the same - to obtain GPRS, I must switch to another tariff (one that costs money, of course!) so I've always just said no, I'd prefer to leave things as they are and keep it as a free extra voice 'phone

I do, of course, have other mobile 'phones and these supply me with 3G and Cross-Network minutes. I need 3G for my smartphone and to get my laptop on to the Internet where there's no WiFi or other facility.

Sometime last year, non-geographical numbers quietly ceased to qualify for the included 50 minutes. I was never notified of this by O2; it just started happening. It's not a result of me changing anything, as has been mooted here.

The upside remains that if I exceed my 50 minutes a month of calls to landlines, I am still only charged 18p/5p/2p a minute for, respectively, peak/evening/weekend calls - and, of course, that includes use of 18185, 18866 an 1899.

It also qualifies for "Treats" and, more importantly, O2 permitted me to add "My Europe" to it, free.

So, I really do want to keep this deal: not least because it also qualifies me for a £5 a month discount on O2 Broadband, whatever I may do in future with my other 'phones! That's worth £60 a year, from a 'phone that costs me nothing!

All of this is a long way of getting round to the fact that I would very much like to get a nice new K850i as a free upgrade but I very much do not want to risk losing the basic PUFL deal by doing so.

The part of this that arouses my suspicions is being asked to sign a new 12 month contract. What happens at the end of the 12 months, if you do succeed in persuading a dim or poorly-trained Saturday-staff member at an O2 shop to let you have a new 'phone and sign on the dotted line?

I mean, what is the point of asking for a 12-month contractual commitment to something that is free? Every other deal carries this minimum requirement because the customer might want to cancel it: uniquely, this is a deal in which the boot is squarely on the other foot - the prime importance for the customer is that this one should never be cancelled and should continue forever!

So then, the question that ultimately I would like to ask of those who obtained a free handset upgrade last year in return for signing a 12-month contract of continuance on the PUFL deal, is whether or not the PUFL indeed continued when the 12 months expired or whether the deal terminated and they were then asked to start paying money every month.

Can anyone reassure me that it's safe to meddle in this way with the deal and that there is no risk of losing it when the new contract expires?

I've always assumed that BT Cellnet / O2 took whoever thought up this deal out the back and shot him; and that they have been desperate ever since to lure off it anyone who subscribed to it!

So, this thread comes as quite a surprise and I view the free upgrade with suspicion. Why would O2 give away £300 'phones to people who are costing it money and encourage them to continue doing so?

Is this gifted chalice poisoned?