MSE News: O2 raises prices for 7 million mobile customers

jhe

samwardill wrote: »

I'm not suggesting writing to Ofcom. I'm suggesting writing to the Ombudsman. See O2 complaints procedure http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref(User):str(Mobile),CASE=13668. Note that you have to exhaust O2's internal process first.

thanks for that, i have just sent my complaint off

Guys_Dad

Southend1 wrote: »

I called O2 customer services to complain about their rubbish service and this price rise and was given credit on my account to cover the cost of the increase to the end of my contract plus a gesture of goodwill for poor service. Worth a try for others but I think you need to get past the first line agent to a floor manager who has authority to give account credit for this to work. I will be leaving O2 as soon as my contract is up, I'm so fed up with their poor service.

That's the way to get a result, just as last year with the other Telcos.

Nathan1

Section 5.2 of the T&C's (o2.co.uk/terms) below states that in the price rise communication they will inform us of our rights to cancel. The e-mail i received made no reference (either directly or by referral) to any clauses that would allow a customer to cancel under certain conditions. Is this not a breach of their own T&C's?????


5.2 We may increase or decrease our Charges from time to time. If we increase our Charges (apart from for Additional Services), we’ll let you know at least 30 days before the Charges are due to go up and you’ll have the rights explained in paragraphs 5.3 and 5.4. We won’t increase your Monthly Subscription Charges more than once in any 12 month period.

Southend1

The problem is that if you take up the right to cancel they charge you the full amount for the remaining time on the contract that you would pay anyway if you don't cancel. This is really what I thought was most unfair. There should be a way for the customer to get out of the contract with just an admin fee and/or returning the handset to O2 in these circumstances.

Guys_Dad

Nathan1 wrote: »

Section 5.2 of the T&C's (o2.co.uk/terms) below states that in the price rise communication they will inform us of our rights to cancel. No It doesn't say that at all. You have misread the paragraph. The e-mail i received made no reference (either directly or by referral) to any clauses that would allow a customer to cancel under certain conditions. Is this not a breach of their own T&C's????? No. See above


5.2 We may increase or decrease our Charges from time to time. If we increase our Charges (apart from for Additional Services), we’ll let you know at least 30 days before the Charges are due to go up and you’ll have the rights explained in paragraphs 5.3 and 5.4. We won’t increase your Monthly Subscription Charges more than once in any 12 month period.

What that is saying is that, when they inform you of the increase, you will be able to exercise the rights in paragraphs 5.3 & 5.4. Not that they will repeat them in the email/text that they send.

These, however, are the latest t&c and some MSE members are saying that their original t&c did not have the right to increase charges at all included. If you have a copy of your original t&c, check them out.

Olliel

I am also in this situation

On the 28th of November I contacted o2 to give 1 month notice to the end of my contract (as I was set to move to t-mobile for my new contract).

The operative on the disconnections line offered to price match the T-mobile offer and iphone 5 price, so I accepted this offer

Today I received an email from o2 stating that the tariff would now increased by 3.2% on Feb 28th.

Following speaking to o2 today two seperate o2 operative were quite rude in telling me that even though I am only 3 weeks in to my 'price matched contract' my tariff will still go up, and I am not able to change/ cancel my contract.

Now being over the 7 days of the commencement of my new contract I am outside the distance selling guidelines.
However as I was sent an email outlining a change in my tariff within the first three months am I within my rights to return my handset and cancel my contract to avoid the new tariff increase?

I am disappointed with how I was spoken to by 'customer services' as they really weren't helpful, and were very angry that I was questioning this increase.

Do I have a case as suggested here?

Any advice would be extremely welcome

Ollie

Edelman

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

That's what has annoyed me. The fact there's no choice in the matter.

At least let customers see out their minimum term at the price it was sold to them for, then they can make a decision whether or not the price is right at renewal time. They can either stay or change provider.

I'm completely with you on this.
Whatever they say about "variable pricing".
When you look at new contracts, whether you are doing it just continue one, or like me, taking out a brand new one away from PAYG, you do it after going through all the prices. And then decide "yes I am happy to pay £**.** per month for so many months.

And them, for me, a few months down the line, they announce they are going to increase that.

My feeling is, yes, increase it in line with whatever it is - but don't increase existing "contracts". We took out a contract with you, at that price. It's a bloomin cheek to increase what we have signed up for, for 12 months.

It's not big bucks, and if it's a business contract, hey, just means you pay that little bit less Corp Tax!! (Silver Cloud???)

fox2319

Like many here, I just signed up to a contract a few weeks ago (started 20th November). Th fact they offer these contracts one week when somebody knows full well that the price is going to change before your first bill is even paid is sharp practice at best, I feel like I've been cheated.

Poor show O2. Complaint lodged (but just getting boilerplate response, their online chat is useless). I've asked for a deadlock letter so that I can just put something in to the ombudsman. We're only talking about £20 over the length of the contract (this time) but its the principle of the thing. I'm going to cost them more than £20 to make me go away at any rate.

samwardill

Just got my deadlock letter from O2. I'm off to the ombudsman. I think I have a very strong case that this is an unfair contract term (legally under the 1999 act). I only signed the contract a few weeks ago and it is only a 12 month contract. I can't see any justification for this contract term in such circumstances. Does anyone know whether other companies applied these charges in the same blanket way (I.e. even applying increase to 12 month contracts and to people who signed up less than a month before)?

I had to love the guy who I last spoke to from O2. He told me that to be equally fair to everyone they couldn't make an exception for me. I pointed out that some might argue that they were actually being equally unfair to everyone. However I actually think that to be fair under the 1999 act there has to be a balanced reason why the contract term (to allow rpi increases) is necessary. I can't see how it can possible be justified less than 1 month after the start of a 12 month contract. It can only be justified when inflation is unknown. In my case inflation was known when O2 entered into the contract.

jhe

Hello xxxxxxx

Thank you for contacting us about the price rise announcement.

I realise that you aren't happy with the increase in the tariff price by
3.2% effective from 28 February 2013. This change is only because of
inflation.

The decision to increase the prices was introduced recently. This may be
the reason it wasn't discussed with you at the time of upgrade.

Price increases are never welcome and this isn't a decision we've taken
lightly. We have to make a change and increase our prices in line with
the current RPI. We have avoided putting our prices up as long as
possible (even when all our competitors have been raising theirs). But
we can't put it off any longer.

However, it will help enable us to continue to invest in the services
that matter to our customers while still offering value for money, such
as priority moments, O2 Gurus, O2 WiFi and O2 Recycle.

Your current monthly line rental is £20 a month and it'll increase to
£20.64 a month from 28 February 2013.

This change is only applicable to Monthly Line Rental Charges which
means everything else stays the same including charges for calls, texts,
Bolt Ons and data.

This change is reflected in our Terms and Conditions which states we may
increase our charges from time to time. If we increase our charges, we
have to let you know at least 30 days before the charges are due to go
up and we won't increase the Monthly Line Rental Charges more than once
in any 12 month period.

xxxxx, you've been with us for a long time and I appreciate your
loyalty with us.

I appreciate your understanding with this matter.

Kind Regards

Kavita Kumari
Telef!nica UK Limited
Customer Relations Executive

*********************************************************************************
Dear O2 Customer, Please note that this is an unmonitored email account and we will not be able to respond to your query. If you have a query about your service please visit https://www.o2.co.uk/help or email us at mailto:mycare@o2mail.co.uk where it will receive our attention.
Regards, O2 Customer Care
This communication is from Telefonica UK Limited. Registered office: 260 Bath Road, Slough SL1 4DX. Registered in England and Wales: 1743099. VAT number: GB 778 6037
*********************************************************************************
samwardill is this the same type of e-mail you received?
i have another 2 contracts apart from this one, my sons also have contracts one of them alone goes up £2.08, over 20 month it adds up.