O2 removed mast and now I have no signal and they won't cancel the contract

Tessuk

Hello,

I live in Maidenhead, hello to everyone in Maidenhead, and beyond!
O2 removed a mast at the end of October and since then I have very little signal at home. I can't sustain a phone call either on the mobile service or their wireless app, and texts send randomly and very often not at all.

O2 have admitted it will be months before a new permanent mast is erected, they have admitted that there is a significant loss of service in the local area, they have offered to compensate me for every 'month' (their words) that I don't have signal, but so far they haven't agreed to terminate my contract due to loss of service. I want a service that I can use and O2 can't provide me that.

I've spoken to the network services team, and they told me to email the complaints review service, which I have done. But I fear that they will just keep me waiting and hanging on. I can't use my phone and it's very frustrating, especially because I am at home most of the time.

How can I terminate my contract due to loss of service?
Many thanks

Silk

They will probably be back to you when they've investigated the issue and got dates etc etc.
Meanwhile if you have broadband at home have you looked at TuGo

http://www.o2.co.uk/tugo/want-it#what_it_does

Tessuk

Hello,

Thank you.
I am trying to use TuGo but it's terrible. My laptop and phone both show full wireless signal but the call quality is terrible - it's very hard to hear the other person and the call cuts in and out a lot. It's not a suitable replacement.

I have heard on the grapevine that other people in Maidenhead have been able to terminate their contracts but I don't know how!

Best wishes

gjchester

Tessuk wrote: »

How can I terminate my contract due to loss of service?

With great difficulty.

The nature of a radio network means service is not guaranteed at all times in all places. Also the change of the mast be be delayed due to circumstances beyond their control (permit by the local council to put a mast up, or a land owner not allowing access for example). It could be there is OK ish coverage in the rest of the town from another mast, but you live in an area in a radio shadow.

While extremly frustrating these are not usually grounds for cancelling a contract (although pretty bad from a customer service point of view) so the only thing you can ask for is compensation or cancellation on the grounds of goodwill.

Good luck...

gjchester

Tessuk wrote: »

Hello,

Thank you.
I am trying to use TuGo but it's terrible. My laptop and phone both show full wireless signal but the call quality is terrible - it's very hard to hear the other person and the call cuts in and out a lot. It's not a suitable replacement.

TuGo does not use the mobile network, but routes it via VOIP and your broadband, so the call qualty may be down to your home broadband having problems, or a poor mic in the laptop.

Full wireless signal is just an indication of the connection to your router, how is your broadband otherwise?

Silk

Tessuk wrote: »

Hello,

Thank you.
I am trying to use TuGo but it's terrible. ...... It's not a suitable replacement.

I was only suggesting it as a temp measure not a perm fix ...but it was worth a try.

Tessuk wrote: »

I have heard on the grapevine that other people in Maidenhead have been able to terminate their contracts but I don't know how!

The situation is that you took out the contract at your primary location (usualy billing address) based on the service available at the time....if they have removed that service on a permament basis or reduced the quality to a large degree you can ask to cancel the contract without penalty,,,,however if it is a temporary situation whilst they improve the service or carry out repairs etc then you will have to wait and accept compensation.

Tessuk

Thank you gjchester,

I have read that if a mobile provider can't provide a service it is grounds for termination of contract.

If I ask for cancellation as a gesture of goodwill I will have to pay to end the contract which will be 22 months (I'd just renewed a new contract with them after a pretty faultless previous 24 months with O2) and I don't see why I should have to pay that - if there was a service then I'd have no reason to want to end the contract. It's their fault - why should I have to suffer.

It's just about how to make it happen.. they are a huge company taking my money each month and they don't care that I don't have signal. I just want to be able to make calls as per what I signed up to.

Regards TuGo, I am using it on my phone not my laptop, and the mic is fine. It's not that it's a quiet sound it's that the phone call has interference and the sound drops out totally.
My broadband is fine too, very reliable and fast. I don't have any problems with broadband on my laptop or phone.

Silk - they have already told me that they can't provide dates. They have said that they have done all they can re boosting the surrounding masts etc, but they won't tell me how long it will be before they put up a new mast. They have admitted it is likely to take months to resolve.

Many thanks

Silk

Tessuk wrote: »

Silk - they have already told me that they can't provide dates. They have said that they have done all they can re boosting the surrounding masts etc, but they won't tell me how long it will be before they put up a new mast. They have admitted it is likely to take months to resolve.

Write to them and give them an ultimatum of a date to restore or terminate the contract without penalty.
If they fail then issue a LBA for the cost of the remainder of the contract
I would imagine being a newish contract they will insist you return the phone too.

Retrogamer

Tessuk wrote: »

Thank you gjchester,

I have read that if a mobile provider can't provide a service it is grounds for termination of contract.

This is correct, however they are able to still provide a service technical, it just doesn't work at your home area.

Silk

Retrogamer wrote: »

This is correct, however they are able to still provide a service technical, it just doesn't work at your home area.

Thats not the case when a service has previously been provided and enjoyed by the user for some time and has been removed. The OP will not have based the choice of provider on whether a service is available in Timbuktu when the contract was taken out.

Buzby

They are playing it correctly - offering a line rebate due to loss of service at your nominated address.

This can continue for a number of months (no more than 6). If the issue isn't resolved within this period, you have every right to insist on a fault-free departure.