O2 Contract Termination Fee - Complete Mess and Misinformation

Dean1991

Hi all,


Hoping someone may be able to provide some advice. I lost my mobile whilst skiing back in March and had 4 months left on my contract. I wanted to enquiry about how much it would cost to end my agreement early as it didn't make sense to continue paying £31 p/m for what was essentially a sim only deal (a bad one at that).


This is where my story of O2 mistakes begin. The first quote I received from O2 was in the region of £35 which at the time I thought was very reasonable, but I didn't question it and said I would get back in contact to cancel once I had sourced a new sim only deal. This quote was provided via their chat services and I saved the chat.


After I purchased a new sim only deal, I went back online to cancel my contract and to transition my mobile number to the new sim. I was then quoted in excess of £75 to cancel. After pointing to my original quote of £35 they then decided that I would owe in the region of £50 to cancel. I was not happy with this but asked them to carry on and I would contact O2 on twitter/facebook to voice my frustration with the incorrect quote provided originally.


It comes to this month which I thought would be my final cancellation bill and I get charged £33. I was surprised that it wasn't in the region of £50 so I contacted O2 again to confirm that this was indeed my last bill and that I can cancel my DD as no other bills will be issued. This was confirmed via the chat services so I went away happy, thinking that my social media attempts had worked successfully and they honoured the original quote.


Today I get a further bill of £50. Not only does this contradict confirmation received on the 9th may saying there will be no more bills, but also contradicting every quote received previously ranging from £35-£75 as the two bill combined for this month will total in excess of £80.


I have the majority of these chat transcripts saved. I will call them later and chat to a manager if necessary, however am I within my rights to refuse to pay this final bill of £50, taking into account the amount paid to date and the terrible advise, guidance and quotations provided by O2 staff? I am hoping the staff I speak to later will be reasonable, but if not I really want to be in the position to refuse payment on principle if nothing else.


Thanks in advance for your advise

Jon_01

If you don't pay it they may very well trash your credit record. The best course of action would be to pay it under protest and then get them to pay it back after it's been sorted out. That way your credit file is safe.

Frozen_up_north

Give or take a few days, the amount outstanding is in the region of £62 (two months at £31). Give them notice that you wish to terminate the contract and ask for a PAC code, use this to move the old number elsewhere (to a PAYG SIM if necessary). By using the PAC you automatically terminate the contract. This avoids the contract running on, phone contracts only cease when you terminate with (usually) 30 days notice, not when the 12 months/24 months is reached.

As per the other reply, be careful to not fall into the trap of non payment, phone providers are quick to trash your credit!

Dean1991

Hi Frozen,


I have already transferred my number and my contract is already 'terminated' (26th April is when I was provided with a PAC code). I paid 1 bill of £33 after this date (5th May) and recieved another for £50 a few days after that.


I also believe that O2 give you a 25% discount of airtime when you are looking to cancel your contract, as technically you are paying for something which you wont be receiving (Mins, txts, data etc.) Not certain on this but believe I have seen it written somewhere.


Thanks for the advise on credit scores, it had slipped my mind and is important as I will be looking for a mortgage soon.


I will give them a call later and hopefully get a genuine quote and an explanation for the mess they have produced

mobilejunkie

4 months at £31 is what you were liable for. I have no idea where you got the idea of a 25% deiscount - it's nonsense. The most some networks might do (unless they are extremely generous, which is highly unlikely) is to take off the VAT element. If the overall amount is much more than that you make a formal complaint, as you could do if you have evidence that a lower total was in fact offered. Otherwise, don't cancel any contract early - it's the airtime you are usually paying for.