o2 Sim only deal scam - customers beware.

thunder65

I've been an o2 PAYG customer for a number of years, expensive but I don't use my mobile to make many calls. Have had over the last few months several promo texts from o2 the last being on 27 Jan 2018 offering me a SIM pay monthly deal - unlimited texts, 500 call minutes and 500MB of data for £6 per month so long as I take up the offer before the end of January,

Although there are better deals, out of loyalty and the fact I wanted to keep my existing number without any hassle I phoned the number given by o2 on the 29 Jan and said I would like to accept their offer and the SIM card arrived in the post next day. Took five days and a lot of hassle to get my old number transferred across but after this I received an email saying my first monthly payment of £11.82 was ready to view online. Puzzled I went on to find the plan had been set up for just 250 call minutes and 250 MB data for £10.50 a month. Thought this was probably a genuine mistake but phoning o2 yesterday the first person I spoke to tried to fob me off and denied knowing about any such offer. Spoke to customer services and they said the best they could do would be to reduce the plan to £8 a month. No apologies given. To say I was furious was an understatement and I asked for the whole lot to be cancelled.

Phoned the o2 complaints number today and lady I spoke to confirmed that everything had been cancelled and I could put my PAYG SIM back in the phone, didn't know whether or not I had lost my number as a result. She agreed wholeheartedly that o2 had acted in a dishonest and underhanded way. So that's several long term customers o2 will now lose as a result.

This is a warning to any other Forumites to check what you are paying if you have taken up any recent offers with o2 - they cannot be trusted to deliver what they promise.

[Deleted User]

I think this is just a one-off error.

But why would you not just port your number elsewhere for a better deal?

cookie365

Even the deal you thought you were signing up for is terrible.


If you really must stay on the O2 network then giffgaff do 3GB data, unlimited texts and 500 minutes for £10. And there are far better deals than that on other non-O2 networks.

thunder65

As a Plusnet broadband customer I can get unlimited texts and phone calls plus 1.5GB data for £6 per month. As I said, the only reason i wanted to stay with o2 was out of loyalty (now well gone) and to avoid the hassle of moving my number across and paying to have my phone unlocked. It will be worth the hassle now and o2 will not only lose my custom but that of several friends and family as well. Well done o2.

thunder65

Having spoken to several people at o2 they have had every opportunity to put matters right but they haven't so I don't believe it was an error, purely a scam to get your bank details so they can charge what they want, It's complete dishonesty as admitted by their complaints department. Can't see why it would be a one off. They may have caught others out the same way.

[Deleted User]

Definitely a straighforward error.

Never suspect conspiracy when incompetence explains the issue much more easily.

mobilejunkie

thunder65 wrote: »

It's complete dishonesty as admitted by their complaints department.

I find that statement as incredulous as anything any network would say to me.

[Deleted User]

thunder65 wrote: »

She agreed wholeheartedly that o2 had acted in a dishonest and underhanded way.

thunder65 wrote: »

It's complete dishonesty as admitted by their complaints department.

There is no way anyone at O2 would say that to a customer.

thunder65

I was pretty amazed myself but they are supposed to record all phone calls so it shouldn't be disputed and I can assure everyone that this was said in agreement to what I had pointed out. Basically you can't defend the indefensible. I was more surprised that not one person I spoke to even attempted to rectify the situation and possibly keep me as a customer. Only too glad to cancel the agreement so today I will take my business elsewhere.

mobilejunkie

Shouldn't it? Not having heard any recording I stay with my post and add that people hear what they want to hear and (for example) silence while you're speaking doesn't equal agreement and certainly not an "admission". Many customer agents would sound sympathetic and avoid arguing in an attempt to placate and resolve whilst avoiding further confrontation. Any agent being recorded actually saying what you implied should be more fearful of a company reprimand than an irate customer.

redux

The original post in this thread doesn't actually mention the proposed price, that's how accurate is the reporting of what O2 did or said.

At the moment the website has 500 MB, 500 minutes, unlimited texts on offer for £11, reduced from £13, and the 250, 250, unlimited for £10.50.

So there is 50p difference at the moment, though the OP was offered the smaller for £8.

Porting number from an O2 SIM to another O2 SIM (contract to a PAYG I already had here) took about 10 minutes on the occasion I did it.

I can't work out what this is about, the wrong price or the wrong bundle, but surely either could have been fixed fairly easily within one phone call.