No coverage from O2

[Deleted User]

I moved to a new home on the 18th of March and have been having a nightmare coverage from O2. Most of the time is 1 bar signal and the call disconnects randomly, people can't hear me, I can't hear people, our voices break up.
I have to keep my phone or stand very close to the front window to get a txt or an attempting caller. I keep getting lots of missed call txt messages since people can't reach me.
This has been very stressful since I have to switch utilities over, call tradesman, receive calls from delivery people etc, from my workplace....Also my normal day to day calls. I also have a 10 year old and I need to be able to receive calls from her school, clubs etc, her father and grandparents when she is over there or even from her when she isn't at home.
What happens if there is an emergency?
I have contacted O2 many times over this issue, I have to call in public (which I don't like) or use the web chat system, they keep saying that there is a faulty tower near me and they are working hard to solve the issue...But it has been over 2 weeks now.
They say I will receive a refund once the problem is solved but I am doubting they will ever solve this problem...my friend told me today they are lying, according to her she had the same problem for over a year (in other place) and the only solution was to change companies.

O2 won't let me switch unless I pay a fee for ending a new 1 year sim only contract that I just got in February. I have been a O2 customer for 8 or 9 years and always bought my phones from them.

My friend is with EE and she had a very strong signal when she came to visit the other day.

What can I do? Should I keep fighting and try to switch without paying the fee or just wait and see what happens?
Help!

sparky93

not much can be done. you chose to move somewhere with no signal. and thats is it. people dont seem to factor in these sort of issues when moving. same as fixed line internet providers... you move and then find out the internet is naff. no prechecks you see. to be able to factor in extra costs to cancel contracts etc.

pmduk

Deleted_User wrote: »

]my friend told me today they are lying, according to her she had the same problem for over a year (in other place) and the only solution was to change companies.

What happened to your friend isn't relevant in your case.

indesisiv

Firstly I don't get why people don't look at their phone signal when they go and view a house!
However, as you have moved to an area with no signal I don't see that it is O2s fault, and as such don't see why you would be able to exit penalty free.
Can you turn on wifi calling and use that to at least mitigate it a bit? (Or is your phone not compatible)

sully1311

You cannot get out contract due to moving house and not having signal there.

Do you have a phone that can do WiFi Calling?

System

Strictly speaking the others are right - however, O2 have admitted that they should have coverage in the area.

If your phone doesn't support wi-fi calling then push them to supply a signal box - if this isn't an option then you can ask them to fix the mast or allow you to exit penalty free , if they refuse then you can take them to the ombudsman (free of charge)

[Deleted User]

sparky93 wrote: »

not much can be done. you chose to move somewhere with no signal. and thats is it. people dont seem to factor in these sort of issues when moving. same as fixed line internet providers... you move and then find out the internet is naff. no prechecks you see. to be able to factor in extra costs to cancel contracts etc.

Hi. Thank you for your time. Just to clarify, and this is besides the point, I didn't choose to move, my council moved me from my temporary accommodation to this permanent one after being homeless through no fault of my own. I am not sure if you are familiar with the procedure but one can not refuse an offer of accommodation from the council unless one wants to end up on the streets.
Also, the O2 website shows good coverage indoors and outdoors unless they are totally lying and deceiving the public. The problem according to them is a faulty mast / tower.

[Deleted User]

indesisiv wrote: »

Firstly I don't get why people don't look at their phone signal when they go and view a house!
However, as you have moved to an area with no signal I don't see that it is O2s fault, and as such don't see why you would be able to exit penalty free.
Can you turn on wifi calling and use that to at least mitigate it a bit? (Or is your phone not compatible)

Hi. I didn't check the signal no. But even if I did and realised it was bad I would still have to move. Unless I wanted to be homeless again.

The O2 website shows good coverage indoor and outdoor in the area which is London zone 3. They keep saying it is due to a faulty mast/ tower.

Tried wifi calling but my phone does not support it. My phone works perfectly otherwise, so ideally I don't want to change it.

[Deleted User]

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Strictly speaking the others are right - however, O2 have admitted that they should have coverage in the area.

If your phone doesn't support wi-fi calling then push them to supply a signal box - if this isn't an option then you can ask them to fix the mast or allow you to exit penalty free , if they refuse then you can take them to the ombudsman (free of charge)

Thank you very much for such helpful advice.

[Deleted User]

So O2 texted me yesterday saying that they are still working hard to fix the problem and they won't contact me again (I have received a few of these txts) and saying that they won't be in touch again until they fix things.

Now, imagine someone is planning to move to my area and check their signal and see it is poor, then check O2 website and it shows perfect coverage, than they contact O2 and are told it is a problem in the mast/tower and they are working hard to fix it and everything will be ok soon and the person moves to find that later on there was never coverage at all and O2 is deceiving customers...
Could that be possible? O2 being deceiving customers through their website and customer services?
Their website shows perfect coverage in the area.

mobilejunkie

You're missing the point.

1) Why you moved is irrelevant and your problem - not theirs.

2) No-one should rely on a coverage checker. The only way to be sure is to check with a relevant sim first. I get a good signal on all my networks at home - yet one of them drops out for a few minutes when I'm driving past one small area. I doubt that would show up on any area checker.

3) Mobile contracts are for mobile use. They will never work in every location on every network - wherever you may be.