Having a nightmare with O2

Pete_C62

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on contacting and getting a response from O2. I am currently dealing with cancer, so having to handle their mess is an unwanted distraction.

In a nutshell, I took out an online contract for a SIM-only Pay Monthly deal. As part of the process, I submitted my current phone number and a valid PAC code. Because of the cancer treatment, my mobile number is registered with a whole range of hospital departments and other services, so it’s vital I had the correct number.

Long story short, they never ported the number. Customer services, on the few occasions they answered the phone, just fobbed me off. After spending more than ten hours on the phone over a number of days, plus sending three emails and a letter to the complaints team along with messages via Facebook and Twitter, I received no response from O2 whatsoever, and the porting never happened. I therefore exercised my right under the 14 day cooling off period to cancel the contract. This was done, and I was sent an email confirming this.

Shortly afterwards, I received a final bill of £6.30. As the direct debit had been confirmed, I assumed this would be taken directly. 

Now I have received an email demanding the full monthly payment, and threatening a fine if I do not pay within 4 days. Not only is the amount demanded incorrect, but O2 didn't put the direct debit through. I attempted to verify the bill via MyO2, but it simply states there is no account nor any bill to pay.

I contacted the number provided for payment, twice, to discuss the matter, but on both occasions after a lengthy hold period, the phone cuts off.

The stress of this is the last thing I need given my circumstances, but there seems to be no way to actually communicate with O2. If anyone has a cvlue, please help me. I'd tear out my hair if the chemo hadn't taken it!

Thanks in advance!

elsien

Can you clarify the wording of "threatening a fine"? Is it an auto-generated letter which references potential debt collection costs at some unspecified point in the future?

psul

Had my own issues recently with port problems and o2 customer service was truly awful. Had to deal with poorly trained staff in an offshore call centre who had no grasp of the issue or what to do. Demanding to speak to a manager resulted in long waits followed by promises of  call backs that never happened. I was advised to message the social media team but it took them a week to respond and then another week to answer my follow ups.
 Eventually  I sent an email to complaintreviewservice@o2.com. Despite the promise of a call within 5 working days it took 2 weeks to get a response. Things did get sorted by the complaint handler and I even got compensation as well as an apology for the response time - apparently they are very busy (lots of complaints obviously).
I would suggest the email route but be prepared for a few weeks wait.
After 8 weeks you can then go to the communications ombudsman if they haven't responded or sorted the issue.