iPhone fault and 'out of warranty' - O2 or Apple?

weedevil

Hi,

First time posting, here!

I have an iPhone 13 mini that frequenly is unable to connect to my network (O2). Sometimes the problem will last all day, sometimes only a few hours. I've had the sim card swapped by O2. Friends / colleagues are not experiencing the same network problems. It looks like a problem with the handset.

I'm exactly half way through a 3 year contract, paying off the device in monthly installments. I do not have an extended warranty or Apple Care. I've been in to O2 today and they've asked me to check the SIM again by putting it in a different phone when the problem occurs. The staff member I spoke to talked about it being out of warranty and I tested the water with SAD FART and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. He basically said that if I wanted to try with Apple then I might have joy as their brand matters so much to them, but that O2 wouldn't help.

O2 said I can be released from my contract, but they'd only buy back the handset at the 'market value' of £180, when I have £308 outstanding on my contract. So I'd still owe them £128.

My question is, who do I pursue for repair / replacement? Are they likely to just bounce me from one to the other? Is it O2 because I'm their customer and still under contract, or Apple as the manufacturer? I'd like to know where to direct my energy, and would appreciate any advice from folk who've been in a similar situation.

Thank you

km1500

I believe with O2 your contract is in two parts one part for airtime and the other part paying off your handset 

that's being so you have your handset on credit and therefore you go back to O2 under the credit agreement

DullGreyGuy

Your rights are with the company that sold you the phone so O2.

If you go to apple they'll tell you it's out of warranty and if you'd bought it from them then absolutely they'd have helped but as you bought it from O2 then its between you and O2. At 18 months old Apple probably would have helped reasonably easily but certainly others have found on older devices that apple's "if only you'd bought it from us" isn't actually as good as it sounds when you do buy it from them. 

born_again

So does the SIM have the same issue in another phone?

Or does another 02 sim behave in the same way?