Need help with o2 breach of contract?

germit

Hello I really need some help/advise as I do t know which way to turn. 

First for months I was receiving bills from o2 that I didn’t owe. One after another would come through after I had paid my bill. At some points my account would even end up in collections. This would happen months after month and every month I would have to ring them up and spend hours on the phone speaking rude staff who didn’t believe I didn’t owe it. Eventually it always get put through to payment management and they would see I didn’t owe it and minus it off. 

This month however is the final straw. I pay for a service called switch up. So that every 90 days I can switch up my handset for a new one with no cost involved. That’s what’s supposed to happen. However when I came to switch up over a week ago now I couldn’t as it showed once again there was an outstanding bill of £5 on my account. I didn’t owe it and had no idea where it came from but rather than argue over £5 I paid it. But it stayed there. So I paid it again. And again it remained. So I contacted o2. Explained the issue and they too could not remove it. I ask what this meant as I wanted to switch up and I was met with “not sure” I proceeded to ring o2 every day asking them to sort it out as I wanted to take up some offers on the phone I had chose and these were due to end. I kept getting fobbed off time and time again. It’s now been over a week and I’m no further forward. I can’t switch up and the deals are due to end. I contacted ofcom who advised me to contact the financial ombudsman which I did and have a case underway there. 

Is there anything else I can do? I feel so angry and helpless

thanks in advance

Neil_Jones

germit said:

Hello I really need some help/advise as I do t know which way to turn. 

First for months I was receiving bills from o2 that I didn’t owe. One after another would come through after I had paid my bill. At some points my account would even end up in collections. This would happen months after month and every month I would have to ring them up and spend hours on the phone speaking rude staff who didn’t believe I didn’t owe it. Eventually it always get put through to payment management and they would see I didn’t owe it and minus it off. 

This month however is the final straw. I pay for a service called switch up. So that every 90 days I can switch up my handset for a new one with no cost involved. That’s what’s supposed to happen. However when I came to switch up over a week ago now I couldn’t as it showed once again there was an outstanding bill of £5 on my account. I didn’t owe it and had no idea where it came from but rather than argue over £5 I paid it. But it stayed there. So I paid it again. And again it remained. So I contacted o2. Explained the issue and they too could not remove it. I ask what this meant as I wanted to switch up and I was met with “not sure” I proceeded to ring o2 every day asking them to sort it out as I wanted to take up some offers on the phone I had chose and these were due to end. I kept getting fobbed off time and time again. It’s now been over a week and I’m no further forward. I can’t switch up and the deals are due to end. I contacted ofcom who advised me to contact the financial ombudsman which I did and have a case underway there. 

Is there anything else I can do? I feel so angry and helpless

thanks in advance

What are the extra bills for exactly?

Are they out of contract/inclusive call charges for example (not all providers have 0870 inclusive) or going over a data allowance?

Minusing it off isn't the same as writing it off.

germit

No one there has any idea what the bills are for. They just keep getting generated. They have to credit my account each month to clear it 

littleboo

Why don't you leave O2? At least that will stop the problem persisting.

As an aside, allowing a replacement of perfectly good hardware every 90 days sounds like a terrible idea.

JSmithy45AD

littleboo said:

Why don't you leave O2? At least that will stop the problem persisting.

As an aside, allowing a replacement of perfectly good hardware every 90 days sounds like a terrible idea.

That's what I thought about replacing the handset, is it really a thing? I can't even imagine why the customer would want to do that, it takes me 3 months to set a new handset up just how I want it. Don't get me started on the environmental impact.

housebuyer143

JSmithy45AD said:

littleboo said:

Why don't you leave O2? At least that will stop the problem persisting.

As an aside, allowing a replacement of perfectly good hardware every 90 days sounds like a terrible idea.

That's what I thought about replacing the handset, is it really a thing? I can't even imagine why the customer would want to do that, it takes me 3 months to set a new handset up just how I want it. Don't get me started on the environmental impact.

Chances are high they want the old one back and they will resell it, but still can't fathom who someone wants a new phone every 90 days.