O2 Classic PAYG

Phones4Chris

This is rather strange. We have two O2 Classic SIMs, one is my manin number which is permanently on, no messages from O2. Outgoing texts have been sent in the last 6 months - these DO count as chargeable events.
Other half's is only switched on now and again, texts have been sent in the last 6 months, no O2 messages.

spreadsheeterapple

O2 are definitely doing 'something' to us old-phone owners, and I view it as rather underhanded, bullying, and discriminatory. It is more likely that old phones are owned by old people, so it indirectly discriminates against OAPs (I'm one of them) who are also more likely to not know what is going on with the 2G & 3G switch-offs - again I was one of those! I fear they are deliberately forcing people off the Classic PAYG Tariff.

I have posted separately on the 3G switch-off thread, but my problems arose when O2 sent a text on 7/11 out of the blue headed 'reminder' about 2G no longer being supported on their upgraded networks, when in fact it was the first ever communication from them, and I had no idea. I rang a week later and the operator was arranging a replacement 'sim' posted to me, an address which they already had but had not written to with any explanations. At this point I didn't know what a 'sim' was and assumed it'd be some sort of module to be plugged in at the bottom to 'simulate' something to enable the old phone to operate on their upgrade network. What came in the post was an internal computer chip and with no explanation or instructions as to what to do with it; I have had to learn all about sims & how to open the back of the phone from lots of internet & youtube searching, which took ages. I had to resort to this searching after my phone became dead and O2 customer services were no help. It turned out they had deliberately disabled my connection from their end; that such a thing was possible was a shock, as my phone was in my drawer inside my locked house, and I had no idea they could do things to it remotely. I suppose I would be quite happy to discover they could do that if I had it stolen, but at this point I had no idea such a thing was possible, so I was completely shocked. They left me with no means of shopping for delivery as bank codes go to the phone, and no medication reminders texts & other alerts I use the phone for (housebound, currently disabled); I pleaded I couldn't get help to swap the sim for a week and needed my text alerts back temporarily, but they wouldn't switch my phone back on. So I had to learn it myself from youtube, and without that I'd have had no idea how to open the back or know that the battery had to be removed to access the sim slot. Any other elderly person might not have had desktop computer to get youtube & internet searching, so I find their actions completely unacceptable when they ignored my pleadings that I needed help. They said there was no priority services register for 2G phone users; one operator even put the phone down on me.

As for my Classic PAYG Tariff, nobody has told me there are any changes; they in fact said I would keep the same tariff but didn't add what their rules were. Several years ago when I got put on that tariff I was told one chargeable outgoing call every 6 months, to keep the tariff and phone active. Nothing about topping up; in fact I haven't had to add money since 2016 as the phone is mostly used for incoming texts.
- having read this thread I will ring O2 and ask, button down exactly what rules are for keeping my tariff active. However I fear there will be further problems down the line, as I am reading elsewhere that after 3G gets switched off in a few months (they told me April) then basically only 4G or 5G phones are going to work. I'm going to be forced to get a new phone, even though the old one isn't broken. That is not something I do, nor lots of elderly people. I also fear I won't be allowed to keep Classic PAYG Tariff when I switch to new phone, so all in all I'm going to be forced into paying out money, first for a new phone and then for whatever tariffs are around nowadays. I can't find anything comparable on website, it all seems to be monthly-payments, and also the type where if you don't use the money within that month then it just gets wiped off; disgusting.

alanjones60

Im on the classic tarrif.
You only need to top up when you want to, eg when your low on credit.
You do need to make a call, and it be answered, every 6 months or you will be disconnected, but you will be connected again if you message them.

I messaged them about being kicked off the tarrif at some point,and they said i can stay on it,but if i change my tarriff myself i wont be allowed to go back to it.
You will be able to stop on classic if you get a new phone,as you just put the sim into your new phone

Phones4Chris

@spreadsheeterapple I'm not sure where you get the idea that 2G is being switched off soon, it is NOT. In years to come yes, but that is some way off yet.

PHK

Phones4Chris said:

@spreadsheeterapple I'm not sure where you get the idea that 2G is being switched off soon, it is NOT. In years to come yes, but that is some way off yet.

This is out of date, whilst O2 are not switching off 2G they are reserving it for emergency calls, IoT and M2M. 

O2 have about 1% of customers who use 2G and are migrating them away from 2G. From October next year they will not allow roaming onto 2G. 

O2 have the biggest proportion of 2G only customers so they made a couple of big announcements earlier in the year. 

But other networks are doing/have done  the same thing. 

spreadsheeterapple

Phones4Chris said:

@spreadsheeterapple I'm not sure where you get the idea that 2G is being switched off soon, it is NOT. In years to come yes, but that is some way off yet.

Where I got it from was being told explicitly by the O2 operator that they had "switched off 2G in my area" last week, and "that was that".

Phones4Chris

spreadsheeterapple said:

Phones4Chris said:

@spreadsheeterapple I'm not sure where you get the idea that 2G is being switched off soon, it is NOT. In years to come yes, but that is some way off yet.

Where I got it from was being told explicitly by the O2 operator that they had "switched off 2G in my area" last week, and "that was that".

Well they may be stopping customers from using it BUT they cannot turn it off yet unless there's an alternative 2G in a given area because it's still used by millions of Smart Meter comms.

Phones4Chris

PHK said:

Phones4Chris said:

@spreadsheeterapple I'm not sure where you get the idea that 2G is being switched off soon, it is NOT. In years to come yes, but that is some way off yet.

This is out of date, whilst O2 are not switching off 2G they are reserving it for emergency calls, IoT and M2M. 

O2 have about 1% of customers who use 2G and are migrating them away from 2G. From October next year they will not allow roaming onto 2G. 

O2 have the biggest proportion of 2G only customers so they made a couple of big announcements earlier in the year. 

But other networks are doing/have done  the same thing. 

Well now, that's going to be interesting! You could have posted a link that you did previously -
https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/virgin-media-o2-will-begin-2g-network-transition-next-year/

A free phone or highly discounted? Hmm. We'll wait and see! However there's still an issue with a number of older phones that have 4G in that they can't do VoIP, and a number of older Dual SIM phones can only do 4G on one SIM at a time, the other SIM "has to use" 2G or 3G.

I do agree with @spreadsheeterapple this is a form of discrimination against older users who are the ones likely to have most of these older phones only used for "urgent/emergency" (not necessarily 999) calls.

Now that you've highlighted the issue, that could be the explanation for a text I recently had from EE on my older but still working perfectly Nokia (2G only).
(When you are Out in the styx, you often need more that one network).

PHK

Its VoLTE you are thinking of rather than VoIP, or VoNR if you have a newer phone. 

Given that the lifespan of a high end phone is probably five to seven years and a lower end  phone considerably shorter, I think it's likely that only 1% will be affected. Based on IMS and VoLTE being introduced in 2012 and commonly available by 2018/19 when it began to be upgraded to HD+ 

Annoying if you have an older phone but the battery (being a chemical reaction) will no longer be operating efficiently anyway. 

I would see if you are offered any deals before making a final decision. 

Phones4Chris

Yes I know it's VoLTE but I thought people not  familiar with the tech may find VoIP more meaningful with all the current publicity about "landlines going digital" but then again maybe it'll confuse more!!

The battery on my older Nokia is fine, not so true of the batteries in a couple of slightly newer Samsung E1100 & E1120 !