Lost mobile phone - no insurance payout

leighv

Hi all,

On a trip to Manchester last weekend - my partner left her bag in a taxi - with my mobile phone in it. We didn't get the bag (nor the phone back) - but no calls were made on it, so we didn't lose an enormous amount - especially as I thought as I am paying 5 pounds a month (and for the past 3 years....) for insurance, I could get a new phone.

We reported it to the police - and then I called O2. Apparently, as it had my partners sim in it as she wanted to call her parents abroad (stupidly in hindsight I should have not told them....) the insurance is null and void!!!! So now I have a mobile phone contract for the next 12 months and no phone.... I did point out I wasn't told this - nor did I get a T&C's booklet about the insurance - but...

Any ideas????

Incisor

leighv wrote: »

Hi all,

On a trip to Manchester last weekend - my partner left her bag in a taxi - with my mobile phone in it. We didn't get the bag (nor the phone back) - but no calls were made on it, so we didn't lose an enormous amount - especially as I thought as I am paying 5 pounds a month (and for the past 3 years....) for insurance, I could get a new phone.

We reported it to the police - and then I called O2. Apparently, as it had my partners sim in it as she wanted to call her parents abroad (stupidly in hindsight I should have not told them....) the insurance is null and void!!!! So now I have a mobile phone contract for the next 12 months and no phone.... I did point out I wasn't told this - nor did I get a T&C's booklet about the insurance - but...

Any ideas????

Small claims court?

mikegahan

Sadly, most mobile phone insurance is not worth it unless you have a high end phone and even then there are so many tricks in the T & C that it is best to avoid it and put the money in a savings jar or some such. As a short term expedient you could buy a cheap PAYG handset in the online version of Carphone Warehouse, one that is dedicated to O2, and put your SIm in that. Woolworths recently had some nice payg handsets, though the O2 ones were not the best of the bunch. Or from a reputable dealer on Ebay. Depends on what you want in a handset. A basic one or something that can make the tea, tell the time in peking and keep you warm on a cold night

RobM_3

The first thing to do is ask O2 for details of the complaints procedure. All providers of insurance must have one by FSA regulation. Write to the address given with full details (you must disclose the fact that the SIM was removed again). Send it by recorded delivery and keep a copy for yourself. They will take you seriously as, again by FSA regs, they have to report the number of complaints each month.

They will still most likely reject the complaint at this point, as the terms appear to allow them to do so. However, the terms that state you must have the original SIM in the phone is not intended to protect them from this situation, it is actually intended to ensure that the provider can blacklist the phone, which they still can do in this case.

If they do reject the complaint there will be instructions given on what to do next. It may involve another letter to the underwriters - follow the full procedure as given.

Eventually you will exhaust the internal complaint procedure, and you may then complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service, this will be your best chance as they will make a judgment as to whether O2 are correct to do this, even if you violated the T&C in theory.

Have a look at http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumer/complaints.htm or call them for advice on 0845 080 1800.

superjaggybunnet

You can get yourself another phone quite cheaply from ebay!

I have one of these and it is a great phone:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NOKIA-6233-MOBILE-PHONE-BLACK_W0QQitemZ200232546820QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200232546820&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14