Forum Discussion

GraemeD1's avatar
GraemeD1
Tuning in
2 years ago

Re: Is making a claim through the small Claims Court the only way to get O2's attention?

Thanks for your reply but I have tried that complaints process for a month through O2 and received no support.  Virgin Media is the parent company.  I am trying to find someone who can actually discuss the matter and not be passed around departments who seemingly don't care.

All I need was one person to communicate appropriately, understand the issues, and have the authority to come to some agreement.

Going through the Small Claims Court is something that big companies do not want because they avoid a finding of fault.  Having a County Court judgement against them is bad for business.

I will follow this route and let others know how to achieve some control.

Are you a Virgin Media employee, because you don't appear to have read the statement above which shows ALL the actions I have taken.  You direct me to all the links on the Virgin Media and O2 sites.  Have you tried to get anyone to listen via those avenues?

  • I began a new contract with O2 on 30th August 2023.  I list below an issue I have repeatedly raised in various forms with both the telephone enquiries, the staff at the O2 shop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, and via online communication.

    It was apparent fairly soon after I started with O2, that I could not receive incoming telephone calls or texts. As a consequence, I was unable to set up various applications because I was unable to receive text details of pin codes.  I was also unable to maintain appropriate business contacts.  I visited the local O2 shop on 6th September and staff indicated that they would forward the matter on.  They did not do so.

    On 7th September (see e mail), I contacted O2 Customer Services by telephone and registered the issue and was advised that the Complaints department would respond within 7 – 10 days.  I received no response in that time.  I again registered the issue and was again advised by standard e mail that I would be contacted within 7- 10 days. 

    On 9th September I called the complaints team and indicated my dissatisfaction that it would be a further delay.    It was clear from that conversation that no accurate record had been made of the issues I had raised because I was repeatedly asked if the issue was that I could not make calls. The person I spoke to had apparently agreed with their manager that, in the circumstances, I would be sent a new SIM card and given service free of charge for 2 months and that I would be contacted within 24 hours.  I was not contacted.

    I received the new SIM card which I took to the O2 shop and they inserted it and registered the change with O2.  The same problem persisted.

    I contacted O2 again, I believe the complaints department.  It was agreed that the fault may lie with the device and a new telephone was sent and received.  I took the new device to the local O2 shop.  They removed the new SIM card and replaced it with another new SIM card.  The same problem persisted.

    I called O2 on 23rd September 2023 and spoke to a woman (please see attached e mail).  It was suggested that there may have been a problem with the PAC code transfer from Vodaphone.  She agreed to the following action;

    • E mail sent to Vodaphone on Saturday 24th September (copy to myself)
    • She told me Vodaphone did not work Saturday or Sunday and would not act on it until Monday
    • This staff member did not work on Tuesday
    • This staff member would contact me via e mail on Wednesday 27th September in the morning.

    I had received no contact at the time of writing this letter initially but subsequently received 2 e mails on 28th September at 08:53 hours with no message, and further message sent to me at 15:50 hours, showing that she had followed her original e mail at 16:22 hours, I presume to the technical team.  It is clear that no one was responding to this issue.

    27th September 2023, I contacted O2 requesting a PAC number.  I was told that would not be possible until a full investigation had been carried out, despite advising that there was supposed to already be an ongoing investigation.  I called again and was given a PAC number.  The operator asked why I would be leaving O2.  I explained the lack of service for nearly a month.  However, the email I received from him suggested that I may be liable to repay £426.

    During the course of my contacts, I made it perfectly clear that I could not receive calls or texts and repeatedly requested contact either via my landline or via e mail.  I was never contacted via landline, and only responded to via e mail after 27th September.

    I believe that O2 are in breach of our contract having never supplied a full service or responded appropriately to an ongoing problem.  You were quick to take payment for the first month.  I have missed a number of important telephone calls and texts which relate to family contacts, business dealings, caused considerable inconvenience with time going to and from the O2 shop, time spent on the telephone listening to music, as well as the stress of not being heard and my issues being constantly misrepresented.

    The device was posted to return to you today 2nd October 2023.  I have taken photographs to show that the device is undamaged.

    In the circumstances I request the return of the £24 paid as the initial month of the contract.  I also request £500 for the month of inconvenience, problems created for both family and business, and appalling (actually none existent) customer service.

    I look forward to hearing your response within 10 days.

    Yours sincerely,

     

    • goslow's avatar
      goslow
      Alessandro Volta

      I think you query might best be directed to O2

      https://www.o2.co.uk/contactus

      or alternatively try the VM mobile forum (though I don't think VM staff on here can access O2 systems)

      https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Virgin-Mobile/bd-p/OtherMobile

      VM staff don't usually reply in 'Tech Chatter'

      Following the O2 formal complaints process first, with a view to escalation to arbitration

      https://www.commsombudsman.org/our-process

      would be a possible route to deal with your complaint

    • cje85's avatar
      cje85
      Trouble shooter

      Virgin Media isn't the parent company of O2. Virgin Media O2 is a joint venture between Virgin Media's parent (Liberty Global) and O2's parent (Telefonica). Even though the two companies are now a joint venture, the accounts/billing etc are still completely separate. Virgin can not help with O2 isses and vice-versa.

      • GraemeD1's avatar
        GraemeD1
        Tuning in

        It appears that I am getting a lot of advice from Virgin Media employees, who want me to back off.  "Virgin cannot help with O2 issues".  Well they will just ignore me like O2 are doing.  Significant that the previous reply was advising all about the O2 complaints process !  I have no doubt that Virgin and O2 are thoroughly linked.

    • GraemeD1's avatar
      GraemeD1
      Tuning in

      I am just awaiting a reply from the VM Forum Team, so I will see if that's true.  Thank you for the information.

      • goslow's avatar
        goslow
        Alessandro Volta

        GraemeD1 wrote:

        I am just awaiting a reply from the VM Forum Team, so I will see if that's true.  Thank you for the information.


        Your topic has been moved to a forum where VM employees do reply. They will normally respond within a few days.

  • Thanks David,

    Just finally, any thought on my waiting 8 weeks whilst O2 are threatening debt collectors and my credit record.  If I go straight to Court, they will respond a lot quicker.  Don't know if you have any experience of that problem.

    Thanks anyway.

    Graeme

    • David_Bn's avatar
      David_Bn
      Forum Team

      Personally the level of complaint you have with O2 is little above me head GraemeD1.

      I would however suggest that the above is excellent advice from japitts and worth focusing your energy on.

      Any credit file issues encountered, that can be proven to be caused by the fault of a company/organisation can usually be correct, but can in some cases take up to 6 weeks to update in full.

      Thanks,

      David_Bn

  • japitts's avatar
    japitts
    Very Insightful Person

    You should seek professional legal advice or - at the very least - contact Citizens Advice.

    I have a suspicion that if you respond formally to any DCA activity with a "this debt is in dispute" type message, they need to suspend that until the ADR scheme rules either way. Do some proper research before making any quick decisions - at the very least, this will then stand you in good stead with any judge.

  • jdickson007's avatar
    jdickson007
    On our wavelength

    GraemeD1

    I am suffering from O2 incompetence, having suffered from Virgin's over the years.The only response I ever received (and problem partially solved) was via O2 twitter account - so you may want to try that.
    Currently they owe me money and I too am considering the Small Claims Court