Successfully negotiated penalty free O2 exit

Posted 27th Jan 2023

Hi all

Just thought this might be of interest. I've been with O2 for six months and the data speeds are so bad that WhatsApp messages don't send and Twitter won't refresh. Consistent data speeds of less than 1mbps and no upload speed whatsoever

So my SIM only deal is only £8 a month and because of volt that gets me 45gb of data, ul texts and mins. The service has been so bad they have refunded me £10 on 4 occasions. I put in a formal complaint via email and they have agreed that I can end my contract and they will send my PAC code with no penalty due to the service issues.

Thought this might help others as I see a lot of people on here with the same issues with O2 recently

28 Comments

sorted by

26th Feb
Pleased to read this. I’m on a £25 O2 sim which came with a Virgin TV / broadband deal and the data coverage has been shocking. Unlimited data ?? Can’t even get it to connect in many places even though it shows 4G and 3 or 4 bars. And that is outdoors in a city centre.

I’ve now raised a formal complaint after they initially offered £50 compensation which is pretty useless to me. I just want something that is actually fit for purpose. Hopefully I’ll get the same outcome as I really can’t wait to get off the O2 network.
Author
26th Feb
I found the best way was to submit a formal complaint via email. That way there was a full account of the issues I had had. I set out what I wanted to happen which was to terminate the contract with no further payments. There was some resistance but they concluded that me paying £8 a month and then giving me £10 credit back wasn't in anyone's interest! I did have to push them and say it was being escalated to OFCOM as they took nearly 3 weeks to confirm and give me the PAC code via email. I then went on to receive an email that I had a final bill for the amount remaining on my contract. Got back in touch and have been assured the money will not be taken but we shall see. Either way I'm more with Lebara and service is excellent and the SIM only contract is cheap as chips! (edited)
26th Feb
Thanks I’ll definitely persevere as I can’t keep paying £25 per month for a service which is so pathetic. Have already been logging issues through the MyNetwork app fortunately so it confirms what I am telling them.
Author
26th Feb
That's the way. As I say doregular speed tests and screen shot the results. I often had to do this part way through as my upload would often return a zero result so would show an error in the overall result. Fast.com seems to be a little more tolerant as it will acknowledge a sub 1mbps result
27th Jan
yes nice to know mine is exactly the same
Author
27th Jan
They were getting to the point where they were paying me £2 a month to be a customer 🤦🏻‍♂️
27th Jan
I had a similar experience with Three due to unusable data. Multiple one off bill discounts, then an ongoing discount applied, then a reduced early termination fee of about £100 (I didn't argue this as they let me keep the phone and what I paid so far on the contract plus the termination fee was much less than the phone value).
27th Jan
A lot of the networks will offer this if you are having trouble. One warning though is not to use the PAC without arranging it with the operator first as they just bill you and you have to fight after the fact then.
Author
27th Jan
27th Jan
Make sure you get everything in writing. I was allowed to leave 02 for free when they changed their Ts&Cs when our allowance was no longer available abroad. 3 months later I then get a letter through the door from a debt agency saying if I don't pay o2 £320 they will send bailiffs. After 3 months of numerous phone calls and emails I eventually had the debt on my name wiped because I didn't owe them anything. But that is only because I kept all the proof from o2 stating there will be no fee for exiting early.
Author
27th Jan
Yeah I have this all on email
27th Jan
I've never actually checked my speed before, just done a quick check below.
Guessing it could be down to your area, or have you tried a different phone?

Author
27th Jan
If I look on the status checker in my area it says the network is congested and they've admitted that they don't have a fix date. So during the day it's less than 1mbps but then I've been in town later of an evening when there's no one about and it's much faster. I've also had over 300mbps in the centre of Manchester so handset is fine