O2 are [no longer] useless

[Anonymous]

My previously unlocked Galaxy S3 has been locked to O2 again, and despite spending the last 42 days on Live Chat and telephoning O2, nothing is being done. The latest is your line manager Craig promising to ring back in 48 hours, and four days later still nothing.

This how useless O2 are - 42 days and many hours on the phone and Live Chat, and all I have received is incorrect information, promises that are never kept and lies.

[title edited as per original poster's request]

[Anonymous]

I've also had the issue escalated three times. I have come to realise that ESCALATION means ALLOW DAYS TO PASS IN THE HOPE YOU WILL GO AWAY.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

O2 contacted me and resolved this issue completely to my satisfaction.

Thank you everyone for your help.

O2 are no longer useless.

[MI5]

Great. What did they do?

[jonsie]

Nice one @Anonymous, please do let us know how it was resolved for you ☺️

[evantkh]

I don't even think the phones should be locked at first place and cause troubles when unlocking.

[jonsie]

They never used to be on contract. It wasn't until the exclusivity of the iPhone 3G that they started locking them to stop people buying the phone to sell on at a profit because other networks didn't have them. 

Since then all phones are locked as they are on other networks.

These days there is no justification for locking phones and it should be made illegal. That would obviously affect Refresh where you can buy a phone and pay it off immediately and end the airtime freeing you to go to another network after one month....or sell the phone for profit if there is a big demand!

So there are a lot of factors to be considered and I'm sure the networks have many valid points to put forward. 

[evantkh]

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@jonsie wrote:

They never used to be on contract. It wasn't until the exclusivity of the iPhone 3G that they started locking them to stop people buying the phone to sell on at a profit because other networks didn't have them. 

Since then all phones are locked as they are on other networks.

These days there is no justification for locking phones and it should be made illegal. That would obviously affect Refresh where you can buy a phone and pay it off immediately and end the airtime freeing you to go to another network after one month....or sell the phone for profit if there is a big demand!

So there are a lot of factors to be considered and I'm sure the networks have many valid points to put forward. 

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@jonsie

but it is more expensive than getting a retail phone without SIM lock.

[Anonymous]

They gave me a better phone to replace the one that they had inadvertantly permanently blocked, and they gave me compensation for the stress involved.

Equally importantly, they phoned me to take ownership of the problem, listened to my grievances, dealt with them, explaining that someone much earlier should have taken ownership of the problem and that I had not received their "usual high level of customer service", and immediately followed up with an email confirming that they would do what had been promised on the phone. Bravo!

I now have no problem taking out a future contract with O2 or with recommending others to do the same.

[Anonymous]

It's a pity the EDIT facility works only for a certain time and I cannot change the topic's title to "O2 are [no longer] useless."

[jonsie]

Well done, just a shame it took them so long to sort it out. Really pleased for you @Anonymous ☺️