Unlatching Code - Deliberate Delay?

[Anonymous]

Please see the email below, detailing the unlatching code request and the date it was submitted. After being told that despite this confirmation, the unlatching request was "lost" I have been told that it could take up to a further 7 working days. As you can see I'm out of contract and expected to have the code by now. After calling the support call centre to speak to someone directly, they told me there was nothing they could do. They couldn't escalate my case, because the unlatching team is a "back office" department and not contactable, puh! Quite unbelievable, and I had both the agent and the manager tell me that these problems have been ongoing for some time. Why hasn't this been addressed already for customers in my position who are out of contract?

I fail to see how this is anything other than a ploy to extract money from customer by delaying their migration off the o2 network.

I was very happy with o2 and have been a customer for many years (first through the carphone warehouse, and for the last 2 year contract, directly).

Hi Robert

An unlatching code request has been requested for IMEI 3553100xxxxxxxx

This has been requested from the manufacturer and will be sent as soon 
as we receive it this can take up to 10 working days .

Kind Regards
Back Office Support

Customers name
Robert XXXXXXXXX
Customers mobile number
07812XXXXXX
Customers alternative contact number
07812XXXXXX
Customers email address
robert@xxx.com
IMEI number
3553100xxxxxxxx
Handset manufacturer
Samsung
Handset model
Samsung Galaxy S2
Date of activation
22/05/2011

Todays date
12/05/2013

[perksie]

You could try a complaint:

http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref%28User%29:str%28Mob...

[Anonymous]

Soon you'll have your code and can move on.

[Charlieboyoo]

strange i done it for my iphone 4s this morning and it only took a few mins.was told it could take up to 72 hours

[Anonymous]

going through the same at the moment. out of contract and each time I chat, phone or face to face with 02 team i'm told the same thing. we'll get your unlatching code to you in days or more recently hours. none of which have come through for me. going round in circles for weeks!!

[Anonymous]

Hi,

There are problems like this now and then. Unfortunately the escalation form is the same timescales as the original form thats submitted so isn't always a quick fix if something goes wrong.

I dont think it would be done intentionally, for the sake of a couple of weeks delaying a customer from migrating out the amount of money o2 would make from this wouldn't really be worth it for the complaints/time spent on people looking into this.
Just my opinion of course!

[Anonymous]

Well I wish you luck,  I've been O2 customer for over ten years.  During a period of self employment I was spending over £1,000 a year on calls.  I recently tried for 2 months to get my long-out-of-contract phone unlatched, not to leave o2 but to be able to pop in a local SIM when I'm in India for 10 days.  No help at all from O2, even a three hour session with the Guru in the local O2 shop could not fix and several on-line chats over the weeks promised it would be done in 7 days, all lies.

Got so furious with O2 incompetence that I left this week.  Next step will be through complaints department then probably OFCOM or similar.

[Toby]

Hi bigchrisrogers2,

I've sent you a private message to see if I can help.

Cheers, Toby

[Anonymous]

At last this has, just today, been sorted and I'm now happy with my Xperia as it is unlocked.

A real shame though that it has taken sooooo loooong.  I left O2 3 weeks ago, purely on this issue.  I guess next time my contract runs out with the new supplier I'll have a look at O2 again.

[jonsie]

Thanks for the update, shame about the time it took and I hope the new network is proving ok.