O2 Opinions!

Does anybody else have as many issues as I and my peers do?

I have constant issues with poor slow data (3G) compared to other networks and call quality and reliability is a joke.

In the last 5 days I've been to 2 city centre locations and not had any service (calls, texts, data) though had a full signal, one of these locations had an O2 WiFI hotspot which also wasn't working

The other I went to their shop and they confirmed they had nothing either, at which point I let everybody in the shop know about my issues and was asking the staff why they where allowed to make agreements when there was no working service at the time. (4 people left)

This isn't a one time issue, this is frequent and has been since taking the contract from O2.

As it stands I cannot receive Calls from anyone using a network other than O2 and O2 has persistently said that the network is fine and the congestion levels are within acceptable ranges (where congestion has been an issue)

I have had my case with an Ombudsman for 3-4 months now after O2 gave me a deadlock letter but I rang them today and they have no new information apart from the case is being looked at....

So if anyone knows of an Ombudsman for the Ombudsman it would be appreciated!

Regards.

Data on O2 and Vodafone is useless, unless you have 4G coverage, a 4G phone and a 4G price plan - especially if you've experienced either EE or Three.

Both O2 and vodafone are spending money rapidly to try and catch up, but EE and Three are already ahead, and it physically takes time to install new 100megabit or 1000megabit links into mast sites that have 2meg currently.

For most of the country (outside London) without 4G coverage, the O2 and Vodafone networks are really for voice only and occasional data updates (e.g. WhatsApp or Apple iMessage). Anything else you need Three or EE - if they have coverage.

By end 2016 I would hope both O2 and Vodafone have 4G coverage most places, and that will help their 3G, but they just don't have enough mast sites.

Get a few differnet network pay and go sims and give them a try to see what suits best.


My misses had the same issue you are having and upon cancelling they said the network was working great but she was using it so I think she would know how the network is performing, Since that she moved to EE never been happier with it.

I am with 3 for the last 3 years I was with o2 but they were dreadful

Edited by deleted (Wed 17-Dec-14 20:01:39)

Same sorta situation in my area (Yeovil) on O2. Data speeds with full HSDPA signal showing have been useless for months. Basically GPRS/EDGE. Have a look at BA20 on http://status.o2.co.uk/ for some amusement. It has been showing this status for over a week. Before that it used to show capacity issues. I'll be moving the 40 lines I manage at work at the end of the contract term.

O2 is owned by Telefonica, the Spanish company. They can't get borrowing from Spanish banks due to their version of the credit crunch we had in 2008. So O2 was put up for sale and hoped for BT to buy. Now BT has confirmed they're going for EE the Telefonica management are stuck without a quick sale.

Lack of investment In last 10 years is O2's problem, Vodafone now have money having sold their USA interests.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-12-16/telefoni...

In reply to a post by jchamier:

Lack of investment In last 10 years is O2's problem,

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-12-16/telefoni...

Exactly, Well thanks for your input, After a few "angry" phonically to the Ombudsman holding my case, I finally got some more information and also a call back from the lady handing the case who was very sorry about the issues and how the case has been held up by other departments.

She said she is going to finish the case today and call me this afternoon with a result...

So fingers crossed its a result that gives me a PAC code!

I haven't really got anything bad to say about O2. I was with them, directly, some years ago on PAYG and found the service satisfactory.

I then moved back to my original number on Orange, and took a contract out with Orange. During the contract lifetime, Orange merged with EE, and I had a run in with EE customer services which made me think twice about renewing or continuing to contract with that company in anyway.

So, I am now on GiffGaff, which runs on the O2 network, and I've had no issues with this service, apart from an incident last year where the network was completely unavailable for a good number of hours one evening.

GG have just released 4G plans, and I'm on one of those. Again, no issues, and certainly on the route I take during the week (London <-> South East Kent), I get reasonable 4G signal that works most of the time, dropping back to 3G etc at various points. Data speeds are no where near the 50Mb/s mark, but then again, for me, they don't need to be.

I guess I do not primarily use my phone as an access point or attempt to do any beefy data on it - really only browsing and checking emails mostly. I would agree with others that if data is your primary requirement, EE are probably a better choice, but personally, I would not go with them.

Well as Happy as you might be on the O2 infrastructure it has give me a fair bit of pain and even though I was also a victim during the Orange > EE situation I never really had performance issues.

I recently took the EE Promo Sim on a test drive across the Bottom of the UK (SE > SW and Back) and even in the middle of nowhere the 3G performed brilliantly and I have found this in many places.

O2 are unable to give me voice calls and texts in City Centres at the moment and the intermittent issue of no incoming calls from anybody on alternative networks other than O2 is not a good situation to be in when Un-Employed and waiting for responses from potential employers.

I'm not sure of the data situation where you are but in the last 6 months my "average" download speed on 3G has been around 0.6mbps and that is no good, and in my experience of O2's 4G, It's useless against the competitor and fails to transfer bandwidth over it tiny spectrum allowances, EE clearly has the best 4G in the UK but even Three has better 4G coverage and through put than O2.

O2 has failed its customers and made many promises that it hasn't kept, and its ancient infrastructure has lacked investment and in turn is now failing.

O2 have wasted much of my time, given me some of the worst customer service experience.

PS. In light of the reviews you linked for EE on the thread, Those people might not be technically minded like myself and many other on here and what suits one will not suit many others.

Reviews like that don't mean anything, and only real0-world testing proves anything, and root metrics does that and they ranked EE the best in the UK and O2 "ONE" of the worst.

I wish you luck in the future with the O2 network as it does look like they're in big trouble and looking for a way out.

PS. I"m 3G Only, No 4G compatibility here!

Kind Regards,

Edited by mlmclaren (Thu 18-Dec-14 10:34:08)

I wish you luck in the future with the O2 network as it does look like they're in big trouble and looking for a way out.

Yeah, that's about all that can be said I guess. The plus side with GG is that there are no contracts. If the service dives, I can jump ship quickly and move on.

If you do decide to go with EE, I sincerely hope you do not get stung by their antics.

I have to agree that call quality seems to be poor, it seems to fade in and out, which is odd as it should be digital!

However I was with Three and they had no indoor coverage I give up waiting for 4 years and switched back to O2.

In Kent O2 and Vodafone are far ahead of EE in terms of coverage. EE win in terms of speed. Three, who are they? They haven't deployed much 4G at all in Kent and where they have the signal is very poor, no indoor 4G!

Well I've just had word back from the Ombudsman and they have found O2... Not Guilty,

Because I was able to use my phone to some extent, the lady on the phone said she was very sorry and that the ombudsman aren't as good as people assume and that they are also tied down by the regulators, and as usual O2 used there favourite quote "We can't guarantee coverage everywhere!"

My only option is too pay the phone plan off at £180 and then the airtime is removable without charge anyway.

O2 are hiding the true state of there network behind incorrect Statuses, and I remember this from Birmingham when they told me the local mast wasn't operating properly but the status was still green on all services, I phoned them 4 times before the status was changed to a Fault and that lasted 6-12 hours and then returned to green, though issues still existed.

I will pay off the phone, somehow but this war still rages on!

Not had any problems with O2, which I use for my personal mobile. I have a work mobile on Vodafone and I really wouldn't know where to start in describing how poor their service is. Slow data, failed calls, calls not received when the phone is switched on with a full signal and sat next to me. On Thursday at about 11am I had voicemail from such a call. Make that 11 voicemails. A full 11 calls not received, where voicemails were left dating back 3 days, and no message about any voicemails or any evidence of calls until the moment that one was received. I have no idea how many calls there were where the caller did not leave a voicemail.

I've been on the Tesco network for years, with PAYG for occasional voice calls, no data. I understand (but may be wrong) that Tesco used the Vodafone network until last year, when Sainsbury linked with Vodafone and Tesco linked with O2. Until then I was satisfied with coverage around the UK, but since the move to O2 I've had to stand outside the front door for one signal bar and even then it doesn't always work. Coverage around the UK is patchy. My wife is pleased with Three and I shall move as soon as I've exhausted my current credit.

By the way, beware the Tesco phone locking racket. In theory Tesco-supplied phones can be unlocked after 12 months, in practice it is proving difficult and one shop has told me that Samsung phones are locked for life. Another reason to hate Tesco

In reply to a post by Malwaremike:

I've been on the Tesco network for years, with PAYG for occasional voice calls, no data. I understand (but may be wrong) that Tesco used the Vodafone network until last year, when Sainsbury linked with Vodafone and Tesco linked with O2.

Not the case. Tesco has always been O2. You may be thinking of the mast / transmitter upgrades that both networks are doing, and they are sharing people, expertise and mast sites. This shouldn't reduce coverage but like EE all networks are turning off old transmitters and putting new ones online. EE's turning off should have been complete last year but O2 and Vodafone are still working hard.

In reply to a post by Malwaremike:

I understand (but may be wrong) that Tesco used the Vodafone network until last year, when Sainsbury linked with Vodafone and Tesco linked with O2.

You could be thinking of the Asda MVNO which for years was on Vodafone and then moved over to EE. Sainsburys set up a MVNO on Vodafone and a lot of the ex Vodafone ASDA users including myself defected there. I only have it as a second / backup phone, GPRS doesn't quite cut it in 2014. If I'm really lucky I might get EDGE. Vodafone love their old 2G kit!

tbh o2 coverage is terrible for me everywhere I go basically a part from the inner city and even then lacks 4G and even 3G beside my college

I find Vodafone or EE Much better.

I have found both EE and 3 have a muchnworse CS than O2, I have spent a year with EE and have given up in dispear, and am with 3 on another contract, and that is balanced on a knife edge, as although I can regularly get good speeds on 3G I have a too many dead spots in the area, was only hanging on to try 4G which was meant to go live, in two towns around here this year, and with only a week to go, still no 4G even though one transmitter is up.

I've been with T mobile now EE for over 9 years and have spoken to CS about 4 times. Not sure if bother to choose a network based on CS.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

For most of the country (outside London) without 4G coverage, the O2 and Vodafone networks are really for voice only and occasional data updates (e.g. WhatsApp or Apple iMessage). Anything else you need Three or EE - if they have coverage.

Oh really? Here in the Highlands of Scotland all networks bar Vodafone are absolute pants for voice & data. Vodafone are far from perfect but IMHO they have the best overall coverage for 3G data across the country.

Edited by deleted (Sat 27-Dec-14 07:51:23)

In reply to a post by janitor:

I have found both EE and 3 have a much worse CS than O2,

I pay for a service based on the service and not the customer service, The fact that you have had to call O2 customer service says that you have issues with your service!

Edited by mlmclaren (Sat 27-Dec-14 12:08:07)

No issue, it was to cancel the contract I was in, have had issues with both 3 and EE. Though O2s 3G is slower than 3s, but then I can get O2s 3G in more places than either of the other two.

O2's 3G might be slower for you, But don't actually work for me (ANYWHERE)

I suppose its a lottery and I'm just not that lucky "all the time, everywhere"

I've tried all the networks for 3G and I have found O2 to be consistently the worst for coverage. Usually the slowest too, but not always.

Overall EE seem to have the best coverage, but Three seem to offer the best coverage/speed balance.

However, for a given phone/dongle/mifi one network will be better than another even if both have similar coverage because they don't all use the same frequency bands for 3G and 4G.

I've no idea about CS: I've never used any of them. Why would I do that?

However, my grumble is that there is no sensible PAYG option for mobile broadband. You can buy a "bundle" that expires whether user or not, or you can pay a huge amount per megabyte.

Three's 1p/MB would be fine, but they cut you off if you use it in a dongle. Why?

On the A96 I found EE beats Vodafone 100%. If I lived in your area I would have voice phone on Vodafone and a mifi on EE or 3. Now Inverness has 4G, probably EE. I've seen more investment along there in 5 years from EE and 3 than from Vodafone. The Vodafone GPRS works, (unlike Hampshire) but it's so slow you give up.

Yeah I am ditching O2 for EE.

You know which variant of the S5 EE supply on their 4g packages?

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

Yeah I am ditching O2 for EE.

Should be usefully better, but then you will also have a different set of "no service" blackspots to discover

You know which variant of the S5 EE supply on their 4g packages?

Sorry no, I run SIM only contract.

As in which Cat of LTE?