[access-uk] Re: An O2 story with lessons to be learned

Ah, should have read the later emails.  So, it was trading standards who
gave you the legal advice.

Cheers

Barry
 

-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Jackie Cairns
Sent: 24 February 2011 10:13 AM
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: An O2 story with lessons to be learned

Hi Tony

S and S were more than happy to restore my software, but the problem was
that because O2 had lost, destroyed or damaged my N82 - they gave me various
scenarios - it was going to cost £52 for a cross-phone transfer because
Nuance require an IMEI number to which the software is tied.  I think O2
were hoping to pay nothing, or as little as possible, and because I wanted
to get like-for-like and not have a branded phone, I stuck it out.

It's very hard and stressful though, and you need to be determined and have
your wits about you at all times.  I sought legal advice from Trading
Standards, and they were more than helpful.

Anyway, with any luck, I've got a satisfactory outcome.  I could have
threatened to take O2 to a Small Claims court, where they may have had to
pay me compensation for hurt feelings and all that.  But, at the end of the
day, I just wanted a phone that worked, not someone elses, and I felt that's
what they were giving me, any refurbished half-baked piece of kit they could
find.

Still, hopefully sorted, but a real reminder to people to be extremely
careful about sending in handsets to network carriers who are completely
clueless, even if they appear to understand at the point of entry.  Once the
phone goes to the Repair Centre, not Nokia, you've had it!! 


Kind Regards,

Jackie Cairns
J&M Work-Ability

jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.work-ability.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
tony sweeney
Sent: 24 February 2011 09:45
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: An O2 story with lessons to be learned

Hi Jackie, 
 
Thank you for sharing that horrific story with us! 
 
I can kind of empathise with your story as once my phone needed repair and
although I told o2 not to interfere with the assistive software guess what,
just what they did, wipe it I mean!! 
 
I was lucky that my Talks supplier replaced it no problem without a charge. 
 
I have to add in fairness that I find o2 great apart from that incident. 
 
Anyway well done on your perseverance in getting your problem satisfactorily
resolved. 
 
Tony

        ----- Original Message ----- 
        From: Jackie Cairns <mailto:jackie.cairnsplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>  
        To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
        Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2011 9:23 AM
        Subject: [access-uk] An O2 story with lessons to be learned

        I hope the moderator will forgive a long post, though I will try to
make it
        as brief as possible given it is a complex story that requires the
major
        points only for this purpose.
        
        In December, I switched from Vodafone to O2 because I get a better
signal
        with O2 over here.  I was reluctant to do so as I had been with Voda
for
        many years, but I got a decent Simplicity tariff from O2, and that
was fine.
        
        Unfortunately, however, when I went to replace a SIM card in my N82,
the
        holder in which it sits came off in my hand, and I was unable to put
it
        back, so therefore couldn't get the card to lie in its slot so it
could
        connect.
        
        I took the phone to my nearest O2 dealer, explained what had
happened, and
        specifically requested they did not touch the software on it, merely
        repaired the SIM card holder.  They knew it was an unlocked and
unbranded
        phone.  Now this is a very important point.
        
        One week or so later, their Repair Centre rang to say that the phone
could
        be fixed if I was willing to pay £28.81.  I asked if the SIM card
holder had
        been fixed, and that everything else on the phone was as I had left
it, that
        is, Talks etc.  They said it was, so I paid the fee.
        
        When the phone came back a week later, I was shocked to discover an
N86,
        locked and branded to O2, sitting in a flimsy box.  I contacted the
store
        and Repair Centre at this point.  I was told that O2 do not accept
unlocked
        and unbranded phones for repair, and that mine had either been lost,
        destroyed, or flashed, meaning my software had been wiped.
        
        A very long and drawn out period then ensued.  The Store Manager,
who had
        been initially very helpful, suddenly went on leave following a
bereavement,
        and his Area Manager took over, a less helpful person.  I refused to
accept
        the N86 given it was locked, branded and refurbished, and didn't
even come
        with a charger which is different to that on an N82 anyway.
        
        I sought legal advice, and that got things going in my favour.
Yesterday,
        the Area Manager received the letter I had been advised to write and
copy to
        various departments of O2, so they were willing to listen to reason.
Glenn
        Tookey at S and S had given them costings for an N82 that he still
has a few
        of, plus putting Talks onto a phone etc, but they weren't really
interested.
        
        During a conversation I had with the Area Manager yesterday, where I
advised
        him he had to settle the dispute within 14 days, he said he wished
he could
        give me any handset, but was limited in what he could offer.  He
happened to
        say: "I'd give you an iPhone, Blackberry, anything if it was helpful
to
        you".  When he said iPhone, I decided instantly that it would be my
best
        route.  I've always resisted going down that road, and am happy with
my iPod
        Touch.  But when he offered me an iPhone fourth generation 32GB,
with my
        current Simplicity tariff plus an extra five quid for an unlimited
data
        plan, I took it.  He didn't know about VoiceOver, and wondered how a
blind
        person would use an iPhone, which is why he'd never offered me one
in the
        beginning.  I explained how it works, and that Apple has a
commitment to
        accessibility.
        
        So everyone, the moral of this story is that if you have problems
with an
        existing Nokia phone which contains your Talks or K-Reader software,
don't
        assume it will go to Nokia to be repaired as I did.  Don't also
assume that
        a carrier like O2 will accept an unlocked or unbranded handset,
because they
        don't.  And be prepared for a run-around if it goes wrong.
        
        I am not keeping too well at the moment with my back, and this took
a lot of
        energy and stress to deal with.  But I made O2 give me something
suitable in
        the end.  I could have stuck with the refurbished N86, but I already
have an
        N86.  I felt that taking the iPhone for £20 a month on my current
tariff
        with the inclusion of unlimited WiFi and Hotspots, 600 minutes and
unlimited
        texts on a SIM only contract was the best I could get.
        
        So, as my iPhone is coming within the next few days, I'm going to
join those
        of you who are working your way through the steep learning curve to
use it.
        An iPod Touch is one thing, but an iPhone is a bit more than that,
so I'll
        certainly welcome any help if I shout for it.
        
        Sorry for such a long rant, but there are things worth noting as
I've
        discovered over recent weeks.
        
        Kind Regards,
        
        Jackie Cairns
        J&M Work-Ability
        
        jandm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
        www.work-ability.co.uk
        
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