Thursday, November 30, 2006
O2 - I Get Charged for Two Years not One!
FFS - today a huge bill arrived from O2. If there is a cock up to be made, they will make it. That seems to be the only guarantee from my experience.
Geez all I wanted was a frickin handset upgrade from a frickin cellular company. You would be forgiven for thinking that a cellular company could handle this near annual event.
But instead I was told the wrong price by a factor of three. Later I was told that all systems are down all day long. Next I was get told double the correct handset price and then the order never appeared.
And now today to put the cherry on the cake, the phone has arrived but I have been charged two years line rental for the SAME TIME PERIOD - meaning the bill was wrong by £120GBP! I called up and O2 said they would correct the bill. Recording here (2.5 meg mp3).
I'm lost for words at this useless bunch of pricks. The only reason I stuck with them was because where the particular phone will be used is in the middle of nowhere and O2 have the best signal.
Geez all I wanted was a frickin handset upgrade from a frickin cellular company. You would be forgiven for thinking that a cellular company could handle this near annual event.
But instead I was told the wrong price by a factor of three. Later I was told that all systems are down all day long. Next I was get told double the correct handset price and then the order never appeared.
And now today to put the cherry on the cake, the phone has arrived but I have been charged two years line rental for the SAME TIME PERIOD - meaning the bill was wrong by £120GBP! I called up and O2 said they would correct the bill. Recording here (2.5 meg mp3).
I'm lost for words at this useless bunch of pricks. The only reason I stuck with them was because where the particular phone will be used is in the middle of nowhere and O2 have the best signal.
Monday, November 20, 2006
O2 - No Frickin Phone Appears
On the 13 Nov I called back about the phone upgrade. Once again just as on the 26 Oct the agent said that I was not eligible for an upgrade. Once again I had to explain that I am. So it would appear that when O2 are alerted that their data is wrong they don't bother updating it. The agent then tried to charge over £100 for the phone and I had to remind her that on the 26 Oct I was told it was £50. After some fumbling she agreed. Talk about knowing nothing. What infuriates me is what the hell are those people doing there if they know jack sh$£ about their products, services or even customers?
I was informed the phone would be with me with me the next working day. I also paid the contract one year in advance (£120) to save money.
One week later the phone had not arrived. I called up and after being passed around was given something along the lines of I don't see any order being placed and I only see an inquiry. FFS. The agent the week before had promised me the phone the following working day and now this week O2 appear not even to have notes of a frickin order! How the hell a private company can operate like this I have no idea - investors watch out! Someone really needs to go undercover and get a job as a O2 service agent and film it. I'm sure it must be a complete in utter circus. The agent the week before had even went to lengths to post it (or so she claimed) to an address different from the billing address. But just like magic, no phone and now no record of an order being placed the week before. The new agent suggested that maybe a "system error" had occurred or the "upgrade didn't go thru correctly" and that if I was unhappy to write to the address on the back of the bill. Yeah right! More like the agent the week before was even more retarded than the others.
Call recording here minus the queues Etc (6 meg mp3).
I was informed the phone would be with me with me the next working day. I also paid the contract one year in advance (£120) to save money.
One week later the phone had not arrived. I called up and after being passed around was given something along the lines of I don't see any order being placed and I only see an inquiry. FFS. The agent the week before had promised me the phone the following working day and now this week O2 appear not even to have notes of a frickin order! How the hell a private company can operate like this I have no idea - investors watch out! Someone really needs to go undercover and get a job as a O2 service agent and film it. I'm sure it must be a complete in utter circus. The agent the week before had even went to lengths to post it (or so she claimed) to an address different from the billing address. But just like magic, no phone and now no record of an order being placed the week before. The new agent suggested that maybe a "system error" had occurred or the "upgrade didn't go thru correctly" and that if I was unhappy to write to the address on the back of the bill. Yeah right! More like the agent the week before was even more retarded than the others.
Call recording here minus the queues Etc (6 meg mp3).
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Amazon Credit Card Reviews
Tonight I wondered if I had been the only one to suffer endlessly at the hands of the Amazon credit card. I had been thinking that it was so bad that surely I can not be only one.
After 5 minutes Googling it was clear that I am far from the only one. For example in the Guardian:
I see here others have had similar experiences looking at Amazon credit card reviews at Review Center :
dannybro
allana
alvinlwh
And since this Amazon card is really just a Halifax credit card then Googling for Halifax credit card reviews brings up more very unhappy people! There would appear no end to complaints so shame on Amazon for sticking their branding on it. Again some snippets from Review Centre:
Churchmousester
fedupwithbanks
Joemaidenhead
Shopping Princess
Isn't it amazing how others have the same problems? There is no doubt I was not a one off case after reading around! How many others have been called 6 times a day 7 days a week like myself and harassed? How many others have been harassed for money which they do not even have a bill for like me? How many others have had late fees added onto cancelled cards way after cancellation even when they have never received anything in writing, not even a bill? Still to date I've NEVER had a copy of a bill or even seen a bill even though I have made three separate requests to date! How many others out there have had to suffer at what can not in any shape or form be rightly called "customer service"? And how many others have had to battle trying to get an online login and also how many others can not make online payments because their systems are down day after day?
Amazon listen! This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Nothing short of dumping HBOS will be. If that is not done, then go ahead and burn more brand credibility over time with this sour lemon. I doubt you will drop them as you probably have a cosy financial setup with them. So it would not be unfair to say that Amazon are as corrupt as HBOS. Certainly the longer Amazon refuse not to drop them, the truer this will seem, as time will be an endorsement of Halifax behaviour.
After 5 minutes Googling it was clear that I am far from the only one. For example in the Guardian:
Amazon's UK cardholders had a shock when they received a letter telling them they are going to be hit with a balance transfer fee for each debt they had previously transferred on to the card.
I see here others have had similar experiences looking at Amazon credit card reviews at Review Center :
dannybro
The worst online servicing I have ever experienced...Useless customer service...I will be taking out a replacement card with a better provider shortly, as the online servicing just plain doesn't work. You have to resort to paying your bill with a cheque in the post...
allana
Customer service and an online banking system that rarely works, and when it does it can misinform you...when you start trying to navigate the online section it is a complete mess, and that is when it works.
alvinlwh
the online banking/account is the silly HBOS one. This being a Halifax card, is a real pain to set up.
And since this Amazon card is really just a Halifax credit card then Googling for Halifax credit card reviews brings up more very unhappy people! There would appear no end to complaints so shame on Amazon for sticking their branding on it. Again some snippets from Review Centre:
Churchmousester
Never again! What a shame they don't invest some of their enormous Advertising budget into Customer Service!
fedupwithbanks
I have contacted Halifax on numerous occasions to sort out payment problems, as I have recently lost my job and have insurance to cover payments. Halifax have not written back or sorted out the problem, and all they do is continually call me via a call centre 6 times a day, and I have to speak to staff who know nothing and cannot help.
Joemaidenhead
I received a telephone call from the Halifax call centre explaining that my account was overdue (I hadn't received the statement in the post). I explained this, and I asked the person at the call centre, who didn't speak very good English (off-shore call centre. Surprise surprise), if my card had been charged the late fee. Apparently it had,...Halifax have NO goodwill in them at all. They do not see you as a person; just a number!
Shopping Princess
As a LOYAL Halifax customer for several years now, recently their customer service has been absolutely appalling.
Isn't it amazing how others have the same problems? There is no doubt I was not a one off case after reading around! How many others have been called 6 times a day 7 days a week like myself and harassed? How many others have been harassed for money which they do not even have a bill for like me? How many others have had late fees added onto cancelled cards way after cancellation even when they have never received anything in writing, not even a bill? Still to date I've NEVER had a copy of a bill or even seen a bill even though I have made three separate requests to date! How many others out there have had to suffer at what can not in any shape or form be rightly called "customer service"? And how many others have had to battle trying to get an online login and also how many others can not make online payments because their systems are down day after day?
Amazon listen! This is NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Nothing short of dumping HBOS will be. If that is not done, then go ahead and burn more brand credibility over time with this sour lemon. I doubt you will drop them as you probably have a cosy financial setup with them. So it would not be unfair to say that Amazon are as corrupt as HBOS. Certainly the longer Amazon refuse not to drop them, the truer this will seem, as time will be an endorsement of Halifax behaviour.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
O2 - "All Systems Are Down" - A Common Phrase
I called O2 on the 26 October to check if handset was eligible for upgrade and was told completely wrong information as detailed here. I was told during that call to call back on the 5 November to check to see if desired handset had arrived in stock.
I called on the 5 November and was told the handset was not yet in stock and if I want call again in the afternoon to see if the situation had changed. Yeah right, I've got nothing better to do than call and wait in large O2 queues. What amazes me is I doubt O2 are buying 5-10 phones! So presuming they are buying them on mass surely they know when they will get them? The girl even said it could be the 6th and offered no guarantees of when they would arrive. And the usual request of can you call me when you get them in was declined. So I decided to leave it a few days.
I called back on the morning of 7 November to request the handset upgrade presuming that they will now have stock but was told that all systems were down and to call back in a few hours (recording here - 95Kb). Although I've not blogged about it as yet, I am damn sick of this being a common occurrence when calling O2. The amount of downtime they seem to have is incredible from my experience and to make matters worse the staff seem to sound happier on those days.
A few hours came and I called back only to be told the system is down and to call back later (recording here - 150Kb).
Later on I called back again. I was told the system was down and to call back after 6pm (recording here - 604Kb).
After 6pm I called back again. I was told the system was down and to call back tomorrow (recording here - 886Kb).
Leaving aside the fact that their systems often are down or I am very unlucky, then why the hell do they queue me on an rip off0870 number for ages and make me push lots of buttons all for nothing? Why not instead flip to an announcement? I guess it is only because they like to make some cash of queuing you on the 0870 and have scant regard for customers time/money.
I called on the 5 November and was told the handset was not yet in stock and if I want call again in the afternoon to see if the situation had changed. Yeah right, I've got nothing better to do than call and wait in large O2 queues. What amazes me is I doubt O2 are buying 5-10 phones! So presuming they are buying them on mass surely they know when they will get them? The girl even said it could be the 6th and offered no guarantees of when they would arrive. And the usual request of can you call me when you get them in was declined. So I decided to leave it a few days.
I called back on the morning of 7 November to request the handset upgrade presuming that they will now have stock but was told that all systems were down and to call back in a few hours (recording here - 95Kb). Although I've not blogged about it as yet, I am damn sick of this being a common occurrence when calling O2. The amount of downtime they seem to have is incredible from my experience and to make matters worse the staff seem to sound happier on those days.
A few hours came and I called back only to be told the system is down and to call back later (recording here - 150Kb).
Later on I called back again. I was told the system was down and to call back after 6pm (recording here - 604Kb).
After 6pm I called back again. I was told the system was down and to call back tomorrow (recording here - 886Kb).
Leaving aside the fact that their systems often are down or I am very unlucky, then why the hell do they queue me on an rip off0870 number for ages and make me push lots of buttons all for nothing? Why not instead flip to an announcement? I guess it is only because they like to make some cash of queuing you on the 0870 and have scant regard for customers time/money.
