02 Select Customer.

[victimjode]

Hi, dont know if anyone can advise me on this one.
I am a select customer on 02 mobile phone services as i run 2 business phones on the account and have been a customer for 12 years. I recently entered into an upgrade on one of the phones signing for a new 18month contract.
I'll try and keep this short, but after a series of mistakes 02 finally deleivered my new handset.................. ............then......... .......
I returned home from work 5 days later, to find my daughter had taken delivery of a parcel.......Another handset from O2.!!!
Now bearing in mind this a duplicate handset worth £350, i have to admit i was tempted, BUT being honest, i phoned O2 today to advise them of their mistake in sending out a duplicate.
The customer advisor said i would have to take the handset to the postoffice and return myself and that they could not arrange for a courier to collect the phone their courier had delivered due to their error.
I asked to speak to a manager, who was unbelivably rude!! She asked what i wanted.............. i said only for them to arrange collection of their £350 phone they had sent out in error......she went on to tell me that it was my responsiblity to get the phone back tot them, or else now that i had brought this to their attention, they would bill me for the handset, and if i refused to pay they would send in baliffs!
I was to say the least shocked at the treatment was showing one of their so called 'select customers'!
I have since within hours phoned up to cancel my contracts with them (even though it will incur me a £315 bill for cancelling contracts early) as i am so disgusted at this managers service.
Now ive got all that off my chest..................ca n anyone tell me if this is right.................... ...someone has told me if something has been delivered and its the senders error, they are responsible to arrange return or collection.
Is it my responsibility to get this handset back to them, or is it their responsibility to arrange this themselves.
Thanks to anyone that can throw some light on this for me
Really upset 02 ' select customer'!!! so much for the select!

[lyns]

Hi I have actually worked on the o2 select customer services in the past and I cannot believe that this has happened. When I worked there I would have arranged a collection and offered you some sort of credit for being so honest! Lets face it most people would have said nothing- if i was you i would ring back as i think you must have maybe got someone who was new to the job and i really dont know what to say about the manager?!? Try them again you may get a better respoonse this time!

[MrShed]

First of all, principles are good things to have but not if it will cost you £315! Don't cut off your nose to spite your face!!!

To the point, I THINK(although would await confirmation), that it falls under the unsolicited goods act, as it is subsequent to the goods you actually ordered - could be wrong however. I think they absolutely have an obligation to collect - why on earth would you have to send it back!! Ridiculous - theres no way I would even consider sending it back - I would await the baliffs to come and give it to them

[ruskorod]

I had two pda's delivered from o2 and i kept quite about them this was about 18 months ago, hav'nt heard owt from them about it since!!!!!!!!! sold the second 1 on ebay......

[blacksheep1979]

hmmm not sure if this would be unsolicited goods or not as its a duplicate order - but it is their responsibility to arrange collection of the handset. At worst case you hand it to them in court or as mr. shed said to the bailiffs (make sure you get a receipt if anyone collects it).

[rosiecotton]

No, it's not unsolicited goods - however it most certainly is their responsibility to correct their own error. I can only imagine a judge's face if something like this was to come to court - to be honest, it would be thrown out before it even got too far.

[rightfullymine]

i have been an o2 customer since way back in cellnet days, my husband also, he was tempted away by vodaphone and also orange but readily admitts that he was wrong to leave o2 and has now returned to them. i have always found o2 to be very realiable and helpful, i did buy a handset on the internet once but will never again, it had a software problem and they would not exchange it until i went to trading standards.
my husband and i are now loyal o2 customers and deal only with our local o2 shop where the staff know us and are always happy to help us with any problems...
i am really surprised how you have been treated by o2, they should collect the phone from you as its thier mistake -
maybe you should talk to your local store, they could possibly return it for you but make sure you get a reciept for it, or they will call head office and sort it for you to save the stress. bet you wish you had kept quiet now!! so much for being honest eh !
rest assured u did best - karma rules!!
if this is sound advice please tick my scales

[demon_x_slash]

I have to second the above with my experiences - since I switched from the appalling Orange five years ago, to O2, I've had nothing but excellent service. I was very surprised when I read the first post as it's not something I would have imagined O2 capable of... but I suppose the honeymoon can't last forever... *sigh* Let us know how you get on.

[bazak1]

me too,
i have been a pay and go customer with o2 since they were cellnet and have never had a problem.
i have contacted their helpline several times and wrote to them too and always received helpful replys to my queries.
i am very shocked at reading what has happened and lets hope this kind of thing doesnt happen very often.
the way i have been treated over the last few years with them has been agreeable and without fault and if they continue in that way i will continue using them as my mobile service provider, but if the service starts to fail and problems commence, then i will be off, because as i'm paying for the service, i want one i'm happy with. lets hope that doesnt happen, because you dont get many companies that seem to get it right, and they do, or at least they have up to now.

[adamseymour]

That is WELL wrong. They did the same thing to me, and I too was tempted but my conscience got the better of me so I told them the mistake they made. They sent me a new jiffy bag thing to put the phone back into, all I had to do was take it to the post office and hand it over. Have you got details of names etc, I would definitely write a complaint. HOW RUDE!
by the way I was well impressed by O2's professionalism until recently, I think they have a bad batch of staff at the mo!

[victimjode]

Thanks everyone for your comments and support.
We have spoken to 02 again in order to retreive our pac codes to transfer provider..............
this time we spoke to a very nice man in the Select Customer service department who said he was extremely sorry to see us go, and advised strongly to write a letter of complaint about the manager in question. He advised us all complaints have to be followed up. He said as much as hed like to he could not go over this managers head, but did say he thought it was 02's responsibility to collect the goods.
Although we have returned the goods...... (by giving up my lunch hour to spend waiting in long line of people at the post office), we have sought some advice on the matter and have been told to not just write a letter of complaint to 02 but also to inform Oftel of the situation.
We are also trying to find out if this parcel could be classified as unsolicited goods (although its a grey area) but we noticed when packing it up for return the order number is totally different to the original handset.
Off now to the Vodafone shop to move our business.
I know we're having to pay 02 alot to leave them before the current contract date ends, but we feel so strongly about the way we've been treated, and it will go down as a business expense so its so so hard on ourselves. We will be writingto both 02 and Oftel regarding this now we've had some feedback, and we are waiting to see if this could possibly have been classified as solicited goods, so we have all our facts before writing.
Thanks Guys for all your feedback, i really appreciate it, and i'll update this thread if theres anymore news!.................... Oh and it all goes to prove honesty does'nt always pay!

[adamseymour]

Unfortunately that is true of some cases. I know its a lot of trouble changing etc but I would be completely the same. Its the principal now. Mine wasnt a business account but still, the core problem was the same and Im sorry Im not using o2 anymore as they really are a good company but Like I said its the principal. Good luck with your complaint!

[Jimmey]

I think you've made a terrible mistake.

02, like most other similar companies, doesn't actually run it's own call centres, so to speak - They contract separate marketing or telecomms companies to answer the phones for them, and issue to these companies certain terms, conditions, targets and criteria that they feel they aught to meet.

In effect, it isn't directly 02's fault that you've been treated this way, as the training and monitoring of each individual call centre worker is the responsibility of the agency running that specific department.

And so it might been debated that you're punishing 02 as a company for something they themselves would never allow.

As part of these aforementioned "criteria", each employee of such agencies is required to pass regular checks - Which is why your calls are recorded when you phone in. All you needed to have done was lodge an official complaint, giving the time of the call and the name of the agent that you spoke to. This would have almost definitely resulted in that agent being sacked, as any unpleasantness would have been recorded by that agent's employer.

02 would have been just as disgusted as you were, and would have sorted the situation for you if you had just kept a cool head.

[installspark]

Originally Posted by Jimmey

I think you've made a terrible mistake.

02, like most other similar companies, doesn't actually run it's own call centres, so to speak - They contract separate marketing or telecomms companies to answer the phones for them, and issue to these companies certain terms, conditions, targets and criteria that they feel they aught to meet.

You are only partly correct there, O2 DO run their own call centres. Select Customer services is based in one of these locations. Only Upgrades and certain Customer Services are outsourced.

Either way, the treatment given to OP is shocking to say the least especially from a manager. Certainly a letter of complaint is warranted; in relation to the return of the phone this would depend as to whether or not the system shows 2 handsets being ordered and delivered.

If there is only one handset showing as ordered and delivered this would then be considered unsolicited good meaning that the OP only has to make the goods available for collection for a period of time, after which he can then dispose of the goods if not collected. The collection is the responsibility of the company.

In any other instance, except a 14 day cease and return, I would make sure a credit was raised against the account to cover the cost of return (Special Delivery) and an additional small amount to compensate for inconvenience caused.

[davethorp]

Was it really necessary to revive an 18 month old thread?

[Jimmey]

This one sits top of the results for a google search of 02 select customer. So I thought so. Sorry.

Originally Posted by installspark

You are only partly correct there

Thanks for clearing that up.