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Did anyone complain about O2's "unlimited" data plan and get a letter from the ASA?
- Thread starter MacMonkee
- Start date
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So basically they can claim whatever the f*** they want on their website and the ASA can't do a thing about it.
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Like the letter says, it's like for this claim to be covered by legislation (i.e. despite the ASA not being able to do something, it may still be against the law).
I too would suggest calling your local C.A.B. and seeing what advice they give, it's completely free and totally impartial advice, and they will give you numbers/addresses and websites of those who would be in a position to deal with your complaint.
I too would suggest calling your local C.A.B. and seeing what advice they give, it's completely free and totally impartial advice, and they will give you numbers/addresses and websites of those who would be in a position to deal with your complaint.
I think I already complained to Ofcom online but have yet to hear anything. However writing a letter sounds like a good idea. Companies usually respond better to a written letter as opposed to an email.
Come on everyone join in!!
Evry day that goes by I'm less than impressed with O2. Each day that goes by the chances of me getting an iphone with O2 is less and less. Im probly going to wait for v2 witch is hopfully going to be with vodafone. If o2 is offering the iphone with the cloud wifi means they not going to bother about EDGE. Also there "fair use policy" is one of the most pathetic things.
There will be a lot of people realising O2 are a crap carrier, the trouble is most of them wont realise it until they have already got the iPhone and signed up for everything.
Apple were very sneaky by not going with Orange in the UK whilst they went with them in France. Mean they get more money from international and cross network calls.
As for there policies well they are worth less than the paper they are written on. My very first mobile was with O2 in 1999, then all of a sudden they just decided the phone was to old and cut both mine and my then girlfriends numbers of.
C.A.B told us that at that time as it was a pay as you go there was nothing we could do about it.
In the South West O2 coverage is crap, we have about 3 starbucks in Devon and Cornwall, I think Apples sales figures for the iPhone will be very disappointing for this region.
I was looking forward to getting an iPhone, I don't mind the cost of the handset or the £35 a month contract, but O2 is a big NO NO.
Apple were very sneaky by not going with Orange in the UK whilst they went with them in France. Mean they get more money from international and cross network calls.
As for there policies well they are worth less than the paper they are written on. My very first mobile was with O2 in 1999, then all of a sudden they just decided the phone was to old and cut both mine and my then girlfriends numbers of.
C.A.B told us that at that time as it was a pay as you go there was nothing we could do about it.
In the South West O2 coverage is crap, we have about 3 starbucks in Devon and Cornwall, I think Apples sales figures for the iPhone will be very disappointing for this region.
I was looking forward to getting an iPhone, I don't mind the cost of the handset or the £35 a month contract, but O2 is a big NO NO.
if i get time tonight, i'll write the letter and put it up for you guys to print off and send too
in the meantime, my thoughts are i'm certainly going to get one, but i'm certainly not going to get it on o2.
they've screwed me around one time too many in the past, and they'll obviously try and screw me again. sorry, no dice. tmobile's got my contract money (mmm, 10Gb data allowance).
in the meantime, my thoughts are i'm certainly going to get one, but i'm certainly not going to get it on o2.
they've screwed me around one time too many in the past, and they'll obviously try and screw me again. sorry, no dice. tmobile's got my contract money (mmm, 10Gb data allowance).
It really annoys me that none of you seem to understand that it's a fair use policy.
Have you actually considered what this entails? Nicolasdec - I've told you in several threads that this does not mean your data is limited to 200mb but you don't seem to listen.
Having seen the training material on both the iPhone and the tariffs - all I can really say is that you'd have to do a large amount of surfing and data usage with email to actually approach the real physical limit that o2 have in place, which extends far beyond that 200mb.
-Leemo
Have you actually considered what this entails? Nicolasdec - I've told you in several threads that this does not mean your data is limited to 200mb but you don't seem to listen.
Having seen the training material on both the iPhone and the tariffs - all I can really say is that you'd have to do a large amount of surfing and data usage with email to actually approach the real physical limit that o2 have in place, which extends far beyond that 200mb.
-Leemo
i think they realise that and dispute that using in excess of 200MB of data in one month is unfair use on a unlimited plan.
I think the main issue is that people discuss it as though your data will be stopped, or you will charged after the '200mb limit' - which really isn't the case. It's 'unlimited' in the sense that o2 will not charge you for going over the limit, nor will they instantly restrict your service. As I've mentioned previously as well the limits of usage are actually much higher than they advertise. Showing it as '200mb' gives them a clause to use if people heavily abuse the service. Average people (even those using around 500mb a month) won't be affected.
-Leemo
This is gonna sound a complete silly question...
But if I use my home wi-fi, will that use up some of the 200MB?
But if I use my home wi-fi, will that use up some of the 200MB?
No, the limit is through the EDGE network. The real 'barrier' is much higher than 200mb though.
-Leemo
If Im doing 500MB a month (and I doubt I will after the first few months) and nothing is said then fair play. I think they should have maybe advertised the theoretical 'limit' as being a bit higher in all honesty though. 500MB and half the people wouldnt be complaining. Maybe they thought that would make people more likely to do 500MB all the time who knows.
BTW are you getting this information from a source or you speaking from experience with o2 / another provider?
Cheers for your post has cheered me up a bit
i think it's a point of principle for a lot of people that unlimited ought to mean just that.
this what they told me about what they would do if you break the fair use policy:
Regarding the fair use policy, since we don't expect the vast majority
of our customers to reach this limit, we will deal with customers that
go over it on a case-by-case basis. We will be flexible with the limit
and point out to customers where they have gone over, but we will not
cut off their service.
Hi all, relax - there is a better way of getting this investigated by the ASA (who I have found to be brilliant with such dubious claims as 'unlimited data').
If they have a hangup with online advertising then all you have to do is refer to other forms of ads. For instance, posters, off-the-page magazine ads, direct mail, TV, Radio and so on. So, who has seen the exact same claims being made by O2 using other forms of advertising?
I have contacted the ASA about the claim and submitted a lengthy complaint and will, no doubt, receive the same letter. Time to resubmit I suspect, once I am subject to the same O2 claim but via a medium that the ASA will respond to properly.
Right - where are those ads!
If they have a hangup with online advertising then all you have to do is refer to other forms of ads. For instance, posters, off-the-page magazine ads, direct mail, TV, Radio and so on. So, who has seen the exact same claims being made by O2 using other forms of advertising?
I have contacted the ASA about the claim and submitted a lengthy complaint and will, no doubt, receive the same letter. Time to resubmit I suspect, once I am subject to the same O2 claim but via a medium that the ASA will respond to properly.
Right - where are those ads!
I too am glad to hear that not much will happen once you go over the 200MB limit but I just don't think it's right that they are calling it unlimited and then saying the fair use is 200MB. I completely understand a fair use policy on anything which is suggested as unlimited but for a phone which has amazing internet capabilities this just doesn't seem enough.
If they will let u go up to 500MB before they do anything then why not have the fair use at 500MB instead of 200MB? If and when you reach 500MB then they inform you and if you continue to abuse it then they start to do something.
If they will let u go up to 500MB before they do anything then why not have the fair use at 500MB instead of 200MB? If and when you reach 500MB then they inform you and if you continue to abuse it then they start to do something.
We all understand thats its a fair use policy, But o2 is using it as a way to sell you a good unlimited plan and a crap one. you can pay £7.50 for an "unlimited" web plan (with a fair use policy of 200MB) or you can pay £30 for an "unlimited" web plan (with a fair use policy of 3GB). So they are using the excuse of Fair use as a way to sell you different LIMITED web plans. Now the normal consumer will be fine with the 200MB unlimited plan. but most people wont. I have been playing with an iphone for 1 weeks now and i aredy transfer 50MB of data, (going on bbc, Checking my e-mail). Now i hope when i do get my iphone and when i go over the 200MB limit nothing will happen to me.
Link (For people that dont belive me that there are different unlimited web plans)
When I posted the link to the Advertising Standards Authority (on a different thread) the other day I did mention that the adverts hadn't started to run yet.
They should start in the next few days, so that will be the time to start firing off the complaints.
They should start in the next few days, so that will be the time to start firing off the complaints.
The policy itself doesn't seem that bad.
Calling it unlimited is the problem.
It raises expectations then you're told that it's 200, but they won't really come down on you if you go over.
What that tells me is that they are more interested in marketing than providing service.
I'd still get the iPhone and pay what I had to, though =D
Calling it unlimited is the problem.
It raises expectations then you're told that it's 200, but they won't really come down on you if you go over.
What that tells me is that they are more interested in marketing than providing service.
I'd still get the iPhone and pay what I had to, though =D
While I don't doubt your experience, I'm sure you could find a substantial number of people who have received poor service from any of the mobile carriers, e.g. my wife who tried for about 3 months to get a faulty handset repaired by Orange and eventually gave up. They're all as bad as each other IMHO.
Exactly my point. O2 should really be saying it's a 200MB data plan or just give us more data.
And I'll get the iPhone no matter what too!
