This companies customer service is shocking. Been trying to switch ISP to O2 Broadband for nearly 5 months. These are the attempts.

1. Tried to switch online. System did not recognise my bank.

2. E-mailed. Told to call Sales. Got a grumpy Scottish call centre worker who said my home phone number of several years did not exist. No attempt to resolve the matter.

3. E-mailed again. Told to visit an O2 store. Finally my order was accepted. Received a letter saying the switch was imminent. Nothing ever happened.

4. Called customer services. Did not know what the problem was. Someone would call back. No one ever called.

5. Called customer services another 2 times. Told switch would be soon. Nothing.

6. Sent letter to O2 complaints dept. Again no response.

I am probably lucky that I never switched to O2 if this is the kind of service it provides. Just how difficult is it for them to communicate. As a O2 customer with 2 mobile accounts that I am about to cancel it does make me wonder whether they want peoples business or not.

Yup, that's o2 for you.

I have had a long running battle to get a broadband service that they sold to me. They have never been able to provide the service they sold me in writing. Then...get this, because I have complained vociferously about this... they have decided to give me a MAC code, told me to go to another provider and if I don't... they will cut me off anyway by a certain date.

True. You would think that I had hurled abuse. But no. I am a journalist by trade and I am absolutely shocked that this could have happened. Yes, if you were dealing with cowboys you might expect this kind of response but o2. By the way the "all the monies" is pennies as I have only been with them for a short time.

But if anyone else has any problems, ask for all your money back. We didn't we just wanted the service we were sold and sold in writing!

Here's the letter.

Dear Mrxxxxx

Thank you for your email of 31 October 2008 addressed to Matthew Key.

I'm sorry to learn that you remain unhappy with our responses to the issues you've raised about the speed of your broadband connection. I can appreciate the frustration this has caused you in recent months.

I've reviewed your complaint going back to the first email you sent to Jonathan Moore about this in July 2008, along with the Head of O2 Broadband and my senior manager, and am happy with the speed of our response to you, and the level of detail provided, at every stage.

After a full review, I've come to the conclusion that, unfortunately, we cannot offer you the speed that you say you were sold at the start of your contract and therefore we're offering to release you from your contract without penalty, along with a full refund of all monies paid to us for your broadband service. I have raised a request to generate a MAC key so you can transfer your broadband service to another provider. If you do not use this by the time it expires, which is 30 days from the date it's generated, we will disconnect your broadband service. Once your broadband account is disconnected, I'll send you a cheque refund.

I have updated Matthew Key's office with this information, and, that from now on, we will only respond to you in writing only.

I'm sorry that we have not be able to resolve the matter to your satisfaction, however, as the relationship between you and O2 has deteriorated over the past four months, I feel it's best that we part company.

Regards

Jonathan Attwell Executive Relations Team Manager

t 0845 330 0683

Well my problems with o2 continue to get worse.

They in the end told me to put up or get cut off regarding my broadband.

Then the phone I bought from them went kaput. Faulty earpiece. A problem common with the Sony Ericsson I had apparently. o2 would do nothing at all about it. Only a repair. Or, get this, a refurbished replacement.

Their legal team were involved for god's sake.

How was it resolved? Sony Ericsson replaced it with an upgrade. While o2 wanted to go down the route of a court hearing which is the only way anyone would be able to get their basic consumer rights in my situation. They are a disgrace to business.

But it goes on.

I found out later that my broadband service was being limited in that my emails were restricted to 15 at a time. It turns out after much badgering, that all users are restricted to 25 at a time. No users were told about this. It was not even on the website. Again.... confirming the tagline again... the communications company that do not communicate.

Apparently it is to relieve congestion. What a nonsense. They just make it up.

They claimed that I was sending multiple emails, implying I spammed and I am still awaiting a response from them to invite them to see for themselves that I am not spamming. Sending more than 25 emails at a time once a week is not what I consider to be outrageous at all.

But I was getting blocked at 15 not 25 and they are not interested in doing anything.

But what gets me is the response I get. Read it for yourself. They won't sort it out.

Instead they threaten me with LEGAL ACTION for copying the chief executive which I only began because I was getting nowhere from customer relations. Legal action for complaining! Why should I be surprised by this shower of amateurs.

All I want is what I pay for and that is to be email the way I want ... it is not harming anyone.

Dear Mr XXXXXX

I write in relation to your recent emails concerning your broadband account.

We have discussed a goodwill gesture by way of compensation for the inconvenience which you allege you have suffered following our recent system changes. As I have explained, we will not be changing this system back on either an individual or network basis.

In addition, we have offered you the opportunity to terminate your service without penalty should you wish to find another service provider.

As you are unwilling to accept one of these offers to bring your complaint to resolution, we now consider this matter closed.

However, before closing the matter, I would like to bring the following points to your attention.

1. I remind you that clause 7 of the terms and conditions of your agreement with O2 states that:

“We may terminate your contract or suspend all or part of the Services if… we are no longer able to provide you with the Services”;

2. Given that we no longer supply the services you seek and you are unwilling to accept any of the options that we have given you in order to potentially resolve this complaint we consider these circumstances give rise to a right of termination on our part.

I wish to bring another matter to your attention. You have repeatedly sent your emails to XXXXX and XXXXX when you only need to send them to me. Accordingly, I ask that any future communications you wish to send to O2 be made in writing only to me at: O2 Executive Relations, Suite N, Arlington Business Centre, Millshaw Park Lane, Leeds, LS11 0NE. If you do not follow this request we will consider our legal options in relation to the unnecessary time wastage caused by any additional points of contact. As you have seen, I am responding to your emails in a prompt and proper fashion.

Further, this email constitutes notice that we may disconnect your broadband services in the event of any further behaviour which we consider to be unacceptable and in particular any breach of clause 7 of the terms and conditions of your agreement. I hope that this will not be necessary.

Yours sincerely

Jonathan Attwell Executive Relations Manager

t 0845 330 0683

Who says the customer is always right?

Well I for one don't think the customer is always right.

They may have cheap deals out there... but ultimately you will eventually need to use customer support... and my warning is, think twice.

You may think you have no reason to communicate with the, but when you have a service issue, and I have had not many but enough over five years and in each case they have been disgraceful.

It's your choice... but the letters speak for themselves.

I am allowed to register a complaint if my service is curtailed without communication.

o2's response is to tell you to f.. off.