It would be worth putting what has happened in a letter to them so that you have a record - keep a copy and ask the post office for proof of posting (or spend a few extra pence [75p?] on recorded delivery) - and so there can't be any arguments later. Most phone companies seem to be very poor at communications involving phone conversations.

Just to follow on from my previous post on this subject...

Thank you maxsteam for your suggestions... thankfully I cancelled the DD because, no surprise, they emailed me telling me that they were going to take the next month's bill as though nothing had happened. I wrote back, telling them that my account should be inactive... this is what they replied:

"Thanks for emailing us about your account.

I've checked your account and I can see that your account is still active.

I hope the above information is helpful. Log on to our website o2.co.uk to know more about all our products and services.

Kind regards

Broadband Customer Liaison Advisor "

As you can clearly see, it seems their communication between departments is at a complete standstill. I've no doubt I'll get a snotty email from them when they discover the DD has been stopped... but I expect that will be another story.

Final note: O2, get a grip and wake up!

Then I have no idea why I've been singled out for "special" treatment. People I've spoken to since have mixed reactions, but generally I've been told the service given to others in my circle has also been considerably less than expected. Indeed, a shared view to mine was experienced by an old friend who lives in Essex (I'm in Manchester City Centre) having gone through a similar chain of events.

I was on the phone to their technical support and customer service people several times; certainly averaging out more than once per month. I was even told by one customer service operative three months into the contract, that if the service hadn't improved by the end of that month, they would be more than happy to wave me goodbye without charges pertaining to the contract length (being 12 months). It improved, from a bad 2Mb average to around 4Mb. They could not (and still do not) offer any speeds more than 8Mb because their equipment is still not installed in the Manchester Central exchange - this after being told when I started the service that it would be no more than three months that optional speeds of up to 16Mb could be reached. I was even allegedly placed at the top of a "waiting list" for upgrading as soon as the service became available.

Of course, all this never happened; other providers have managed to run high(er) speed broadband from the exchange for several months; O2 seemingly lethargic to progress the situation.

On the technical support aspect, I cannot really fault them; they only have the tools provided to them. Customer Service, on the other hand, should and must be in full possession of the facts, and if I had know about all these problems and difficulties when I was considering them as a provider, needless to say I would have looked elsewhere.

@maxsteam: I spoke to them regarding the cancellation, and they told me that this would be automatic as soon as the new provider gave them details of the migration of service; I said "Are you sure?" and this was confirmed. So let's see if that holds water too...

Hi Alhast,

I'd have to agree with access here. O2 regularly receive rave reviews - not just about their broadband speeds but high levels of customer service.

I'm sure they don't always get things right - what company does? - but the reviews on our site broadly reflect the experience of a large number of customers, so I'm quite surprised by your experience.

Hi Alhast

I was stunned to read about your appalling experience with O2. I thought for a moment you were describing my experience in intensity of awfulness with BT. I switched to O2 a couple of months before the contract ended not caring about the penalty and went to O2 on the basis of the brilliance of the reviews here at MS plus industry awards and in general being number one in customer service by common consent. This was under new owners Telefonica. My experience with them has been brilliant updating text and all for everything when joining and even recently a text to say that they would soon be charging me after the intitial free period. CS by phone has been the real pleasure in that operatives are not only knowledging but their knowledge is broadly based so they don't keep transferring me - I only needed them at the start because I always like to double check things out of existence.

I can only say touch them with a bargepole.

It would be worth keeping a note of the time and date when you phoned to cancel and you should stop the direct debit after the last payment has gone, just in case.

I'm coming (thankfully and mercifully) to the end of a contract that I've had with O2 broadband for a year... and in that time, the service has been... well, to paraphrase a movie line, emotional.

First, my contract speed was supposed to be 8Mb/448Kb - for the first 10 weeks (yes, TEN!) I was lucky to get downloads of 0.8Mb. Their excuse? They were having issues with the BT exchange and hoped it would be resolved soon. Did I get an offer of a rebate? Not on your life...

Second, their router kept going on the blink. They sent another one out, and the same thing happened. For the last 8 months, I've not been able to get into the configuration element of the web application to it, because it doesn't recognise my Administrator password - the only user configured, and the only one that I use to get to see it all. I can configure some bits, but can I get into the main settings? One guess...

I spoke to the so-called customer service, who helpfully provided me with a "backdoor" pass... one which now, strangely, no longer works. Which means that they have complete control over my connection and internal LAN...

When I decided to leave them, I had a 90 second conversation with their "Customer Retention" person, who basically said "You want to leave? Fine, goodbye."

What a company... I'm surprised they're still in business. Although reading about their antics regarding no refund/no rebate etc., maybe it makes sense... after all, the old organized crime loan sharks are still around, aren't they?

Bottom line... don't touch O2 broadband with a bargepole.