3 Times a charm
Oh great its down again when i was reading my work emails.
Way to go O2.
O2 UK customers are again being left disconnected, disenfranchised and disillusioned as they struggle to get a data connection for the third time in as many weeks. O2 tells us that network problems are affecting "some users", but reports from far and wide indicate that the nationwide network is rejecting connections over 3G …
I phoned CS to ask if they were going to start crediting accounts as this was happening far too regularly. No they aren't. He also said that we didn't pay for the data network, it was a free with our iPhone account. I said they don't give anything away for free and it was part of the tariff we pay. No, it was a free service for iPhone users he replied. I did mention that one of the selling points of the iphone was the data connection, after all the iPhone without the data connection is just a poor spec phone!
It seems we should just be thankful when it is up and have no complaints when it isn't working and certainly shouldn't rely on it.
... and I'm affected...
Are O2 struggling with the about of data iPhones are bringing to the network? Since 3GS was introduced (and seems to be practically sold out everywhere), there seems to be quite a few problems with the network.
Isn't there any insiders in O2 who can get the real story on the problems?
I've managed to dodge the bullet on the last two outages, but this time even I was wrenched from my beloved internet connection.
Seriously, with the way O2 has been going for reliability of their network, as soon as my (now looking unfortunately overly long) contract is up, I'm going elsewhere...
o2's data network (or voice for that matter) doesn't work for 30%+ of the time in areas of central London. For iphone users in any case.
Many, many of us have reported the same problems. o2 seem incapable of providing a quality service in London.
Areas with known problems:
Moorgate, Old Street, London Bridge, Waterloo, Victoria
Had a problem with a 3G dongle in Sheffield, went into the shop and to be fair they did (after some pressure) actually plug the damn thing in to a laptop and try it. Then they got onto someone who came up with the 'they're upgrading the network' BS.
What can you do? At least O2 have a shop where you can pester someone. T Mobile have a shop where they just tell you to take a hike if you start complaining and BT closed their shops years ago.
I spent several hours at a festival in Victoria Park, London, on Saturday with "No Service" on my O2 phone, watching people around me happily talking away on other networks. It meant I couldn't meet any of my friends for the whole festival and spent the day on my own! When I got half a mile away from the festival it all kicked in again as normal.
O2 are absolutely atrocious and I fear are getting worse in London.
Having perfectly reasonably explained my issues with the service, business retention put me on hold. When they picked up, it was some else entirely, to whom I had to explain the issues again. She hung up and put me back on hold where another guy picked up the phone, forcing me to explain a third time. At the end of all this, all I have is the complaints address. A postal address at that! I suggest everyone writes to:
O2 Complaint Review Service
PO Box 302
Dunstable
LU6 9GN
I have an iPhone and noticed last night that iTunes popped up a messagebox asking if I wanted to accept new carrier settings. As I've hacked my phone to give me free tethering, I said no. Today, my phone is right as rain so it seems fair to surmise the new carrier settings don't work.
Personally, I think O2 trying to prevent parasitic tethering by people like me is the reason they've had these data problems over the last fortnight.
So sorry: my bad.
PS. Tethering rocks. I switch my router off at home because I rarely need it any more.
So. The internet was down for a maximum two hours.
Did you know what I did?! "Oh, nevermind then, I'll try in a while"
I tried in a while... and it worked! Woo.
It didn't ruin my life.
It didn't break up my marriage.
It didn't kill my kids.
It wasn't as bad as 911.
GET A LIFE.
You'r lifes must be so easy going. Instead of worrying about my internet being down through my iphone and not being able to access "FACEBOOK" or Myspace - Im worried about my job security, the economy and my increasing bill charges. I'm worrying if the Iraq war will ever finish and if soldiers will stop being killed over some vain Fat Cats.
Ask yourself. Are you REALLY complaining about two hours of internet loss!??!!
REALLY!?!
O2 have really got to sort out this problem. I've been told by customer services to not bother turning 3G back on until they call me back to officially clear the open fault I have logged with them.
With 3G turned on, I cannot make or receive calls, and definitely no data. Phone works fine on 2G including data.
Is anybody having this same problem?
Last time they had an outage (they've had wayyyy more than 3 in a few weeks, it's just that most aren't big enough that enough people notice for it to reach the press) they spent considerable time blaming my handset (because it "isn't supported" - though working fine otherwise, my SIM card (perhaps the contacts are dirty causing my speed slow down, uh huh yeah...), and just about anything else.
This time I'm not taking any more crap, they get £120/month off me, and I spend more time without data of late than I do with it, and when it is "working", I spent most of my time waiting for a page to lo<connection lost>, reload, downloa<connection lost>
You get the idea.
Still a result this time, they've started acknowledging it as an O2 problem (called 'em while it was screwed so they couldn't argue) and got a £46 + VAT refund. Still not good enough that it dies (I'd rather it just worked) but at least they're starting to cough up.
This morning I declined to receive new carrier settings via iTunes. Should I have accepted them? Will it cause my brain to ache from the influx of new data? Of course, I don't think I've actually received a text all day, so perhaps I should? Oh, the confusion.
I was out in town at lunch, looking for a bank where I work, whipped out my phone for google maps... "Unable to connect to the internet" it says...
Ok... I'll phone someone at work... 4 bar signal, yet I couldn't make a call
Ok, plan C.. ask someone ! I had to actually go and physically talk to a real person to find out what I wanted... c'mon O2 this isn't on ;)
Visual Voicemail didn't come back for the rest of the afternoon.. kept saying "Unable to connect, there are more voice messages on the server" When it finally did come back, there were no messages... hmmmm !
>Ask yourself. Are you REALLY complaining about two hours of internet loss!??!!
>REALLY!?!
Yes - Really! a 2 hour downtime of data for me means that I could have spent all day photographing an event with 'competing' photographers, and not being able to send my pictures in when other people can... they make sales, I don't..
I have a mortgage to pay that relies on me having data access when I need it.. not when it's convenient for the network operator...
Thanks for your concern.
said DIrk Gently, the words coming easily from force of habit...
And in the real world, Damn and blast O2 - my BlackBerry seems like it only works where there is a wi-fi connection, and has done for quite a lot of time lately. I think I might buy a set of carrier pigeons.
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The past few days i've been at home and using the WiFi through my iPhone, however come to work in a 3G area (Staffs) and I have the same message of the server has stopped responding! I'm not impressed! Grrrr http://www.theregister.co.uk/Design/graphics/icons/comment/fail_32.png