READERS' FORUM:Have your say
What does it take to get an iPhone off your existing phone provider? A huge amount if the experiences of a couple of readers who contacted us are anything to go by.
One by the name of Caroline contacted O2 last month. She has been with the company since she got her first mobile phone 14 years ago – always as a bill-pay customer. “I never had a late payment or gave them any trouble over the years. So I explained to the very pleasant O2 customer services person that I would like an iPhone. She said I had a silver upgrade and explained that with that upgrade the iPhone would cost me around €370.”
Caroline asked what a platinum upgrade would give her and was told that if she was a platinum customer she would get her phone for free. “I asked if I could be upgraded to platinum and was told they don’t upgrade people. I explained that two years ago when I was out of contract with them I requested an upgrade and was accommodated and purchased a Nokia N95. She said this was unusual and not something she would be able to do.” Caroline asked what a new bill-pay customer to O2 would pay for an iPhone and was told it depended on the contract but it could be a very small cost or free. “I pointed out that surely they should be rewarding loyalty and not just new customers. I also told her that Vodafone and 3 were offering the new iPhone for under €30 to new customers and their packages were very competitive.” Her contract expires in mid-January and she is confident that the company will try to try tie her in for another year by promising her “the sun moon and stars” but, she says, she is not for turning.
A second reader, Charlie, had a similar experience. His iPhone died last month so he called O2 to see if he could purchase a replacement. “However, despite being a customer since at least 1994, and being out of contract, they were unable to offer me any kind of deal,” he writes. “I was told that an iPhone would cost me over €400 while a Samsung Galaxy S would set me back nearly €300, compared to €200 with a bill-pay deal with Vodafone.” When he mentioned the Vodafone comparison to the sales rep, “he shrugged his shoulders and agreed that I’d be best off going across the street to Vodafone. It strikes me as unbelievable that at a time when consumers are watching every penny that mobile operators would be so willing to let their long-standing customers walk away so easily.”
An O2 spokeswoman said that it valued its existing customers, sometimes above new ones. She pointed out that when it first brought the iPhone to Ireland, it only offered it to its existing customers. She said, however, that when they were in the middle of a contract, they were in a different position to new customers or ones at the end of their contract and seeking substantial handset upgrades was a significant change to the terms and conditions which had previously been agreed.
Super service from Amazon
Julie Mullen contacted us to highlight some good customer service “as we don’t always hear enough positive reviews, but are quick to complain”. She is certainly not wrong there.
Recently, she was given a gift of a new Kindle e-reader. “It quickly became my favourite item, so I was more than a bit upset when I noticed the screen was cracked and it wouldn’t work.” She hadn’t used it for a couple of days so couldn’t say how it got damaged.
“It’s in a Kindle case and was on the locker by my bed. Hand on heart, though, I can’t discount the possibility of knocking it on the floor and stepping on it, but I don’t think so.”
Seeing how upset she was, her partner immediately offered to buy her a new one but she decided that before she would allow him to take that step she would contact Amazon and see what repairs would cost. “Failing that, I was contemplating claiming on our house insurance. Anyway, I phoned Amazon on a Tuesday lunch time, and was told, without any quibble, that it was covered by warranty.” A new Kindle arrived at her door by 9am on the following Thursday.
“For customs purposes they charged me for it, but processed a refund simultaneously. I have now returned the broken one, and they also refunded the shipping costs. I did some Googling but didn’t come across any recent reports of screen problems, so I don’t think there’s a reported design flaw. I am one very satisfied customer, not least because it was replaced, but also because they made the whole process so simple.”
