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I’ve left Germany about 13 months ago and I need help dealing with O2’s terrible business practices.

After going through the borderline unethical contract termination procedure and failing to get O2 to cancel my contract I gave up and paid the remaining 12 months left in my contract. I paid the (supposedly) final bill happy that I would never have to deal with O2 again.

I was surprised a couple weeks later when €4 bill arrived in my email. I had already given hope and assumed this was just some last attempt to squeeze whatever money they could from me. I paid the bill assuming this was it.

Four weeks later I get another €4 bill. This time I check the bill and learn that they were charging me a fee for attempting to get a direct debit from my old bank account. This account was closed 18 months ago and I informed O2 of this when I was trying to terminate my contract! Apparently they never stopped trying to debit from this account so I was paying this €4 fee every month without noticing it. Now it seems they are charging me a €4 fee for failing to debit the previous €4 fee. I go to the website and learn there is no way to communicate this problem or update the information so I got to their online chat support service. I explain the situation and the person in the support chat tells me that the problem will be fixed if I pay the bill. Naively I comply as I had already prepared the transfer and I was desperate to be rid of this issue. 

Now I get another €4 bill but now I can’t even contact them as my o2 account was closed ( since my contract was actually terminated). So what is O2’s plan? Charge me €4 every month for the rest of my life?

I don’t know whether the cause of this is dishonesty or stupidity but I know I will make sure to advise anyone I know to keep their distance from this company.

Hi @worstcustomerserviceinteplanet, 

 

welcome to our English Community. 

 

I regret that you have such experiences after the termination of your contract. 

 

Of course, I will have a look and will try to clarify the charges for you. In order to check your data, I have just written a private message via @o2_Support to you. Please reply there to my request. 

 

Thanks a lot for informing us. We will certainly find a convenient solution for you. 

 

Loving greetings,

Tobias

Hi @worstcustomerserviceinteplanet, 

 

I just have replied at @o2_Support. Just have a look. 

 

Loving greetings,

Tobias

Hi @worstcustomerserviceinteplanet, 

 

nice that we could find a convenient solution for you. 

 

Probably, it is now the time to change your community-name here. :wink:  

 

Just feel free to contact us at any time, if you need the support of our English Community. 

 

Loving greetings,

Tobias

Wow, did O2 reimbursed you?

Hello @Gusgus,

I think you are addressing the thread opener directly?
We can't make a statement about that.

Kind regards
Jessica 🌷

@o2_Tobias Yes, it is true that a solution was found to my problem so that I don't have to give €4/month to O2 for the rest of my life. However, one might argue that this is a very low bar for what constitutes good customer service. In any case, I should emphasize that the support provided by you was indeed ok and I believe you did all you could to help me. Thank you.

 

Now, for transparency’s sake, to answer @Gusgus and to help anyone with similar problems:

I got “credits” from O2, which were used to balance out my “debt” and release me from my lifetime punishment. The quotation marks are to emphasize that I never got any actual money from O2 and that I don't, and did not, acknowledge the existence of the debt that I was being charged for. After all, It was entirely caused by O2's actions or lack thereof.

 

I never got reimbursed for the ~14x€4 I paid in extra fees (some of which were charged after the end of the contract). The fees were only there because O2 insistence on debiting a bank account that no longer existed, and I notified them of this (twice!) before coming here a year ago.

 

As for the contract termination procedures, automatic renewals and minimum cancelation periods, while arguably unethical and exploitative, they are mostly standard in Germany, so only a change in the law would improve this. Of course, one could speculate that overly eager sales people are very fond of such practices when dealing with foreigners that do not speak German very well and do not understand German laws. Moreover, the fact that most, if not all, other EU countries provide better deals, for less money and without draconian contracts, is telling.

 

Hello @worstcustomerserviceinteplanet,

I am really sorry, that your experience was really not ending positively with o2.
I’m just happy that it got solved.

Wish you all the best
Jessica 🌷

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