I had been a customer with O2 since they were BT Cellnet.
They had provided me with excellent service at a reasonable price for many years.
However, when TalkTalk offered me internet for an outstanding price, O2 couldn’t match it (despite the opportunity I provided).
It was therefore time to carry out a standard consumer transaction: to cancel and change internet provider.
It’s a straightforward process that should take 1-2 weeks.
As a consumer, you simply get a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) from your current provider, and give it to your new provider when you switch.
Your providers sort the rest out for you.
My first cancellation attempt
I rang O2 a couple of weeks in advance of my intended switchover date.
The language I used is very important here.
“Hello, I wish to inform you I want to cancel my internet. Can I please have a MAC code?”
I was provided with a MAC code and gave it to TalkTalk, as I was told.
I was told no further action was necessary.
The switchover went as planned, and my internet provider was changed.
It was a month later that I found O2 were still charging us for internet.
I decided to find out why.
Attempt failed
O2 informed me that in getting a MAC code I had only expressed an intention to cancel my internet.
I would have to ring again to actually cancel it.
Fortunately, O2 would accept the current call as a cancellation, and would stop billing me from today.
Do you think that’s fair?
I definitely didn’t.
I had specifically asked what further steps I was required to take, and had been informed that providing the MAC code to TalkTalk was all that was required.
This I had done.
And yet I was expected to pay an extra month.
Naturally, I refused.
In the normal use of the word ‘cancel’, I thought I’d made myself pretty clear.
I rung to cancel, and had apparently failed to do so adequately.
I didn’t believe this was my fault.
My second cancellation attempt
As a starter, I asked what was different between my previous call and the present one.
How was O2 sure I was cancelling on this occasion, and yet I had been insufficiently clear last time round?
I was informed that it was because the switchover had occurred.
But this made no sense to me.
Having done law, I am used to arguing over the meaning of words and sentences.
In this case, there was no justification for the argument O2 were making.
I had clearly cancelled my internet provision and it being before or after the switchover date didn’t matter.
It is frustrating when companies make up this kind of attempt at brushing the consumer off.
Don’t take this sort of baseless claim.
Think carefully about what the company is telling you, and decide whether you believe it to be accurate, fair and justified.
The claim that I hadn’t cancelled my internet, despite thinking I had, simply wasn’t true.
So what could I do?
Didn’t you hear me the first time?
I asked O2 to have another listen to what I said.
Like most companies, O2 record their calls.
You are entitled to ask the company to listen to their recording if you think it will help your case.
In terms of my dispute, I recalled that I had clearly asked to cancel (I hadn’t called to inform the company that I was thinking about it).
I also remembered asking if there were any further steps I needed to take, and being told there wasn’t.
I thought this was strong enough evidence to show O2 that they were in the wrong.
If they listened again they might realised I had actually been clear.
It normally takes companies a week or so to listen to a previous call and make a decision.
I didn’t mind this, but requested that O2 stop billing me immediately and that they refund me any money paid after the switchover date if they agreed with me.
It’s always worth being clear about your expectations and make sure they will ring you back to confirm their decision.
Decision time
O2 agreed that my first attempt at cancelling could indeed constitute cancellation for the purposes of their internet switchover, and they agreed to refund me in full.
If you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong and yet you’re finding yourself paying too much, get the company to sort it out.
Trust in yourself – you’ll often turn out to be in the right!