O2 Disappoint Pay&Go Customers

I’m not happy. Not at all!

This Friday, the brand new iPhone 3G will be launched to the drooling masses. Up until yesterday, I was one of those, wiping saliva away and making sure my bank balance would be able to cope. That was until O2, the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the UK, made a late decision.

I hardly ever use my existing mobile. I’m a pre-pay customer on Orange. I get 5 free texts a day and I top-up about £10 every 2-3 months. I’ve currently got an iPod Touch and a rubbish four year Sony Ericsson which I carry around with me everywhere. It’d be nice to be able to combine these two devices into one. I’ve held off from the 1st Generation iPhone because of my limited mobile usage. It’s simply unjustifiable signing up to a £35 a month contract when I currently spend so little.

When Apple announced the new iPhone, O2 followed up by announcing their plans. Within the press release was mention of a Pay as you Go version. I was delighted. My delight was intensified when an apparent “technical glitch” caused the prices of the Pay&Go version to be released in error. The prices were quickly pulled, but I managed to catch a glimpse and was pleased to find O2 wasn’t charging too much. To sweeten the deal, they were even throwing in 6 months of free, unlimited public wifi and 3G data. Brilliant!

Then the rumour mill started to churn, as it does with all Apple products. People were suggesting the Pay as you Go version was to be delayed. After two weeks of misinformation at O2 stores nationwide, on O2’s customer service line and by email, the waiting thousands heard yesterday, four days before the expected launch that the rumours were true. The pre-pay iPhone would not be available until Christmas! CHRISTMAS!

Unbelievable! How horribly disappointing! Why they waited so long to tell us I don’t know. Why they’ve decided to deny those not wanting to be roped into an expensive, 18 month contract I also don’t know. I was ready to give them my money this Friday, but turns out, they don’t want it.

These were my first ever dealings with O2. I can’t say I’ve been very impressed so far with their indecision and lack of internal communication. I didn’t think a first impression could get much worse, but already, that’s been proved wrong.

Upon closer inspection of their website (which crashed yesterday under the strain of those wanting to upgrade), it appears there is an option for those like me. If I get hold of a 1st Generation iPhone, I can pop a free Pay&Go sim card in it and away I go. Today, I went into my local O2 store, as instructed by the website, to get my SIM card in readiness of me being able to track down a reasonably priced 1st Gen. Perhaps not surprinsingly, they didn’t know what I was talking about. They even went as far as to suggest that I had got it wrong and directed me back to the website I had come from.

It’s such a shame that O2 have the iPhone monopoly in the UK. After these first encounters of a company who clearly don’t know what they’re doing, I really don’t want to become one of their customers. But I really want an iPhone! I seems though that Apple are more concerned with making money from their exclusive deal with O2 than they are with ensuring their previously loyal customers don’t have to jump through hoops and sign their lives away to get at their new products.

Were you planning on getting a Pay as you Go iPhone 3G? Do you feel you’ve been let down? Vent out using the comments form below.