Complaint About O2

[securespark]

Here's a letter I've just fired off to O2:



Friday, 12 December 2008


Dear Sir or Madam,



Re: 07984 XXX XXX


I am writing to complain about your security procedures. I rang PAYG customer services tonight, as I had a problem topping up my sim.

It would seem I had not registered the sim upon first use, so I was asked security questions based on when it was last used, how much credit remains and when I last topped up. It is an occasional use sim so I genuinely could not recall answers to the questions. All I know is that the sim has not been used for a fair while (possibly as much as 6 months), the last credit balance I have recorded is £4.85 and I cannot remember when I last topped up. I seem to recall it was by debit card, as I don't think I have ever topped up by any other method. I asked if my debit card number or the fact that I ported a number to this sim would be valid security, but was told no.

Effectively, I have an O2 sim I would like to continue using, but cannot, as I have been told I have failed the security process. There seems no other option available to me than to discard the sim and start again with another sim card from another network.

Yours sincerely






Simon Abbott


Has anyone else had similar difficulties?

 

[Rob]

No offence but I doubt they'll be bothered about losing £10 a year. O2 have got plenty more complaints coming there way though from me!

 

[Stivino]

I had a similar thing happen to me with O2 regarding security questions. I was asked to tell them a mobile number I had dialled recently. I said my Mum. That's no good he said, it was the number he wanted. I said I didn't know it as I don't search my phone book by numbers I do it by name. He actually let me check my phone book so that I could give him the number.

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Get your own back.

my bank rang me the other week and started to ask lots of security questions as they had something to discuss (sell probably ), I then asked them a question to verify that it was really the bank, I asked how much do I pay by direct debit to a certain company each month. They didn't know so I hung up

 

[breezer]

are sim cards on PAYG not cancelled if not used for say 30 days?

and who cares anyway? big companies dont read diy forums, and this weeks special offer is get a new PAYG sim card with a packet of crisps

 

[securespark]

It bothers me that they have security questions I genuinely cannot answer and have to lose my PAYG credit balance & ported number because of it!

 

[breezer]

put the shoe on the other foot.

some joker claims to not know the security password, but wants some info, are you going to give it?

NO

Its not their fault, you, being the owner of said PAYG sim don't know the answer to the question regarding the PAYG sim, is it.?

I am sure you would be the first one to whinge and moan if they gave me your details, they are only doing what they state they will do in the contract. If you were in contact with them on a daily basis and were on first name tems I would have sympathy, but you are not and appear to be blaming them for your incompedance, although its a strong word, its true.

 

[FourFootMedia]

I found their security pretty lacking the other week...

My contract SIM died, so I went to an o2 shop, asked for a new SIM, they went out the back got one and gave it to me, I left the shop.

Obviously the new SIM didn't have my account details/number attached to it, so I called o2 told them my name and asked them to transfer the account with phone number 07xxxxxxxxx attached to SIM number <number off the back of the new SIM>. 2 Minutes later it was done.

To prove a theory I did the same with a friends account, within 5 minutes I had disabled the SIM card in his phone and transferred everything to a new one I just picked up from the shop, should have abused it and made loads of premium rate calls on his account.

So all you need to know is their full name and phone number, then you can steal their account and number.

 

[breezer]

FourFootMedia as you said

I found their security pretty lacking the other week

perhaps they have changed.

unless it depends on who you speak to at the other end.

Securespark, which would you rather have had?

yours

or FourFootMedia's experiance?

although you dint get it your way, it was better than what FourFootMedia said

 

[hairyben]

Get your own back.

my bank rang me the other week and started to ask lots of security questions as they had something to discuss (sell probably ), I then asked them a question to verify that it was really the bank, I asked how much do I pay by direct debit to a certain company each month. They didn't know so I hung up

I've done that, they don't 'alf get snotty

But hey, the geezer rung me out the blue and was asking me for my mothers maiden name- sensitive security info- all I did was ask him to prove his own credentials- which he couldn't until I'd proven who I was by supplying him information that could be used fraudulently.

But RBS went one better recently- girly only rings me up out the blue and asks for login characters for my online banking! On further interrogation they don't share my opinion that asking customers to share such information with people who ring them out the blue is a serious security flaw

 

[securespark]

Breezer... I take your point entirely and I told the guy I was speaking to that I understood he had security questions to ask.

What I cannot understand is that there were no alternative security questions to ask in the event I could not provide the information he requested.

I gave him my full name & address (they posted me the sim in the first place) and the mobile phone number, but all he said was that I could have stolen that information.

 

[securespark]

But RBS went one better recently- girly only rings me up out the blue and asks for login characters for my online banking! On further interrogation they don't share my opinion that asking customers to share such information with people who ring them out the blue is a serious security flaw

Banks should NEVER do that.

If I were you I would report them to the banking ombudsman.

 

[hairyben]

But RBS went one better recently- girly only rings me up out the blue and asks for login characters for my online banking! On further interrogation they don't share my opinion that asking customers to share such information with people who ring them out the blue is a serious security flaw

Banks should NEVER do that.

If I were you I would report them to the banking ombudsman.

The real handbanger was, I phoned my branch "we know nufink, talk to the online people", so I phone the online people, and spent a couple of minutes trying to find out whether or not an RBS employee should EVER ask for login information. Pretty simple question, but the girly I spoke to did really didn't know at all. No idea. Couldn't tell me. Went away and came back and still didn't know. So what she says is she'll look at my account and see if there's any notes on it- can she have the 1st and 3rd letters of my login....

RIGHT I THINK YOU'VE JUST ANSWERED MY POXY QUESTION OKAY??!!??

"oh, well we'll ask it when looking at your account info..."

Do they breed people to be this especially thick?

 

[Agile]

I lost a rather nice number because I did not register the sim very quickly.

I had my car broken into in Telford and a couple of older phones stolen. My nice number was in the memory of that phone but I had the first and original sim card so it did not bother me much at the time.

Later, I discovered that the thieves had obtained a replacement sim card and T-Mob would not discuss the matter with me as I did not know who the thieves were. They refused to share the information with the police as no crime had occurred as far as they were concerned.

After a few months they stopped paying for the sim and the number was discontinued. It took me some time but someone at T-Mobile was going to assign it back to me.

Then a very rude lady called Sally decided to cancel that arrangement and told me that I was telling lies. I told her I would send her the original sim card but she just told me she was not interested and ended the call.

For some reason, no one at T-Mobile is willing to over rule this lady so I lost my number and have never had any apology or explanation of how she is able to behave to customers like that.

Tony

 

[securespark]

I got a late call from a guy in the 02 complainys dept today.

He agreed that the call centre bloke I spoke to was harsh in denying me access to the sim.

I asked him what information I could give him to convince him I was the rightful holder of the sim. He told me I had provided all the information I could in my letter (see above) and that that was sufficient.

When asked why the other guy could not accept that, he was at a loss to answer.

Anyhow, the other guy has disconnected my sim, so this bloke said he would send a new one, port the old number to it & put £5.00 credit on it.

So, I maybe small-fry, but they were very keen to make amends.

Top marks to 02 this time!