Wednesday 9 July 2008

O2 Replies re iPhone

I got this reply from O2 regarding the lack of feedback when I submitted the order form for an iPhone on Monday.

Hello Duncan,
Thank you for your email about the new iPhone 3G.
I've checked your account and I can assure you that there is no order placed for new iPhone 3G on your account. You can also confirm from your bank that if we've taken any amount from your credit card account.
Your 18 month contract started on xx March 2007 and you'll complete your contract term on xx September 2008.
You'll be eligible to upgrade your contract on xx August 2008.
To upgrade to the new iPhone 3G, please email us on or after xx August 2008. We'll then help you further.
I hope you will find this information useful. If there's anything else we can do for you, please reply to this email.

Kind regards,
O2 Customer Service.

Nothing unusual in the first section, but the second topic prompted the tone of my reply:

Thank you for that confirmation.
Regarding the upgrade being only available in August 2008, this is totally different to the information stated on the O2 website, where existing O2 users can upgrade to the 3g iPhone.
I feel cheated now, and wonder how many other customers are in the same boat.
What a waste of 3 hours on Monday, a waste of research into the new iPhone that your site mislead me into believing that I was able to get at the launch.
I'm off to ponder my future with O2.
Duncan

Did I misread the website launch information? If so, why did I get a text message on Monday after registering my interest in June? All that this is doing is putting me off buying an iPhone, as I'm noting how much I like the smaller size of my existing phone (a Sony Erricson K800i). It has a 3.2mp camera, much better than the one in the new iPhone. All this started because I was wondering about upgrading to a smart-phone when my contract came up. I wasn't persuaded by what I saw in the HPC/XDA range. Then I saw the keynote speech for the Apple iPhone and was sold on it. For me, it was a true convergent device, something that people have been talking about for over a decade. Every problem I heard (eg no video capacity, lower-spec camera, no turn-by-turn GPS) was met by me thinking that "yes, but it can do so much more".

In the end, though, if the mobile phone is not as good as my existing mobile phone, do I care enough about the other aspects of the iPhone to put up with this launch hastle? Why should my "fight or flight" response kick in for something as unimportant as a mobile phone? It isn't even the Friday launch day and already I think that O2 and Apple have lost a customer.

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