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UK thread - Why no unlimited text bolt on?

R

redblue27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 19, 2009
4
0
I am thinking of getting the 3Gs but cos I am deaf, and I do rely on texting ALOT...

(Please don't say use email instead cos the majority of my friends/family don’t have email on their phone!)

My wife is a 3g user and have unlimited text bolt on her tariff for an extra £7.50 which I think is perfect for deaf people like us.

But...now O2 have decided to remove this option from any of the iphone tariffs and have no plan to re-install this bolt on.

(although O2 offer a new bolt on for unlimited text to 5 people on a O2 network which isn't a great deal cos alot of us are on Vodaphone, Orange and T-mobile etc)

This is a deal breaker for me; I simply have to have an unlimited bolt on for my tariff. What I don’t get is, O2 still offer this bolt on option for other phones such as Samsung, Nokia!

Why victimise us iphone user!?
 
I have exactly same problems as you, I have rung up serveal different numbers and different managers, they all say different things but all comes down to 'tough luck'

Can anyone advise us what we can do?
 
i stil have my unlimited text bolt on
they removed it as an option just prior to the 3.0 upgrade, presumably to rake in more money when we all decided to send loads of mms's.

but existing customers still have it until next upgrade , then it will come off i guess.
i am using my old sim in a new phone so still have it on my contract. as i wasnt eligible for upgrade till jan
 
i am sorry but its a definite no.
i was gonna take mine off, but was warned not to as i wouldnt be able to put it back on.

o2 at its best.
 
Very annoying!

Because O2 STILL offer unlimited bolt-on text for any other phone manufacturers on a new O2 tariff. The iphone is the only make that O2 is not offering unlimited text for!

Why?

What is the reason for this? As far as I am concerned, I cant see any valid reason for this!

I am hoping after a very formal letter of complain to O2, asking them to stop discriminate iphone users and let us have a choice of bolt-on options just like any other O2customers!

I hope all those who was hoping for unlimited text will do the same and write in!
 
Um...I called them yesterday about 5pm and got this added to my account. Unlimited text bolt on for £7.50 a month extra.

Guy never mentioned it'd be disappearing soon or anything like that.

The option is there to add is, argue the point.
 
Dunc80 said:
wow, i will try them again now ..and see if they bow to pressure!
Click to expand...

I called 0870 241 0202 (or 202 from an O2 handset), pressed option 1, then option 0 for ('other issues'). The guy I spoke to was very swift in activating it for me with no problem at all. They have it. Tell them your friend definitely got it activated yesterday and you want that too. Hope you get it! Let us know.
 
179202 said:
I called 0870 241 0202 (or 202 from an O2 handset), pressed option 1, then option 0 for ('other issues'). The guy I spoke to was very swift in activating it for me with no problem at all. They have it. Tell them your friend definitely got it activated yesterday and you want that too. Hope you get it! Let us know.
Click to expand...

do you mean that you have to have the iphone first then ask for the unlimited text or did that when getting new contract?
 
i have rung them and still no luck at all .. can you tell me how did you do it?

thanks

D
 
Dunc80 said:
do you mean that you have to have the iphone first then ask for the unlimited text or did that when getting new contract?
Click to expand...

I had the phone first. I came home, opened my iPhone, activated it via iTunes etc and called O2 to begin porting my number over from Orange. I told them I was looking at their website and saw the unlimited text bolt-on, the rep said 'yes. for £7.50 a month extra you can have unlimited texts.' So I asked him to activate it, and he did. Very painless.

I don't understand why O2 are giving it to some people and not others?
 
179202 said:
I had the phone first. I came home, opened my iPhone, activated it via iTunes etc and called O2 to begin porting my number over from Orange. I told them I was looking at their website and saw the unlimited text bolt-on, the rep said 'yes. for £7.50 a month extra you can have unlimited texts.' So I asked him to activate it, and he did. Very painless.

I don't understand why O2 are giving it to some people and not others?
Click to expand...

Yea thats what i did when i changed my bill to £45 to £35. Just asked to add the unlimited texts and they added within 24 hours.
 
I've bought the iphone online .. hopefully rec it on tuesday and then will phone o2 to add the unlimited bolt on. Has anyone else have the same success?

Thanks
 
Signed up to a new 3GS contract (£45 pm) and the guy just added it on for me! Said it was an option on the system so didn't see why not.
 
Had a chat about this in the O2 store on Friday with there staff - they all agree its crazy don't offer it!

Perhaps you should of considered the business tariff?
 
Those of you that can't get the bolt on - what tariffs are you on? I thought I read somewhere that you can have it if you have so many free mins?
 
Yeah, I'd mention the fact being deaf the actual phone aspect is almost useless to you. Although, you do pay for a voice service as well as a text service… Id argue they should cut off the voice minutes and just give you text allowance instead anyway (what I wish they would do as I'm a texter :p)

O2 are really treating the iPhone like some special case even though at the end of the day, IT'S JUST A PHONE LIKE ANY OTHER.

I phoned up as I was getting a problem with the data service subscription thing even though I'm on simplicity with unlimited web. They told me I had to either use the PAYG sim(in which they added £10 w/o me asking…) or move to an iPhone contract. She said this with the most argumentative voice ever.
I told them I was unhappy with that and said I'll sort it myself. So I did. It was only a different APN setting FGS.

If iPhone moves off O2, I'm moving network I think. I hear O2 are getting the Samsung Android phone and the Palm Pre. To me it looks like they're trying to corner the market and keep prices high on these types of phones…
 
I realise that people are getting in a tizzy about pricing but there is a massive recession on and contrary to popular belief that doesn't always mean cost cutting to gain custom! It generally means prices going up. It's happening on all the networks although they cunningly disguise it.
 
Have you tried the textfree application?

EDIT: Sorry - ignore. It's not available in the UK
 
Hello RedBlue27

Have I seen you around? I'm also deaf, and I have the iPhone too. As I've told a lot of other deafs, the 02 iPhone contract tariffs are absolutely ***** for deafs. You're paying a lot for rather few minutes and very few texts.

Easiest option is to get it on PAYG, and then get 02's Simplicity SIM, which has unlimited texts for £20 a month. You'll have to pay for a data bolton after a year, but the prices should be cheaper then.

If you want to save more money, get a second hand 3G iphone, and get an 02 SIM off Amazon - they sell a few with a year's free data plan.

To save maximum money, get a normal O2 PAYG sim, and top up by about £15 a month. You get about 500 texts free (sometimes unlimited) plus go for the cheaper £7.50 data plan, which is taken off your £15 monthly top up.

You then have £7.50-odd per month accumulating, which you can use to buy an extra text packages if you suddenly send a lot of texts in one month.

That's what I did (I got a 2G iPhone a few months ago). After 3 months of paying about £15-20 per month, I have £30 left-over sitting in my account after paying for all my calls, texts and data. Not bad.
 
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