BTCellnet- The Consumers Complaint List-In the Public Domain

I have just received my BTCellnet January invoice in which I have been charged a total of £29.78 for two subscriptions for the period 5/12/01 to 3/1 and 4/1/01 to 3/2/01.

I was on the call advance tariff whereby I paid the rental a year in advance and I assumed that this would automatically continue. I am furious to receive these charges for the following reasons:-

1. No one told me that the system would automatically change my tariff to this one for £14.89 a month if I did not ring up beforehand to renew.

2. No one sent me a reminder to tell me the advance rental was due for renewal. Apparently it is not BTCellnet's policy to advise of renewals due.

3. The charge for December has only now been reported to me (a month late) and I'm told that my advance rental can not now be backdated. How can BTCellnet justify charging me after the event for something they had not advised me about beforehand? They could easily have placed a note on the bottom of my previous bill to advise me the subscription was due

4. Despite the note on the back of the bill suggesting the Customer help line or the Customer care manager would be able to resolve my problem they both told me that they could only follow BTCellnet's policy and there was nothing at all they could do to refund me the subscription charges.

I am very very unhappy about paying the subscription charges in the circumstances described above.

Links to other O2 Complaints

Editorial Comments

This can not really be called a complaint as it was Mrs Robsons careless attitude and negligence that caused the charges to be foisted upon her. Maybe if she read the contract she would have understood that 'ONE year up front' means exactly that - ONE year
Adam...4 December 2002

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Isn't it against the law for BT Cellnet to automatically 'start' an 'agreement/contract' (ie place you on the £29.78 tariff) without your consent? It is perfectly acceptable to expect a reminder to 'renew'. If they don't do that then shouldn't they under the conditions of the agreement/contract disconnect the service completely as you 'agreed' to 'one year only'? As far as I am aware they are not within their rights to do what they have done. If BT were forced to do this then they might find a lot of customers looking elsewhere for a better quality service.

You should be able to back-date the claim at any point if the payment was taken out of your account 'unlawfully', which it sounds as if it was.
Jenny...8 January 2003
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Cancelled yearly contract 18mnths ago, living in Spain, English mobile no use to me charges far too high. Now monthly amts taken from my barclaycard account since december, barclaycard will not stop these because I had a contract with BTCELLNET and it is between me and them. Each time I phone BTcellnet I'm put on hold bet reassured the matter will be dealt with as I have not used the mobile for 18 months.

Still money taken from my account in Jan03.It's costing as much to get this stopped and to be reimbursed as it is to contact BTcellnet!!As I cancelled this agreement in September 2000 but could get no refund for my yearly payment, I left it to expire -how can they now take money for a phone not being used? LE HOWARTH...12 Jan 2003
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On the 28th. January I phoned to renew my 60day subscription. I inadvertantly keyed in a wrong number from my card and was told that my application was invalid. The following day at Tescos I used my 02 E-TOP Up card. For which I paid £15. I now see that £15 is itemised on my Gold Visa State ment, meaning that a total of £30 was paid last month!! I am sure that I have not been credited by this amount and would like you to look into it. Yvonne Barbara West.. 14 February 2003
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Why You have't roaming service for Uzbekistan? My husband has connected BTCellnet one week ago, but I can't to send him sms from Tashkent(Uzbekistan)His number 7717445556.Please, renew the information and send it to Your roaming parthner Daewoo Uninel Company in Uzbekistan. Thank You. Venera Mansurova... 9 June 2003
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I received a phonecall back in March earlier this year, when a man told me that there was a photo phone going for free, where I would receive 500 free text messages and 500 free minutes worth of calls free. I asked if there was a catch and they assured me there wasn't. I went along with the agreement and was told the phone would reach me within 10 working days.

...After 3 weeks of waiting I received the mobile phone where I was astonished to find that it wasnt the one the man on the phone was telling me about. It was NOT a photo phone, which was the only reason why I purchased it. I was told if I didnt want to keep it, I was given 14 days to cancel the contract. Because I was put on hold for so long, so many times I managed to cancel it after 7 days. I also sent the phone back another 3 days later.

After 6 months of thinking that all was forgotten I received a letter from the debt recovery to tell me I owed £238.06 - as you can understand I was thouroughly peeved. The letter said I only have till this friday to settle the bill and if not they will take me to court. It is Tuesday now - and it seems that I cant even get through to 09063025151 - because they are always engaged.

I phoned numerous amounts of O2 Customer Service hotlines, but was told because it is O2 Online - I would have to register with them. I do not have a username or password because I never had an account with them. I do not even know the mobile number and therefore, can not contact O2 this way.
I am now, however, in a mess - and looks like if I dont get through to 02 then i will have to pay this large amount of money to avoid being taken to court - money of course I do not have.

I regret the day I received the phone call back in March - and will never even look at purchasing another phone on 02 Online. I just dont understand how anyone would have the nerve to do this to someone else. I am angry and also panicking because I just dont have the money to settle this friday! My advice is to stay well clear.......Phillippa Pirie ... 19 August 2003
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I too have been charged a monthly fee by o2 on my direct debit, even though i had renewed my yearly contract some two months earlier, so I am now paying twice for my mobile!I cannot get any reply from o2 about this and as a last resort have cancelld my direct debit.There should be some legislation to prevent this abuse of the direct debit system and BT should b taken to task.
Ron Robinson ... 5 December 2003