O2’s data outage on Thursday left more than 32 million people without connection, including those supplied by the likes of GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile, Lycamobile and Sky Mobile.

The firms all run on O2’s Telefónica cables – which meant when the server went down, so did their online access.

The data glitch occurred at around 5:30am on Thursday morning – and quickly spread through the country like wildfire.

Today, it’s business as usual and O2 has issued a full apology for the crash. It said an investigation has now been launched – but what are your rights if you’ve paid for a service you didn’t receive?

We’ve run through your O2 compensation rights already, so here’s what you need to know about every other network.

You can get updates on whether O2 is still down here.

Are you entitled to compensation for O2’s outage?

You may be able to claim for the following:

• Money back while repairs are being carried out if you’re still without service – although most people should now be back up and running.
• An additional refund or account credit once it’s live again to cover the outage period when you didn’t receive the service you paid for.
• In some cases where you have been without service for some time, you may also have the right to leave your contract penalty-free. There may be a term in your contract saying you can do this if your provider has failed in its obligations to you or breached a key condition.
• If you’re forced to incur any extra charges because of the outage, such as having to pay for public wifi, you can complain to your provider and ask for compensation to cover those unexpected expenses. Keep all evidence including receipts and emails for this as you will have to prove the expenses in your claim.

How to complain and claim money back

If your provider fails to repair a fault by the date promised, or you are unhappy with how long it is taking, you should follow their internal complaints procedure. You can get in touch with O2 here or the rest of the providers below.

If you raise a case but it’s still unresolved, or solved without good reason, you can submit your complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme after eight weeks.

If your problem cannot be resolved, ask your provider for a ‘deadlock’ letter so that you can refer your dispute to the relevant ADR scheme directly before the eight week mark.

Ofcom has approved two ADR schemes – CISAS and Ombudsman Services: Communications.

Word of warning

All networks affected on Thursday will be experiencing huge wait times on customer services lines today, so be prepared for this. Aim to call from the device registered as this will be free, and if possible try using social media or online chat tools instead.

If there’s no rush, you can email them and they’ll respond to you in due course.

GiffGaff compensation

Dozens of people have been complaining to GiffGaff about compensation for yesterday’s outage – however the company is yet to response. Mirror Money has asked the provider for a statement on what your rights are.

One customer said: "I would like compensation as I have lost a lot of money today as I use my phone for business it’s a complete and utter joke."

At this stage, your best bet is to contact them directly and raise your concerns.

Tesco Mobile compensation

Tesco Mobile hasn’t issued a statement on what customers can do if they’ve been left out of pocket by yesterday’s outage however you are within your right to escalate any concerns with them and claim back any losses.

They may offer to give you a free day to make up for the loss, or another incentive by way of an apology.

Sky Mobile compensation

Sky Mobile has apologised for the inconvenience caused on Thursday and says it’s giving everyone a day of free calls to make up for it.

"We’re really sorry for the issues you experienced on Sky Mobile yesterday. We’re giving you a day of free unlimited UK data this Saturday 8 Dec, so you can catch up on all the things you’ve missed," a statement on its website said.

However, if you’ve incurred any extra charges or feel that the company has left you down, you can claim back any losses or raise a complaint here.

Lycamobile compensation

Lycamobile customers are largely pay-as-you-go and may of them are abroad – which means it would have been an even bigger nightmare for people trying to get online – or contact people – around the world yesterday.

To raise a concern, the best thing to do is:

• Dial 322 from Lycamobile, though be aware of a £0.09 charge per call
• Or dial 0207 132 0322 from another network phone or +44 207 132 0322 from abroad.
• Alternatively, send an email to [email protected] or complete this form and they’ll get in touch with you.

Read More

O2 down

Source: Read Full Article