O2 network compensation: How to claim money back after service outage

  • Millions of 02 customers were without 4G data for a whole day on Thursday 
  • The network outage is thought to have been caused by faulty Ericsson software
  • Up to 32m people were affected with services being restored on Friday morning

By Ben Rabinovich

Published: | Updated:

Thursday was a bad day for O2’s 25 million UK customers after a software issue saw them have to go a whole day without 4G data services.

While the network was back up and running as normal on Friday morning, the outage meant they were unable to access the internet, and all the services on it, on their smartphones.

Millions have come out describing their ‘day of hell’. One woman, Jennie O’Grady, relies on O2 data to monitor her daughter’s type-1 diabetes blood glucose levels. 

A glucose monitor sends information to Jennie’s phone throughout the day. The 4G outage meant that she was not able to receive the information and know whether her daughter’s levels remained normal or became dangerously high or low.

Up to 32m people were affected by the outage, with services being restored on Friday morning

Up to 32m people were affected by the outage, with services being restored on Friday morning

‘We rely massively on her having internet access. She can be sleeping in her bedroom and it is sending me her blood sugar levels,’ she said.

‘I would get an alarm to say she is having a hypoglycaemic attack if her blood sugar levels dropped below four, which would mean she need treatment immediately and could go into a coma.

‘Without it I have been completely clueless and I have not been able to check on her.’

Others, including Luke Stagg, a plumber and heating engineer, were unable to get in touch with their customers.

‘That’s a whole day wasted,’ Mr Stagg said. ‘I’ll be seeking to recoup my losses, especially as a business customer.’

The outage is thought to have been caused by faulty Ericsson software, which has now been decommissioned

The outage is thought to have been caused by faulty Ericsson software, which has now been decommissioned

In order to complain, it’s a relatively simple process, although the outcome and any awarding of compensation depend on the specifics of the complaint.

The BBC cites consumer expert Helen Dewdney, who says that anyone who has been left out-of-pocket by the outage could make a claim. 

Citing the Consumers Rights Act 2015, Ms Dewdney says that customers can claim a refund for what they would pay on their normal contract for the time they were unable to use the 4G data.

It must be a genuine loss that can be backed up with evidence.

It is therefore advisable before starting the process to collect all the evidence of loss—copies of receipts, invoices, bills—and calculate the total.

Then, initiate the complaint process by following O2’s complaint procedure. 

If, after eight weeks O2 still hasn’t resolved the complaint, you can escalate it to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. O2 is a member of the Ofcom approved Ombudsman Services Scheme.

However, the outage didn't just affect O2 customers. The company also provides network coverage for Tesco, Sky, Giffgaff and Lycamobile, who have a total of 7 million customers. To complain, customers must follow those companies' complaint procedures.

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