O2 Increase PrePay call Tarriffs

wiggum

Saw in the Irish Times today that O2 are increasing their charges to their pre paid customers ...

Customer on "early bird" have their "peak hours" increased BY 6 HOURS. This means that calls to Meteor/Vodafone/3 have increased during these hours from 19c to a whopping 63c per minute. :mad: :mad:

Customers of "night owl" have also had their off peak hours reduced.

This comes at the time when Vodafone are matching Meteors prepay text for life offer. For most people O2 is one of more expensive options for prepay customers.

swingking

I'm really fed up of O2 at the moment

1st: They end 1c wknds
2nd: They increase the hours of peak

grr

Asok

I guess thats me off to 3

JTMan

Makes me sick what the telcos especially O2 do with their complex tarrif marketing games ...

The comreg quarterly survey really backs up the claims that as a general rule for most usage types O2 is more expensive. The survery listed the market share by number of users and then listed the market share of revenue. The percent of money taken from irish mobile customers exceeds their percentage market share - the same does not apply to Meteor. I know this is not the most scientific method to compare tarrif charges this but it provides some guidance as to average operator tariff costs.

Vodafone prepay do have expensive peak call charges to other networks for but at least they are trying to complete with the challenge from Meteor ... O2 just seem focused on business and contract while at the same time squeezing their prepay customers.

Solair

I really don't understand O2, they seem to be failing to launch anything interesting either from a price or technology point of view.

No serious 3G roll out yet, high prices, poor marketing...
iMode's not really very exciting, can't see any difference between iMode and the likes of services provided via WAP 2.0 on 3, Vodafone etc..

What's going on!? They were innovative at one stage!

Squeezing prepay customer's is a dangerous game. They can leave at the drop of a hat and keep their number. I can see a BIG flight to Meteor in particular.

Webmonkey

Right thats me gone too now id say, screw them. Sick of their crap

cupthehand

O2 are definetly going the wrong way about prepay customers, I for one am off to Meteor or maybe Vodafone.

Could anyone clarify a few points for me about Meteor first though......

1). Can you use Meteor webtext to text any international number?
2). Have Meteor only got sets of 100 txt bundles and not 200, 400 & 800 like O2?
3.) Can I change over to them online or what is the actual process in changing?

Sorry for all the questions now but am fairly sick of O2 so its either Meteor or vodafone for me.

Urban Weigl

I just checked the web site, and the prices and times are still the same!? When are these price increases supposed to come into effect? My family won't be very pleased having to pay more for the same service. Perhaps you miss-read the ad?

cupthehand, to answer your question number one, no, Meteor webtext will not let you text international numbers. Only local numbers work.

wiggum

Urban Weigl wrote:

I just checked the web site, and the prices and times are still the same!? When are these price increases supposed to come into effect? My family won't be very pleased having to pay more for the same service. Perhaps you miss-read the ad?.

It comes into effect on May 7th ... no suprise that they have not updated their website. The web link in the ad links to the business section of their website ... they really just don't give a sh** about prepay customers any more.

Can you use Meteor webtext to text any international number?
No but international texts are 15c with meteor versus 25c with O2.

Have Meteor only got sets of 100 txt bundles and not 200, 400 & 800 like O2?
Their bundles are 150 plus you get unlimited free meteor texts.

Can I change over to them online or what is the actual process in changing?

AFAIK ... You have to go into a Carphone warehouse, 3G or meteor store.

barrett1965

I can't understand what o2 are doing by increasing their tarrifs when every other operator is ruduceing theirs. I was actually considering moving from Vodafone to 02 recently because of the laters high charges, but after reading this post, I am staying put. In fact, Vodafone have just brought in two new price-plans which aren't bad. I have chosen the Advantage one. 19c to Vodafone and landlines and 49c to al other networks - anytime.

Also with o2, why are they the only network who charge for voicemail? I asked a rep once and she give me a yarn about their extended off-peak charges and 1c calls at the weekend; that's no longer the case though.

Urban Weigl

Could someone post the new tariffs? So far, nobody has, and obviously they're not on the web site either.

cupthehand

wiggum wrote:

It comes into effect on May 7th ... no suprise that they have not updated their website. The web link in the ad links to the business section of their website ... they really just don't give a sh** about prepay customers any more.

Can you use Meteor webtext to text any international number?
No but international texts are 15c with meteor versus 25c with O2.

Have Meteor only got sets of 100 txt bundles and not 200, 400 & 800 like O2?
Their bundles are 150 plus you get unlimited free meteor texts.

Can I change over to them online or what is the actual process in changing?

AFAIK ... You have to go into a Carphone warehouse, 3G or meteor store.

Thanks for the answers, might change to Vodafone me thinks

legs11

im with 3 for a bit now, left o2. and of course their legendary web site is never working when you need it.
leave em now chaps:D

Cork

Reducing off peak hours is an effective price rise - let the consumer beware.

I was actually hoping that 02 would give us free voicemail like meteor and vodafone.

I'll stick with them a while longer but with number portability - I'll be checking out callcosts.ie

Are Tesco Mobile also on the horizon?

barrett1965

Cork wrote:

I was actually hoping that 02 would give us free voicemail like meteor and vodafone.

I made the cery same point earlier. I'd love to know why they charge for voicemail. They couldn't really be making much money from it.

Sam Vimes

Cork wrote:

I'll stick with them a while longer but with number portability - I'll be checking out callcosts.ie

not a good idea tbh. it doesn't take account of any of the offers that the various networks offer

empirix

Actually changed from O2 to meteor last year, best thing i ever done

Urban Weigl

I just called O2. They have NO plans to decrease the off-peak hours (or indeed increase the peak hours).

Further, they have a friends & family offer for prepay customers, where you can nominate three (3) other numbers on O2 and call them on the weekends and off-peak for just 1 cent a minute.

So for example if you're on Early Bird, you can call the three (3) nominated numbers all weekend, public holidays and between 8 am and 6 pm during the week for 1 cent/minute.

chrislad

I know someone who works in an O2 store and she told me they were being changed. She got an email about it last week. Not a price change directly, but a change in the peak hours.

GBX

One of the things o2 boasted was the long off peak hours. I'll be thinking about changing too

Webmonkey

Wish they saw this thread to be honest and see what is happening. They really would want to get their act together if they going to keep a share of the market.
I can tell you i definetely leaving as soon as i get enoguh money to get new phone and it will be meteor id say.

Solair

It's very short sighted as often a prepay customer will mature into a bill pay one. Not to mention there's a very high profit margin on prepay too!

All this will do is drive lots of people to Meteor, and possibly 3.
Vodafone's prices aren't all that attractive either.

O2 and Voda have always treated prepay customers as second class citizens though. E.g. charging for customer service calls, neither Meteor nor 3 do this...

O2 also has all of the call forwarding etc features locked out and charges for voicemail which is a bit nasty.

JTMan

barrett1965 wrote:

Also with o2, why are they the only network who charge for voicemail?

Why? Because they can and they like squeezing their Irish customers to ensure their ARPU is one of the highest in the world.

Incidentally the change in peak hours has increased their voicemail charges as well as O2 have a "peak" voicemail charge ... scandalous.

As you pointed out voicemail with Vodafone, Meteor and 3 is free.

barrett1965

Fungus wrote:

Incidentally the change in peak hours has increased their voicemail charges as well as O2 have a "peak" voicemail charge ... scandalous.

I forgot that...you really have to be on the ball with these networks, especially with o2. I think they are the sneakiest of the lot.

Urban Weigl

barrett1965 wrote:

I forgot that...you really have to be on the ball with these networks, especially with o2. I think they are the sneakiest of the lot.

I rang up O2 yesterday, and was told that they had no plans to increase the peak hours on Early Bird or Night Owl. They even confirmed that the current hours, for example off-peak between 6 pm and 10 am for Night Owl customers, would remain the same. Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out that we all fell for a late April fool's joke?

barrett1965

Urban Weigl wrote:

I rang up O2 yesterday, and was told that they had no plans to increase the peak hours on Early Bird or Night Owl. They even confirmed that the current hours, for example off-peak between 6 pm and 10 am for Night Owl customers, would remain the same. Wouldn't it be funny if it turned out that we all fell for a late April fool's joke?

If that's the case, then I stand corrected. I was commenting on the origional posters post.

Random

Ring back and ask to speak to another agent. If they keep giving you incorrect information take their names and write a complaint to O2.

JTMan

Well ... The Sunday Tribune have picked up on this thread and the sad actions of wooo2 ireland ... They have taken quotes from this thread in their article ...
http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune/Business/Technology&id=65525&SUBCAT=Tribune/Business/Technology

Glad to see that at least one media group is taking O2 to account for their actions. Although O2s comment that it was "not boosting revenue" is laughable. Of course they are ... through stealth confusing tarriff amendments to ensure as many customers as possible pay their standard network charge of 63c per minute.

BTW, is 63 cent per minute the higest in Europe for calls?

Solair

Well, there's very little holding O2 prepay customers to O2. You can change network, porting your number within a couple of mins and usually get a nice new handset while your at it.

Let's just hope O2 customers have the sense to vote with their feet and that O2 feels it in its bottom line.

I think they're forgetting that the prepay mobile sector in Ireland's actually one of the more compeditive bits of the telecommunications system!!

I'm increasingly unimpressed with O2 though:

1) 3G roll out? What's going on there?
2) Speakeasy rate hike
3) No control over call diverts for Speakeasy
4) Charging prepay customers a fee for calling customer service (as does vodafone)
5) Website has taken a nosedive in layout/funcationality
6) Poor choice of handsets, particularly on Prepay
7) Overreliance on iMode which no longer has any edge over WAP 2.0 which every other network is using anyway.

I'll be avoiding them until I see some improvements!!

Meteor could really do damage if they highlight the rates!!!

Cork

Good article in highlighting the reduction of off peak hours.

The Irish Independent reports that O2 Ireland is seeking to quadruple the revenue it generates from calls to charities and a number of public service bodies through the 1850 'locall' number. The mobile operator is proposing a 400 percent price increase from EUR4.17 to EUR16.74 per minute on peak calls. In a proposal to telecoms watchdog ComReg, O2 has also proposed to hike the prices on off-peak and weekend calls to the same number. 1850 numbers are usually fixed at a local call rate and are used by charities, information services, government bodies and businesses.

http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=10036601

O2 do seem to be trying to increase profits alright.

Random

Cork wrote:

Good article in highlighting the reduction of off peak hours.


http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=10036601

O2 do seem to be trying to increase profits alright.

Everyone wants to increase profits - it's called business

I think it's the way they seem to be going about it that's pissing everyone off. They seem to be trying to remove any "advantage" they had over other networks, bringing themselves "in line with other networks" and in turn shooting themselves in the foot by showing their customer service alone may not win over the market.

lfc1892

Cork wrote:

Good article in highlighting the reduction of off peak hours.


http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=10036601

O2 do seem to be trying to increase profits alright.

You can expect to see a correction of this article next week. They have quoted Euros instead of Cents (and fractions thereof).

Clarification:

As of the 7th May the peak times will be as follows:
Nightowl. 8am to 6pm
Earlybird. 6pm to 8am.

As far as I can remember, this is what they used to be prior to changing in 2004. They are also in line with all other operators times.

They are NOT increasing the charges, just changing the hours.

kaimera

Further, they have a friends & family offer for prepay customers, where you can nominate three (3) other numbers on O2 and call them on the weekends and off-peak for just 1 cent a minute.

So for example if you're on Early Bird, you can call the three (3) nominated numbers all weekend, public holidays and between 8 am and 6 pm during the week for 1 cent/minute.

Until the end of April. Then you have to top up by a min of €20/month to keep it active.
So I was told one Sat morning when they rang me to offer it to me.

If the pricing does indeed increase, I'm not a happy camper. One of the main reasons I'm on o2 is that I can receive texts from the states. Voda or Meteor won't receive them; have tried both.

Random

lfc1892 wrote:

You can expect to see a correction of this article next week. They have quoted Euros instead of Cents (and fractions thereof).

Clarification:

As of the 7th May the peak times will be as follows:
Nightowl. 8am to 6pm
Earlybird. 6pm to 8am.

As far as I can remember, this is what they used to be prior to changing in 2004. They are also in line with all other operators times.

They are NOT increasing the charges, just changing the hours.

Essentially increasing the prices at certain hours.

Urban Weigl

I suspect the new hours won't affect most people, however it is still a price increase. O2 should have combined this with a price decrease.

The_Hustler

To be honest I never knew they changed it to 10am in 2004! I'll be making morning calls as much as possible until they make this change, I always thought it became peak again at 7am (nightowl)

barrett1965

lfc1892 wrote:

You can expect to see a correction of this article next week. They have quoted Euros instead of Cents (and fractions thereof).

Clarification:

As of the 7th May the peak times will be as follows:
Nightowl. 8am to 6pm
Earlybird. 6pm to 8am.

As far as I can remember, this is what they used to be prior to changing in 2004. They are also in line with all other operators times.

They are NOT increasing the charges, just changing the hours.

Thanks for the clarificaton.

carrotcake

Much ado about nothing. Prepaid off-peak hours here in Germany don't begin until 8pm

steve 0

Urban Weigl wrote:

I just checked the web site, and the prices and times are still the same!? When are these price increases supposed to come into effect?

Its on the site now http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Latest%20news%20and%20offers

Amendment of Speak easy Peak Hours

We wish to advise all Speak easy customers that the following changes in peak and associated off peak hours will be effective from the 7th May for all existing and new O2 Speak easy customers:

Amendment
Current peak 6pm - 2am or 10am - 6pm
Amended peak 6pm - 8am or 8am - 6pm
Current off-peak 2am - 6pm or 6pm - 10am
Amended off-peak 8am - 6pm or 6pm - 8am

:mad:

steve 0

Sorry for dragging this back up, but despite taking affect over a month ago does anyone know why http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Personal/Price%20plans/Speakeasy%20prepay states:

Longest off-peak hours

This is blatantly false, with the amount of work done on their site recently surely they should have removed this.

Random

Why not give them a call and ask them to justify it?

steve 0

I've just emailed them.
Maybe they'll thank me for pointing out they haven't done their job properly. :rolleyes:

steve 0

Well they they removed the statement from the site but they didn't get back to me.