Hi i have been an o2 contract customer for several years now and not had any problems with them.
It is now time to change my phone ...but what i want is the se c905 as i like to take pics so am going for a good camera.
however they are wanting mega money for the tarriff i am on.i have looked around and vodafone are giving it away free on a 24 month contract.
i just want to know if i tell o2 this are they likely to do a price match or tell me to goto to vodafone?
cheers in advance.

most likely they will match it.

they usually do. but you have to be prepared to have your bluff called. tell them. say you will leave, and if they don't budge ask for your PAC, most likely they will call back. but if not just go to vod.

just threaten to leave and they will bend over backwards to make you stay

no they wont, threatening to leave doesn't open a magic door to fantastic offers. it's much more considered than that.

fortunately for the OP they have a very good case to make. but they wont respond to 'give me something really good or i'm off'

This is true.

I just renewed my contract, I wanted the Nokia 5800 but they required me to pay extra for it because of my tariff.

I got through to the department who deal with PAC numbers and said, I could get the phone for free, for the same amount of money but with more minutes and texts at Vodafone and Orange.

After a brief pause I was offered the next tariff up (more texts and minutes) a free phone and a reduction in my monthly fee.

The only thing that's bugging me is that maybe I could have got a free web bolt-on if I'd pushed it....


Edit: After seeing Flagples reply, I'd just like to point out that I didn't threaten, I just asked nicely for my PAC number. I suppose if they say "Right here you are then, bye" that's the gamble you take.

I asked for my pac and they caved in!
i was on 50 mins, 500 texts for £20 quid and now i get 600 mins, 1000 texts and unlimited web bolt on for 20 quid a month (oh and a free c905!)

[quote=Staunchy;32330253
Edit: After seeing Flagples reply, I'd just like to point out that I didn't threaten, I just asked nicely for my PAC number. I suppose if they say "Right here you are then, bye" that's the gamble you take.[/quote]

You're not taking any gamble - them giving you your PAC number doesn't mean anything - nothing will happen unless you give it to another network and connect the number with them. Otherwise it will just expire after 30 days.

Yes, I didn't put it clearly, the gamble (which, as you say isn't really a gamble) is whether or not they give you a better offer. As there is no lose, one might as well take a chance.

it's more of a bluff than a gamble. it wouldn't surprise me though if they marked your account with the fact you asked for your pac and then came back without them changing the offer. it may have future consequences.

my point really is that a lot of people think asking for your pac is like a secret password to get the really good offers. it isn't, if they can still make money out of you they will but if they know that what they've offered you is competitive, (and they do know,) then asking for your pac is clearly a bluff.

I agree that they would probably mark your account that they issued a PAC and you didn't take it up, for future reference. In my case I would have gone to Orange if they had said no, I wasn't bluffing, I was only after a free phone but they gave me a lot more than that

Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I have a question with a similar title. My 02 contract ends on Monday. I have been a customer for approx. 4 years. Can anyone tell me the best deal they got from 02 on the IPhone, I want a free phone and a reasonable amount of minutes for under £30. At the moment I have an N95, 600 mins and 1000 texts and unlimited bb for £25. I still love my N95 but do like the Iphone. Thanks for any help.

The best deal someone else gets, won't apply to you. Retention deals are tailored. The more money you spend, and the longer you have been with the network the more they will try and keep your custom.

Thanks for this. I thought as much but wondered whether they would be prepared to give a fairly longstanding customer a better deal than the ones on offer.

Well today is the day to contact o2 and see what they can offer me told them i have seen the se c905 for£20p/m free on voda.lady said they can't match it.
asked to speak to another person he cam on listened to me went on hold for a while,and came back with free phone £15 p/m 600 anytime/anyone minutes and unlimited texts bonus.so thats me happy and didn't need to mention leaving.

I don't feel like I've got too much bargaining power as no other network is offering the iphone

Then don't make out you want the iPhone, make out you are considering competitor alternatives such as BlackBerry Bold, HTC Touch HD or Samsung Omnia as well. If they know you solely want the iPhone they may not offer as much, as the Retentions agent is paid better bonus for the less they give away.

In my experience mentioning a deal you have seen somewhere else works better than threatening to leave - mainly because they know you're not bluffing if you've actually been looking at what other networks are offerring - you're serious about leaving. Everyone just phones up these days saying they're leaving to get a good deal, so the networks have started to call people's bluff more.

Not always true.


There are a lot of things we take into account, generally speaking a lot of the time customers can be imo v unreasonable esp on retentions deals- the stories I could tell.
Makes me glad I'm not an advisor anymore!

I can imagine - I used to work in a phone shop... the number of people who actually thought we would give them an N95 8GB on a £10 a month tariff! Even three were not doing them any cheaper than £35 at the time!

If you bargain too much you can also screw yourself for the next upgrade.

For example you come to the end of a £45 a month contract you were worth to the provider 18 mths at £45 = £810

You do a good deal with retensions and get the same mins etc for £10 less and a reasonable phone so your potential worth to the provider is £630 less the cost of the handset say for arguments sake £200 so you now are worth £430 to the provider this isn't huge.

And as most people are convinced companies like 02 etc make billions your £286 per year is peanuts to them and your next upgrade or deal isn't going to be that wonderful.

When I worked on the phones people would often call up and say I am a good customer and I spend a lot!! and their average spend per month was £15

So, is the average monthly spend based on what you spend over your monthly line rental, or does it include the monthly line rental?

As it is, I spend exactly £34.83 per month on average, and my line rental is £29.50 per month. Does that mean I'm spending approx £5 per month, or £35 per month? As far as I'm concerned, they've still have over £500 out of me over the last 15 months, but do they see it that way?

lets be clear it is not a reward. it is just about how much money they think you're worth over the coming contract. they are only making interested in their profit going forward, not the past, the past is only relevant in as much as it helps them predict the future.

and it's entirely pragmatic. if you are on a low call tariff but spend a fortune on international calls they will want to keep you to the point where they can still make a profit on you. if you are a 100minute a day user on an £80pcm contract then they will also want to keep you.

Exactly So -- Your only as good as your last years spend

I think that's fair enough. They're only going to give you a good deal if you've spent lots of money with them. However, I'm still confused.

Do they calculate how much you spend based on how much you spend over and above your contract, or on how much you spend including your monthly line rental?

Flagpole has already answered that. Its not as straightforward as your two choices.