o2 go the extra mile to earn that broadband smile

o2 Broadband - They promise to make homes happy

o2 quietly launched its new home Broadband service earlier this year. Once they were happy it was as about as good as broadband could be, they rolled out a big 'Happy Homes' marketing campaign - proudly claiming that 9/10 customers would recommend o2's Broadband.

o2 must have done some research to discover this happy user number - so when they invited me to give my feedback too I readily agreed - the service is really very good - as I've said previously.

I was invited via a text, to respond to an email from market research company TNS - so I clicked through the link into a long in-depth survey about my experiences with o2's broadband.

This week I received another email, from a different marketing company referring to my positive feedback and inviting me to phone them (in return for £2) and give them my personal details (for another £5). I wasn't very happy about this at all - who else had o2 shared my email address and survey responses with? And why were they now trying to bribe me with such tiny sums of cash when I had just completed a twenty minute survey for free?

Ironically when I phone o2 broadband to complain, there's an unnecessarily lengthy security check (full name, land line number, address, dob, mothers maiden name, name of the package) all in the name of Data Protection, before I can even voice my complaint.

'Who else has o2 shared my details with? I ask

'That's just spam - nothing to do with us, we don't employ market research companies' was the opening reply from o2's customer service.

I know spam when I see it and it doesn't look like this. Don't ever fall at the first line of customer disservice. 'So it's fraud is it? A rival company mining your customers for information? How did they get your customer's email addresses? How has another marketing company heard about my positive feedback? I persevered through two levels of support until a manager came on the line. I forwarded the emails and he agreed to investigate.

My complaint went like this:
1. Did o2 commission TNS to carry out research - as the text and email invitation said.
2. Why did TNS share the result of the research with another company 'Valued Opinions'?
3. Who else has o2 shared my email address with?
4. Who is o2's appointed Data Controller - responsible for its compliance with the Data Protection Act?

Then it went a bit quiet for a couple of days - which left me far from happy. I emailed again - demanding some urgent action and reminding o2 of their responsibilities to me under the Data Protection Act. A more senior manager got involved and things began to happen, although still a little slowly - so I emailed o2's Chief Executive Matthew Key too - you can't escalate much higher than the CEO (well, there's the Chairman, the parent company Telefonica, and the Regulator, but you get my drift).

Things do go wrong in business, it's inevitable. But what marks out the truly excellent companies is the way they respond to complaints. Today o2 phoned me to thank me for persevering with my complaint. There is now a high level investigation going on into how the survey has been conducted - and while that happens the survey has been suspended with immediate effect. As a thank you for alerting them to this issue o2 would also like to offer me free broadband for the next three months. There's more - they will also keep me informed of the outcome of their investigation.

In exchange, I emphasise - in the interest of customer feedback - that if all the emails do in fact turn out to be linked to o2 - a company which spends millions promoting it's brand image each year - it shouldn't be offering derisory amounts of cash to customers via third parties to give testimonials and sell their personal data for a fiver.

My complaint has not been lost on o2, a company which - I can now testify - works very hard to keep its customers happy.

So if there's no 9/10 satisfaction statistic contained in the next o2 ad its all my fault - my complaint has temporarily shut down o2's customer survey...

Postscript:
...and then this evening something uncanny happens - a new email, from another market research company, again working for o2. Would I like to take part in a focus group about my o2 mobile phone? They will pay me £60 for my time. You couldn't make this stuff up could you?

User Learning Journey with O2 broadband

'User learning journey' isn't a term I like much. But I've just been on one with O2 broadband. They say they've thought hard about Broadband - to make theirs the best. That's a big boast. But they also have a compelling promise - it's so good that if you're not completely satisfied within the first 100 days 'we'll give you your money back'. O2 has just extended its £5 a month discount to pay as you talk customers, so at £7.50 and unlimited use it is a whole £10.49 cheaper than my previous ISP. Even better sign up via Topcashback and you get £25 back - so that's your first three months and change for free. O2 must believe we'll remain loyal - and with 1 in 3 mobile users choosing O2's network they must be doing something right.

Why a 'user learning journey'? Well O2 have really thought about what it's like to be a customer and then they communicate with you capturing that anticipation. When you sign up they send you a text and an email thanking you and showing where you can track your order's progress - you won't need to, they update you by text every step of the way. Next it was 'Good news' I was going live within a week. Then more 'Good news' - my free wireless kit was on its way - but if the delivery slot didn't suit I could text 1 for the next day, 2 for the day after etc. When you open the dull brown cardboard box from the courier company you see the bright blue O2 livery and all the goodies. Naturally you can't wait for the service to start, they know that - so they warn you not to set up until they tell you.

Yesterday just after lunch my broadband went dead and I was rid of Madasafish and their quirky name. Then nothing. Oh no I thought, it's not going to work... At 18.15 I thought I'd better phone O2 and see what was wrong. A confident and friendly Scot reassured me that all was going to plan, and I'd 'definitely' be live 'this evening' but in the meantime I could plug in my router and watch the lights go green - but don't run the CD until we send you your text. I excitedly plugged in and lights flashed just as described in the pocket size manual.



At 1900 hrs on the dot my text summed it up 'Great News...you have now been connected to O2'. See 'User learning journey' - 'Great' was just how I felt.

O2 has developed some very clever software (I'm no expert, but it seems to work). Whereas in the past when a connection didn't work I'd spend ages on the phone, while reconnecting, re-configuring or re-booting and generally feeling a bit foolish. O2 have eliminated a lot of that. Their software diagnoses its own problems - and helpfully tells you its just going to intervene and have a look inside and then try something a bit different. It's not quite this chatty, but you do defintely feel they're talking you through it. Sorry to gush - its just so rarely that services so exceed their promise.

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As a slight aside, I signed up to O2 via a cashback website. I've read about these before but I couldn't really see it being worthwhile - even though some forum posters claim to have earned thousands of pounds - but I'm naturally cynical. However Topcashback's promise of £25 just to click through to O2 from their site after opening an account was too good to pass up. My account shows the credit and I've left feedback for other cutsomers thinking of joining O2 - so I guess they'll get their £25 worth of recommendation. After leaving feedback I saw an offer to buy recordable DVD's very cheap with Dixons Dixital - cash back too. Apparently I've saved an extra 34p on £8.49 for 50 DVD's. Well, I would have done if Dixons could actually fulfill the order. They're one of my least favourite retailers, so more fool me. Next time I'll share my story about Dixons 'Tax Free' shopping at a BAA airport near you. In the meantime a warning - its not the deal you might be expecting...