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The O2 network is back up and running after Tuesday’s massive network failage. London and the South East faced a communications breakdown for most of the day, with many angry customers clamouring for compensation.
O2 explains what happened in a statement but says compensation won’t be offered. It says the rarity of incidents like this means you won’t be compensated for the damage to the country’s largest mobile phone network.
The issue of compensation for tech disasters is in the news at the moment, as Sony struggles to win back hearts and minds of the 100 million people whose personal and financial data was recently stolen. Sony is offering a limited choice of free games and free identity protection.
Tea-leaves broke into the O2 site in East London and half-inched equipment, although O2 won’t tell us exactly what. The theft and damage pulled the plug on the network for a swathe of the South East, with voice calls, texts and 3G all knocked out.
The break-in occurred in the wee small hours of Tuesday, and service was resumed at 5:30 that afternoon, leaving O2 customers in affected areas without a phone for a full working day. London, Essex, Sussex and Kent were affected, from the capital to the seaside. Customers of GiffGaff, the word-of-mouth budget network, were also affected, as GiffGaff uses the O2 network.
If you’re still facing problems, see if there’s a problem in your area with O2’s status checker.
Do you think O2, Sony and other tech giants should offer compensation when they’re caught with their pants down? We understand that every company faces problems, but even a token gesture could turn a calamity into goodwill. A free bolt-on for people in affected areas would do O2’s image a world of good. Tell us your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
