Yearly Archives: 2010

3 months to go

its 3 months until the big day and i cant wait. in 3 months i get to witness my best friend and the love of my life walk down the aisle towards me as we step out on a journey of faith that will take the rest of our lives to truly enjoy to its fullest. and i truly believe that Jesus is with us on this adventure, he has been with us already in the previous 5 and a half months since we got together and even since before then working seperately within our lives for His Glory. a few people have been surprised by how quickly our relationship has progressed but if you were “on the inside” over a year ago (ie working in the Newfrontiers, London office) then it doesnt come as too much of one πŸ™‚

Having worked alongside each other for over a year has had its great advantages but as you know now that i no longer work for Newfrontiers it brings different challenges over the next 3 months. firstly is contact time, now that i am not in the office i dont have anywhere near as much time in contact directly with Marie, i cant just make her a cup of her favourite tea (Peppermint or Earl Gray) and there are just less opportunities to see her. this means that i do have to be more intentional in seeing Marie, i have to pursue like i have never pursued before, i think Mark Driscoll says something like this over on his blog (although aimed at married couples i am pretty sure most of it can apply to not yet married couples) “Men, if you don’t date your wife, someone else may eventually volunteer for the job.” the buget is tight because of studying, freelancing and all the expenses that are incurred as a result of preparing for a wedding but that still shouldnt stop me, its one of those challenges that will be fun and i will only learn good habits ready for marriage

The next challenge for me is communication, i am no longer in the same office or next room from Marie every day, i cant just walk by her desk and say “Hi” or discuss anything and everything over lunch. this means again i have to more intentionally communicate, we have to use the phone more than we used to (hooray for a linked contract with free minutes – Finally O2!) communication is probably often not my strongest point especially if i dont see someone all the time, yes i can articulate myself if i need to particularly on a geeky level but remembering to initiate will often be my weakness. this challenge is gonna be a big one and again i only think God is going to use this next 3 months to build some more strong foundations with the existing ones and only make me a stronger more solid Christian Man of God and it will only set things on the good foundations when we are married, focused on Him.

and thirdly (sounds like a mini sermon doesnt it!) Absence really does make the heart grow fonder! I have only been freelancing for a week now and working mostly from home but i do miss Marie when she is not here, and i cant wait for the moments we can spend together, even when its not just the 2 of us! its only making me love her more and want look after and protect her and cherish her more (sounds like i am saying my vows already!)

will get off my soppy love box now πŸ™‚ in short (and in guy speak) its gonna be a hectic 3 months full of challenges that i am going to need prayer for and to pray about, so would appreciate any prayers you have. I know God is in this because he has been there every single step of the way so far and i really dont doubt that that will change anytime soon either!




Disappointed by O2

i threatened i would do it on twitter the other day, so here goes, most of the details are in the formal letter of complaint already so i wont bore you with them, needless to say things have progressed since this email and i do have iphones but they still keep making blunders trying to get my existing number into the contract, here was my letter of complaint, i have yet to recieve a response or a call regarding this officially and when i do i will update here:(personal information removed) WARNING: this is a long email!

UPDATE 30/09/2010 – 11:30: Wayne called me to offer some accessories but i turned them down, i asked for a free 500 text bolt on but it was declined, i was offered a months free line rental (Β£45) which i accepted and asked for a note to be made that i didnt feel it was adequate and he advised me to forward the email through to the customer service department

UPDATE 02/10/2010 – 10:30: Bernard from the complaints department phoned to apologise for in his words “Appaling lack of service” as a good will gesture he credited me the cost of one of the iPhones, the costs i had accrued on the second account that was wrongly setup in the interim (around Β£20) and also confirmed the credit of one months line rental that Wayne offered. Credit where credit is due, O2 admitted there faults and made a good effort to resolve the situation. i am happy to finally put this issue to rest after 2 weeks of constant calling and battles with them.

To Whom It May Concern,

I wish to make a formal complaint because of a series of major and continued blunders by O2 regarding my contract, which has left me with a very sour taste and very frustrated and angry.

I shall first give you a run down of everything that has happened so far, give a summary of how you failed me and what I think you can do to resolve the situation.

A week ago last Thursday (16/09/2010) I ordered a new Business 500 Sharer Contract online, I ordered 2 iPhone 4’s (16GB and 32GB) order ref:REDACTED, at order time I was quoted 3-5 working days to receive devices after credit checks, I was called pretty soon after to confirm a few details such as delivery address, company name etc, I asked for an ETA on the credit check procedure and also an ETA on handsets, i was told the credit check would be done by the following morning and I would receive handsets within 3-5 working days of it being approved.

I phoned o2 the next day (17/09/2010) at around midday and was told that someone from the credit team should have contacted me to say I was required to pay a Β£300 security deposit and ask if that was phone, I informed the agent that this was ok and that the credit team hadn’t called me. He said he would make a note about my authorisation to take the deposit off the same credit card. I also asked him for an updated ETA on handsets, he said that it would take 3-5 working days to arrive and that, when i get an account number by Monday morning, I could get an updated ETA from the customer service team. 1 hour later I got a call from the credit team saying I needed to pay a Β£300 deposit on my account. I told the agent that I had already spoken to another agent about this and had authorised the deposit to be charged, they commented that no note had been made on their systems, I authorised the deposit to be paid.

Monday morning, I called up sales to find out my account number (REDACTED) and for an ETA on devices, I was given the account number and told to contact customer services for an ETA. I called up customer services and gave them the account number and asked for an ETA for my order. However, the agent couldn’t give an ETA because he had my account number and account name, but it had zero information on it. I was also warned that a recent internal update on iPhones had been released, stating that iPhones were out of stock and would be for about 2 weeks, and that I would get a text within the next 2 days to give an update on the status of my order. I was also told by the agent that I would be called back the following day to give me an update – this did not happen.

I called the following day (21/09/2010) asking for an ETA, but again my account was blank and was told this time not to expect a phone before October. I was also told that I should not have been allowed to make the order on the website when I did as a result. I was also told again that I should have received a text informing me of the status of my order, and I hadn’t received any texts at this point.

I called the following day (22/09/2010) and spoke to an agent – the account was still blank. I had still not received texts and was told 2 weeks again. At this point I asked about making a formal complaint and was told to write to this address or speak to a line manager. I asked to speak to a Line Manager first and, in the time I was on hold for him to get a Manager, I was put through to Wayne Bebb (an Admin Manager in Business Sales)? I explained that it was unacceptable to be quoted 3-5 days to receive devices and not have any communication to the contrary and that my credit card had already been charged for the handsets and first month’s line rental, and I hadn’t even received devices or an ETA on when they would actually arrive. I also explained that I ordered the handsets fully on the knowledge that they would arrive in 3-5 working days, and should have arrived in good time before having to hand my old handset back to my previous company, and that without a handset I can’t work or communicate with my clients and would lose business/income as a result. He apologised for all the problems faced with my order and informed me more accurately that o2 Business was out of stock of iPhones and that they were having to “go through other channels” to source iPhones and fulfil orders, and somehow my order was lost in the system. He also told me he would do what he could to get me sourced with the iPhones I ordered and sent out to me, he told me it was too late to get them out by Thursday but could have them out by Friday. He also said he would call back the following day with confirmation of this or an update.

That evening of 22/09/2010 the second number I had ordered, which was a transfer from 3 with a PAC code, stopped working with my other user. It was too late to call o2 that night, so I called the following morning (23/09/2010) to see what had happened. I was told that the number was on a different account to the one I had quoted (new account: REDACTED) and that it had transferred in the previous evening with the PAC code – this was not even communicated prior to happening and also we still had not received SIM’s or handsets. I had to go through a long-winded process of finding a spare o2 SIM, getting the phone unlocked and getting her number transferred onto the SIM – this took several calls and several hours to get going. I called customer service to get an update on the ETA and was again quoted the 2 weeks stock response and that I should wait for Wayne to call me back. I called back at 16:45 and got put through to Wayne Bebb and he told me that he had no update and would chase it through dispatch. He also apologised about the PAC code issue and informed me that he had received an influx of complaints relating to PAC codes being migrated early. He told me he would call me back the next day by 5pm (24/09/2010). If I hadn’t have called him on 23/09/2010 he would likely not have returned my call that day and today, 24/09/2010, he did not call me back despite saying that he would, and I have not received iPhones or any update of when I will receive them. I am now currently without a reliable working handset that I can continue to do business with. I am also unsure of which account number I now have either.

So to summarise the failures:

  • I should not have been allowed to place an order online for iPhones when I did, which caused this whole issue.
  • At no point in time did o2 communicate TO me about a change in status of my order due to stock (either via text, email or call) even though I was told you would.
  • When asking for an ETA, I was given different conflicting answers every time.
  • When I did get through to a Manager who said he would get me sorted by Friday, it didn’t happen.
  • When the same Manager said he would call me back the following day, it didn’t happen.
  • o2 transferred a number with a PAC code EARLY and WITHOUT us having received our new SIM cards or handsets.
  • o2 took payments from my credit card on Monday, but still did not give me info about when I would receive my devices and have still not yet sent them.
  • repeatedly yet correcting my account address several times it still was wrong – it should be REDACTED
  • I still have no devices, despite it now being past the 3-5 days quoted at order time, and after going through the credit checks.
  • As a result of all the failures, I have lost earnings through being unable to provide my normal service for clients or otherwise having to phone up o2.
  • Nobody seemed to make notes on the system, and as such I had to explain myself every time I called.

How o2 can resolve this issue:

  • Communicate with me properly and when you say you will, giving me a full update on when I will receive my iPhones.
  • Deliver to me my iPhones that I have paid for ASAP – and I mean before the end of this week 1st October.
  • Provide me with a discount on the handset charges or line rental.
  • Compensate me a nominal amount on my bill for the inconvenience and lost earnings as a result (see below).

Over the last week I have spent probably somewhere in the region of around 8 hours on the phone to o2 or on hold to o2, this is 8 hours of work that I could not do as a result. This, if charged at my standard freelance rate, is about Β£200 worth of work that I was unable to do and thus unable to earn in this time. Also, I am now having to stay tied to my desk to work, as my old handset can not perform the functions that an iPhone does, which allows me to work while travelling or whilst away from my desk. I estimate that I am losing at least 1 hours work per day as a result of this and, by assuming a Monday to Friday working week, I have already lost 3 hours worth of work as a result so far (Β£75). So far loss of earnings is sitting at Β£275 and rising each day.

If you do not resolve this issue promptly and respond with an update, I will look at reporting the o2 charges to my credit card providers fraud department and look to take my business elsewhere, because I am shocked and appalled by the lack of service and even poorer communication. If this issue is not referred to promptly and fully, I will also not hesitate to refer this to Otello or other relevant bodies.

Yours sincerely,


Anthony Somerset



Freelancing and University

well today is the day! 2 changes in my life happened today πŸ™‚ well to be honest they have both been a gradual transition really but hey πŸ™‚

i go back to University as a “full time” student today i say full time with a lot of emphasis because this term until december i am actually only at university 2 half days a week. i had been part time previously so already had some credit hence not so busy this term and the story behind why i went full time is a long and stressful one, to summarise it. My uni is just poorly organised and they care about businesses more than there students so part timers often get overlooked easily, i was one of the unlucky.

my second change is that i am now a full time freelancer! i was previously working full time for Newfrontiers and ChristChurch London and doing bits and bobs in spare time as it allowed, but no more! My job title is probably still to be decided but i like the idea of Freelance IT Consultant. my main skills and areas are particularly hosting management, web hosting, server setup and management and other troubleshooting or optimisation. as i gain more time and skills i will definitely add web development into that list also, if your interested in that head over to my freelance site: http://somersettechsolutions.co.uk and have a look around or email me on [email protected] – i know my freelance site is in dire need of an overhaul, its somethink i plan to do now that i have more time.

with these new changes come some great opportunities that i cant yet talk about yet and it presents challenges mostly financial. i am praying that God blesses my freelance work and provides me with lots of clients so that i can work hard and earn the money needed to keep me financially stable. i am praying that the right opportunities come through and that i can have the wisdom to discern which ones to go for, which ones to pass up (probably not many!) and how to take things like brushing my web design/development skills back up to speed (lots of reading to be done no doubt).

hopefully with the new changes and new beginnings i will also have time to blog a little more too!




Back in the UK

well i have actually been back since tuesday evening, but its been such a busy and exhausting week that this is my first chance to write something here.

Zimbabwe was an excellent time, if only i had internet to blog about it as i went, sadly i only had enough internet to do the basics and minimum stuff near the end of my holiday (like making things official on Facebook πŸ™‚ ) i got to see a lot of the country while spending time with Marie’s family including there farm.

Shelley & Adam’s wedding at Antelope park was totally stunning and totally unique and the pictures i did get to take dont do it justice. it was a great time and a great party.

after Antelope park i took Marie up Domboshawa (its basically a very big rocky hill) where we enjoyed a picnic and the view while waiting for the sunset and i waited for the right moment to propose! note to self or anyone considering similar, if you plan to get down on one knee in a rocky place either wear full length trousers or knee pads πŸ™‚ it goes without saying Marie said yes of course.

we spent the rest of our week celebrating and meeting friends and planning stuff for a december Zim wedding. Coming back this week was eventful, i first got food poisoning on the plane (but not from the plane food – likely something just before) and spent most of my 8 hour flight from Nairobi curled up in a ball or over the porcelain (well metal) throne, got back to england to find the good old tube unions decided to strike so we had to get a taxi from the airport at a cost of over Β£100 by the time i got home 3 hours later πŸ™

was ill the next day at work but had to crack on, and its been non stop all week with trying to catch up with the backlog and with new FP’ers starting in the office, its scary and sad to think that i will only be working for Newfrontiers for 2 more weeks.

hopefully normality resumes soon! at least first time back at church in about a month!




Zimbabwe: The journey begins

Sat in the airport at the gate waiting for the first leg of my journey. In the next 15 hours I will have been in 4 different countries (including UK). Its gonna be a busy 3 weeks I hope to blog a little about it as I go but Internet access is not quite as good as here. Anyway here is a couple of photos