O2 customers were rendered furious last week when the network was down, with some people having to go over 24 hours without being able to use the data on their phones. The company has since offered refunds - but now it appears some people would rather see the money go to charity.
One person initially took to Twitter to say: "Hi @O2 I'm a customer and I'd prefer to donate my outtage refund to charity. I reckon if even just 1 million of the 32 million customers you are having to refund were up for that something really good could come out of what happened. So how do we make that happen please? Ta."
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This has prompted responses from several people all saying the same thing.
Another customer added: "Dear @O2 - instead of giving me a refund for the day of no network, could you please donate it to charity? I mean, it's about a quid per person x 30-ish million... I know of a few places where this would be much appreciated... #o2outage."
Meanwhile, a third said: "Hi @O2, I'm a customer also and would be absolutely behind this 100%. Any chance you can give the customers the choice? An opt in or out message or something?"
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O2 customers weren't the only ones affected by the outage - Giffgaff and Lycamobile were also left without data use.
However, one customer was quick to point out that Giffgaff is already offering its customers the choice to donate their refunds to charity.
LADbible has contacted O2 for comment.
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But what exactly will the customers get as compensation? Depending on the contract, O2 said its customers will receive the following:
Pay Monthly customers, SMB business customers and mobile broadband customers: O2 will be crediting two days of monthly airtime subscription charges by the end of January.
Pay As You Go customers: O2 will be giving a 10 percent credit on a top-up in the New Year and will let customers know when it is available.
Pay As You Go mobile broadband customers: A 10 percent discount on a Bolt On purchase in the New Year (customers will be told when this is available).
It's worth being extra careful if you're with O2, in fact, as scammers are capitalising on the opportunity to prey on innocent customers.
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Warnings have appeared on Twitter warning of a message that reads: "Text REFUND to *this number* to get yours." However, you're best advised to ignore these - they look more likely to leave you out of pocket than rolling in the money.
In a statement, the network said it's 'very sorry' about the data drop, adding that it will be giving people discounts and credit by way of an apology.
"We understand how important it is to stay connected, especially at this time of year," said the statement.
"We'd once again like to thank our customers for their patience. We're doing all we can to make sure this issue doesn't happen again."
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It added: "Many of our customers have expressed a wish to donate their credit to charity. As a committed partner and supporter of UK charities including NSPCC, War Child, RNIB and Nordoff Robbins, we recognise the importance of choosing a charity that resonates personally.
"As a result, should customers wish to donate their credit, we encourage them to donate directly to a charity of their choice."
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