Accessibility for Disabled & Vulnerable Customers – How we can help

Policy Overview

We believe that everyone should have access to the products and services they need, regardless of their personal circumstances or accessibility needs. We know that each of our our customers has different needs, and that some might need a little extra help from time to time. This could be a permanent requirement, or just something temporary – for example, if they’re going through a difficult time. We’ll always try to identify when a customer may be vulnerable, so we can make sure we’re giving them the right kind of support – and a great experience – every time they contact us.

People are disabled by society, not by their disability or condition. That’s why we adopt the social model of disability. We understand that a person’s circumstances can make them vulnerable, whether the effects are permanent or temporary, constant, or intermittent. We know that a customer can have a disability and not be vulnerable, or can be considered vulnerable without having a disability. We’re working hard to make sure that our people understand and cater for the different needs of each customer, regardless of the nature, visibility or severity of those needs.

Additional Support

If you find it difficult to access any of our services due to a disability or personal situation, we may be able to make some adjustments to help you manage your O2 account.

We can support you in lots of different ways, depending on your personal circumstances. For example, if you tell us that you struggle to hear people on the phone, we can tell you more about available contact methods, work with you to decide which one you prefer, and where possible use that method to get in touch with you in the future.

We’re committed to supporting people who may be facing a difficult situation. If situations such as domestic abuse, crime and addiction have affected your ability to manage your account and payments, please get in touch, we may be able to help.

To protect your personal information, we’ll always ask for your consent to add any adjustments to your account. If you don’t give consent, you’ll need to tell us each time you contact us about any additional needs you have. Any personal information that we record about you is held in line with our Privacy Policy.

If you’d like us to make a note of your circumstances on your account, and arrange for any ongoing support or adjustments, you can let us know by filling out our Support Request Form*. Alternatively, you can ask customer services or a member of staff at your local O2 store to make a note of this for you.

*Only the O2 account holder can fill out our Support Request Form due to data protection restrictions. If you’re a third party supporting an O2 account holder, please contact Customer Services with the account holder present. If the account holder can’t be present, please Email our Access For You team accessforyou@o2.com to arrange a call back or message us via WhatsApp on 07921 336150 for assistance.

Our services include:

Carers and third party support

If you support someone who is older, has a physical or mental illness or is disabled and want to help them manage their account and phone bills, it's important to understand what we can help you with.

We can help diagnose phone faults as long as you have access to the phone and are able to give us some account information. If you want to make a payment and contact us, we can do that, although some restrictions will apply.

If you want to make a change or access information on the account holder’s behalf, we will need the account holder to authorise us to speak to you on the call. It’s free and simple to set up; just contact us. If they are unable to do this or you have to talk to us without them, we recommend that you consider other ways to become a named appointee on the account, such as through applying for a power of attorney or deputyship. Here are some tips, from Carers UK, on managing someone's affairs.

Residential care home

If you’re in a residential care home and need online help placing your order, our Access For You team will be happy to help. You can email our Access For You team accessforyou@o2.com or message us via WhatsApp on 07921 336150. Please add this number to your contacts. We aim to reply within 24 hours.

Power of Attorney or other court-appointed third parties

If you already have a Power of Attorney, deputyship or similar, on behalf of a customer, we can record this on the customer’s account, please email our Access For You team accessforyou@o2.com to arrange a call back or message us via WhatsApp on 07921 336150. (available Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am-6pm).

If you need to close an account for someone with a terminal illness, a power of attorney is not required. Please email bereavement&criticalillness@virginmediao2.co.uk or call us on 0800 952 2302.

Alternative formats

If you have problems viewing any of your documents or communications (excluding marketing and urgent messages), we can provide them in alternative formats. We support Braille, coloured paper (in pale blue, pale yellow and pale pink), large print or audio. If you'd like this service, just contact us and let us know.

O2 Call Alert

O2 Call Alert is a simple, easy-to-use alternative to Voicemail 901. It provides missed call information for up to four callers, at no extra cost, by sending you a text message update. So, if you're on another call or your mobile's switched off, if you're out of coverage or you just don't answer in time, O2 Call Alert will tell you the caller's number and the last time they called.

But it's not just you who benefits from the service. Callers also hear a message telling them that their number is being sent to you via text message, to let you know they called. (Although, if anyone decides to withhold their number, you won't be sent the missed call text and they'll be told to call again later.)

You can turn on O2 Call Alert any time by calling 1710 free from your mobile phone. And you call exactly the same number to switch it off.

If you've got O2 Call Alert it's free to receive the text update, whether you're in the UK or abroad.

If you're calling someone with O2 Call Alert you'll be charged your standard tariff rate unless you withhold your number, then it's free.

SignVideo interpreting service

If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can get in touch with a customer service advisor at O2 by using the SignVideo service.

SignVideo lets you sign to an interpreter via your webcam, and the interpreter speaks to our adviser. It's free and available Monday to Friday, 08:00 - 18:00, except bank holidays.

Here's how to use it:

  • Check your PC or Mac is compatible: you'll need a webcam, a broadband connection and one of these browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer version 7 (or above), Chrome (PC only) or Safari.

  • Smartphones: alternatively, for any smartphone users, O2 customers can download the SignVideo app from either the Google Play Store for Android, or Apple's iTunes App Store for iPhone.

  • Click here to visit the SignVideo site.

  • If it is your first time using the service you'll be asked to download a plug-in. This makes sure your calls are secure and that the video quality is good. Follow the instructions on the screen.

  • Connect to a SignVideo interpreter and tell them you are calling O2. You'll be connected to an advisor in BSL who will deal with your O2 query.

  • O2 are not responsible for the content and service supplied by SignVideo.

  • If you need any technical help or guidance using SignVideo, email help@signvideo.co.uk.

Relay UK

If you’re deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, you can use Relay UK to make calls. A trained BT relay assistant will read out your message to the person you’re calling, and/or type out their reply for you to read. You can use Relay UK through the Relay UK app or through a textphone. If using the app, you can connect to calls by selecting one of three options: Type & Read, Speak & Read or Type & Hear.

You can download the app on Apple or Android devices:

Relay UK on Apple App Store

Relay UK on Google Play Store

Visit Relay UK for more information about how to use the service.

If you’d like to use Relay UK, we’ll add the Relay UK Bolt On to your account automatically, the first time you use the service. Once it’s added, when you make calls through Relay UK you’ll get: 

•    10% discount on international and premium rate calls
•    100 extra minutes (if you’re on a tariff with limited minutes). If you use them all up, you’ll then get a 50% discount on calls to UK landlines and mobiles 

If you upgrade your tariff, you’ll no longer see the Relay UK Bolt On through your account in My O2. You’ll still get the Relay UK discounts though, as our newer tariffs have the Bolt On discounts already included.

If you choose to get a dedicated TextNumber through the Relay UK service and would like us to record it on your account, get in touch with the Access For You team and they’ll add it for you.

999 BSL – Emergency Video Relay Service

If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user, you can contact the emergency services through a British Sign Language interpreter using 999 BSL.

999 BSL is an Emergency Video Relay Service that enables you to sign to an interpreter via your webcam or smartphone device. The BSL interpreter will then call the 999 operator and relay the conversation for you.

Here’s how to use it:

  • Open ‘999 BSL’ app

  • Press red button to call

  • Connect to a BSL interpreter

You can download the 999 BSL app from Google Play Store for Android, or Apple’s iTunes App Store for iPhone.

For more information go to the 999 BSL website. Please note: O2 are not responsible for the content and service supplied by 999 BSL.

Will I be charged?
You won’t be charged for making calls to the Emergency Services via the 999 BSL app, and it won’t use up any of your mobile phone data. If you run out of data, you’ll still be able to make a call via the 999 BSL service.

Directory enquiries

If you're unable to read or hold a telephone directory due to illness or disability, you can apply for free directory assistance and information by calling BT Directory Assistance on 195.

Mobile devices

We have a broad range of devices that can be customised with accessibility features and settings to suit the individual needs of customers with disabilities. On top of this, we support the Global Accessibility Reporting Initiative (GARI) which provides information about the accessibility features available on a wide range of mobile phones. We may not stock all the phones listed on the site, but if you know the features you need, we will do our best to help you find a similar device.

You can get free help and advice in store, this can be anything from backing up your data to setting up the accessibility features on your device. More information can be found on our help and support pages.

Bereavement

We have a team dedicated to supporting bereaving customers and those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

We can close the account,arrange to transfer it to Pay & Go or, following a successful credit check, transfer the whole account into someone else’s name.

The team are open Monday to Friday 8am–4.30pm and can be contacted by phone on 0800 952 2302 by email at bereavement&criticalillness@virginmediao2.co.uk.

Problems paying your bill

If you are experiencing financial difficulties and struggling to pay your bill. Our dedicated Payment Management team can discuss your options and ways we can help. Please visit our help and support page or contact the Payment Management team on 0800 902 0217 (available Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat 8am-6pm and Sun 9am-6pm).

You can access more than 60 websites with O2 that offer financial, health and wellbeing info, without using any of your data allowance. There are organisations and charities that can offer free and independent advice. Here are some you can get in touch with if you need support:

Website accessibility

Together with the introduction of a framework to embed accessible and inclusive design practices, we are working hard to make our website, content, and digital experiences accessible to as many people as possible. We understand that due to personal circumstances or accessibility needs, some of our customers and visitors to our websites will use Assistive Technology or specific keyboard commands to navigate website content. We are also aware that there are a number of accessibility issues that we are working on to address. We take all feedback onboard and will work with our teams to ensure your experience is as accessible as we can make it. If you have suggestions for improvements or problems using our website, please get in contact with us at accessforall@o2.com.

Ways to get in touch

If you want to get more information or to set up any of the services above, please get in touch with us. We have a variety of ways you can contact us, these include: 

  • Over the Phone:

    • If you are a Pay Monthly customer, please call 202 from your mobile, or 0344 809 0202.

    • If you are a Pay As You Go customer, please call 0344 809 0222.

    • If you are registered for Access For You please call 0344 463 2669 (available Monday-Sunday 9am-6pm).

  • Email: You can email the Access For You Team on accessforyou@o2.com or complete the support request form.

  • Online: Use Live Chat to have an online conversation with a customer service advisor - you can also get a copy of the conversation if you need it - just ask the advisor for it.

  • Write to us: Telefónica UK Limited, Correspondence Team, PO BOX 694, Winchester, SO23 5AP.

  • Relay UK: If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired.

  • SignVideo: Interpreting service for British Sign Language (BSL) users.

Experience in-store

All O2 stores aim to be designed and arranged to be accessible for everyone. As well as finding a range of brand new phones, tablets, smart tech and accessories, you can speak to our teams, or even book your phone in for a repair. We can help you find a phone to suit your needs and get it set up for you. It'll come with a 14 Day Change of Mind period. So if it's not quite right, bring it back and we'll help you find the right one. 

When visiting an O2 store you can:

  • Use a hearing loop

  • Ask for somewhere to sit down

  • Ask us to read information out, or write explanations down

  • Get help filling in forms

  • Ask for help setting up a phone

Use our store locator to find your nearest store.