O2 Blocks Rebtel Access Numbers In Germany August 22nd, 2008  

Dear Rebtel friends,

Unfortunately O2 has decided to block Rebtel in Germany. That means that O2 customers could not call our local German numbers during several days. As a temporary solution we have set up new number series for Germany which means you should be able to create new local numbers to your friends in other countries again. However your old local numbers to existing friends have been changed. Please go to www.rebtel.com to view your new local numbers.

The reason why O2 wants to stop Rebtel is pretty obvious. They have very high margins on their international calling and want to stop any threats to that. Their actions violate not only the crystal clear EU-regulations but are also a breach of your contract with O2(!). This should be more than enough for you as an O2 customer to end your contract (..and maybe also keep your iPhone :) and switch to another operator that allows you to call any number you please, including Rebtel access numbers.

If you are as upset as we are about this and feel like you want to blow off some steam you might want to consider sending an mail to the boss of O2 in Germany, Mr. Jaime Smith Basterra (jaime.smith@o2.com), or you can call their support desk on 0049 179 55 22 2. Just to stick it to them, you might want to consider adding the number to your Rebtel contact list and call them through us.

To summarize, we are sorry this happened. It shouldn’t have to. This is now a race between O2 and us. Every new number series we launch they will try to block. This is not the first time O2 block international calling services that allow users to call cheaper. However, we are determined not to back down and will make this their last attempt at killing better services.

The fact remains, old operators will always cling on to their decreasing margins, lock-in contracts, hidden charges, big offices, expensive TV-commercials, and out-dated methods but they cannot stop the future of calling. When internet now meets telecom, operators are going to have to change or die. Internet stands for transparency, consumer value, openness and change. Values that clash against the business models of all telecom operators.

One day soon, all calling will be free. Together, we will achieve that.

Take care!
Patric Blixt
patric.blixt@rebtel.com

Edit: Oh yeah, almost forgot. If you want to help us spread the word and have a Digg account, click here and give this post a Digg.

If you want to discuss this topic further and blow off some steam, head over to this thread on our forum. Make your voice count!

By: alexander drewniak Tags: , , ,

  • Spigalo,

    Thanks for that information!

    I would really appreciate if you could get in touch with me on alexander [dot] drewniak [at] rebtel [dot] com when and if you make progress with them.

    Best,

    Alex

  • spigolo

    I am trying to reach a call-through number (VOIPdiscount) with O2 and it doesn't work. i have called the customer service and asked them to unblock the numbers, because it is against EU laws to do that. I told them that if they didn't unblock the numbers , i would sue them and resign my contract with them. LEt's see what happens.

  • Vidhiyan

    I use Rebetel services via another German provider. If nothing happens now, one day, other providers may also start fu..... around with all sorts of bulls....! We as customers pay for a service say local or national landline calls, flatrate, etc. excluding calls to servicenumbers (Sondernummern). It is none of their business to clarify, who is the adressie. Even under the latest German law regarding the record of calls made, there is no legal right given to the poviders to clarify, who the adressee of the calls made is. I am sure, the courts in Germany including BGH and BVG will confirm this common sense statement. And its going to cost this particular provider a lot of fortune, which again will be charged to the (still) customers. Every customer should decide what to do now. I made my decission four months ago.
    Best of luck Rebtel and many thanks for the wonderful and affordable service you provide to me and the world.

  • Abulohom

    i do thank Rebtel for the continous feed back and support.

  • Abulohom

    Hallo all
    we have to do somthing to force O2 to unblock the rebtel numbers ,my german language is not that good i wish if my Lang is perfect.
    if it were good i would have written a strog letter or i would have called them by phone and argued to much with them ,they must understand that we are the customers and we have rights.
    please for those wo are germans please call them and find a solution.

  • Dear Rebtel,
    thanks for providing such a great service. I am NOT!! in Germany and I am NOT!! a o2 customer however I have watched this with great interest as o2 in Germany is owned by Telefonica. As I wrote in a twitter message I am moving to Chile. As far as I know there are two big mobile Networks in Chile one is owned by Telefonica. Of course I will choose the one not owned by Telefonica to avoid future problems. Good luck for your fight rebtel and please take them to court. I hope you will get some good main stream news coverage.
    best regards
    santiago_aut

  • Thanks for all the support guys!

    Please keep posting your emails you send to O2 and Mr. Basterra.

    Best,
    Alex

  • Andreas V

    Here's a copy of the email from O2:

    vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. Bitte entschuldigen Sie die verzögerte
    Bearbeitung.

    Hinter oben Rufnummern +49(0)30 8 96 77 xx xx verbergen sich Chats,
    CallingCard-Services oder Podcast bzw. Streamingangebote (z.B. Radio).
    Der Ortsnetzbereich ist nicht für derartige Dienste ausgelegt
    (Kapazität). Bitte haben Sie dafür Verständnis.

    Aus Kulanz - ohne Anerkennung einer Rechtspflicht - haben wir Ihrem o2
    LOOP Bonuskonto den Betrag von 5 EUR aufgebucht.

    Freundliche Grüße

    Ihr o2 Team

  • Andreas V

    I wrote to O2 again a couple of days ago, and told them that they weren't telling me the truth: saying that services like Rebtel demands to much capacity of their network etc. Also I told them that I and a lot of other people would soon find a new provider, and that O2 is also stepping on EU-rules.

    Now this is what happened. Within 24 hours they got back to me via SMS and Email, saying that they are sorry for the inconvenience, their capacity is not enough for services like Rebtel etc, and that they had given me 5 EUR added to my account out of GOODWILL and NOT BECAUSE OF ANY LEGAL OBLIGATIONS. Haha, yeah right!

    Quite pathetic if you ask me. I interpret it as a sign of desperation, another proof that they're not completely honest!

    O2, F**** YOU.

  • Vidhiyan

    Ich bin von Anfang an ein Viag Intercom-, später O2-Kunde gewesen, meist als Duo-Genion-Kunde. Seit August 2008, bin ich nicht mehr O2-Mobilfunk-Kunde. Man kann 3 mal raten, warum ein langjähriger Kunde sich von einem Mobilfunk-Anbieter trennt!
    Ich bin zwar nicht von der Sperraktion betroffen, hoffe aber, dass Rebtel, die Angelegenheit, höchstrichterlich, etwa durch BGH, überprüfen lässt, damit ein für allemal, die Angelegenheit geklärt ist.
    Viel Erfolg an Rebtel.
    Gruss

  • Ibrahim

    Is there any way to sue o2?

  • Stefanie

    I have written an Email to O2. Hope i am gonna have sucess if not i cancel the contract with them.

    Sehr geehrter Herr Smith,

    ich habe heute mit zwei Kundenbetreuern telefoniert, da ich neben meinen nationalen Anrufen, viele internationale Anrufe tätige. Ich habe bereits erklärt, dass ich nur einen Anbieter und zwar O2 habe, worauf man mir mit O2 DSL entgegenkommen wollte. O2 DSL wird aber in Zukunft sicherlich keine Flatrate in ausländische Mobilfunknetze/bestimmte ausländische Rufnummern anbieten. Da ich also als Kunde durch das "Blocken" bestimmter Festnetznummern von alternativen Anbietern gezwungen werde über O2 zu telefonieren, wurden mir gestern wieder ca. 27 Euro berechnet, wenn nicht sogar mehr.

    Da eine Bekannte in Nigeria wohnt und meine halbe Familie in Spanien, die meisten kein Festnetz besitzen bzw. in Nigeria Festnetz nicht so ausgebaut ist wie Mobilfunk, geschweige von dem Gedanken, von meiner armen nigerianischen Familie zu verlangen, mich zurückzurufen muss ich halt diese Anrufe über meinen Anschluss tätigen

    Da Sie mich, Herr Smith, also weiterhin zwingen, für 99 Cent bzw manchmal sogar mehr als 2 Euro die Minute zu telefonieren (außerhalb der Homezone), sehe ich mich gezwungen, bald meinen Vertrag zu kündigen, den ich gerade aufgrund der O2 PHILOSOPHIE "O2 can do. /Alles dreht sich um den Kunden/ Homezone / frei sein beim Telefonieren etc. auch noch auf O2 XL verlängert habe!!!

    Die Kundenmitarbeiter haben mir versprochen, sich zu melden, falls wieder ein alternativer Anbieter für Mobilfunk Nigeria/Spanien freigeschaltet ist. Bis dahin werde ich weiter recherchieren und wenn wieder Nummern geblockt werden kündige ich, ganz einfach!

    Freundliche Grüße,
    S.B.

  • Ibrahim

    O2 is bullshitting us. I have flat rate contract but rebtel call is not going through. Rebtel should start a legal action with the users against o2

  • amit

    Its simply patheic,
    we took 2 years o2 contract only beacuse of its free landline call fascility, now as they have stopped this fascility, it makes no sense paying Euro 25-30 each month.....
    for international call ...Rebtel charges just 3 cents/min and o2 has Euro 1/min...... what to say...
    Being forigner its really difficult to file suit ...and to engage in this law stuffs....
    i cant imagine this can happen in some europian conuntry.....
    something need to be done....
    we have complete support to Rebtel

  • Semi-off topic: T-mobile services the iPhone in Germany, not O2 as suggested in your post.

    I'm very sorry to hear O2 is doing this. I'm with Simyo (eplus) and hope they don't follow the same path.

  • Andreas V

    I've been fighting with O2 for some while now, and would like to enclose my latest letter to O2:

    So wie ich das verstehe, laut EU-
    Wettbewerbsregeln, ist das was Ihr Engpässen nennt gleich gesetzeswidrig. Es ist auch schwer ein sinn zu sehen: Kunden zu blockieren - Kunden die man einfach an die Konkurrens verliert.

    Ich sehe ein dass ich O2 als provider nicht mehr nutzen kann, was relativ viele andere schon realisieren und noch realisieren werden.

    [English translation]:

    The way I see it, what you call 'bottlenecks'(O2 calls their blocking of numbers 'prossible bottlenecks the customer might experience') this is not in accordance with EU competition law and therefore illegal. It is also hard to see the point with blocking customers: customers simply handed over to competitors.

    Ich realise that I no more can use O2 as a provider, something that relatively many have and will realise.

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