Toothless Ofcom?

Ofcom demand that Mobile companies issue the PAC (transfer code) within two working days (or give you an explanation why not).

Six working days after Carphone Warehouse received my Recorded Delivery letter asking for a PAC for my O2 account with them, I'd heard nothing, so rang them.

My first attempt was a failure - their agent hung up when I told them I was recording the call for contractual purposes.

At a second try, the agent (after going away to check) agreed to be recorded. She accepted that they had received the letter but it had not yet been actioned.

Why the delay? She explained that they only collect mail from the PO Box twice a week.

I complained to Ofcom that this system guaranteed that customers were not going to get their codes in the time that Ofcom demanded.

Ofcom's response - "We'll email them to remind them of their obligations". Impressive, eh?

Given that mobile operators stand to make considerable money by delaying the issuing of PAC codes, one would think that Ofcom might need to take a slightly more robust approach (like trying some sample transactions themselves) to keep performance up to scratch.