O2 reveals the downfalls of waiting

• From private members clubs to Premier League football clubs, O2 reveals the worst offenders in the waiting game
• Waiting negatively affects the psyche, lowering self-esteem and increasing stress and fatigue
• O2 Refresh offers customers the opportunity to get a new phone whenever they want, without having to wait to pay off their airtime contract
• The unique contract is available on tablets bought direct from O2 from this week, allowing customers to spread the cost over time instead of having to save up and wait

O2 today reveals the perils that Brits face when made to wait for the latest ‘it’ handbag, cherished season ticket or top table at the hippest restaurant.

The study shows that private members clubs topped the table by a distance – most notably London’s prestigious Hurlingham Club with it’s mindboggling 15 year long waiting list. Meanwhile, fans looking to lay their hands on a season ticket to watch their beloved Premier League team, including Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City, can spend up to five years on a waiting list.

People looking to buy the latest mobile phones, however, don’t face any wait whatsoever thanks to O2 Refresh, O2’s latest tariff that lets customers get a new phone whenever they want, without early repayment fees. This unique contract is being made available on tablets sold direct from O2 from this week, making it easier and more affordable to get the latest tech. Instead of having to wait to save hundreds of pounds for the tablet of your choice, O2 Refresh allows customers to spread the cost over time and even pay it off early.

Some of the UK’s most celebrated and in-demand restaurants also feature highly on the list of longest waiting times. Foodies would need to wait four months to bag a Saturday night table at Dabbous – on a par with the waiting time for Denmark’s Noma, which tops the annual World’s Best Restaurants list. Meanwhile, unless the handbag in question bears the lucky fashionista’s very own name, waits of up to three months apply to stylish customers hoping to get their mitts on designer purses such as the Mulberry Cara.
The longest wait for a sports car build is up to 12 months if the ultralux new Lamborghini Huracan model is for you. Brides-to-be face a similar struggle with a 12 month wait for a July or August wedding at the illustrious Babbington House in Somerset.

Brits spend a total of 27 days over their lifetime waiting for trains and buses, six months waiting in queues and 20 weeks hanging on a telephone listening to hold music. Clinical studies show that waiting can have a very detrimental effect on consumers, making them frustrated, demoralised and annoyed. The longer the wait, the more anxious people become. If the length of waiting time is uncertain, it further aggravates that anxiety.

Working with O2 on the research is psychologist and broadcaster Linda Papadopoulous who commented: “Waiting is a part of life but given that so many of us are stretched with an enormous amount to do these days, time has become a very precious commodity. As such, feeling that we have to wait gives us a sense of anxiety, unfairness and frustration. The way around it is ensuring that you make your life easier by learning to time manage and investing in products and services that value your time as much as you do.”

“Waiting and queuing can seem like an inevitable part of life, but it doesn’t always have to be that way,” said Nina Bibby, Marketing and Consumer Director at O2. “O2 Refresh means customers never have to wait to get a new phone. Only with O2 can you change your tech whenever you like, without having to pay a penalty on your airtime. And now, thanks to the encouraging feedback from our customers, we have taken the decision to launch it on tablets from this week, which means payments can be spread over time and even paid off early without penalty.”

O2 Refresh is O2’s groundbreaking phone tariff which, this week, will also be made available on tablets. O2 Refresh was designed for customers to get a new phone at any time, without having to pay off their airtime contract. Instead, customers simply pay the remaining balance for their phone and then start afresh. From this week, O2 customers no longer have to save up for their chosen tablet. With O2 Refresh, customers can spread the payments over 24 months and even pay it off earlier if they choose to. In doing so, O2 will waive the rest of the Airtime Plan without early repayment fees.

Details on O2 Refresh on phones can be found at o2.co.uk/refresh. For a full list of available tablets and O2 Refresh options, please visit o2.co.uk/tablets.