Name and Shame UK
We expose the dirty deedsters
Do Vodafone really care about their customers?
Our correspondent writes ...
On Wednesday, 28th January 2004, I cancelled my Vodafone contract by telephone and email. Why? Vodafone had just cut off the service to my wife's mobile phone without warning for the second time in two months. Reason? My account was unpaid.
When I forgot to pay the December invoice, we had three mobile phones on contract, and the payment oversight was my fault entirely. In the confusion leading up to the Christmas break, the pressures of shopping for presents, and my general dislike of Christmas, I just forgot.
When I realised the service had been cut, I paid the invoice immediately by BACS and contacted the Customer Care people to get the service restored. After all, you tend to have more use for mobiles during Christmas than any other time of the year.
Phoning the Customer Care helpline is a nightmare. Like many other big companies, they have replaced people with voicemail systems so you have to go through a whole raft of sales messages and menu choices before you actually get to speak to a real person. One of these messages asks you to key in your mobile number so that your query can be handled efficiently but the first question your human contact asks is: "What is your mobile number?" And that's before he asks for your name, your address, your postcode, your date of birth, your mother's maiden name and your underpants size. All necessary because of the Data Protection Act apparently. (Incidentally, I made up the bit about the underpants but I did get asked for the others).
So, the young man I speak to is reasonably helpful, I explain the circumstances and the fact that I have now transferred the outstanding money; he promises to have the service restored within the hour. Fine. We're all happy again.
But it's not fine! Two days later we still have no service and I have to go through the same rigmarole of listening to menu choices and ghastly music. Same security checks for the Data Protection aspects and, this time, a guy who tells me service cannot be restored until they have received the money. Eventually, we get our service back after about ten days, and have been without mobile service right through Christmas. I am, by now, a little pissed off with Vodafone.
When the next invoice arrives, I note that, although they have stopped us using the service for ten days on three phones, they have still charged me the same amount as normal. I fire off an email asking for an amended bill and receive 14 auto responders telling me they have such a large backlog of emails to deal with they will try to reply within 10 working days*. Ten working days! That's two weeks. What kind of service is that?
By this time, by the way, I have decided we don't need three contract phones because we hardly use two of them. So we decide to convert two to Pay as You Talk and leave the other (my wife's) on contract because she needs to get hold of me several times of day. Switching to PAYT should have been relatively simple --- but it wasn't. The Vodafone website for setting up the payment details was totally illegible so it required multiple calls to multiple voicemail systems to get the service changed.
So here I am, one outstanding invoice, a pending email requesting an amended invoice, and a delay of ten working days waiting for a reply. Then - wham - my wife's service is disconnected again. Worse, it's disconnected while she is away from home running a conference. She cannot ring me and no-one can ring her.
I'm feeling a quite brittle by now. I am forced to ring Vodafone's voicemail system because it is evening and I need to contact my wife. The following day, she will need to ring me from the train to let me know what time it will arrive. I will then know what time to meet her at the station. You cannot rely on timetables because South-Eastern trains have taken over from Connex (who were kicked out for unreliability) and are proving daily that they are even more unreliable than Connex were.
I have now listened to umpteen menu choices and information about hands-free kits, etc., and I have finally reached the human voice of Vodafone. I explain my problem and am told that I will have to be put through to the service provider. As the service provider is Vodafone, it is now clear that the Customer Care department is not Vodafone. It is some call centre company where everyone speaks with a Geordie accent.
I am transferred to a young man called Daniel and I am getting angrier by the second. I ask if it would be better to speak directly with a supervisor as I don't want to have to state the same facts twice. But Daniel insists that I give him the facts first, after I have supplied all the necessary code words to comply with the Data Protection Act. Having done this, Daniel says, "I will have to transfer you to my supervisor."
Another voice comes on the line. "I am Daniel's supervisor. How can I help?"
I ask if Daniel has passed on all, or any, of the detail I supplied. He hasn't!
I am normally reasonably placid but now I am livid. So I repeat all the detail, tell him I want service restored within the hour, and threaten that if it is not restored, I will cancel the contract without giving 30 days written notice, and will put a scathing report on my website.
Daniel's supervisor tells me service will not be restored, I tell him there is obviously no point in wasting more time on telephone calls and I put the phone down.
In the past, if I have been late paying a Vodafone bill, I have always received a text reminder. It has usually arrived during the bank clearing period between payment and receipt. According to the Customer Care department, a letter is always sent out (I never had one) and this is followed up by a telephone call (I never had one of those either). But, I am assured, these are laid down Vodafone procedures.
Obviously these procedures are not followed but I am not surprised because I had already discovered that talking to two different Vodafone employees about the same topic often resulted in two entirely conflicting answers. They do not sing out of the same hymn book.
I am now waiting for a response. I have informed Vodafone that I will not pay the invoice until it is amended and that I will not give them 30 days written notice (as required, apparently, by the Data Protection Act). I want them to take me to court so that I can find out how they can cut my service without warning for not paying an invoice when that invoice does not state when the bill should be paid. I think they will be left with much egg on their faces.
* ADDENDUM: 24 days after receiving an acknowledgement that Vodafone would respond to my emailed support request within 10 working days, I have not heard a word from them. I am impressed. NOT!
** Vodafone continued billing me with monthly charges even after I had received written notification that the contract was cancelled.
*** The matter was finally sorted out in November 2004 when Vodafone accepted there had been many unnecessary problems. They apologised and cancelled the whole debt. There are people in the organisation who can sort problems out but they are high up the command chain and are difficult to contact.
| We get quite a lot of correspondence from disgruntled Vodafone customers who seem to think we work for the company. They
sometimes ask us to sort out their problems and sometimes they ask technical questions about the equipment they have bought. We cannot help
with such questions. We are merely critics of Vodafone and their operating principles. However, we know that many Vodafone customers are irritated by the help lines that operate on expensive 0870 numbers. If you don't want to be caught by this con, contact Vodafone on their geographical number which is: 01925 862000. |
Another lady tells this story...
I'm a Vodafone Pay As You Go customer. I accidentally subscribed to a service on my mobile called 'Dumb Questions' apparently offered by a company called MBLOX. I phoned Vodafone to unsubscribe because I had already done it via my phone but was still receiving the questions and being charged for them. I'm furious.
I phoned Vodafone "customer care" , a call which I paid for I might add, only to be left on hold for several minutes and then given a number to phone MBLOX. It seems that although I pay Vodafone, (I mean they do take the charges from my phone), they cannot undo this stupid subscription nor refund my money.
I phoned MBLOX but the number is not accessible externally.....great customer care!!!! It's a big rip off and I will change company as soon as possible. I spend a lot of money on Pay As You Go and I am very disappointed in Vodafone.
To top it all, when I found MBLOX on the Internet, again I had to pay for my call. Furthermore, I was left on hold for ages and finally instructed that I could contact customer care via email...
I used to tell everyone to use Vodafone as I always got a signal no matter where I was. Now I realise I'm really paying for this and won't be doing it any more. As for MBLOX, I'll tell everyone I can that the customer is being used and deceived by VODAFONE AND MBLOX.....and I'll say it as often as I can.
Editorial comment
I had some doubts about the title for this page because the words "Customer Care" do not sit comfortably in any sentence containing "Vodafone". But they are the words that Vodafone use, however meaningless, and this page is an attempt to show that their sincerity is pretty shallow.
And this is my scathing attack on Vodafone.
Vodafone service has gone rapidly downhill as the company has expanded. It is now costly to log a complaint because the voicemail system takes so long to navigate. You have no idea if the information you are eventually given is accurate or reliable and you are never quite sure if information they request under the Data Protection Act has anything to do with data protection at all. They are probably just using it as an excuse for their own inefficiency, I suspect.
My recommendation is that if you are looking for a mobile telephone service provider who really understands the meaning of service, I can't advise you ... except to say that you should avoid Vodafone like the plague. Although the word "service" is rapidly becoming an expression from the past, it would be hard to imagine other providers could supply worse customer care than Vodafone.
I hereby nominate them for the Avoidafone award.
If you are struggling to get any sense from the people on the Vodafone help desk, insist on speaking to the Elevated Complaints Department. They work directly for the company's directors and will do more than the help desk to protect the company's image.
Visitors' Comments
I am just about to take Vodafone to the trading standards as I took advantage of their 15-day free trial or return offer on Broadband. Within
the week I knew it was not for me and I returned it to the shop. But I then kept getting bills from Vodafone! I emailed them & wrote to them 3
times enclosing copies of the cancellation documents but all to no avail. Finally today after receiving a letter threatening debt collection &
being put on a debtors' register I had reached my limit. I phoned them & was shunted from pillar to post, (I felt as if I had fallen down the
Rabbit Hole as the staff in general were like a scene from "Alice in Wonderland") After 29 minutes they put phone the put down on me so I have
Emailed them with my intention of going to Trading Standards. That I will follow up with a copy Sent Recorded delivery & Monday afternoon I am
going to the trading standards to try & get them charged with misrepresentation under the Trade Description act. Wish me luck!
Gillian Evans, Llandudno
The correspondence we get about Vodafone indicates they have many unhappy customers. Here is a sample:
I've been a customer of Vodafone for 15 years and I have been receiving premium rate text messages for the last 8 weeks. Every time I put credit on my phone it takes my money off my phone instantly. How do i stop this from happening?
It's happened to me before and I ended up changing my number but I would like this to stop because I need credit on my phone for family and
business purposes. Can you help me plz?
Thank you.
DS, Middlesbrough
Editorial Comment: Regrettably, we can't help you DS because we are not associated with Vodafone - we just expose their bad treatment of customers. You need to speak to their helpline but insist on being put through to their elevated complaints section if you can't get satisfaction, or don't understand, the helpline staff.
I have been with Vodafone for years however they moved me to a new contract when my mum stopped paying for my phone and I started. I have juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which means I have problems walking and can be paralysed at times. I manage my pain well but it makes me very tired.
On moving house to improve accessibility I could not get a signal. My mum has Vodafone pay as you go and hers would not work either. I talked to Vodafone staff they agreed there was no signal so when I asked them to close the account they said it would cost over £200.
I have panic attacks and when I stop breathing my phone is my only link to my mum who talks me down. I needed a phone that worked so how is it that Vodafone charge me when they are not providing a service?
I told them I could provide letters from my doctors I could show them my disability benefit books. But what I find disgraceful is the fact that five members of staff were prepared to let me pass out when not breathing rather than end the contract they said was within a year when I had been with them for years. I needed to end the contract so I could afford to move to a phone company who could provide a service in my flats. They did not have a member of staff on duty that could get me out of this so I could get a new phone.
In the end, after quoting DDA law, they said they would end the contract but I still had to pay for another three months .
Shame on Vodafone! Five members of their support team ignored a legal requirement to make reasonable adjustment under disability law and I will be consulting disability organisations to look at this issue. I was left with no phone and could easily suffer from panic attacks due to my disability. At no point did anyone say, "Yes we can do that ... just provide evidence of your disability." I fully understand that people try to get out of contracts every day so this would not have been unreasonable.
LS, Leicester
Editorial Comment: Another good example of Vodafone Customer Care. The truth is they don't care about customers, even when the circumstances demand some sympathy. They're just interested in their profits and profits don't come any bigger than those they make from charges for which they provide no service in return.
For the past eight weeks I have been trying to obtain an unlock code for a mobile phone from Vodafone so I can switch. Vodafone (a) after six
weeks claimed I already had it, and (b) after eight weeks gave me a code which was invalid. Now they are saying they will start the whole process
again of contacting the manufacturer (Sagem) for the code but I may have to post the phone to them.
Can't help feeling rather cynical about the money I have spent (and they have earned) from me calling their 0870 customer care number too!
Gill, Newcastle
Like yourself, I have had many problems with Vodafone. My first call (of many) was about the wrong phone that I had been given. I spoke to a
manager who said he could not deal with the problem and would leave notes on the system so someone could call me back the next day. No one did!
I called again and asked to speak to a manager, but was left on hold for half an hour.
The next day I rang them up and asked to change my tariff and sort the problem with my phone. They said they could deal with my tariff and get
someone to call me back with regards to phone. I asked to be put on a plan where I had a thousand minutes on evening and weekend but still wanted
to call other networks. I thought the person had done this for me but it turned he did not.
I then got a massive bill and when I rang up they said it was because I rang mobiles on weekends. I was puzzled. I told the bloke there had been a
mistake and he compensated me for this and told me I could get a new phone which I was very happy with...
... until the next day when I rang Vodafone to ask what deals they were doing on this new phone. i.e. what would be the best tariff to go on as it
had video calling? She said, "I am sorry but you can't have a new phone." I was getting rather annoyed and asked to speak to a manager. When I did
he said he would talk to the person who told me I could have the phone then get back to me in two days.
Three days passed and at this point I was very mad and asked to speak to the manger I spoke to before. I couldn't as he was not in so I spoke to
another manager. He told me to write in so I did. Three weeks passed and I heard nothing so I rang again.
As usual, I got the same old same old "Oh I will get some to call you back."
JB
For the past 2 months, my phone bills have soared - they have doubled from the previous phone bills that I had. There are no itemized bills of
statement. Vodafone are so unscrupulously charging very high phone bills.
CA, Crawley.
I think Vodafone has totally lost the plot. VB, Larkhall.
I'm in Melbourne but I cannot get my sms to my phone. Why? There is a back log in Melbourne because they need more towers here. I would like
Vodafone to get real. OK, I'm upset as I cannot text here except when I can text someone where it is not too busy.
Robert, Melbourne, Australia
I just got my phone today. At 2 o'clock I'm supposed to switch over from O2 to Vodafone but I still don't have any service.
DC, Tullamore
I'm cancelling my contract with Vodafone. I have had the phone for 18months as the contract stated and I thought it was normal practice to be
offered an upgrade on my present phone at the end of my contact. But I never received any correspondence from Vodafone offering this.
JP, Bury St Edmunds
I have been a loyal pay-as-you-talk customer with Vodafone for about 8 years. I chose the service because of its reputation of excellent
coverage. Up until the past year and a half I would have happily rated Vodafone 9 out of 10 for customer service, connection reliability and costs
but during the past year and a half the service has become terrible.
The introduction of stop the clock and free weekends was the only thing that stopped me walking to another network. The promotion I considered
to be very generous as I only had to spend £5 a week to get unlimited calls and texts to landline and mobile numbers ( cross-networking also).
A few months into the promotion there were problems of connecting calls and dropped calls. Sometimes I could call a friend's mobile fine, but
later I was met with a "3 short beep" tone before the call being terminated as if the number didn't exist. This still happens to this day. it
happens randomly with random numbers.
They also changed the promotion to free calls and texts starting at midnight Friday. (Funnily enough, the Daily Mirror calls this the great
Vodafone free call swindle!) When I complain to Vodafone they apologise about the problem and promise to investigate. They promise a response from
an engineer which, by the way, never happens.
I have had a year and a half of this and it's becoming boring and predictable that Vodafone apologise but offer no long term solution. Vodafone
is full of false apologies and no results.
I have a long history of complaints of this nature to Vodafone and on a few occasions I have been accused by a customer service helpline
operator of lying about previous complaints. When I became irate about this, suddenly my complaint call log was found but I got no apology.
When I have visited the Vodafone shop I have been given many excuses and told many lies regarding connection problems. I have been told that my
phone is old and that this was the problem. Yet I have replaced my phone twice with a new one and still the problem persists. Then they told me
that proves the phone was not faulty - thanks Vodafone! - it must be a sim problem.
By this point I was really pissed off so I went over the road to buy a Vodafone sim pack (much cheaper than buying it from Vodafone). They
connected the new sim and the problem was still there. It was only because they had no excuses to fall back on that they finally admitted the
network was at fault.
Vodafone's reliability is becoming worse each day. Often I can't top my phone up as the network fails. Often I cant even check my balance. When
this happens, and if I try to complain, its a 50/50 chance that my call to the helpline will connect as I am usually met with a automated response
- "Thank you for calling Vodafone, please disconnect. That's when I get kicked off. When I try to visit the Vodafone Live website I am told there
is a network problem. I am advised to call the helpline but I can't get through! On a few occasions I have had to stroll down to the nearest
callbox, and dial the 08700 Vodafone number just to top my phone up. How prehistoric! It costs a couple of pounds just to connect to Vodafone so a
£5 top up costs £7. True they refunded the cost of the paybox phone call but this is beside the point.
It's pointless complaining to Vodafone. If you're lucky enough to connect to them you get an apology along with a false promise that they are
working to rectify the problem asap. The service may resume for a day or two before the problem happens again.
On one occasion the service was down for over 24 hrs. No one could call me, I couldn't call or txt anybody else and I received texts 3 days
late. Now Vodafone's latest trick is to pass the customer back and forth like a ping pong ball. Call the helpline with a problem and they tell you
they are unable to help as it's a specific problem and not a general enquiry - fantastic "help" line!
I'm told I need to call back the next day. When I tried that they said the same old thing but I need to visit the Vodafone store. I did and
they said all they could do to help was to call the same "helpline" I had called.
Vodafone treats its customers like sh*t and I have had enough. The next problem that arises I am going to attempt to speak to an advisor and if
the problem isn't rectified I am walking to another network. Vodafone used to be the best but now they are the worst. They know this but they
can't be arsed to rectify the situation or their attitude.
IF, Huddersfield
I am a pay as you go customer and I was supposed to have free weekends today... however I get the message saying "sorry you have USED all your
calling credit" and the phone shuts down. I have been using Vodafone for 7 years nut I think it's time I transferred to O2.
HD, London
Editorial Comment: Not sure O2 are much better.
On 12th March 2007 I sent Vodafone an Email giving one month's notice to cancel my contract, The March and April payments were paid, then I
cancelled my direct debit. I subsequently received a letter stating that I was in arrears.
I added a note to that letter explaining the above circumstances and sent it back. Then I received a letter threatening disconnection and
termination charges. If Vodafone checked their accounts over the past 4 years they would find that I had rarely used their service so I had been
virtually paying for nothing.
I was contemplating using the 'pay as you go' service but the fact that Vodafone seem unable to understand their own procedures for cancelling a
contract made me feel they were not a company to deal with. As for threatening me disconnection, I had not used it since the cancellation date and
had no intention of using it. It would have been good if Vodafone had checked their records and used their 'customer care' to confirm the
cancellation of my contract.
ES, Penzance
I've paid for a full music video. Vodafone sent me a file that had no format so I could not even access it. I was ripped off and I can't get a
refund.
SN, Dukinfield
Abysmal service from Vodafone. Some other organisation has obtained my private cellphone number yet I have never given it out. Vodafone say I
sent/replied to a text message and sent sex images sent to children and other users who never requested same. But it certainly wasn't me.
I managed to get through to the Directors' Office but they ignore you even more than the help desk. You just get shouted down - bullying I
believe they call it. I am so incensed that I will have to take them to court and ask a judge to review the case in order to get any form of
satisfaction.
Vodafone just do not care and try to fob you off but you have to keep on trying. They should have a slogan on their packaging - 'Vodafone will
damage your health'.
BO, Portslade
I have had similar trouble with Vodafone. When taking out my contract, I asked for the 'stop the clock' feature to be added as this would have
saved me a lot of money. The clerk in the store never bothered to tell me that I couldn't have 'stop the clock' as well as my other features, so I
used my phone assuming that the facility would prevent me running up large bills. It didn't!
When I couldn't pay, Vodafone cut off my service. I was able to get it reconnected by paying off some of the bill, but each month if I don't
pay up, I get cut off again without so much as a warning as to when I need to pay by.
I spoke to a clerk in the store about this, who told me that unless the 'stop the clock' feature was mentioned on my contract there was nothing
I could do about it. I feel very put out by this, and am a very dissatisfied customer. I have been a loyal Vodafone customer for almost a decade
now, but will more than likely switch provider when my contract runs out.
J, Belfast
And here's a strange response ...
It was sent in by someone called Secret who may possibly be a Vodafone employee as the sender actually defends the company. It is reproduced exactly as it was sent - spelling and grammatical mistakes included:
Do vodafone care? the answer is yes vodafone do care about there customers they provide a service to you every day. In regards to your line
being suspended due to non payment that is your responability to keep track of your payments if the payment where made on time you would not have
this problem there are many ways of finding out your bill..... 44555, online, calling vodafone and is also sent to your home address so vodafone
have many ways of telling there customers what they owe and again i ahve to repeat myself and is your responsability to find this out. From
previous experience vodafone send out a letter to there customers when bill is overdue 1st step of collection process and is sent out
automatically. Vodafone is one of the best mobile networks in the world and have high call volumes from customers that require help as you do, so
you have to understand that lines can be quite busy from time to time also taking time of day into consideration. You mentioned music being a
problem when on hold now if vodafone left the line quite would that not make customers think that vodafone has hung up on you? Now you mentioned
about vodafone selling you things through the automated service. Now i cant understand the problem with this you see it is not sales it is
vodafone offering there products an services to there customers to give them a better knowlege of what YOU!!!! or other customers may benefit
from. i think that you may just be a little impatiant and expect to much from your service provider and i think it would be a wise idea in the
future with vodaofne with o2 whoever you choose just make sure you keep track of your bill because i can assure you all mobile companies work the
exact same way.
Secret of N/A - (someone off the help desk, perhaps?)
When I purchased my Vodafone contract phone in a store I was told by the computer system in my shop that Vodafone had good signal where I
lived. Got home and what do I find? There is NONE whatsoever. it takes about 10 attempts to send a text and half the time I just end up giving up.
I am paying £50 a month for 20 hours call time and unlimited texts which I am not using at all.
I phone Vodafone and they say, 'well you've had the contract for 4 months, why has it taken so long for you to ring up and complain about it?'
At this point I got very angry and stated that I had been 'trying' to put up with it but simply couldn't anymore because it was becoming
ridiculous, especially as I had recently become unemployed and I was practically wasting £50 since the minutes and texts I was using wouldn't even
be the limit for a £20 a month contract.
All they have done is put me on hold for ages - one time I was on hold for 20minutes! - telling me to go back to the store and take it up with
them and that its nothing to do with them really as they aren't the ones who misguided me. Well yes they are! After an hour on the phone they
offered to lower my contract to £40! How generous ... or not. They wouldn't refer me to the elevated complaints department and just told me there
is a new signal tower going up near me 'soon' but they couldn't tell me when. I am going to ring them up every day if I have to and bug them till
the morons that are Vodafone cancel my contract or take it down to a low, low amount so I can go back to the godsends that are O2. Sorry for ever
leaving you, O2.
Ruth, Tollesbury
I'm also having many problems with Vodafone ....... I call many times to customer care but they don't attend the call ..... they take money
from my account without reasons ......... I reapply for booster pack for reduced call costs but I still pay regular costs for every call. THEY
THINK THAT WE ARE FOOLS .... WE NEED TO SHOW THEM WHO WE ARE!
Vignesh, Wellore, India
I am a pay as you go customer and I was supposed to have free weekends. Today, however, I get the message saying "sorry you have USED all your
calling credit" and the phone shuts down. I wasted my money getting qualified for it.
Nadeem, London
Was basically lied to when I renewed my contract with Vodafone. Complaint letter and calls went unanswered. They just didn't care. Finally got
a response after months of complaining which basically said go away were not going to help you we don't believe you. Refused to try to find the
recording of the initial call. I would never ever go with Vodafone again!
Chris, Manchester
I recently purchased a Samsung g600 from my local Vodafone store on a 18-month contract, I had thoroughly researched the phone and the reason
for purchasing it was for the camera. Also the reason for getting it through the shop and not the internet was I would have somewhere to go if
anything went wrong. How wrong was I? I came home and started to get around the phone but I soon discovered that I could not transfer my photos to
the computer through the data cable, the only way was to email them to my email account.
I contacted Vodafone and they sent me a new cable. After a few days a new cable came but not the one that fitted my phone. I went back to the
shop and told them the problem I was having with my phone, they said to try another cable and duly took one out of the box. I came back and guess
what? That did not work so the following day I went back to Vodafone and they took my phone for repair and gave me a courtesy Sharp phone, very
basic and no facilities for transferring photos.
A week later I get my phone back but it isn't my phone - it is a phone that has been serviced!! I take it home and yes I can transfer to the
computer but now I have no email or internet. After many phone calls and a visit to the shop I find out the reason - it isn't a phone with
configurations!!
No-one at Vodafone is interested in me or my problem. I am being passed from pillar to post. The only option I feel I have it to stop the
direct debit being set up. Help please!
CD, Portishead
Every week I put a fiver in my phone with the promise of free calls and texts from Vodafone. They say I have no calling credit, only texts.
Cant see why as I was calling before. It just switched off.
AW, Manchester
Hi, I agree with most of the comment. Poor customer service, slow and expensive 0870 customer care and disconnecting the line without proper
notification and most importantly the paper bill arrives late so you don't get your cash back.
I am not happy with the the customer service. The case begins from changing my postal address in July 2007 and I am worried that they will be
confused and send me a late paper bill in August. So I have rung more than 7 times since 14 August 2007 to chase my paper bill to the new address
for my cash back which is due on 13th Sept 2007 - which is 30 days before my cash back period expires.
I think I have to agree with the Murphy's law concept with Vodafone - if you think Vodafone with fail you, they will, even if you ring them 7
times to chase a paper bill. Well, I only received my August bill on 19th Sept, which is 35 days after my 1st call to them and is too late for my
1st cash back. This means I lost £420 in total because of their slow response in sending me a paper bill.
On the 3rd time I called the 191 service, one of the staff even asked me to get a print out from the local store in Sheffield. I was rejected
and told to go back because they couldn't print me a paper bill. Obviously, Vodafone staff have given me a wrong instruction and are playing me
like a fool running around to the local store for a paper bill.
At the end of the day, they didn't print out my bill. I even asked them to send it by registered post and offered to pay the postage cost but
they said it would surely arrive before the 13th Sept 2007. But in fact, it arrived on 19th Sept 2007.
I am very frustrated about Vodafone customer service. After so many requests for my bill they still failed to send it on time. They asked me to
call Royal mail for compensation. Well, the fact is Royal mail don't do compensation as the bills are not registered so don't carry insurance!
I have had enough and I will change to any other network ... except Vodafone!
Daniel, South Yorkshire
I have been with Vodafone for 18 months now, and I have had nothing but trouble with them. Their customer service is disgusting and they make
promises for a callback from a manager but they don't call you. I am in the middle of transferring a friend over to Vodafone from T-mobile (as she
has got an excellent deal) - well I should say she will have if Vodafone pull their finger out and fix yet another problem - the lack of
communication by the call centres and their staff. Just the thought of having to ring the help line makes me angry.
LH, Southend
I am extremely disappointed with Vodafone because the connection on my phone has been absolutely terrible. I lost the connection twice in two
days. I tried sending messages which I got charged for and each message wasn't received by the recipient.
If this happens again I will leave Vodafone and go to another service - one that provides a better signal and is quicker at solving problems. I
have lost money because of this and I am not happy about this. I expect some form of compensation because, as a paying customer, I expect to get
what I pay for.
CM, Manchester
I got my contract with Vodafone back in may! last month I rang Vodafone to change details for my direct debit as well as changing it online as,
after my telephone conversation, I noticed it hadn't been updated.
On Wednesday last week my phone got cut off so I rang Vodafone on another phone to be told they had no record of me changing my bank details and
would not reconnect until I had paid the amount owing (£39). I gave the woman on the phone my credit card details to take the money as she
wouldn't take a direct debit out of my bank any more. She couldn't even do this as she failed over 6 times to take my card details down!
I had no warning of being cut off, no email, nothing to say they hadn't had the money. Two weeks it was overdue and never before had I missed a
payment. Unlike my partner whose phone bill hasn't been paid for 3 months and is still connected. Please someone ... explain this!!
Rachel, Newmarket
Can't get a signal in Romania even though I'm on roaming.
AN, Belfast
I advise everyone to avoid Vodafone, I have never had so many problems with any other company. Vodafone rang me and told me that they were
removing stop-the-clock from my tariff as I was using it too much. I was a student without a landline so took on a contract which offered me 500
minutes and stop-the-clock, I was in lectures most of the day and rarely used my phone before 7 so this was ideal for me as it gave me the
potential to 10,000 minutes (500/3*60).
I allowed all my flatmates to use my phone after 7 rather than waste their minutes. after 9 months I received a call explaining that I was
over-using the service and taking advantage of their offer (which by rights I was paying for). They then removed the feature from my phone giving
me 500 minutes only, I kicked up about this and explained that they should not write contracts that they can't keep to... in small print on the
contract it did say that they could change the tariff to a similar one of the same value, so as a 'gesture of good will' a term they enjoy
throwing around! they gave me an extra 250 texts despite the fact that the most texts I had sent according to my bills was 14 during December
(wishing people a merry Christmas).
I refused to pay them any more and they passed my details onto a debt collecting agency. I am still in dispute.
Alex, London
I have been a customer of Vodafone for 15 years. I have had so many issues with the customer care team it is untrue. My biggest frustration now
is that I moved to a 30 pounds a month tariff, with unlimited texts, 600 minutes anytime and friends and family. But my bills now are bigger than
they ever were than when I was on a lesser package and paying for texts. Any ideas why? Or has anyone experienced the same issues? The only way
round this as I can see is to personally keep a note of every call and text and internet browsing I do and try to match up with the bill. This I
fear would be impossible. Help!
Simon Collin, Norwich
Vodafone currently raided my Bank account for more than 4 times the value of the invoice and when I enquired (like you, ploughing through the
raft of options) I was put on hold - first time for 25 minutes, second time for 48 minutes and then there was no one available to help me.
Re-imbursement has taken more than 2 months. Vodafone have a declared policy of not giving out staff surnames (so they can remain
unaccountable) and clearly there is a policy of deterrence by struggle.
My solution: cancelled the direct debit and when they eventually get round to calling me - put them on hold.
Gary A, West Midlands
Oh dear, where do I start with this? I've been with Vodafone for years now but after this week experiencing their so called customer services I
can't wait to escape.
To cut a long story short, I am/was due an upgrade so arranged for a c905 until I realised there was a lot of reports about problems with it.
So about 2 hours later I rang back to say cancel the phone and send me the lesser specd' Samsung Soul. I was told the order had already gone to
the warehouse so they'd send the 2 phones and to simply swap the wrong one with the courier.
After many very frustrating phone calls, I was told it had been left with a neighbour although the courier firm must credit me with
mind-reading abilities as no note was put through my door. It turned out my order for the Samsung Soul had been cancelled and when I got through
to Vodafone Customer Services again the woman was initially friendly but turned very snotty and defensive when I pointed out my experience with
their company.
I will say that if you enjoy being put on hold for over an hour, passed from one advisor to another having to repeat the same points endlessly,
getting stuck in their automated call system, and generally being treated shabbily, then Vodafone is the network for you......
John Landsborough, Birkenhead
I am also very disappointed about the product and service of Vodafone. Here is my story:
I bought a $39 per month mobile broadband plan last year, it offers 5 GB every month, and my Windows computer could show the usage per month, so I
follow it to ensure I do not overload, otherwise I would pay extra. I am very sure I never used over 5GB every month from last year until now.
However, it charged me $165 for November, 2008 and even $335 on February 2009. I was really shocked because it showed I just used 2.56 GB for
February.
I took all the evidence to the shop, they told me the window showed on computer is not accurate. If it is not accurate, why it shows on my
computer!!! It is really ridiculous!! What makes me angry is the shop I signed for this service, the manager told me they could not do anything
for me. I told them why for the previous months, there was nothing wrong, they said ' maybe you were lucky for those months'!!! Such product and
service,
How can a consumer trust Vodafone any more!!!
Iylina, Sydney, Australia
Vodafone don't care at all. If someone in the office could tell me what they could do rather than what they couldn't do it would be a miracle.
I put a £5 top-up on giving me £4.86 credit and then received a text telling me I was into my IOU credit and only had 36p left. The phone had not
been used and all they could say was we have no record of it - call us back later. At a flat rate call of 25p I didn't have enough credit to call
them back. What a load of con artists.
S Brooks, Wakefield
On March 31st I decided that I was going to leave Vodafone after 15 years as in my opinion Vodafone have not treated me as a loyal customer. I
was persuaded by one of their Customer Service Agents to take the Blackberry Storm for £29.65 monthly line rental with 600 minutes plus mobile
internet and unlimited Texts with Vodafone Passport. I asked for the phone to be delivered on 3rd April between 8am and 12pm. I then received two
text messages on my home number informing me that my phone would be delivered on 1st April, one of these text calls came through at 11pm at night
which in my opinion is very late.
I rang Vodafone the next day and after hanging on for 17 minutes and 35 seconds a Customer Service Agent spoke to dispatch for me to get my
phone delivered on the day I had requested (at an extra cost to me). The total length of this call was 24 minutes.
On 3rd April my phone did indeed arrive between the hours I had asked. On 6th April I receive a letter from Vodafone saying my monthly line
rental will be £34.25. I rang Vodafone on 7th April and after waiting 19 minutes and 11 seconds I am informed by Adrian, the Customer Service
Agent that Vodafone cannot pick up discounts in its letters! I find this hard to comprehend. Adrian said he would send me an email straight away
confirming my correct tariff, half an hour later I am still waiting.
I think I may well be cancelling my contract and going to O2 which is where I wanted to go originally. However, I suspect I am going to have a
lot of fun trying to cancel this contract I have sent Vodafone an email which, according to their website, will be replied to within 5 days, which
would mean 12th, lets allow for Easter so I am hoping for a reply by Friday 17th .. watch this space.
I am so glad I am not the only one being driven mad by Vodafone.
Helein Treuhaft, London
Have been trying to contact Vodafone to ask a simple question, but can neither get anyone on the phone or anyone by email. Can you help,
PLEASE?
Joy Denny, London
Editorial response: There's nothing we can do except to advise you to ring Vodafone and ask to speak to their Elevated Complaints Department.
Vodafone is costing me far too much money. I'm putting £20+ in my fone a week and it's a disgrace. I'm changing to O2 - far better deals and
half the price for a month. They would need to lower the prices or do something like O2 unlimited or they're going to lose their customers.
Ciara, Co. Armagh
Oh God, where do I start??? I have written to Vodafone to make a formal complaint regarding my "service" from their Customer Care (ha!) I have
advised them that I expect a reply within 10 working days of receipt as per Consumer Credit Act terms and conditions.
My complaint is regarding a Sony Ericsson W715 handset obtained through Vodafone Customer Services on 17th March 2009.
I encountered a problem with this handset within 2 weeks of delivery but it took a further 2 weeks for Vodafone to advise me of their
procedure. I tried for a number of days to contact the customer services centre but can only describe a woeful level of phone support. After
numerous calls where, after going through various options, I am advised that the call cannot be taken and to try again later, this is repeated
time after time. Either they do not employ sufficient staff to handle call workloads or there are a vast number of unhappy customers.
I took the phone into a Vodafone store, on 2nd April. The salesman refused to handle the phone saying it was nothing to do with them as it was
not purchased in store. I stated I did not find this acceptable as whether purchased in-store, over the phone or online, it is the same company.
The salesman eventually gave me another battery to try to eliminate this as the reason for failure. After approximately 1 hour on charge there was
a message on the front of the handset stating "SERIOUS ERROR, STOP CHARGING IMMEDIATELY. CONTACT SONY ERICSSON ENGINEER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE".
It then took me until 9th April to get through to the call centre again where I was advised that the phone would be repaired but I had to send
it to Vodafone. I asked why this couldn't be handled in store to cut down on postal delays (and me not having an available handset), the staff
member asked if I could go into another store in Liverpool as she was going to send them a detailed note of the error on the phone and instruct
them to handle the query. But she was also going to send an envelope to me to return the phone in case they didn't accept the query. (Why wouldn't
they, so why should this be necessary?) As yet, no envelope has been received.
When going into the Liverpool store on 11th April, I find that there is no notification on file of the failure of the handset but the 2
salesmen and the manager who dealt with me were as efficient as I could ask for. In the 2 HOURS I was in store, the majority of this time was
spent whilst these guys were on hold to customer services! They advised me that as the phone was less than 28 days old then it should be replaced,
they tried to set up a replacement courier for me but said I had to call customer services back after the Easter bank holiday as the system had
closed down for the weekend.
Upon calling back and eventually connecting to the call centre, I spoke to somebody called Chris who refused to give me a surname and also
refused to put me through to a manager or give me a manager's name after repeated requests. He advised me that as I was outside of a 14 day window
(I am advised this is 28 days by other staff) then there is no return of the handset. I responded that the initial fault was within this period
and if had not been so difficult to contact customer services then it would have been reported then.
When advised that I wished to make a formal complaint, I was told my ONLY option was to go onto the Vodafone website and email through there. I
advised that under Consumer Credit Act regulations, there MUST be a complaints procedure as I have a credit agreement with them and to not provide
this is a breach of CCA. I am then advised of a postal address. He advised me that this handset is not supported by Vodafone despite them selling
it to me less than 1 month previously, so they will not accept it for repair or return and it was my responsibility to send the unit to Sony
Ericsson. This worries me on 2 counts;
- This was not my handset of choice but I was convinced by the original salesman that it was superior to the Nokia N96. Why is it now not supported? Was there more commission to sell Sony Ericsson during the period of my call?
- As far as I am aware under Trading Standards, my contract of sale is with Vodafone, not Sony Ericsson, therefore they should be responsible for this failure of a unit they have provided. It is then their responsibility to liaise with the manufacturer, not mine. The response to this was that their responsibility to me is for the SIM card only, despite providing the handset that it sits in!!!!
I have spent the last 2 weeks back and forth to Vodafone customer services and into stores who will not accept responsibility for a defective
handset and effectively forced me to contact a manufacturer if I wish to put this matter to an end.
I have been a Vodafone customer for 11 years and have never been so dissatisfied with any company, let alone one who I have kept loyalty to. I
can state that only for taking on a new 18 month contract I would be terminating my connection to Vodafone, and see that this will be my course of
action further down the line of this current contract.
Michaela, Liverpool
Vodafone are absolute rubbish. I have been put on hold by an advisor, it's currently at 26.01 minutes... I tried to upgrade to the current deal
on Vodafone's website (having been a customer for 2.5 years I thought this would be easy). They said no, and offered me appalling deals. I
contacted them via email twice to say how disgusted I was that I couldn't get the deal but new customers could. I got useless emails back. I then
rang them to cancel my contract and they suddenly managed to give me the deal. Great! or so I thought.
I received my new phone 4 days later. It broke 5 days after that. I rang for a new one and they told me to have it repaired. Told them where to
go on that one and they sent out a new one to arrive yesterday. Didn't arrive, and thus we arrive at my now 28.20 minute phone call today.
Customer service doesn't exist!!
Danielle, Liverpool
I have been receiving daily nuisance calls from the Vodafone marketing department for the past three weeks.
They send out the standard apology and offer me £15 but the calls go on. I will move my account on principle; I have used all the companies at
some point and all have their drawbacks.
On the three occasions that I have contacted the company over the past two years, I have always had to explain to them how to solve the
problem.
Martin Hogan, UK
I have just received an email from Vodafone after the most dreadful customer service ever! I have gone from being lied to, to being shouted at,
patronised, and laughed at. But the final straw came when Sharon from Banbury transferred me to an adult line. Now, Vodafone have said that there
is no way this could happen.
Katy, Derby
Click here to read Katy's letter of complaint to Vodafone. Ed.
Vodafone Customer Service may as well be run by baboons. I have had nothing but trouble with this lot. As soon as I can, I will be glad to see
the back of them. A pile of ?????.
Mark Bielecki, Morden
I have had many problems with Vodafone from mis-selling to breaking the data protection act. You get nowhere at all with customer service -
left hanging on the phone for long periods and being passed from one person to another. Also holding £100 of my money.
From now I intend going down the road of letters to customer complaints, Trading standards & OFCOM.
Malcolm Main, Wigton
I have not been able to make or receive calls to my phone today - this includes the top up service. I am staying in the uk for a month and I
need my phone to call family in Ireland. Please can you help?
S Branagan, Newbridge, Co Kildare
Regrettably, nothing we can do about service issues - that can only be handled by Vodafone themselves (if you can find an employee willing to help). Ed.
I just wanted to cancel. They don't answer on their 08700 phone number for 20 minutes - I put it down and try again another day. The same
problem - No-one answers. They are useless. I am glad to go to Orange where I had no similar problems before.
J Clarkson, Camborne
I tried to cancel my account with Vodafone 6 months ago, they said I had to write in giving 30 days notice, which I did but still got billed. I
phoned them to complain and they said they weren't surprised the letter was ignored, and to write in again, which I did. I still got billed by DD
the following month. I then got fed up and cancelled the DD. They subsequently put me 2 months in arrears and reported it as a bad debt to the
credit reference agencies.
I did pay the totally false amount they claimed I owed them just to get them off my back, they then agreed I had overpaid and they owed me
money, which I still haven't got. That is the last I've heard from them and they don't reply to e-mails.
Though my account is now cancelled it is still recorded as a bad debt, and I've been turned down for a mortgage by 5 main banks and building
societies.
asically I now hope that Vodafone rot in hell and go bust. They are without a doubt the most incompetently run company with the most ignorant
and poorly-trained staff I have ever had anything to do with in 40 years in the telecommunications industry.
Paul, West Wickham
Vodafone are rubbish! My elderly mother (70) had a pay-as-you-go phone for emergencies. When she tried to use it, it didn't work. Vodafone has
disconnected her number because she had not used it for 180 days, and taken her credit too. How mean is that? Shame on Vodafone!
John Andrea, Aberdeenshire
Vodafone customer services are going downhill BUT only recently, queue times are down to new phones, new systems and redundancies within Stoke
and Warrington (for those in UK).
From all of the above comments it's not like this type of thing only ever happens with Vodafone, and I'm certain if you had a look around the
internet you'd find LOADS of complaints about other networks. Plus, you'd hardly find a Vodafone customer taking their time from screaming at
Vodafone employees to actually praise someone for making the effort and resolving an issue without being put on hold, doing what they say they're
going to do and really making every effort possible. The only reviews or comments regarding Vodafone that I've been able to see is all complaints
.. which is not true. Not every million customer is unhappy!!!
What people who don't work in a call centre never know is that your sitting in a busy room, with managers breathing down your neck and an
ungrateful customer screaming at you for something that can be resolved in seconds. Be friendly, get everything; be nasty and the advisor is less
likely to want to do anything for you !!!
Kirsty, Staffordshire
My phone too was disconnected as I had moved abroad for a year. There was no warning of this so I wanted to ring up and reconnect my SIM as I
had the number and phone for 10 years and wanted to keep it. I spent an hour on Google trying to find numbers to ring. I rung my local Vodafone
shop for numbers and none of them worked. I was in tears that I had paid this company my money for ten years and couldn't ring them to reconnect a
number.
I then emailed them on their website to complain (keep in mind it was a survey I was doing not just randomly complaining) to find that that too
was welcomed by an error message so could not be processed. In the end I gave up and walked into an 3g shop. I was with them abroad and never had
a spot of trouble and can ring them whenever I need to. I'm so angry with Vodafone, all I wanted to do was to remain a customer but I guess it was
too much to ask.
Sarah Reeves, Wales
I had a Motorola K1 and upgraded it to a Sony Ericsson which kept on crashing. After many different upsets with Vodafone CS I got hold of Matt
and he stated what he could do to cheer me up. I told him to give me a decent phone that actually works. Finally, without any extra payments
spoken about, Matt Steel agreed to give me the N97 to make me happy.
Well that lasted a week when I got a £500 bill in the post for the N97. I've now been told to either pay the bill or return the phone. Well I'm
waiting for a phone call from Matt's manager ... which probably won't happen.
Karl Wells, Ruislip
Regardless of how long you have been a Vodafone customer, their customer service remains the same: it is non-existent. They want your money
and once they have got it then you are forgotten.
I bought a brand new LG Viewty from the Vodafone Doncaster store. The phone developed a display fault after only 4 days. I took it back to the
store expecting a replacement. Not a chance. They said that they would send it to their repair centre. One week later they contacted me to say
that the phone was not covered by the warranty as it was classed as customer damage. The phone was in as new perfect unmarked condition yet they
would not budge. They want £40 to fix it.
I'm extremely tempted to go to the small claims court to get this resolved. Or stand outside the store dishing appropriate leaflets out.
Lessons learned. Phone repaired, unlocked, me and Vodafone finished...
Simon Tinkler, Doncaster
Totally agree with all of the comments about Vodafone's lack of customer service. We have also been the victim of their bullying tactics. We bought a Sony Ericcson phone from one of their stores which developed a display fault within a few days. It was returned to the store within 14 days but were told it was not covered by warranty as it was customer damage and would have to pay £40 for a repair. They seem to be of the opinion they are exempt from the Sale of Goods Act.
Having written two letters of complaint and not yet had any reply, I am currently going to refer the matter to Trading Standards and any consumer organisation that will listen as this company really needs to be brought to task.
Susie, Merseyside
I upgraded my contract with Vodafone after at least 7 years with them. Then it all went wrong. They began to charge me for texts, having not processed the package properly. Then they cut me off. NO connection. Nothing. Called on a Sunday, to be told by a surprised rep that my account did not exist. Told to call back on a Monday in office hours. Apologies followed, I was reconnected and told that they didn't know why this had happened and they would credit me a month as a goodwill gesture. Ok for a few days, then I went on holiday only to find that roaming was deactivated. Eventually this was reconnected.
I was starting to think thet at least they could sort out their mistakes, but then I checked my online bill to fing a charge of £535.11 for a cancellation prior to contract date. 34 minutes of phone calls later, over 2 days, no promised call backs from managers who "don't work at weekends" and a lie that I had written to cancel the contract, I cancelled my direct debit. This was the only way, according to one rep, that I could stop the payment leaving my bank account as they couldn't do anything about it.
I'm still waiting for the callback nearly 2 weeks later. I tried to call them back, but my call could not be answered. I presume they don't want to talk. I've written to them and am planning the next stage of the complaint as I have no faith that they will respond. I'm about the write down all my phone numbers ready for when they disconnect me. I'll have a few weeks to fit new locks to keep the baliffs out, BUT they are not getting another penny, certainly not for their mistakes.
Helen McMahon, London
I was a Vodafone customer for 6 years. Last year in November I was abroad, I added up my usage going of the roaming text I had received which was 39p a minute and had got my bill to £550. Vodafone took £850 from my account and failed to provide my itemised bill for me to check. I asked for a copy and was assured it would be with me within the week. It wasn't ... I phoned back and found they had no log of my complaint so I made an indemnity claim against them and said they could have the money when I had the bill.
They bombarded me with letters threatening legal action yet every time I phoned to ask about my bill I got, "Sorry, sir, maybe we have the wrong address." I told them they seemed to have no problems getting the correct address for a threatening letter.
5th Jan this year they handed it over debt collectors. I paid the bill in full on the 7th of Jan and received the bill shortly afterwards. 8 months down the line I try to buy a house to find that, on the day my credit check is due, Vodafone send me a bill for the account I paid in January. I have been defaulted and it has cost me dearly.
How do I go about fixing this? They are the most incompetent people
I have ever had the misfortune of knowing in my entire life. I have since had it rectified
but it still shows as a bad debt - a debt that really wasn't my fault in the first place ... any advice?
Marc Dean, St Helens
If this was Vodafone's fault, insist that they have your name removed from the credit reference registers, i.e. Equifax. Ed.
I have just had my Vodafone service suspended AGAIN due to an account query and am livid at this repeated off-hand treatment of a very long-standing customer.
I have a business account which is not cheap, and a couple of months ago my mobile phone was stolen. Vodafone were unable to replace the exact model, so they told me to buy one and they would refund the cost. I sent them the invoice and they credited my account - I did note that the credit was made in 2 parts, not as one whole amount, which caused me to wonder if this would lead to a query later. How right I was! Since the credit, I have kept deducting my monthly bills and keeping a track of the outstanding balance. According to my records, I am due to pay £8.61 on 23 September. On 28th august they sent me a demand for £33.45 so I replied, detailing the account since the credit and thereby proving my figures are correct. I switched my mobile on yesterday to discover I cannot make outgoing calls, nor send any text messages. I have remained loyal to Vodafone for many years, and they do not seem to think customer loyalty is worth anything. I'm looking for an alternative service
Maggie Allen, Northampton
Vodafone's so called customer service is non-existent. I was beginning to think it was me feeling patronised having waited an hour to get through to speak to someone, to be told that I had had two handsets when I have had three, no proper notes on their system, non-existent managers, never getting the same person or branch twice and no answer to emails.
I got fed up with Alex of Banbury telling me that he understood my frustration at having to wait an hour to get through - not in a million years, mate. Ask for the manager, not available but when you make a point forcibly and politely, you can hear "the manager" speaking in the background.
I read part of the response from Secret (I couldn't read any more of 'there' instead of
'their') and if this is the level of their spoken and written English, I can only conclude that this is why they are deep in the mire.
Other than cancelling your contract, mine has only just started ugh!!, you could try buying 1 share in the Company as this will give you the right to turn up to the Annual General Meeting and ask difficult questions of the Board. Who knows, they might do something about the poor service.
On the other hand, just like insurance companies, I suspect that they have cut their personnel to save money so we're all in the ....
AM, Croydon
Below is a summary of the letter I have just sent to Vodafone. I am giving up the will to live after dealing with these morons who have left me with no money and high bank charges!
Well, where to start with the debacle that has been my dealings with Vodafone! In July I made the fatal error of deciding to take a phone contract out and have regretted it every day since. I signed up online and the phone was delivered two days later. The phone was fine but the SIM card had just been thrown into the delivery bag with no paperwork from yourselves or any indication about who to phone to activate it. Slightly concerned by this, I decided to go down to my local Vodafone store and ask for advice. They gave me the customer service department number. By this point I had also noticed that the back of the phone wasn't closing correctly. The store managed to resolve this for me but at the same time gave me a returns envelope in case I had any more problems.
That afternoon I called the call centre and was advised that there were two accounts open for me. I asked that they cancel one as it shouldn't be there and activate the SIM card for me. The lady advised that it would take up to 24 hours to activate. 28 hours later the SIM card still wasn't active. I called again, to be advised once more that I had two accounts! Again I asked they cancel one and asked why the SIM card was not yet activated. I was advised that they had been unable to activate the SIM for some reason.
At this point I decided that I didn't want the phone any more. The service from Vodafone's staff hadn't been great and it seemed like too much hassle. I was transferred to someone in cancellations who couldn't find my account and after 20 minutes of looking gave up and transferred me to someone else. Why the cancellations department couldn't find an account I do not know as I had two open?
Anyway, upon been transferred to someone else I got through to the rudest person I have ever had the misfortune of speaking to. He again couldn't find the account so all I asked for was to be transferred through to someone who could help me. At which point I was told that I was being very rude by implying he couldn't do his job. He then blind transferred me to someone else.
At this point I had given the phone to my partner due to the sheer frustration of trying to get sense out of Vodafone's staff. They conducted no DPA checks at all but other than that were very helpful and told us to put everything we had received into the bag and send it back. Once it had been received, the account would be cancelled.
One week after this conversation, I got a call from someone advising that my credit check had been successful and I would be receiving my phone shortly?!? I advised the person that I had already received the phone and sent it back so this was irrelevant. I decided to call Vodafone's call centre to check that the phone had gone back and everything had been cancelled. The answer was no it hadn't been cancelled. I asked if they could find out if the phone had been received. After 20 minutes on hold I was told that yes the phone had been received in the warehouse and the account would now be cancelled.
The following week I received another SIM card. With no idea why, I decided to send that back also ... just in case. By this time it was towards the end of July and, after having no further contact from Vodafone, I assumed everything was resolved. WRONG! Mid-August I got a bill for £53 ... an interesting amount considering the contract was for £35. The SIM had never been activated and the phone had only ever been turned on once!
So I called the billing department and advised them of the mistake. I stipulated that the money was not to be taken from my account and repeatedly asked that the account be cancelled. Again I was assured that it would be cancelled and the money would not be taken from my account. I requested a confirmation letter to advise that the account was closed and was told not to worry - it was cancelled and she would send me a letter.
I never received a letter but also I never received another bill. Call me stupid if you wish but I had faith that the account had been cancelled. Silly me!!!
On Friday 9th October I decided to go to my bank to check that all my rent was in my account in preparation for my rent coming on Monday 19th. While looking at it, the mini statement showed a direct debit payment for £36. Unsure what this was for, I went into the bank and was told Vodafone had taken it.
£36 may not sound like a lot to you but as a student living by herself and working on a part-time minimum-wage job it had left me with insufficient money to pay my rent - the rent that was due out on Monday. This also incurred bank charges for me due to Vodafone's inability to manage the accounts.
I went into Vodafone's store and luckily was speaking to a really nice member of staff who spoke to the customer service department. He was told they had added a charge of £750 for non-return of equipment!
Are they for real?!? The phone was returned months ago and a receipt had been confirmed by their STAFF! This charge was cancelled after a lot of debate but did not solve the issue of the £36 Vodafone effectively stole from my bank account.
In the middle of the shop, on the phone to customer service department, I was reduced to tears by the prospect of being unable to pay my rent. It was 5pm on a Friday and my bank was closed all weekend so what was I supposed to do??? I was told 5 to 10 working days was the quickest it could be returned.
Vodafone never even sent me a bill to tell me they were going to take the money. How is this even legal, never mind fair! I am disgusted to say the least at the way I have been treated by Vodafone and, worse, to reduce someone to tears in the middle of a shop is inexcusable.
I am beyond being frustrated/annoyed/upset by Vodafone and would really like a response, either in writing or by phone.
I apologised to Vodafone for the lack of dates/names included in my letter but I never really expected it to get to the point where I had to make a complaint. For information, I also forwarded a copy of my letter to OFCOM and the ombudsman as I felt I was getting nowhere with Vodafone.
Leanne, Rotherham
This is absolutely disgraceful. Nobody should be treated like this, least of all a student trying to make a start in life. The problem these days is that customers are considered to be nothing more than a hindrance to profit objectives and Vodafone are one of many culprits. If they were genuinely interested in offering customer service, rather than pretending to do so, they would go through their customer service departments like a dose of salts and ensured many heads rolled. But the truth is they don't give a sh*t - they too busy reaping dividends from customers, including many who are very dissatisfied. Ed.
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