A bit of a moan about Vodafone insurance

Phiepho

Just thought I'd share an email I've been forced to write after a particularly bad day with Vodafone customer services...

I am a Vodafone customer for 3 years now, and up until today had been happy with the service, and was fully intending to extend my contract for another 18 months, despite you not being as cheap as some of your competitors. However today's experience with your customer service have left me wanting to leave.
Yesterday evening I had my phone stolen out of my handbag, which was obviously inconvenient and distressing for me. It was a Samsung f700, a now discontinued model but one I had chosen for specific reasons – namely the full qwerty keyboard, excellent internet capabilities and touch screen. I email and text a lot for work and so the qwerty keyboard is extremely important to me. At the time it was sold to me as “the new iPhone, a PDA”, which apparently it is not (I was very rudely told by a customer service Manager this evening).
As it was my only phone, I went to the Vodafone store in Liverpool, the same one I purchased the phone from. The people who work in there were their normal excellent, helpful selves. My first visit I was told what I would need to do, register it with the police, gave the IMEI number etc. They gave me a courtesy phone to use, and a new sim and were just extremely helpful. I had to wait a few hours for the police call back so one of the staff members advised me to ring through to customer services at my own convenience.
After speaking to the police I was given a crime reference number and I rang customer services who put me through to the insurance dept. They said I was approved for a replacement phone and gave me the list of replacements, which were the Nokia 6210, the Samsung F480, the Samsung Lucido and the Samsung Armani. None of which had a qwerty keyboard or the email/internet functions of my previous phone. I pointed this out to the member of staff and he said he was only working off a list given to him by Vodafone and that he would put me through to customer services to see what they could do, that they’d probably give me an additional option, put it on the notes and I could go back through to insurance and they’d authorise it. Seemed fair to me so I transferred yet again.
This is where things all went downhill. I was put through to your Cardiff customer care centre where I was firstly spoken to by a young lady who seemed extremely disinterested in what had happened, I asked for her manager who was equally as blas! and finally a third lady called Alexandra who spoke to me like I was a naughty school girl, who told me that it wasn’t a case of that she “couldn’t” change the phone models but that she “wouldn’t” and would not listen to what I had previously been told by the insurance dept. She told me the insurance dept. Had basically lied to me and when I pointed out that maybe the two sides of the company should work together and “get their stories straight”on such issues, she was quick to point out that Marsh was not actually a part of Vodafone.
Now as far as I am concerned I took the policy out through Vodafone. I had no idea that Marsh was a separate company and if this is the case surely efforts should be made for a synergy between the two companies so that there is little effect on the customer?
The rest of the conversation with Alexandra didn’t improve. I asked to make a complaint, she refused to take a complaint “I’m not prepared to escalate a complaint, I’m the most senior person here”.
This is really concerning to me, not only because the customer service offered by the most senior person in the company is so appalling but also because I would have assumed that a large company like Vodafone would have a dedicated complaints procedure as legally required?
Anyway, the call didn’t end well, I am still being offered phones well below the standard of the phone I had, a phone which was sold to me as a PDA style handset but as I was rudely told by Alexandra this evening was “just a phone”.
I have to say, after having my phone stolen, I was really saddened to find out that despite paying my insurance for the past three years and never previously making a claim, that I would be treated in this way.
Also, it does say on the website that the phone will be replaced with a SIMILAR phone up to the value of £1000. I would consider the fact my phone was sold to me as a PDA with a qwerty keyboard would mean I’d be offered other phones with qwerty keyboards and similar functions. It’s funny that the only function I really appreciated on the handset is the one that Vodafone don’t seem to want to provide me with. I wish that 16 months ago when I had taken out the contract I’d have chosen the Blackberry, instead of taking the advice of your sales staff and going with the Samsung, as I don’t think I’d be having the problems I’m having now!
So to end this email, I’d just like to highlight again the staff in your Liverpool store. If only all your staff were as helpful and courteous. Instead I spent the afternoon on phone calls with disinterested and rude agents, who were unwilling to even listen to my problems, let alone resolve them. In two months time when my contract is up for renewal, I’m going to look at other providers.

kezflake

Hi Phiepho

I have experienced a similar level of disinterested servis from vodafone a few days ago with guess who "Alexandra" just a few days ago. I was talked to like a thief because on of their staff last year was either incompetent or dishonest enough to add to a further 12 months to my contract without my permission, Well I guess that makes me the one who is dihonest for not paying, I sent a letter of compliant too and I feel so sure this is the same manager just from the name position and attitude.

Sorry to here about your handbag theft it's distressing enought without having to deal with morons like this.

iwanttosave_2

Its a bit long so if you haven't already read it then it might be best bullet pointing some bits. Complaints team are often very busy so if you make it nice and easy to read then you will get a quicker response.

Oh the whole its a great email, I hope you get somewhere with it.

cybervic

just wondering if Phiepho finally got a result?