vodafone stopping me getting a mortgage!

slopemaster

vodafone stopping me getting a mortgage!

In february, I tried to take out a contract with vodafone but quickly realised they are incompetent. WITHIN THE 14-day cancellation period, I returned my telephone unused and with the seal unbroken. (I have proof of posting, and have sent a copy to vodafone.)

Since then, they have sent a stream of escalating bills and demands for fees.
I gave up trying to call or e-mail ‘customer services’ or their ‘collections department’ to sort it out, and wrote to them instead. Eventually I received a reply – a rather bizarre letter which begins in an inappropriately friendly manner “Hope you are doing well”, and concludes by threatening “If you do not make a payment by 17th May [a date which had already passed] your account will be cancelled and transferred to an external Collection Agency”. In between, it completely fails to address the issues raised in my letters.

I wrote again, repeating that I do not have a contract with them and I do not owe them anything. I also attached proof that I returned the phone on 24th February, thus annulling my contract within the 14-day cancellation period. I warned them to take care about passing incorrect information to a debt collection agency, as this could affect my credit rating at a time when I am applying for mortgages, and said that “should this happen, I will seek redress against you”. This letter has not been answered.

Today I put in my mortgage application and, lo and behold, it was declined due to ‘adverse credit’. This MUST be vodafone who have placed a default on my file.
(I will be checking my Experian file, but last time I checked it at the end of January it was fine.)
Of course I will have to write again, but as it is urgent and important I thought I would try phoning. Tried several numbers which I found for complaints, collections, central switchboard etc, but all just put me back in the Q for ‘customer services’. When someone there eventually answered, I asked (very calmly) for his name “so that i know who i am speaking to” – he obviously didnt like the sound of that as he cut me off! So i called their media centre (01635 666777) to say I am going to go to the press with this but will give you one last chance to resolve it if you can put me onto someone who will talk sense.
He promised someone will call back – nothing yet but only half an hour ago.

SORRY thats so long.
I do have some questions after all that.

IF the only way to get the ‘default’ removed from my file in order to get the mortgage is to pay the money they claim I owe, then is it possible to state that i am paying it “under duress” and immediately take them to OTELO, or even the small claims court?
Or would payment be taken as admitting that i owe it, which i definately don’t?

Also, I have 2 e-mail addresses for the vodafone CEO.
[EMAIL="Vittorio.Colao@vodafone.com"]Vittorio.Colao@vodafone.com[/EMAIL]
[EMAIL="arun.sarin@vodafone.com"]arun.sarin@vodafone.com[/EMAIL]
Does anyone know which is correct?
I did send a copy of my letters to the second address but had no response whatsoever.
I will sned the next letter to both I suppose.

Any other advice, short of sending them a solicitor’s letter, which i would have to pay for?

Thanks

CG19a

Did you pay for the line rental for the few days that you had the phone? Although you didn't actually open the box, you would still have had access to the vodafone network. The 14 day return period does allow you to return the phone, but you are still liable for any charges incurred in the period that you are in ownership of the phone. Although it may never have been turned on, you still "had access" to the network if you had chosen to turn the phone on.

dduk

Also, did you just send the phone back without telling them first? Or did you arrange the cancellation and return via cutomer services first?

soolin

You say you have proof of posting the phone back, do you have proof of delivery? Two entirely different things.

Andy_Ches

Be persistant. I have dealt with 2 complaints on behalf of a family member and a friend in realtion to Vodafone. I acted as the authorised 3rd party.

On both occassions I got the contracts cancelled and closed without termination charges.

Call up the main customer service number and asked to be put through to Customer Relations, be persistant until they put you through.

Take the persons name and extension number from customer relations, ask them to send you a confirmation email of the conversation. You will then have the email address for Customer Relations to liaise with them directly.

mrochester

CG19a wrote: »

Did you pay for the line rental for the few days that you had the phone? Although you didn't actually open the box, you would still have had access to the vodafone network. The 14 day return period does allow you to return the phone, but you are still liable for any charges incurred in the period that you are in ownership of the phone. Although it may never have been turned on, you still "had access" to the network if you had chosen to turn the phone on.

If you cancel under the 14 day cooling off period you shouldn't owe them anything other than any usage. You don't have to pay the line rental if cancelling under the 14 days.

Former_MSE_Dan

Hi folks,

In terms of contacting Vodafone, they have asked me to point out that Vittorio Colao is not the CEO of the UK side of Vodafone - that is Guy Laurence who can be contacted at [EMAIL="guy.laurence@vodafone.com"]guy.laurence@vodafone.com.

[/EMAIL]Alternatively if you've got problems you can [FONT=&quot]can email the Web Relations Team via the Contact us form on its website quoting the code WRT135 in the subject

Hope this is helpful

Dan[/FONT]