What has happened to Vodafone

**Upsy_Daisy**

I've been with vodafone since 1994 and have always paid by monthly direct debit - never a problem - until the last 5 months
In July a woman rang from Vodafone and asked if I wanted to go a sim only deal, I told her I was not prepared to change my phone number so no.
She told me I wouldn't have to change my phone number so I agreed

7 days later sim card arrived with a different number.
I contacted vodafone immediately to cancel it and offered to send the card back - they just told me to destroy it and I wouldn't be charged

In September my bill showed a cancellation charge of £99 in additon to my monthly bill for the original number. I rang vodafone to discuss this and after going round several departments and put on hold several times, repeating my story several times I was told the charge would be removed
Next bill it hadn't been removed, I rang again. They were very apologetic and said a credit of £99 would be made to my account.
I refused this as their excessive bill had sent me well into my overdraft and why should I pay 18.9% on £100 because of their mess.
The woman said she could only authorise a £60 refund but I was put on hold and told that a supervisor had authorised the full refund.
10 days later I checked my account and I had only been refunded £60
Rang again, told the whole story again, put on hold again for some time and was eventually told the remainder would be put back into my account within 7-10 days
I wrote to Vodafone in early Nov and told them I hoped the matter would be resolved now - 1 month later no response
I checked 2 weeks later and no credit onto my account. Rang again, told the sorry saga again (by now late November). December bill recived and no credit showing. I was told £32 would be put onto my bank account. I was very grateful for this, despite there being a shortfall between what they had taken (£99) and what they were prepared to refund in total (£92)
Checked again earlier this week no money has been credited.
I sent them an email several days ago - advising them of the problem, asking them to sort it out and informing them they were in breach of the Direct Debit guarantee - no response
Rang again today - I was told £30 would be credited back to my bank account again less than the £99 originally overcharged and less than the £32 they agreed 3 weeks ago but I'm getting desperate for a resolution

I am desperate - in the meantime I am told I cannot cancel my DD and I am in a contract for another 6 months or so as I took out an 18 month contract in Dec 2008
Does anyone have any advice about how to deal with this completely useless company?
Does anyone know if the shops deal with billing queries as there is one near where I workand I could go in there to sort it?


UD

DarkConvict

If they took money they agreed not to take, they should pay it back + any charges incurred. Check your bank statement and inform them of the bank OD charges + interest and add this onto the now remaining £39 they owe you.

All you can do is ring the complaints department / send them a letter.

Other options are try contacting the web team on here as they have helped in the past -

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Good afternoon

If the situation hasn't been rectified and you’d like us to take a look at things please feel free to get in touch with us via the Contact us form on our website which you can access here.

Please include WRT135 in the subject line along with your username and a link to this thread and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks

Ian

Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

If your really angry the CEO is always a possible point of contact - Vittorio.Colao@vodafone.com

Could lodge a complaint with the regulator OFCOM - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/

Vodafone

Hi **Upsy Daisy**

This has clearly been a distressing time for you.

I certainly don't want you to be out of pocket for a service that you haven't received.

So I can get a solution to this for you could you send me an email from here with a link to this thread and your username? Make sure when you send it that you include the code WRT135 in the subject line so that your email comes straight to us.

I'd love to get you a resolution to this for you.

Speak to you soon.

Kirsty
Web Relaitons Team
Vodafone UK

Radsteral

if its money that they have taken without your agreement, then call your card issuer/bank..
3 took 45 quid for mobile broadband, sent me the package and said agrred for it.
all i did i asked '' how much a usb dongle will cost if i buy it today with the contract i had just agreed to buy''

after 3 long calls getting me nowhere i called hsbc and told them my 45 quid were stolen by 3 network...the hsbc woman laughted but next morning i got a apologeting call from 3 and reasurance they d refund me on my first bill

**Upsy_Daisy**

This just goes from bad to worse

Despite kirsty's reassuring e mail, the matter has been passed to someone else and despite accepting now that they owe me £33.17 and will give me a £5 goodwill payment, they plan to take another £27 out of my bank account

They are also claiming that they took £27 out of my bank account in November whereas according to my records they took £18

What is going on in that organisation

mobilejunkie

Don't you think the word "organisation" is a bit generous??

**Upsy_Daisy**

Perhaps it is mobile junkie but 'tis the season of goodwill after all

Well. I asked for an explanation as to how in the space of 24 hours they've gone from an acknowledgement of owing me £33.17 (plus "goodwill payment" of £5) to me owing them £27. They appear unable to give an explanation

I thought the team who deal with the phones were useless but at least they acknowledge the fact that I have been overcharged and promise to refund it - not that they ever do.

The e mail team acknowledge the overcharge then completely deny it.

It's all very odd. I think I am slipping in and out of a parallel universe.

This matter has been going on now for around 5 months and is really winding me up. By the time I had finished responding to their e mail yesterday I had chest pains.:eek:

It's all a bit silly really as the amount they now owe me is far less than my monthly charity donations. However, the difference is that I choose to pay that, they don't just help themselves to the contents of my bank account!

I think I'm in for the long haul on this one. It would help if there was some consistency and the same person each time dealt with the phone call or e mails.

This morning, in reponse to their "we don't owe you anything e mail" I sent back the e mail I received from them on 15th December at 23.36 wherein they confirmed that they owe me the money - but just wouldn't refund it.

I look forward to the next communication from them.

I was going to pass it onto the CEO but I think I'll keep this line of communication going with them for a while longer.
This is a level of incompetence which is quite outstanding

UD

ianjamie7

I had the same problem with 3 about 5 to 6 years ago when I had a bill one month for over £600 and the next month it was about the same amount again. I was on the phone every day to them and kept repeating my story to a different person but what I did do was record my phone call and told them I was recording the call and eventually after at least 4 months someone actually admitted it was a huge mistake but by this time I had a letter from someone saying I had 24 hours to pay or they would come and empty the house. So even though I had 3 supervisor or manager admitting it was their mistake I had to pay something like £900 to the thieves and have never received a penny back and I have been over drawn every month since that day which has cost me a few thousand pounds in bank charges. I am now with Vodafone who in my experience so far dealing with them are not much better but I would not bank on getting your money back. How many times do people need to tell the same story to a different person who obviously has not saved the notes otherwise they would get the notes as soon as you phone them. In my experience you dont know what the company are like until you try to claim what they owe you and the things these companies come up with amaze me.

**Upsy_Daisy**

Well I got an e mail this morning again admitting that they owe me £33.17 so "progress" has been made
However, the £5 "goodwill gesture" appears to have been withdrawn :rolleyes:

They have told me they are not refunding the money to my bank account but are going to credit my Vodafone account, and not claim the Direct Debit in January and carry over the outstanding credit to February

Back in October when they notified me they were going to overcharge me I contacted them and was assured they would not take the direct debit and they did so I have no confidence that they will not dip into my bank account in January.

I have therefore told them that I do not want a credit note, told them that this is not acceptable and as they took the money out of my account in error I want it to go back into my account.

I have also sent them a copy of the direct debit guarantee. It is now 6 weeks since they made the error and they still haven't refunded my account.

According to the Ombudsman the Direct Debit guarantee states:

"If the originator or the bank/building society makes an error, the customer is guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amount paid"

UD

DarkConvict

Under DD you are indeed entitled to a refund, you ring up your bank, specify the transaction and have it refunded. Vodafone don't have to agree to it, you can request it via ur bank without their approval.

**Upsy_Daisy**

Thanks - I'll do that in the morning if I don't get any joy by the end of today.

Would it be a refund of the whole DD or can I just ask for the amount they have overcharged?
I know if I spent 6 weeks fobbing them off, lying to them etc then they would have issued court proceedings and screwed up my credit ratings by now.

Does anyone know if we have to pay by DD in accordance with the contract - although as they are in breach of the contract surely I can do what I want with it - even terminate it?

UD