Challenging Vodafone changes...

illuminate

As many V/fone customers will be aware we were recently informed that they intended to change the details of their pay monthly tariff.

Basically they used to do a very useful feature where browsing and MMS services were spent out of your text bundle.

I decided to challenge it....... as detailed below

Complaints Dept.
Vodafone Ltd.
PO Box 549
Banbury
Oxfordshire
OX17 3ZJ
16th August 2006

Ref: Account No. #########.

Dear Sir/Madam,

On the 21st February, 2006 following a visit to one of your stores, I agreed a contract over the phone with a Vodafone sales assistant. I had carried out extensive research and decided that your offer of an 18 month contract with 200 Anytime Minutes + 250 texts at a cost of £25 per month (with the first 3 months for £12.50) best suited my requirements.

One of the main selling points of this tariff, as pointed out by both your instore and phone sales people, was the flexibilty of the 250 texts included. In addition to SMS, these could be used for both Picture/MMS and also Internet Browsing, saving the additional costs of purchasing separate packages for these services which I have used regualrly since their introduction.

I recently received an SMS from yourselves informing me that as from 1st September 2006, MMS and Internet Browsing would no longer be included in my package. Picture/MMS would then be charged at 36p each and Internet Browsing at £2 per MB.

Whilst I appreciate that under Clause 7 of the Terms & Conditions of our agreement you reserve the right to increase or decrease your charges from time to time, I would also refer you to Clause 8) a i of the same agreement. This puts specific limits on the increases that you can impose on me the customer, before I am entitled to end our agreement.

8) Ending of this Agreement

a) You may end this Agreement immediately by writing to us if:-

i) we increase in the United Kingdom and under clause 7a, call or other usage charges which have the effect of increasing your call or other usage charges by more than 10% or the increase in RPI calculated as in 8a above (which ever is the greater) based upon your previous call or usage pattern.

Based upon the information on the four full monthly bills I have received to date, my previous usage pattern for these services is as follows;

Month Internet Browsing MMS Monthly Invoice
April ‘06 8.604 MB 21 £61.91
May ‘06 1.451 MB 5 £20.22
June ‘06 2.769 MB 4 £28.65
July ‘06 0.075 MB 11 £25.19

Monthly Average 3.225 MB 10.25 £33.99
New Cost # £6.45 £3.69 £44.13
# costs based upon new charges proposed by Vodafone from 1/9/06 of 36p/MMS & £2/MB

From the above I conclude that the increase in my monthly usage costs will therefore be approximately 30%.

This is clearly in contavention of Clause 8 and as such I am entitled under the Terms & Conditions to end our agreement.

I hope that you will enter into a sincere dialogue with me about this matter and I am writing this letter to you on the assumption that you will prefer to do this, rather than merely respond with standard letters and leaflets.

Also in accordance with the same clause:

8) Ending of this Agreement

a) You may end this Agreement immediately by writing to us if:-

• we do not do what we have to do under this Agreement and do not put it right within 7 days of being asked in writing to do so.

I will therefore give you the specified 7 days to reply to me with an acceptable solution.

If you do not respond, or you do not respond positively, within this time period, I shall write once more to end the agreement and request my PAC in order that I can port my number to an alternative provider.


Yours faithfully,

Now they havn't replied in writing though have told me over the phone that they have no intention of addressing the issue.

Their argument basically is that they havn't actually increased their prices, as its the same cost now for MMS (36p) and per MB (£2) as it was before the proposed changes. While that may be true they seem to be completely ignoring the ref. in the T&C to my usage costs.

I'd like people's opinions on taking this further. Its become a matter of principal now. I'm hacked of with being bullied by these big companies and want to make a stand.

Would my best bet be OFCOM, OTELO or my local trading standards

chinnie

Provided you have time and urge, I don't see why you should drop the case. I also have a billing issue with Vodafone as I was transferred from CPW. It's just a mere 25 pounds but I do think that I'm right and should not treated as a person who would just let go and can't be bothered. As you mentioned, it is a matter of principle and this will reward you whether or not the stake is big or small and whether or not you win or lose.

JasonW_2

We should all leave vodafone as soon as possible, as this is clearly the only lanuage they understand. I did not realise but I had extras pack on mines which was negotiated as part of a deal to stay with them, and this has been removed. I don't use MMS but the fact as it will cost me more than it did when i signed up again if I wanted to send them. Clearly they are back tracking on deals and offers they have given out, and is probably just the start of clawing back these benefits over the next while to try and make them money again. Yeh, as if we are gonna be suckers and jump through their hoops and stay with them! As if vodafone!!

flagpole

illuminate wrote:

As many V/fone customers will be aware we were recently informed that they intended to change the details of their pay monthly tariff.

Basically they used to do a very useful feature where browsing and MMS services were spent out of your text bundle.

I decided to challenge it....... as detailed below



Now they havn't replied in writing though have told me over the phone that they have no intention of addressing the issue.

Their argument basically is that they havn't actually increased their prices, as its the same cost now for MMS (36p) and per MB (£2) as it was before the proposed changes. While that may be true they seem to be completely ignoring the ref. in the T&C to my usage costs.

I'd like people's opinions on taking this further. Its become a matter of principal now. I'm hacked of with being bullied by these big companies and want to make a stand.

Would my best bet be OFCOM, OTELO or my local trading standards

OFCOM wont help you. they do not regulate anything other than voice minutes. it's a trading standards issue.

illuminate

Released from contract, W900 sold on eBay.....

Now a happy T-mobile customer....

I thank you !

esuhl

T-Mobile pulled a similar(ish) stunt a year or two ago, when they suddenly started charging everyone 99p a month extra for itemised billing.

This was in breach of contract as the rise was "above the change in the retail price index" and therefore needed my consent to pay the extra, which obviously I did not give. Legally they were obliged to either drop the charge or cancel my contract without penalty.

T-Mobile were unbelievably devious and I was verbally insulted several times for "trying to get something for nothing" before they gave up and reduced my line rental. They succeeded in conning thousands (if not millions) of people out of money for which they should not have been liable. (Which is why I would NEVER EVER EVER use their T-Mobile again.)

Congratulations on pressing the issue and getting a resolution that you're happy with, though (even if it IS the dreaded T-Mobile).

digp

JasonW wrote:

We should all leave vodafone as soon as possible, as this is clearly the only lanuage they understand. I did not realise but I had extras pack on mines which was negotiated as part of a deal to stay with them, and this has been removed. I don't use MMS but the fact as it will cost me more than it did when i signed up again if I wanted to send them. Clearly they are back tracking on deals and offers they have given out, and is probably just the start of clawing back these benefits over the next while to try and make them money again. Yeh, as if we are gonna be suckers and jump through their hoops and stay with them! As if vodafone!!

v. good idea. let us know when you have left voda.