Vodafone harassing my deaf 86yr old mum!

albert_tatlock

I have just spent almost an hour on the phone eventually talking to a manager in customer services at Vodafone although he was not very helpful. I need an issue resolving regarding what I consider a fraudulent account taken out in my 86yr old mums name. I have previously spoken to Chloud and Kirsty @ collections in June 2010, I have also spoken to Jack in account management in July. I have explained that my mum is house bound and partially deaf, she has never owned a mobile phone nor taken out a contract to have one, she has no idea how to use one and is unable to hear anything from one. I was assured by Jack @account management that this matter had been sorted out and my mum would not be sent anymore correspondence from Vodafone regarding this matter even so my mum received yet another letter from SRJ debt recoveries today stating referral for litigation. I have spoken tonight to Brian and Sam and a manager in customer services who didn’t tell me his name and have again got nowhere only to be told to ring back again tomorrow.
I want this matter sorting out immediately I have asked to escalate it. I have done all in my power to take this matter through the right channels with Vodafone but it appears that they are either unwilling or unable to remove my mum’s name from their system, the quality of customer service has been unbelievably poor I have on several occasions asked for their fraud department to contact me but 2 and a half months later they still haven’t. All the time and effort I have taken to try and get this finalised appears to have been wasted. I have now e-mailed them but I don’t think I’ll hold my breath waiting for a solution.

I am now thinking of reporting both Vodafone and SRJ Debt recoveries to the Police for harassment in the hope that they might make an effort to sort this out and stop sending an ill partially deaf housebound old woman threatening letters about something she knows nothing about.

Silk

Try sending an email stating what the situation is to the CEO
[EMAIL="guy.laurence@vodafone.com"]guy.laurence@vodafone.com[/EMAIL]

bubblesmoney

contact the sun and the daily mail apart from the police too for harassment. that should get their !!!! into action ASAP on the matter. i would do that if i were you if they made me run around for so many months and issue not resolved.

just one point ... you say you 'consider' the contract fraudulent.... did someone you or she knows actually get her to sign a contract which she didnt understand? or was it a purely fraudulent contract.

albert_tatlock

My mum is housebound and has only left her bungalow 4 times this year, once for my dads funeral and once to go to hospital (where she is now) and twice to visit my dad’s grave all aided in her wheel chair. The bill apparently dates back to 2008 my mum has hardly left her home in this time, she has never been to a Vodafone store or any other mobile phone providers, she has never signed for a mobile phone or agreed on the phone to take out a mobile phone contract. She has never received a bill from Vodafone, she hasn’t a clue how to use one and can’t hear anything when I put mine to her ear, there has never been ownership of a mobile phone of any description in my mum’s household. Vodafone won’t tell me much as my names not on the account even so Vodafone have let slip that they have information that one of her grandsons has the phone (I have a large family so it doesn’t narrow it down much). I have asked for the name or the phone number so I can call it to find out but they won’t tell me, I have asked why they are not pursuing the person who has the phone but they say because it’s my mums and she has given the use of it to the grandson, even though my mum is adamant she’s never taken out a mobile phone contract whatever I tell them falls on deaf ears. I have asked several times for the Vodafone fraud dept to contact me to try and resolve this matter yet over 2 and a half months later they still haven’t. Surely if my mum had taken out a contract with Vodafone she’d receive a bill even if what they claim (that she’s given it to one of her grandsons) yet no one has ever seen a bill of any description from Vodafone, in fact the only correspondence anyone has seen with the name Vodafone on is the letters from SRJ debt recoveries.

Another thing that is so frustrating is Vodafones stance that they will only talk to the account holder, but that isn’t my mum as she’s never taken out a mobile phone account!

gjchester

Once passed over Vodafone will not be much help, they'll insist you talk to the debt people, they've sold it on and thats it. Stop using phone or email, start writing letters that can be send signed for and you have proof they recieved them. Keep copies of all letters you send.

Get your mum to write to SRJ and ask for all the details of the debt in writing. Or rather you write the letter she can sign it, add to that letter that she gives you authority to deal on her behalf to let you get access. You may also want to do the same to Vodafone so your name is on their file as an authority.

You may not like the fact Vodafone will not talk to you, but it is for your protection, if they talked to anyone then anyone could take out phones in anyone elses name.

Explain the situation in the letter, and ask for full details of the debt and take it from there. Try and remain to the facts, don't say you have a large family or the grandson issue it would complicate matters at this point. Ask for the initial contract details if possible and a breakdown of the debt.

It's entirely possible someone in your family has used your mums details to open an account and in that case if they got her to sign the form, or if done over the phone they may not have needed the signiture, it may be dishonest on their part but not fraud as far as vodafone is concerned. The account may have been opened and operated correctly

This will not be resolved quickly, there will be paperwork involved all you can do is progress through it slowly.

Vodafone

Hi Albert,

It's frustrating to hear of the problems you and your mum are having here. We would really like to get this resolved for you as quickly as possible.

For us to look at this can you email me at the link below, including WRT135 in the title and a link to this forum in the thread

http://!!!!!!!/JhPl0

You will receive an auto response email back to you with a reference number in, if you can post that on here, i will look at this straight away. If you have already emailed into us and have a refernce, please just post that.

Many Thanks,

Andy
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

whatajoke1

albert_tatlock wrote: »

I am now thinking of reporting both Vodafone and SRJ Debt recoveries to the Police for harassment

Send a cease and desist letter first.

Harassment occurs on the second occassion and is covered under Protection from Harassment Act 1997

harassment for debt is covered under the Administration of Justice Act 1970

gjchester

whatajoke1 wrote: »

Send a cease and desist letter first.

If there is a legitimate debt though (regardless of if it's fraud or not) then a cease and desist will make no difference. The company is only seeking payment on a contract the question is who took it out and the detaisl of it.

The OP needs to get the details of the debt first before they can go forward.

worjackie

I'm having bother with vodafone, i'm having bother paying my monthly bills as i've just getting my own place. I phoned them asking if they could downgrade my phone and they said NO they can't do that i would have to find someone to take over my contract and if i was to cancel it i would have to pay £694 up front. Has anyone got any ideas what i could do thanks

Googlewhacker

worjackie wrote: »

I'm having bother with vodafone, i'm having bother paying my monthly bills as i've just getting my own place. I phoned them asking if they could downgrade my phone and they said NO they can't do that i would have to find someone to take over my contract and if i was to cancel it i would have to pay £694 up front. Has anyone got any ideas what i could do thanks

Earn more, spend less?
Look at your statement of affairs and see if you can cut back in other areas.

Unfortunately for you, you signed the contract and now have to keep to that agreement

Annie._2

worjackie wrote: »

I'm having bother with vodafone, i'm having bother paying my monthly bills as i've just getting my own place. I phoned them asking if they could downgrade my phone and they said NO they can't do that i would have to find someone to take over my contract and if i was to cancel it i would have to pay £694 up front. Has anyone got any ideas what i could do thanks

Its not Vodafone's fault you are moving into your own place and cannot afford to pay your bill along with your new monthly outgoings.

With the new YPL 'Your Plan' tariffs you cannot downgrade, you used to be able to downgrade on the older plans after nine months payments one step at a time each month, £5.00. You would, of course, lose some of your monthly allowance when reducing your contract.

They are within their rights to demand full payment for the contract.