Vodafone complaints

gowilla

HI, I upgraded my phone in March and at the time I was going to leave Vodafone as I was able to get a better deal elsewhere. The person I spoke to offered me a the tarrif I was already on (600 min, unlimited text, data, VP, STC) plus a Blackberry storm or a HTC for £10 less than what I was originally paying (so I should now be paying £25pm rather than £35pm) instead I am paying more - I am now paying £40 pm. I have spoken to your customer service team but this has got me know where - I just get told there is nothing they can do bar offer me a £5 discount as the person who offered the deal has not updated the system.
Please help me get this resolved as I am currenly paying more than I should be.

fatboy88

It is a bit of a joke you always have to double check everything they do and they wonder why people keep ringing up to double check and returning handsets. Cowboy comes to mind

marbleheadj

Mr Notsohappy, whether you like it or not, this is your responsibility.

The agreement is for the minimum time not the maximum time, most people would have a fit if their number was cut off because it was the anniversary of them connecting.

Probably not what you want to hear but you can't expect them to be mindreaders! :rolleyes:

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

slopemaster

Well, surprise surprise, their escalated complaints team never contacted me as promised, nor did i have any reply to my e-mails.

So I have today contacted BBC Watchdog, local press, local MP etc... Here's hoping they can stir something up

singingcrayon

Slopemaster- sorry to hear about your situation.
I wrote to Jane Hext, the Customer Management Director at Vodafone, as she won an award for providing excellent customer service.
I received a reply from Laura Gavin who works on her behalf. You might like to try her at:
Vodafone Directors Office
08704 500 005
[EMAIL="directorcomplaintoffice@vodafone.co.uk"]directorcomplaintoffice@vodafone.co.uk[/EMAIL]

singingcrayon

Update: I received a response from the above office today, and it addressed most of the things I mentionned. It seemed this lady actually read my complaint as oppossed to the people in the customer services department who seemd to offer generic replies alone.

nic2075

Ive been with Vodafone for just over a year now. I was on an 18 month contract so due to upgrade in Aug/Sep. i was paying £40 per month, so when the first 9 months were up I called and asked to reduce my tariff. They said I could only reduce it by £5 a month, so agreed to that. A week later I got a call form customer loyalty saying he could reduce it further if I want, we aggreed the £22.50 a month package would suit. He told me it was until August then I can leave or upgrade. He also told me that included dongle and 200 mins internet time. I got my next bill in at the end of May and called to query some charges on my bill, turns out they charged me £4.94 for the delivery of the dongle (he never told me about that), I complained to customer service and they waived that. BUT it turns out im now in a NEW 18 month contract!!! the guy never said I was entering a new contract. Theres no way I was staying in with Vodafone as I get virtually no signal in my house (I live in a village) Id planned to go back to O2 where I know I get good signal and a good deal etc.
They said they sent me out paperwork, but I never received it. ive a feeling it went to my old address as Ive tried to change my address with Voda three times but I never receive anything and the person at my old address passed a couple of things onto me.
Im not sure what to do, 4 weeks has passed so im outwith the 14 days cut off period. Theres no way I want to be stuck in another contract with these incompetant eejits.
The guy on the phone definently told me nothing about another contract, he said I could do what I want in August. Do you think the fact they didnt send any paperwork to my correct address means im not legally in a contract with them?
I feel I was tricked.
ive sent one email to customer service and called them, they say they are looking into it, but im not happy, im worried they'll say im stuck with them.

baldelectrician

Insist on them sending a copy of the call where you agreed to a new 18 month deal. If they can not send it they can not prove you have a new contract.

They record these calls as a matter of course.

diamonds

singingcrayon wrote: »

Slopemaster- sorry to hear about your situation.
I wrote to Jane Hext, the Customer Management Director at Vodafone, as she won an award for providing excellent customer service.
I received a reply from Laura Gavin who works on her behalf. You might like to try her at:
Vodafone Directors Office
08704 500 005
[EMAIL="directorcomplaintoffice@vodafone.co.uk"]directorcomplaintoffice@vodafone.co.uk[/EMAIL]

lol Hext is the one making the last REAL employees at Vodafone's OWN Banbury call centre REDUNDANT......Hext believes outsourcing all the way, but then being able to get a chief exec employee to manage her account & be paid by Voda I guess she will never know the problems