Vodafone complaints

mobilejunkie

Loosetooth wrote: »

Well I think that the main answer to that will be ignorance, I did not know that I could (ie my last upgrade was for 24 months - I had, many times, exasperated requested the termination of the contract... and for mutliple reasons, overcharging, severe incompetence and changing the terms of the contract without my consent... Vodafone merely put you through to a Termination Team who request £100's to end the contract).

There was also not one problem... rather many of small problems which either overlapped or began as the last one ended. So human nature, in that situation, is to work through it... hoping that this problem would be, after it was resolved, the last.

Also modern consumer law/ombudsmans (methods of redress) require that the consumer do two things:

1) Act reasonably and

2) give the company involved a chance to resolve the situation.

And companies exploit that. So, for instance, Vodafone put my account into deadlock... but simply refused to send me a deadlock letter, to this day I do not have one. Well that makes accessing things like the Ombudsman impossible. Because Vodafone have not given up on resolving the situation... it creates a situation where the consumer (myself in this case) is stuck in a Catch 22... a company, in order to effectively rob you of some of the forms of redress, merely need to ignore you and reasonable requests and pay lip service to consumer organisations. This above example is not the only example but the one that comes to mind.

Not really. After 8 weeks of making a formal complaint you don't need a deadlock letter to go to the ombudsman. I can't believe you couldn't terminate contracts at the minimum term end but instead agreed to an upgrade. Consumer law doesn't expect you allow two years for them to resolve a problem and they can only charge ETCs If you terminste a contract early.

Silk

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Not really. After 8 weeks of making a formal complaint you don't need a deadlock letter to go to the ombudsman. I can't believe you couldn't terminate contracts at the minimum term end but instead agreed to an upgrade. Consumer law doesn't expect you allow two years for them to resolve a problem and they can only charge ETCs If you terminste a contract early.

Unless I'm missing something MJ the OP claims to have already gone to the Ombudsman with it .....

Loosetooth wrote: »

The Ombudsman was pathetic... taking months to decide anything, accepting anything Vodafone sent them as legitimate evidence (I was not allowed to see what Vodafone was telling them) and ignoring my testimony as not really evidence at all. They took a long time to uphold my complaint and offer me a pathetic settlement (£40 compensation, a lesson from Vodafone in how to use a computer and a letter of apology).

By this time my bill was £200... although I had not actually had use of my phone as it was cut off in February. I decided to stop the Ombudsman process as it would bind me to and unsatisfactory outcome and was biased (despite what they said) in Vodafone's favour.

keep_flyin

Having gone back several pages and found a link that worked I have now emailed vodafone. Not even had an automated reply yet, shall see if I get anywhere with this. Still don't know anyone on our type of ADSL connection that would have a 1mbps upload speed to get the sure signal to work. Really feel like I've been conned.

Edited to add the number is #10556698

mobilejunkie

Loosetooth wrote: »

And companies exploit that. So, for instance, Vodafone put my account into deadlock... but simply refused to send me a deadlock letter, to this day I do not have one. Well that makes accessing things like the Ombudsman impossible. Because Vodafone have not given up on resolving the

It depends on which particular statement you read, Silk.

Loosetooth

mobilejunkie wrote: »

Not really. After 8 weeks of making a formal complaint you don't need a deadlock letter to go to the ombudsman. I can't believe you couldn't terminate contracts at the minimum term end but instead agreed to an upgrade. Consumer law doesn't expect you allow two years for them to resolve a problem and they can only charge ETCs If you terminste a contract early.

It is very hard, in a forum setting, to make you aware of all the ins and outs of what has happened between myself and Vodafone. And as I try to explain to you in answer to certain inquiries you bring up points which I then answer and the impression it is giving you is neither complete or chronological.

I upgraded 24 months ago on a 24 month contract. Vodafone were already showing alarming customer service problems but I had been a long term customer, Vodafone had, historically, been a great company and I was convinced these problems (minor to begin with) were temporary and Vodafone would fix them. They did not, they worsened. Considerably.

Now.... I know now, through trial and error, that if a company is misbehaving you make a formal (written) complaint and escalate it through the system until either 8 weeks has passed or you reach deadlock. However if you have a company, like Vodafone, whose customer service is abysmal and difficult to navigate that is no easy problem. Add to that it was not one persistent problem, it was - to begin with - lots of little problems that, as one was fixed, would crop up one after the other. One problem might take 2/3 months to fix, then another would occur. So that is a new complaint for every one, Ombudsman's might be good for great hoofing injustices that are persistent... however, I have found, they are rubbish for smaller problems which add up to a general picture of incompetence and mismanagement.

My experience with the Ombudsman was not a good one (slow, secretive, overly kind to Vodafone, did not listen to me or take my experiences into account, very evidence based - which is partially my fault for not keeping better records but I never thought it would develop into this big a problem, you would think that companies would behave with more common sense, care and consideration).

Anyway.... whether you mean it or not I kinda feel a little judged by you. Take it on advisement I did my best within the confines of being a decent and patient customer and when I took the complaint forward I followed the rules to the best of ability and knowledge and learned much as I went along. When dealing with a failing company, which is what Vodafone is, the ability to followed the "ideal complaints pathway" is extremely difficult because of misinformation and outright lies and the incompetence of the company and staff who you are dealing with.

Loosetooth

Silk wrote: »

Did you copy and paste the link as per the instructions ?

Could I have schooling? I have read the thread.... and gone to the Vodafone Company Rep profile page and I cannot find a link.

There is a "Message" button (disabled), the is a link about badges... there companies permission post link and a link to message the MSE Forum team.... other than that I cannot find a link.

I know that it will just be me being stupid... but I am seriously looking and just cannot see.

Edit: Could it be that the link on the Vodafone page is only visible when the Vodafone person is actually online? I am searching this post and looking back through Lee's 3000+ posts and they all say the same thing.... email me using the link and put such and such in the topic bar.... but quite simply I cannot find a link.

mobilejunkie

You copy the link on the Rep's profile, put it into a window and go to the form, put the heading "WRT135 - MSE" and then the the message. With the reply you get a reference number, quote it on this thread and they'll get back to you.

Vodafone isn't a "failing company" in the true meaning of the phrase. Quite the opposite. There are thousands of customers (me included) who have been through numerous problems as you have. Going through the normal and expected procedures doesn't work (though I'm not sure I'd agree about the Ombudsman - I've used CISAS with EE twice to great and immediate effect for Orange, but think Vodafone may have a different Ombudsman from comments I've read?

Anyhow, it's been written on this thread (and innumerable others about Vodafone) hundreds of times the how and what to actually get problems sorted - and what Vodafone as a whole is like in the last few years.

Loosetooth

mobilejunkie wrote: »

You copy the link on the Rep's profile, put it into a window and go to the form, put the heading "WRT135 - MSE" and then the the message.

Yes... that is what I am saying.... what link? There is no link at the moment.

Silk

Loosetooth wrote: »

Could I have schooling? I have read the thread.... and gone to the Vodafone Company Rep profile page and I cannot find a link.

On the profile

Biography
vdfn.co/1d98zmW - To access the form enter the code WRT135 & quote MSE in the question box.

Copy and paste vdfn.co/1d98zmW into your browser

Loosetooth

mobilejunkie wrote: »

It depends on which particular statement you read, Silk.

I had to argue for months to get the Ombudsman to accept the case, they kept making problems... the case was too old for them to accept, there was no deadlock letter (they kept referring me to go and get the deadlock letter and did not tell me about the 8 week thing, it was my third Ombudsman phone call before the person on the other end of the line said "we do not need a deadlock letter if it has been more than 8 weeks"), because there was a whole host of problems and not one they would not accept that... so I had to pick one (the overcharging) and go with that. Then I had to wait 8 weeks because there was no deadlock letter. They took 3 months to uphold my complaint (during which time Vodafone had cut me off but were still charging) and ruled that Vodafone should pay me £40, teach me how to use my own computer equipment (no-one would ever believe me that it was their website that would not work... it was always me who could no access it) and write me a letter of apology. This was not an acceptable settlement for me, I would not be bound by it. I have withdrawn the complaint to pursue small claims, I have enough evidence so why would I not?

I am getting a little tired of the "old sweats" of this forum constantly judging me... you do not know me, nor my case, nor what I have been through....

Did I do everything correctly? In the correct order? At the correct moment of time? Probably not. But I do not have to justify myself to you guys, at source the facts are this... if Vodafone gave me a trouble free existence and not consistently overcharged me I would have been a happy customer who paid my bill on time (as I was for many years before this moment) but that was not my experience, if they had then taken my complaints seriously and solved them in a timely fashion with competent CS, I would not be here, but they did not.... and I apologise to you all for not being able to write a coherent history of the whole soap opera that does not give you all pause for thought or the need to question me (if I were able you would not read it, for it makes for tedious reading).... now if anyone can help me with that link...