Vodafone complaints

bigbill

As a possible new customer to Vodafone I was a bit worried after reading the reviews here and elsewhere.

I took out a Satio at £35 monthly for two years last saturday on-line, could have got it cheaper elsewhere but I needed my original number and most cheaper ones would not allow me to use the pac code on-line.

Anyways monday e-mail saying credit check went fine and phone would be there tomorrow tuesday before 1pm, no phone arrived, no phone wednesday so called and told it will be with you tomorrow thursday, no phone arrived, by this time I realised my O2 sim had stopped working causing lots of problems with work etc so called late thursday to be told it will be their friday before 1pm, no phone all these delivery days I had arranged for someone to be at home all day.

Text arrived on tuesday to say new transferred number will be active on vodafone by 1pm saturday.

To say the customer service is crap is an understatement, I will see if it comes tomorrow saturday before 1pm if not I will be calling to terminate and tell them not to bother sending the new phone as it will be returned, unopened.

How do I get my original number back if I do this given it was on O2 then transferred to vodafone using the O2 pac code, with the original sim now inactive and no new sim to replace it?

Vodafone

Hi Bigbill

Its never nice to wait around for a delivery that doesn't come - particularly if it happens more than once.

If you haven't received your phone yet feel free to get in contact with us following the instructions in our last post and we will investigate this for you.

I'm sure we can get you a resolution.

All the best

Kirsty
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

bigbill

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Bigbill

Its never nice to wait around for a delivery that doesn't come - particularly if it happens more than once.

If you haven't received your phone yet feel free to get in contact with us following the instructions in our last post and we will investigate this for you.

I'm sure we can get you a resolution.

All the best

Kirsty
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Used the web contact yesterday as instructed.

Phone arrived today (Sunday) via royal mail at 11am, daughter took it in, I would have returned it if I had been there.

Will be calling tomorrow to complain and get PAC code as still not happy.

In your (Vodafones) defence the package does say it was posted on 10/11/09 (Tuesday) to arrive within 24 hours? but hey if Vodafone choose to use royal mail after they have been on strike what do they expect given the backlog they must have.

strikewaffle

I have to say, I really wish I had read this forum BEFORE I switched to Vodafone. I have been with O2 for many years and have never had a problem, but Vodafone had the best deal for the phone I wanted, so I decided to try switching. I moved across about 3 weeks ago and I wish I had never bothered. No specific handset is worth this. Their "customer service" email address is a complete joke, and nobody has been willing to help with my issues. I'm so mad I'm about a day away from completely cancelling my contract and reverting back to O2. Even if I need to use my old handset, it's just not worth the hassle for sticking with Vodafone.

Please, if you're thinking of switching to Voda, PLEASE THINK AGAIN.

My problems started when I opened the box. I have been researching this handset (Nokia 5800 ExpressMusic) for some time, including UK based reviews of the phone and its accessories. I've seen the "unboxing" reviews for Vodafone 5800's, one as recent as July this year, so I know what to expect and I know what should be in the box.

My handset arrived with items missing from the box - specifically an A/V cable and a phone stand. This sounds trivial of course but I have a specific desire to use these and it was part of my decision to take this handset in the first place. I wrote an email to the contact address given when I signed up, and the reply I received basically quoted the "whats in the box" list from their website. I can understand their initial response being so lazy, as they probably take a lot of these enquiries, so I replied and pasted in a web address which showed the list of items to expect in the box from Vodafone - dated quite recently as well. I had no reply for over a week so I prodded them again, to which I received exactly the same reply as the first time - the list of items from their website. The list quoted to me misses out items that are definitely in the box (ie a USB cable, software CD ...), so it is not exhaustive in the first place, so I am still not happy. However, nobody at Vodafone seems to care, so I guess its just a lost cause.

Meanwhile, during my sign up process I had made sure to specify that I did NOT want any product/service communications from Vodafone or any third party suppliers. There are boxes for email, text and mail from what I remember. This is something that is important to me, so I made doubly sure that these were set properly. In my first two weeks with Vodafone I have been bombarded with unwanted texts from Vodafone themselves, and there was no way for me to stop them until they had finished anyway. That's right, I received a text with instructions to stop them a week after they had started! Add to that my calls from an 0808 number that traces back to a Vodafone sales centre and then an email from them saying that I was now signed up to receive offers from third party companies.... This directly contradicts the settings I had made when I signed up. I'm sure it is a breach of the Data Protection Act, and I'm checking this now (when I clicked the unsubscribe link in the email they sent, I was given a message which stated that I would still receive messages for 28 days as my details had already been passed on to other companies, and Vodafone has no ability to remove MY details from these OTHER COMPANY databases).

That is not all. I received my first bill at the weekend, and they've charged me VAT on my line rental TWICE. The line rental quoted on the website is inclusive of VAT at 17.5%. Their website says that I will receive a discounted line rental while the VAT rate is at 15%, and it will go back up to the quoted figure next year. Fair enough, that's what O2 did. However, on my bill the line rental in the ex VAT column is the figure that includes VAT at 15%, to which they've ADDED VAT at 15% again, taking my actual line rental above the figure quoted to me when I signed up.

I have written an email to them again with these issues explained, and I've not had a response (again). They're obviously happy to take my money but don't particularly care about service. PLEASE, if you're reading this prior to switching to Vodafone, STAY CLEAR. This is the most unprofessional service I have ever encountered, and I'm only in week three!

Vodafone

Hi strikewaffle

I can understand your anger over this chain of events.

It is clear that you have not received the level of service that we would expect from our advisors.

I'd like the opportunity to investigate this for you and put it right.

So that I can do this please could you send me an email from here with your username and a link to your post? When you send the email it's important that you include WRT135 in the subject line so that your email comes straight to my team.

I'll do everything I can to help.

All the best

Kirsty
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Hefferlump

Hi Kirsty/Lee,

Why have you blocked private messages?

Vodafone

Hi Hefferlump,

In line with some changes introduced by MSE the PM function has been disabled for Company Representatives.

If you'd like to contact us privately about something just the follow the instructions in the Additional Information section of our profile page.

Many thanks,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

Blue_Parrot

I thought it was only me until I came across this thread, which now runs to 20 pages. TWENTY PAGES! Ye GODS!

Here's a brief summary of my current issue with Vodafone which I posted on their e-forum and which was immediately modded by them:
===========
I've been a Vodafone business customer for at least eight years, maybe longer.

Since July this year everything that could go wrong with my billing has gone wrong. I am beyond exasperated, I am now seriously P***ed Off.

In July I was phoned by an agent (that's what they're called, not salesmen), name of Zoheb. It took about 45 minutes to negotiate new tarriffs for the two phones on our account. He assured me that he was aware of the customary use of the phones and heard me tell him that that pattern of use would not change. He also told me that as a result of renewing the contract for a further 12 months, we would have a £120 credit on the next bill. HE suggested a different contract to save me money.

When the August bill arrived there was no such credit applied. I phoned Vodafone and another agent (this time Tom, in Belfast) assured me that it would be on the following bill, that for September.

The September bill showed a £120 credit MINUS VAT. There is no VAT charge on Credits! You don't give someone a credit and then charge tax on it! Again, I had to telephone to get this stupid mistake corrected.

Meanwhile, there was no sign of a decrease in monthly charges as negotiated back in July with the original agent. The October bill was horrific. The October bill was nearly triple any bill before July this year with the same pattern of use on the phones.

I had to phone again (all these calls are at my own expense, of course). This time I got Lorna, another agent and insisted that she hear me out. Eventually she agreed - with her supervisor at her shoulder - that the July new tarrif was completely inappropriate for our useage of the phones and ordered - I heard her keyboarding - a Re-Calc, and put me back on the pre-Zoheb tarrif.

The Zoheb tarrif was calculating overseas rates at a pound per minute. I'll repeat that, a Pound Per Minute. NO ONE WOULD EVER HAVE AGREED TO THAT. Previous overseas calls (for the last five years) have been charged at a tenth of that, i.e., a 25 minute call would cost £2.50. Now a 25 minute call costs £25.

Now, my horrific October bill is showing at "overdue" on the Vodafone website.

1. Why? Since you collect it by direct debit. I am in no way "overdue". I have not stopped collection. You have failed to collect it yourselves.

2. Why is this horrific bill outstanding anyway? I was expecting a Re-Calc since October 31st, the date I had a 45-minute debate with Lorna. I am, in fact, expecting a massive refund on the bills for August, September and October.

3. Why do I have to work so hard to get any response out of anyone at Vodafone over an error made by one of your own staff? Why do I have to keep phoning you up and repeating the facts over and over again?

I AM DEEPLY UNIMPRESSED TO PUT IT MILDLY.
=============
I immediately got an email as follows:

Good evening Blue Parrot,

We’ve noticed your thread on the Vodafone eForum.

The eForum is a public forum designed to provide technical help and as such doesn’t require any account details to register. Therefore it isn’t the best place to get specific account issues resolved. So we can help you in the fastest and best way possible we have removed your thread from the eForum and contacted you via secure email. This will allow your issue to be looked into by our Customer Relations team in a secure and private environment. Our Customer Relations team are dedicated to giving excellent service and will do everything possible to resolve your issue and restore your faith in Vodafone. Please reply to this email with the below details and they will be in touch:

· Full Name
· The second and fourth digit of your security code
· Mobile number
· Address including post code
· Date of Birth

If you think we will need any further information to help you please also include this.

Now that your current issue is going to be resolved very soon, don’t forget to visit us at the eForum. We have a great community providing all kinds of technical help and support. Don’t forget to check out the eForum terms and conditions page for guidance on how to get the most out of it.

Kind regards

Vodafone eForum
===============
Here's my immediate reply: I've x'd out the personal information

Full Name = xxxxxxxxxx

What Security Code? What do you mean by Security Code? Do you mean User ID contained in the registration email received earlier? If you don't mean that, then I do not know what you mean. Or do you mean the PIN to switch my phone on? If you mean that, why not just say so?


Mobile No = xxxxxxxxx

Address = xxxxxxxxx

DoB = xxxxxxxxx

Further information you might need: Account is in the name of xxxxxxxxxxx. Method of payment is DIRECT DEBIT. Number of phones on this account is TWO.

My issue is going to be resolved very soon is it? Oh jolly good. It's only taken four months so far. There is no point trying to contact me on the mobile phone, by the way. I hardly ever switch it on any more because of YOUR horrendous charges, mistakes, and apparent inability to train "agents" in advice to long-standing and loyal Business Customers.

I await an email from "customer services" very soon. Let's hope they sort this out before another four months elapse. I'm still here, aren't I? I did the one-year tarriff renewal with Zoheb back in July..........................................

Regards
=========
There was no reply.

Stupidly, I thought something would happen in the next 24 hours, but no, my October bill is still uncollected by direct debit and is still showing as "Overdue" on their website.

So I wrote further on their e-Forum, asking why THEY have not collected the money yet say it is "overdue"; why they are taking FOUR months to sort out the incorrect tarrif; if they are applying the Re-Calc promised by their own staff while I was listening on the phone, why has nothing happened except to completely ignore me unless I angrily appear in their faces on their own forum; and why are they, a communications company, so signally bad at communicating with their own long-standing and loyal customers?

This was also immediately deleted and I got this email response:

Good afternoon Blue Parrot

The eForum is a public forum designed to provide technical help and as such doesn’t require any account details to register. Therefore it isn’t the best place to get specific account issues resolved. So we can help you in the fastest and best way possible we have removed your thread from the eForum and contacted you via secure email.

We're aiming to fix queries for you faster than ever, and so from now on we are handling all account specific queries by phone. We'll be making call-backs between 8am and 9pm. If you're not available at a particular time during these hours, you can specify below.

Please reply to this email with:

– Your mobile number or account number:
– Your alternative contact number:
– Hours you're not available during:
– Alternative Contact number

And for security please include:

– Full Name:
– The second and fourth digit of your security code:
– Address including post code:
– Date of Birth:

Once we have this information we'll call you as soon as possible. We'll try and call at least three times, but if for any reason we can't get through, we'll drop you an email to let you know we've called. If it's more convenient for you, you can always dial 191 free from your Vodafone mobile, or 08700 700 191 from any other line.

Kind Regards


Moderator
eForum Team
Vodafone UK

This made me even angrier. I wrote back:
========
I have already provided most of this information in a reply to your email last night. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS.

I have had no communication from Vodafone by email all day today excepting when I try to attract Vodafone's attention yet again, on your forum.

I do not put my mobile phone on all day long and then lug it around in case someone calls me. I do not want Vodafone to call me about all this. I want them to email me.

For validation as to who I am, read last night's reply. Thanks.
(name and address x-d out for this post)

ps. This entire episode (now 4 months long) should be an object-lesson in How To Really Irritate Your Customers, for training purposes.
============

There was no reply. I have had no contact whatsoever from anyone at "customer services" in the following 24 hours.

So I went onto their website again. This time I hunted down and found an email form on their Business Complaints page - which takes some finding...... This time I referred to both my complaints (deleted) on their e-forum, the replies from the e-Moderator, my replies to him/her and very briefly mentioned the c!ck-up over the delayed credit which had had VAT erroneously applied to it.

Today, I have had this. It beggars belief.

Good afternoon xxxxxxxx
Thanks for your emails.
We try to respond as soon as possible but we are experiencing a slight delay in responding to some emails so apologies for the wait.
The Billing recalculation is underway and if contacting you regarding this, I've requested this be by email as stated in your message.
The VAT part of the £120 offer not credited has been raised to your account and once the recalculation has been processed, our Billing Team will either contact you directly or revert to our Team to confirm the credits.
Best Wishes
Paul
Paul Harrison
Vodafone Customer Relations

The Credit/VAT c!ck-up was resolved two months ago when I phoned to complain about it! That is NOT now the issue! I am NOT asking for that tiny mistake to be fixed, I am asking for my entire bills for August September and October to be recalculated and also the unbilled November which I can now see on their system, where they are still charging me £1/minute for overseas calls!

I do not like being ignored. I do not like being given the run-around. I do not like being fobbed-off and I especially do not like being forced to explain the problem over and over and over again. Especially when someone has agreed with me (that Lorna and her supervisor) and they have said that something will be done about it! The "something" seems to consist of ignoring me completely and hoping I will go away, shut up, die or all three.

:mad:

Vodafone

Hi Blue Parrott,

This has certainly been going on for too long but now that the Web Relations Team are aware of it we'll do everything possible to bring this to an end as soon as we can.

It's always disappointing to hear about instances such as yours and I can apologise that things have gone so horribly wrong here and promise you that we'll do our best to put them right.

As you've posted about your experience on the eForum I've been able to track down your details and will be contacting you privately via email with an update on your case.

Many thanks,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

Mrs_Arcanum

Vodafone ripped off my brother with an apparently nice deal for £20 freedom pack offer sent direct to his mobile. Due to not getting the T&C of this deal at the time of offer he was not aware it specifically did not include calls & texts abroad, the one thing he really needed at a cheap rate.

Now he has wasted £20 of money he does not have, and struggles to contact his wife who is stuck in Tanzania whilst finances are sorted out.

Vodafone's attitude when he asked if the £20 could be stuck on a more useful package was in essence "Tough".

Just the help you need when you have lost both your home and job within weeks.