Vodafone withholding contract information on it's website

wattc

I'm trying to work out when my 18 month Vodafone contract ends. I never got any paperwork when the phone was delivered and nowhere on the "My account" section of the vodafone website does it tell me the date.

(And I'm strictly talking about the website here, so don't tell me to ring 191)

When I search their help section, I can find a link called:
"How do I check the start and finish dates of my contract?"

Brilliant - just the information I'm after.

So I click on the link and it brings me to a page that says:
"528"

That's all it says.

Using google cache, I have looked back and on "19 May 2011 05:25:20 GMT" it still had the same page with the number "528".

So for *at least* 2 months people have been going to this error page.

Undoubtedly this page gets huge hits per month, so vodafone's web development people know damn well it doesn't display anything.

It really annoys me that vodafone has these tactical errors on it's website. And of course we all know why - because vodafone want people to miss the 30 days notice period for cancelling their contract. I mean if you don't in paper or email or on your website provide this information, how are we to know????

I think it's very deceiptful to tactically withhold this information.

I'm aware that vodafone representatives read this forum, so here are my questions:

Why has this hugely important help page been broken for at least the last 2 months?
And more importantly - why are exact contract start/end dates not available on in the "My account" section of the vodafone website?

Annie._2

I have searched the help section and Googled for the link you mention but nothing comes up.

A easy way to find out when your contract ends is to log into your online account and select upgrade. You will then get a date when you are eligible to upgrade 50 days before your contract ends.

If you go into upgrade your phone on the Vodafone website, you will get a date of 180 days before your contract end date which is the earliest you are able to upgrade online.

You would have received a letter or email when you started your contract with details of all that was agreed together with your contract start and end date.

If you emailed Customer Services via the contact us link they would be able to confirm you contract end date.

Customer Services a call on 191, would also will be able to give you your contract end date.

mobilejunkie

Contacting Vodafone by 191 or their site is ALWAYS a nightmare - been there/done more times than the "0" times I would prefer - it never gets me anywhere but in a worse mess than they created in the first place.

If you have your first bill it will show the period charged for - starting from the first date of connection. 18 months on will be the termination date; good luck when you find it - that's also a complete nightmare nowadays.

wattc

Ann_S wrote: »

I have searched the help section and Googled for the link you mention but nothing comes up.

If you google the phrase:
"How do I check the start and finish dates of my contract? vodafone"

click the first link, scroll down until you see the help topic "How do I check the start and finish dates of my contract?" and you go directly to the "528" page

Ann_S wrote: »

A easy way to find out when your contract ends is to log into your online account and select upgrade. You will then get a date when you are eligible to upgrade 50 days before your contract ends.

If you go into upgrade your phone on the Vodafone website, you will get a date of 180 days before your contract end date which is the earliest you are able to upgrade online.

Did you cut and paste this from somewhere? Anyway, you must be on a different website to me. If I select upgrade, it says "You can upgrade this number right now. You can upgrade immediately. Choose one of our suggested upgrades - or create your own. "There is no date, no mention of 180 or 50 days. Nothing. No date or any indication of when my contract is due to end.

Ann_S wrote: »

You would have received a letter or email when you started your contract with details of all that was agreed together with your contract start and end date.

You obviously have been cutting and pasting and haven't read my original message. I refer you to the second sentence of it.

Ann_S wrote: »

Customer Services a call on 191, would also will be able to give you your contract end date.

Obviously you haven't read my original message. I refer you to the third sentence.

It would make this forum much better if people would read the original message before posting a response. Almost everything you have said is incorrect or ignores my original message.

OneADay

Why rely on google to give you the link.

The absense of the end date of the contract on the online account is vodafone's policy - but its pretty easy to work out as has been suggested by other people on this forum.

You could check Vodafone's own forum to get the same answer

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-Services/where-can-i-find-out-when-my-contract-ends/td-p/699989

So much fuss over this - yeah you don't want to know about "191" - but if the online don't tell you and you want confirmation, whats wrong with a quick call and a simple question?

redped

I had the same problem yesterday, as I knew my contact was up soon. As with the OP, all I could get was the "528" page, so I called 191. 30 seconds later, I had the info I needed. Having said that, their website is poor - slow to load different pages, hard to follow, and even then you can't find out something as simple as the contract end date.

wattc

OneADay wrote: »

The absense of the end date of the contract on the online account is vodafone's policy

Well that is what this whole discussion is about - how completely unfair it is to expect people to give 30 days notice of when their contract ends, but in no place on the website indicate what that actual end date is.

OneADay wrote: »

but its pretty easy to work out as has been suggested by other people on this forum.

As I said in my initial email, I'm questioning why vodafone do not supply the contract start/end date on their website. If they have paperless accounts, then EVERYTHING that would be on paper should be available online. Apart from ringing 191 (which I said in the third line of my initial message I did not want to do - this query is relating to the website and nothing else), there have been no solutions suggested here.

OneADay wrote: »

You could check Vodafone's own forum to get the same answer

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-Services/where-can-i-find-out-when-my-contract-ends/td-p/699989

Well that's amusing - AnnS message above *was* a cut and paste from that very thread! She has posted over 6000 times on the vodafone forum, so must be a vodafone employee. It's quite underhanded she doesn't state that, rather than masquerading as a regular user with no commercial interests.

Are you also a vodafone employee hired to hack down any criticism of vodafones unfair policies? You seem to be well informed.

OneADay wrote: »

So much fuss over this

This is an open forum and I can post any questions I like here, particularly if they relate to some corporation using underhanded tactics to retain customers by keeping them in the dark about when their contract expires.

If you find it a fuss, I suggest you have a cup of tea and don't get involved.

Anyway, you vodafone shills are trying to swamp this thread with useless advice that does NOT answer my two questions:

Why has this hugely important help page been broken for at least the last 2 months?
And more importantly - why are exact contract start/end dates not available on in the "My account" section of the vodafone website?

Can an *official* vodafone representative, who is openly on the vodafone payrole and represents the companies views/company policies please answer my two questions?

OneADay

wattc wrote: »

Well that is what this whole discussion is about - how completely unfair it is to expect people to give 30 days notice of when their contract ends, but in no place on the website indicate what that actual end date is.


As I said in my initial email, I'm questioning why vodafone do not supply the contract start/end date on their website. If they have paperless accounts, then EVERYTHING that would be on paper should be available online. Apart from ringing 191 (which I said in the third line of my initial message I did not want to do - this query is relating to the website and nothing else), there have been no solutions suggested here.



Well that's amusing - AnnS message above *was* a cut and paste from that very thread! She has posted over 6000 times on the vodafone forum, so must be a vodafone employee. It's quite underhanded she doesn't state that, rather than masquerading as a regular user with no commercial interests.

Are you also a vodafone employee hired to hack down any criticism of vodafones unfair policies? You seem to be well informed.


This is an open forum and I can post any questions I like here, particularly if they relate to some corporation using underhanded tactics to retain customers by keeping them in the dark about when their contract expires.

If you find it a fuss, I suggest you have a cup of tea and don't get involved.

Anyway, you vodafone shills are trying to swamp this thread with useless advice that does NOT answer my two questions:

Why has this hugely important help page been broken for at least the last 2 months?
And more importantly - why are exact contract start/end dates not available on in the "My account" section of the vodafone website?

Can an *official* vodafone representative, who is openly on the vodafone payrole and represents the companies views/company policies please answer my two questions?

Well thats your problem for not taking the responsibilty to check what you are signing up and not wanting to call a FREEPHONE number to ask a quick question.

Whatever the reason why Vodafone do not show the date is their decision.

O2 / T-mobile provide End Dates I know - vodafone do not provide End Date - its their decision. Tough tits if you can't pick up the phone or keep a record.

And don't tell me what to get involved in or not - I along with other people on this thread have given you our opinions. If you want to be rude and judgemental to other people, go somewhere else.

Annie._2

My posting on the Vodafone forum is separate from any posts on MSE.

I copied over a post which were my own words and relevant to the post here on MSE to help the OP find the contract end date.

If the OP was some time from the end of the contract and had some time to go before being able to upgrade, the information I have given to obtain the end of contract date is correct.

I really cannot see the problem the OP has giving Customer Services a call and asking a simple question of the contract end date which would be quickly given rather than accusing Vodafone of 'underhanded tactics to retain customers by keeping them in the dark about when their contract expires', when the information is freely given by Customer Services after answering their security questions.

In response to the OPs accusation of 'so must be a vodafone employee. It's quite underhanded she doesn't state that, rather than masquerading as a regular user with no commercial interests'. That is utter nonsense, I post on the forum, I am unpaid and do not work for Vodafone and cannot even understand why the OP should think I do.

And dont come on MSE accusing me of being a Vodafone employee and making rude judgemental untrue accusions. I have tried to help by giving you a way to find your contract end date.

Call 191, it wont take you longer than 30 seconds, and ask them to give you your contract end date and if you have got time to come on here and rant about something so trivial, you have got time to do that.

wattc

Can an *official* vodafone representative, who is openly on the vodafone payrole and represents the companies views/company policies please answer my two questions?

Why has this hugely important help page been broken for at least the last 2 months?
And more importantly - why are exact contract start/end dates not available on in the "My account" section of the vodafone website?

T_T_2

A misleading thread title if there ever was one. For a second I thought that vodafone were actually witholding information from you. The fact of the matter is that the information is available to you in a number of ways, just not via the method you would most prefer. This isn't witholding information. Stop messing aobut asking silly questions, get on to 191 and ask them. Alternatively look at your copy of the contract that you signed. You say you didn't receive anything but that is highly unlikely as they are required by law to give you a copy.