Vodafone Passport scam - power to WHO, exactly?

railrider

Last month, I went on a 2 week trip to Europe.
Having found out about Vodafone Passport, I opted in, as being charged 75p per call to get local rates seemed quite a good deal to keep in touch with loved ones at home. As I'm on the SmartPlus PAYG plan, I only pay 7p per min to UK Vodafone numbers in the evenings and weekends (+ the 75p per call).
Unfortunately, things didn't turn out that way. Despite having about £17 credit, I managed to make a 40 minute call back home before being left stranded with no credit for the remainder of the two weeks abroad. Imagine the distress of not being able to make or receive any further calls for the duration of that time!

Below is a transcript of the email exchange. (The first one has not been included, but is a question to customer support as to why I've been left with no credit in my balance.)
Yes, it really is nearly two weeks' worth of emails, which should only have been one or two. Unbelievable and unacceptable!

Vodafone,_Aug_21 wrote:

Hello xxx,
Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services regarding the Account.
I would like to inform you thatthe details you’ve given do not match our records. For me to access your account and help you with your query, please confirm the security details given below:


Any 1 of the following
- 20 digit sim number (written on backside of the sim)
- Last top up date and amount
- Current balance(by dialling *#1345#)

Once I’ve received this, I’ll be more than happy to help.
To know more about our privacy policy you may also click on the link below:
<Link removed due to new forum poster>
Kind regards,

Niraj Kothari
Vodafone Customer Services

OK, not so sure why the details don't match, but anyway..
I provide them with details of my current balance, which they REALLY should have figured out by themselves as being exactly... £0. Honestly!!

Me,_Aug_21 wrote:

My current balance is £0.
xx

Vodafone,_Aug_23 wrote:

Hello xx,
Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services.
I do understand your concern regarding call charges.
I have checked your account and I can see that you have been charged £16.87 for calling a UK number.
I can see that your call duration was 42 minutes and 287 second so you have been charged for the 43 minutes.
I can see your call charges for the smart plus is £0.38 per minutes to UK mobile number and you have charged £0.75 for the connection charges.
I would like to inform you that all the charges on your account is correct and we are unable to refund the charges.
I trust the above information helps. We appreciate your business with us.
Kind regards,

Parvez Shaikh
Vodafone Customer Services

Oh, good! It's taken them two days to get back to me, but it seems they (at least) have the correct records of my call. However, 38p per min is incorrect, as that only applies to calls to non-Vodafone mobiles. I made a call to a Vodafone number. They should know this! I make further enquiry.

Me,_Aug_23 wrote:

Hello,

It is my understanding that it is 7p per minute to call a UK Vodafone number in the evenings on the SmartPlus plan. Is this not correct? Please can you send me the full price plan for this tariff.

xx

Vodafone,_Aug_24 wrote:

Hello xx,
Thank you for contacting Vodafone customer services with regard to your tariff query.
Below mention are the tariff for Smartplus price plan:
Voice Charges
Vodafone Mobiles 32p per minute, 15p minimum charge (Daytime)
7p per minute (Evening & Weekend)
Voicemail 30p per minute, 15p minimum charge (Daytime)
5p per minute (Evening & Weekend)
Other Mobiles 38p per minute, 15p minimum charge (All Day)
Fixed-line(01, 02, 03) 32p per minute, 15p minimum charge (Daytime)
7p per minute (Evening & Weekend)

Messaging Charges
Picture (MMS) 36p per message (Daily Usage) Text (SMS) 12p per message (Daily Usage)
Data Charges
Vodafone Mobile Internet (VMI) £1.00 per 25 MB (Daily Usage)
I trust this information helps.
Kind regards,
Rashmi Bisht
Vodafone Customer Services

Right, so that confirms they're aware of the tariff and what I should have been charged. Why haven't they already figured that they've made a mistake in the charging? How obvious do they need things?
But they continue to leave me in a foreign country unable to make or receive calls.

I state and describe the call that I made (detailing that it was a Voda number and made in the evening) in my following message.

I'm also very displeased that it's taken this long to get... nowhere.
Naturally, I ask for compensation.. an amount that I would probably have spent making calls up to now.. which so far I've been unable to do as a result of Vodafone's mistake.

Me,_Aug_24 wrote:

OK.. so that confirms I have been overcharged for calling a UK Vodafone number in the evening.
Please can you refund me the difference and also compensate me £30 credit for the number of days and the inconvenience caused for being unable to make calls due to my credit being incorrectly debited.

Vodafone,_Aug_25 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for writing back to us.

Please note that as you were roaming in Czech Republic, the timing is applicable as per UK and not the country that you are roaming.

Hence you have been charged as per 38p per minutes to UK mobile number and you have been charged £0.75 as the connection fee. I am sorry the charges cannot be waived off as these charges are correct and as per the price plan that you are currently on.

I apologise for the inconvenience that may have caused.

Kind regards,

Mayuree Wagh
Vodafone Customer Services

I cannot be refunded?! I just SPECIFICALLY told them that I made an evening call to a Vodafone number. As described in the tariff *they* sent me, this should have been 7p, not 38p. Is there no communication between different members of Vodafone Customer Services?

Me,_Aug_25 wrote:

The tariff that *you* sent me clearly says it is 7p per minute to UK Vodafones. Please read what you have sent me.

I called a UK Vodafone number using Vodafone Passport which entitles me to this local rate.

I am very unhappy that I have to waste my time arguing such a blatant point, whilst being unable to make or receive any calls each time I have to do this.

Please can my issue be escalated to a customer services manager.

Vodafone,_Aug_26 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services with regard to the charges applied for calling on a UK number from Czech Republic.

I would like to share that the time counted for these calls is the UK time and not the time of the country you are visiting. Therefore, you are charged correctly based on the time you have called.

I trust the above information helps.

Kind regards,

Manuj Jha
Vodafone Customer Services

Hang on.. are they actually accusing me of lying now?
They're saying I made a call during peak hours in the UK. What nonsense! I made the call close to midnight in the Czech Republic who are only 1 hour ahead of the UK!
Why am I still arguing this point? Why haven't I already been refunded days ago??

Me,_Aug_26 wrote:

I called during off-peak time (UK time).
Your records will show this.
The Czech Republic is only one hour ahead of the UK.
I did not call before 7.30pm UK time.

*Even if it was during peak hours (which it wasn't), it should have been 32p that was charged, and not 38p, according to the tariff you had sent me.*

I do not wish to have to email again.
Please can you refund me the difference and the compensation I asked for. It has been nearly a week now that I've been stranded without any credit to make any calls whilst being in a foreign country.

You do not seem to appreciate the amount of inconvenience this has caused me as the result of your mistake, which you still (unbelievably) try to wriggle out of.

xx

Vodafone,_Jul_27 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services with regard to the amount charged for the call made from Czech Republic.

I’ve credited the extra amount of £3.00 charged for the call, as it should have been charged based on 32p and not 38p.

I trust the above information helps.

Kind regards,

Manuj Jha
Vodafone Customer Services

Finally, 6-7 days on, I have SOME credit in my balance. I can send SMSes now, at least.
No word of apology for their mistake.
From their email, there is admittance that I have called a UK Vodafone number, hence the 32p/min rather than the 38p/min.
Now to argue the fact that my call had been made during off-peak hours. And just to assist them in putting two and two together. Not that it's hard.
Should be a simple enough task, no? No, it seems.

Me,_Aug_27 wrote:

Please can you tell me the time of my call and what times the off-peak hours are.

Vodafone,_Aug_28 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services regarding the Account.

I would like to inform you that we are unable to provide you the time when you called however To check your usage of minutes, data and texts please provide a written request with the following:

1. A description of the personal information that you would like a copy of.

2. Confirmation of the password or passcode with which you have secured your account.

3. Confirmation of your registered address (e.g. copy of utility bill).

4. A cheque or postal order for £10.00.

Please send your request to:
Data Protection Manager,
Vodafone Limited,
Baird House – Second Floor,
The Connection,
Newbury,
Berkshire
RG14 2FN.


You can also email to [EMAIL="data.protection&#64;vodafone.co.uk"]data.protection@vodafone.co.uk[/EMAIL]. You can download the form through Vodafone's Privacy Policy at <LINK REMOVED> and return to Vodafone (at the address on the form) after filling in the details.

I would like to inform you that it would take up to 40 days to receive the details from the DPA Manager. This would be 40 days after the £10.00 cheque is cashed by Vodafone.

I trust the above information helps.

Kind regards,

Niraj Kothari
Vodafone Customer Services

Right, so they are unable to tell me the time of my call, yet they can charge me whatever they feel like and leave me creditless?
Is this Customer Service?
Then they have the cheek to try and take £10 from me only for me to wait 40 days before I get any kind of reply??
Are you serious?! Are the 40 days so I can forget all about this complaint?
I don't know why I still bother replying to their emails a week on, but here I go....

Me,_Aug_28 wrote:

I wish to make a dispute over the charging of my call.
I insist it was during off-peak hours.
I am angry and disgusted that you are reluctant to even confirm this for me.
Please can this be escalated to a manager, as previously requested.

Vodafone,_Aug_29 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services with regard to the balance deduction on your account for the call made from Czech Republic.

I’ve discussed this case with my manger and they have agreed to credit the remaining amount of £10.20. The amount of £10.20 is derived as follows:

You have been charged £16.87, but should have been charged £3.01 (£0.07 X 43) and the connection fee of £0.75. Also, I’ve credited £3.00 already; therefore, the remaining is £16.87 - £3.76 - £3.00. I’ve forwarded this case to my manager for a credit. The credit will be made within next 24-48 hours.

I trust the above information helps.

Kind regards,

Manuj Jha
Vodafone Customer Services

Oh my goodness, they've finally accepted that they're wrong.
Well over a week since my first email to them.
Still no word of apology.. I guess this is the standard way of doing things for Vodafone CS.
So it'll take another 24-48 hours before I'll be credited what I was owed over a week ago.
I'm not gonna keep my hope up, and I decide not to make any mention of compensation before I see the money in my balance.
But does this latest email leave me with confidence?
OK, I have my money back, but what's to say I won't be left stranded again after making 40 minutes' worth of calls? I'd probably have to spend another week wasting my time emailing Vodafone unnecessarily!

Me,_Aug_30 wrote:

Has the charging mechanism actually been fixed? It's no good to me if Vodafone continue to overcharge me so I'm out of credit after a mere 40 minutes, and it takes as long as two weeks just to claim my credit back.

Vodafone,_Aug_30 wrote:

Hello xx,

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services. This reply is in regard to your query about call charges.

I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you, it was technical error for the issue but it wont happen again. I can also see we have credited £15.21 in your account.

I trust the above information helps.


Kind regards,

Devashish Savani
Vodafone Customer Services

Ah, finally an apology!!
But it doesn't leave me confident in any way. I guess I could test it for myself, by making a 1 minute-long call to see how much money disappears from my balance. That woul be.... (7-38p)x2 plus 75p. Errr.... just to find out if Vodafone have screwed up? Er... no. I decide just to use SMS as it only costs me 8p.

What a scam and what effort it took me to just to get my money back.
Vodafone were not helpful and were repeatedly insisting they were right.
It left me abroad with no credit for well over a week, and with no reassurance that any further calls I made would not kill off my credit again.
I've made a request for compensation and I've not heard anything back so far. Given the experience I just had, I feel they're just going to laugh at it and hit the delete button.
Vodafone don't seem to care about the impact their mistake has made on my time abroad.
They're very happy to make incorrect claims about having charged me correctly without investigating properly, a sign of poor customer service, and insulting to say the least.

They're good at *selling* deals, but as for *honouring* them.... they don't.

Vodafone.. Power to them.

railrider

Just to correct myself, it seems the compensation request I made did not successfully send. I'll try again later today.

NFH

OP, you need to keep your post short and concise, otherwise nobody will take the time to read it.

Perhaps the Vodafone company represenative can answer this, but why does Vodafone not provide an online usage history for prepaid customers? Orange does this, as do many other networks. It's ridiculous that customers can't see what usage caused their balance to be reduced.

iamsporticus

Why dont you just leave Vodaphone???

I would after that

Buzby

It will be limited to a goodwill gesture only - you have no 'right' under your service level, and incompetence is allowed. If they refuse to do so, there is little you can do as incompetence IS allowed, however for a PAYG customer you were certainly taking a risk that would not have affected a contract user in he same way (as service would not have been restricted).

I always have a minimum of £50 loaded - simply to catch these disputes, and they are not uncommon. This, or a spare sim on a different network (like having a back up credit card) is always useful when far from home.

railrider

NFH wrote: »

OP, you need to keep your post short and concise, otherwise nobody will take the time to read it.

I know and I understood the risks. I don't blame anyone for not bothering. I wanted to use MSE as a platform for my rant, since I don't have a personal blog. Plus it probably has a better Google ranking for such keywords.

iamsporticus wrote: »

Why dont you just leave Vodaphone???

I would after that

I'm on one of their legacy tariffs, which, do provide good value for money (it includes Stop The Clock, where I pay for onyl the first 3 mins of my call). Not wishing to excuse them at all, but I've been with them 12 years and this is the worst experience I've had with them.
It used to be that when they had their Facebook support open, issues were dealt with incredibly efficiently. Sadly, they stopped this service for the worse.

railrider

Buzby wrote: »

It will be limited to a goodwill gesture only - you have no 'right' under your service level, and incompetence is allowed.

I agree with your first part, although this was epic incompetence across several CSAs and is beyond what might be considered "allowed".

Buzby wrote: »

I always have a minimum of £50 loaded - simply to catch these disputes, and they are not uncommon. This, or a spare sim on a different network (like having a back up credit card) is always useful when far from home.

Thanks for your advice. I never really expected this amount of difficulty for such a straightforward deal. I accept mistakes can happen, but to be left penniless for more than 2 days, (this was 10 days!!), is ridiculous.

NFH

Buzby wrote: »

This, or a spare sim on a different network

Indeed. I went to the Czech Republic last month and got a Czech O2 microSIM for CZK 150 (£4.69). It deducted CZK 75 (£2.34) for 150MB of data which was valid for a week.

railrider

NFH wrote: »

Indeed. I went to the Czech Republic last month and got a Czech O2 microSIM for CZK 150 (£4.69). It deducted CZK 75 (£2.34) for 150MB of data which was valid for a week.

Pretty average, considering you can get 250-500MB for £5 in the UK.
(I know it would be a lot more when comparing with roaming, but I thought everything there was cheap! )
How much were calls to the UK?

NFH

railrider wrote: »

Pretty average, considering you can get 250-500MB for £5 in the UK.
(I know it would be a lot more when comparing with roaming, but I thought everything there was cheap! )
How much were calls to the UK?

I see at http://www.o2.cz/osobni/en/internet/166095-internet_v_mobilu.html that it's since been reduced to CZK 40 for 150MB or CZK 75 for 500MB. My calls to the UK were free because I used Skype and Viber.

Abbafan1972

I saw how long the post was and couldn't be bothered to read it!