Vodafone - Extortionate Costs!

diamonds

merib wrote: »

Hi,
I was in Australia for only 12 day this month. Despite advising Vodafone of where I was going in order to ensure service, they cut off my phone with no warning after 8 days leaving me without contact, alone in a foreign city. I returned after 12 days to discover that my bill had exceeded £1000! Initially Vodafone said that there must have been some mistake and advised me to cancel my standing order whilst they sorted it out & suggested I phone on the 24/10 when they would have all the information to hand. On the 22/10 I received a phonecall from their 'bully boy' insisting that Vodafone never make mistakes and threatening to cut my phone off within 2 hours if I did not pay £800 immediately. I felt very pressured and agreed to pay £650 on the spot, which I now regret. I have been a Vodafone customer for over 15 years and the disputed bill for which I have been required to make advance payment is not actually due until the 15th November. Any advice please?

AU - "You can opt in to Vodafone Passport in this country"


Get great value on calls in more than 35 countries. Vodafone Passport is now only available as an opt in for Pay as you go customers. But if you're already opted in to Vodafone Passport on Pay monthly, you can continue using it.You can opt in to Vodafone Passport by calling 5555.
Make a callReceive a callSend a textSend a picture messageData75p connection charge plus your standard home rate or you can use your inclusive Vodafone Freedom Freebee minutes.75p connection charge then no further charge for up to 60 minutes. Then 20p a minute after.11p - sorry - you can't use your inclusive texts abroad36p£5 a day for 25MB (midnight to midnight, UK time) and then £3 per MB after.

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/personal/price-plans/pay-monthly/travelling-abroad/index.htm

I think Passport was ended, certainly in europe & replaced by £3 a day "use your UK plan allowances roaming", incase it was and Voda messed up get to the page I reference above.

EDIT before you can see it if Voda messed up & delete the page, I screenshot the page with time & date for you as proof its here: http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4681/vodapassportau.png





Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Guys_Dad

This has nothing to do with the normal networks. It strikes me that many of you don't understand the technology and OP did not do their homework before setting off on cruise.

Here is an extract from one cruise line's pre-boarding info that might explain the problem better:-

Check Pricing in Advance
If you can get connected, remember it may not be cheap. Internet access, ship-to-shore phone calls, and cell phone usage can be pricey. Calling from the phone in your stateroom may cost $9.99 a minute or more. Cell phone users will get the bill for international roaming or other fees when they get home. One thing that has changed, however, is that many cruise ships have installed terrestrial cellphone antennae to satellite translators on their ships. This mean that your cellphone that used to fail once the ship lost sight of land will now work. Expect the cost to be about $4.50/minute, however. That is cheaper than your cabin phone, but still a bundle.
Check rates before using any tech devices. Cut Internet access costs at sea by buying a bundle of minutes from the cruise line, rather than paying as you go, minute by minute. For instance, Norwegian Cruise Line offers a package of 33 minutes for $25 (75 cents a minute) or 250 minutes for $100 (40 cents a minute). Remember that you almost always use more minutes than you think you need.

What that means is it is the cruise line (not foreign networks) that is back-charging Voda as it is a satellite service that actually delivers your call on board.

People seem to understand that broadband is much more expensive on a cruise - calls and texts are the same. In any event, isn't it good to get away from the master-slave relationship we seem to have developed with our mobiles and appreciate the benefits of the cruise?

Vodafone

merib wrote: »

Hi,
I was in Australia for only 12 day this month. Despite advising Vodafone of where I was going in order to ensure service, they cut off my phone with no warning after 8 days leaving me without contact, alone in a foreign city. I returned after 12 days to discover that my bill had exceeded £1000! Initially Vodafone said that there must have been some mistake and advised me to cancel my standing order whilst they sorted it out & suggested I phone on the 24/10 when they would have all the information to hand. On the 22/10 I received a phonecall from their 'bully boy' insisting that Vodafone never make mistakes and threatening to cut my phone off within 2 hours if I did not pay £800 immediately. I felt very pressured and agreed to pay £650 on the spot, which I now regret. I have been a Vodafone customer for over 15 years and the disputed bill for which I have been required to make advance payment is not actually due until the 15th November. Any advice please?

Hi merib,

I'm sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction but thanks for making me aware of your concerns.

If you'd like me to investigate matters further could you email me with the relevant details via the link in our profile here?

All you need to do is copy and paste the link into your web browser and it will take you to the Contact us form on our website.

To ensure that it reaches us could you also quote the code WRT135 - MSE in the subject line and once our automated reply arrives update the thread with your email reference number and I'll get back to you as soon as possible?

Thanks,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK