Vodafone failed to honour last contract then overcharged me

Bexti

This is my recent experience as a Vodafone customer.

When I renewed my last contract with Vodafone two years ago I was given 'free itemised billing'. I was already receiving paper bills through the post and was told by the salesperson that this was the only thing Vodafone could give me on the new contract as the iPhone contracts were set in stone. I was happy with that and agreed to a new two year contract with direct debit payments. Several months down the line I realised that I was not receiving the paper bills. I called Vodafone about three times during the last two years. Each time I was assured that bills were being sent to my home address. However I was not too fussed and as I spend most of my life working away from home, did not keep on top of it. In March this year my query seemed to have been answered as I received a paper bill for that month straight after a call I made however after that I did not see any more bills. I have been told that there is climate initiative and cost saving program to reduce paper itemized billing which I fully appreciate and endorse however in the case of my last two year contract, that is beside the point. In September my contract ended and I went to the online billing to see my last month bill usage and I was furious to find that I was being charged for ' itemised billing'! I subsequently learnt that I was being charged for the last six months.
I then went through the process of trying to find out information and make a complaint with Vodafone. Over the last week, I experienced an online message service that was not sending messages for two days in a row due to a system error, waiting one evening for 40 minutes whilst trying to get through to customer services and eventually hanging up, a frustrating interaction with the online chat help facility with operators who appeared to be outside the UK and kept asking me to please repeat facts that I had already stated and who were unable to answer my questions. Through one of the threads on moneysavingexpert I found the email address of the Vodafone eforum and Web Relations team. I emailed my complaint in writing and received what looked like an automated reply with a complaint number and was told that someone would contact me within 48 hours however nobody contacted me in relation to the email I wrote them. Eventually when I got through to speak to customer services to cancel my new contract, I was able to express my complaint and the gentleman who was very polite and apologetic. However he was unable to help me with my grievance.
Two days ago I received an email that appeared to be the outcome of the conversation generated from the online chat facility and I have been told that I will receive all the bills for the last two years in 3-5 days and will be credited with 12 months charges which account to £18.48 however as the email states, ‘we will not be able to credit you for the entire amount’. The six months that I was overcharged account to £9.54 (£1.54 per month). So in the eyes of Vodafone customer services, giving me all my two years bills in a bunch (they will end up in the recycling bin), repaying me for six months (which I should not have had to pay for in the first place) and giving me an extra £9.54 (extra six months) instead of the full 24 months (as stated in black and white on my original contract), the matter is dealt with.
I experienced frustration and have been left feeling bitterly disappointed with the customer service that I have received from Vodafone. I was a loyal contract customer for several years paying promptly by direct debit and have spent several thousand pounds over the years. In the end the least the company should have done was immediately pay me back for the six months they took and reimburse me for full 24 months of £36.96 (as stated on my contract) or give me the free itemized billing for the next 24 month contract. That is only being fair. I do not understand why they have effectively short changed me. It is not even a lot of money.

grumbler

Yes, Vodafone are notorious for overcharging you easily, but then being reluctant to give the stolen money back or dragging their feet with refunds.

Bexti wrote: »

...Eventually when I got through to speak to customer services to cancel my new contract,...

Cancel the new contract? On what grounds?

Bexti

Hello Grumber. Without us taking it too seriously, let me use an analogy. You go to a restaurant, they fail to give you part of your meal, a pickle lets say. After telling the waiter two or three times, the item is finally delivered to your table but now you have finished eating your meal and have already ordered your desert. You then ask for the bill to find that in additon to the meal there is a charge for an extra pickle on top. You then ask to speak to the manager who removes the extra pickle from the bill and knocks 10p off the main meal. Could someone then ask you on what grounds you cancelled the dessert?

grumbler

This analogy doesn't work.
In your case you ordered the dessert after all failures and you had every opportunity to check your bills online at any time.

CKhalvashi

I'm with Grumbler on this one.

Raise it with them, get them to leave the money on the account and take it off the next bill, then if you leave, get them to send you a cheque.

This is generally the quickest way of doing this with phone companies.

We've got about £700 in bill credits with Orange for missing payments amazingly being found, then they tried charging £2-odd per month for not paying by DD. I've had that back, on the call, every time. It's 2-3 months bill with them on the account, so I'm not too worried about it.

CK

Bexti

grumbler wrote: »

This analogy doesn't work.
In your case you ordered the dessert after all failures and you had every opportunity to check your bills online at any time.

Regarding the analogy, I guess the point that you are trying to make is that I was foolish for ordering dessert. Yes there were failures but the 'final' failure was the company not replying in reasonable time, listening to me and fixing it. In the analogy, the dessert was ordered before speaking to the manager. I expected the matter to be resolved fairly. In reality I had that last conversation with customer services before cancelling my contract. As with the analogy, I expected the matter to be resolved fairly. I had not intended to stop using Vodafone. In the end, I did not expect to get that kind of response. We are not talking about a lot of money here, but it is the principle of the matter.
On the point of myself checking the bills when as you quote I had every opportunity, you have made the assumption that I had not checked any other bills on line at all during the two year period. Where did you read that I had not checked any other bills online? The last bill I looked was six months prior and it was only in the last six months that this extra charge crept in. I do not go through all my utility bills every month (I have better things to do in my life) but I do scrutinize my credit card statements and I know my average monthly outgoings on phone calls. However you are not going to notice £1.54 being added to your phone bill. We should not have to keep checking to see if a provider has sneeked one in and if one complains, the complaint should be dealt with efficiently and fairly.