Vodafone have ruined my life.

Katinkka

Maybe a bit of an exageration but not far from the truth.

I had a samsung mini on a two year contract. 3 months before it was up I got a new phone. I was cool with paying for two contracts for the remaining 3 months. I just wanted the phone at that point.

My greed has cost me greatly.

Come January and the final payment, I call them to say, cancel the old account now please. THey say, no, you have to do it via the website so I do that instead. NEver heard anything back untill I noticed they had continued to take payments. For old phone and new. I called and I tried the web service thing and again. they said they would cancel it but I couldn't get a refund on the payments I had made for the contract they should have cancelled. This continued for a couple of months. I was mad. Eventually I cancelled all payments to them and stopped giving them any money at all.

I endured extreme harrassment from DRS debt collectors, calling me all days, from as early as 8am. Many letters. Very rude to me on the phone.

I understand I had a contract for the new phone but at that point I'd paid 2 contracts for about 6 months. Contact with them was incredibly frustrating, passed from person to person, records not being kept. Just complete ineptness.

Eventually, I managed to get the money for old contract, refunded to new contract so I was straight. An admission by them of their wrong doing. They promised to correct my credit rating as it was their fault. Also, I had applied for a new mortgage and was declined because they had trashed my credit rating. It used to be 960 and had gone much lower. I cant remember the exact number but it was just 'good' but not good enough for my mortgage.

I gave them a couple of weeks and no change to my record. I contacted them and they promised to do it, but they didn't. Eventually they amended it to paid but had kept the late payment marks on it. Not what was agreed.

Because this had gone on for ages, and I have two children with special needs (need to be in contact) I got another contract with Orange. That's been fine, but I had got fed up of paying two contracts and this ongoing grief with vodafone. I offered to pay for the phone. and they didn't want that. THey wanted the contract money plus lots of charges. Getting close to £500 they think I owe them now. I haven't used the contract for so long. The original contract was about £30 a month.

I couldn't pay it and have refused to give them any money. I have given up contacting them. It takes ages and the people can't do anything to help you. All monkeys and no organ grinders.

Now I have two companies chasing me for the same money that apparently have bought this debt from vodafone. One is threatening to doorstep me, the other to take me to court in 7 days. I get a letter at least every other day about it. The phone rings a few times a day with recorded messages/people.

I feel like I've given them enough money as I did pay a lot of money one time to get them off my back and that was a load of charges/fees. I am so fed up. I can't afford anymore money.

I am worried someone will come and my autistic son will be frightened.

I don't care about my credit rating anymore. It's completely trashed and they won't ever fix it.

I feel stuck because communication just doesn't work with them. They only want money. Them or the debt collectors. They say they make notes when you call but they don't.

I hate vodafone so much.

michael1983l

First of all tell the debt collectors the debt is in dispute. Then write to Vodafone and make a complaint, also tell them you will be making a complaint to Ofcom should they not satisfy you with a response within 8 weeks.

I think you have not done yourself any favours by stopping to pay the second contract that you took out with them and you will have to satisfy that if you want to resolve the debt.

Just to clarify.

You had 1 vodafone contract coming to the end

You opened a second Vodafone contract

You then stopped paying your second contract

and took out a third one with Orange?

Is that correct?

FBaby

Are you saying that they repaid you for their error, but because they didn't act on your credit score, you decided to stop paying on the current contract and take another? Surely after what happened with the first contract, you knew they wouldn't cancelled the second? They might not have acted on the credit score, but they had refunded the money, so they owed you nothing monetary wise. Yet you signed a contract with them and therefore was liable to pay for the full second contract. I don't understand why you decided to go for a third. Well I do understand why you would have desperately wanted and counted each month until it was over, but not why you just switched and assume vodafone would just cancelled the second contract. Unless I misunderstood your post.

Katinkka

michael1983l wrote: »

Just to clarify.

You had 1 vodafone contract coming to the end

You opened a second Vodafone contract

You then stopped paying your second contract

and took out a third one with Orange?

Is that correct?

I stopped paying them both because they had been both put on the same account and I couldn't pay just one of them.

I took a third contract out with orange because at that point I'd been without a phone for a few weeks and it was becoming dificult as one of my children was getting sent home a lot from school and I needed to be in contact.

I have paid them in the past but I was struggling to then pay two contracts and I guess I blamed them due to their errors, I took out a second contract with orange. I know I'll get no sympathy for that. But at the time, I was very upset and stressed and just wanted a reliable contract. Vodafone said many times they will do this and that and sort things out but they don't. That's why I stopped paying them. I was bloody fed up of the whole business.

michael1983l

Katinkka wrote: »

I stopped paying them both because they had been both put on the same account and I couldn't pay just one of them.

I took a third contract out with orange because at that point I'd been without a phone for a few weeks and it was becoming dificult as one of my children was getting sent home a lot from school and I needed to be in contact.

I have paid them in the past but I was struggling to then pay two contracts and I guess I blamed them due to their errors, I took out a second contract with orange. I know I'll get no sympathy for that. But at the time, I was very upset and stressed and just wanted a reliable contract. Vodafone said many times they will do this and that and sort things out but they don't. That's why I stopped paying them. I was bloody fed up of the whole business.

In which case if you stopped paying and continue to refuse to pay the new contract you agreed to then you will have to face the music, regardless of the circumstances. Vodafone have refunded you for your first contract, therefore you need to honour your second contract that you agreed to otherwise they will chase you like they are and destroy your credit file.

As it stood you could have continued to pay Vodafone even during the dispute and had you late payment markers challenged at a later date. You choose not to and to default on your agreement with them.

I am not sure what you are hoping to acheive?

Katinkka

I guess, I am wondering just what sort of music I am to be facing. Has anyone else got experience of this?

Why are there two companies pursuing me for this money? Previously there was another but they have given up. 3 seperate companies in all. Do I owe them or vodafone now?

Are they likely to take me to court for something less than £500?

I don't have £500 and only earn £200 a month. The rest is child disability and associated benefits. I do have a partner who supports me also.

michael1983l

Katinkka wrote: »

I guess, I am wondering just what sort of music I am to be facing. Has anyone else got experience of this?

Why are there two companies pursuing me for this money? Previously there was another but they have given up. 3 seperate companies in all. Do I owe them or vodafone now?

Are they likely to take me to court for something less than £500?

I don't have £500 and only earn £200 a month. The rest is child disability and associated benefits. I do have a partner who supports me also.

They will potentially take you to court for a CCJ if you continue to refuse to pay. If a CCJ is granted you will have to pay court costs too which I think is a further £50. If you then continue not to pay they can either apply to obtain an attachment of earnings or a questioning order which would add a further £50 to the debt. Or they could just assign a court bailiff to recover the debt should they not think that they could obtain the money through other methods.

Obviously though this will depend on the creditor and their decision to pursue the debt, they may not choose court at all but only they will know.

paulsad

They knackered my perfect credit score too despite me paying up and having a genuine reason for a missed payment. Too boring to go into but basically they don't give a s**t, their "WRT" (web relations team) are as much use as a chocolate fireguard - I too hate them and my only (childish) response has been to make sure none of my nearest and dearest ever uses them - costing them a lot more than the paultry sum they hanged me for.

Vodafone

Hi Katinkka,

Thanks for making me aware of your concerns.

Whilst I naturally can't guarantee the outcome I'd be happy to take closer look at matters for you.

To enable me to do this could you email me with your 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 me 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?

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

quantic

I had similar issues with my partners phone contract when we tried to end it. We went into the Vodafone shop 6 weeks before her contract was due to expire and they said we couldnt do it until it was exactly 1 month before the end (have you ever heard anything so ridiculous), so she goes back in exactly one month before and they tell her she can only do it over the phone.

So we phone up to cancel it and the lady on the phone will not listen to us that we want to cancel and eventually agrees to end the contract. We ring up a few days later to check and they have absolutely no record of our request, good job we rang back up and it finally got actioned this time round, same thing happened when I tried to end mine last year.

Absolutely ridiculous, Vodafone should be ashamed. Lost a customer for life.

Vodafone

Hi quantic,

It's disappointing to read about the experiences both you and your partner have had when trying to cancel your accounts with us.

For clarification, our cancellation policy requires customers to submit thirty days notice in writing with the notice period commencing once the penultimate month of their minimum contractual commitment has been fulfilled.

Anyone looking to cancel their account early would be required to pay the line rental covering their remaining minimum commitment less VAT and a further 2% discount in line with our regulatory requirements.

Hope this clears things up for you.

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK