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Vodafone: avoid them if looking for a new contract

24

Comments

  • salvyria
    salvyria Posts: 34 Forumite
    I refuse to accept there is nothing Vodafone can do to help. Reducing my tariff slightly surely makes better sense than me defaulting on this, and ultimately paying £2 a month to some debt collection agency.
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
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    edited 21 October 2013 at 2:37PM
    salvyria wrote: »
    a - 258 (looked online)
    Now or 18 months ago? This makes a huge difference for mobiles.
    b - 41pcm
    c - 18 m out of 24
    d - 21pcm sim only

    (41-21) x 18 -258 = £302
    So, was it your intention to pay 24*41=£984 for the phone and the airtime that cost just 258+24*21=£762 altogether? Was it your intention in fact to take £258 loan at 94.6% APR? Now your are saying that the loan has to be cancelled as you paid back the amount you borrowed and some interest.
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
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    salvyria wrote: »
    Reducing my tariff slightly surely makes better sense than me defaulting on this, and ultimately paying £2 a month to some debt collection agency.
    Slight reduction will make very little difference to you and they know this very well. They are not a charity to help people. If the default is really an option for you then you have not learned the lesson 6 years ago - don't take contracts that you can't keep paying if you lose your job.
  • salvyria
    salvyria Posts: 34 Forumite
    grumbler wrote: »
    Now or 18 months ago? This makes a huge difference for mobiles.
    So, was it your intention to pay 24*41=£984 for the phone and the airtime that cost just 258+24*21=£762 altogether? Was it your intention in fact to take £258 loan at 94.6% APR? Now your are saying that the loan has to be cancelled as you paid back the amount you borrowed.

    I'm sorry that doesnt make any sense. I dont understand what you mean?

    I upgraded to a contract which suited my needs at the time, and was the only one that gave the data allowance I needed.

    I dont want to cancel the "loan" I want Vodafone to accept my proofs of redundancy and lower my tariff so I can avoid a default on this contract. I'll pay them £30pcm or something, rather than £41, which in my mind makes much better business sense than me defaulting, and sending them £2 pcm via a debt collection agency.

    I honestly thought if I posted on here I'd get more helpful advice but so far not one poster has been helpful.

    You're all attacking me for wanting to save money, and avoid a default notice!
  • salvyria
    salvyria Posts: 34 Forumite
    grumbler wrote: »
    Slight reductions will make very little difference to you and they know this very well. They are not a charity to help people. If the default is really an option for you than you have not learned the lesson 6 years ago - don't take contracts that you can't keep paying if you lose your job.

    The contract 6 years ago was reduced to a lower tariff which I could afford and I wasnt out of work for very long.

    The slight reduction will help me, as it means I can continue to job hunt and be contactable, AND pay my bill.

    I am aware they are not a charity, I dont see how me defaulting and paying them £2pcm is a better option for them?
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
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    edited 21 October 2013 at 2:51PM
    You will pay to other company that will buy the debt from Vodafone for, say, 30% of it's value. However, as I said, Vodafone know well that many customers asking for a reduction won't default. Hence the policy. Otherwise they would have faced a huge number of false requests that would be very costly to deal with. 6 years ago you were just lucky and that time most contracts allowed you to downgrade in the second part of the minimum term or even earlier. Things changed since then because of the massive abuse of this opportunity.
  • salvyria
    salvyria Posts: 34 Forumite
    grumbler wrote: »
    You will pay to other company that will buy the debt from Vodafone for, say, 30% of it's value. However, as I said, Vodafone know well that many customers asking for a reduction won't default. Hence the policy. Otherwise they would have faced a huge number of false requests that would be very costly to deal with.

    Which is why I offered them the proof of redundancy and finances. I dont want to default, I'd rather negotiate a reduction.

    I would also prefer to keep my existing number as its registered with many a job site/agency and frankly, makes job hunting easier. So yes, I am trying to get the easier option for me and avoid a default.
  • NFH
    NFH Posts: 4,413 Forumite
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    salvyria wrote: »
    You're all attacking me for wanting to save money, and avoid a default notice!
    No, we're not attacking you. We don't agree that Vodafone should be avoided as a result of your mistake. You should have bought your phone SIM-free and got a SIM-only contract or even Giffgaff. Then you wouldn't be in the predicament you're now in. The "buy now pay later" approach that you took is a risky one when your income isn't guaranteed; it's more prudent to save up for something in advance.
  • salvyria
    salvyria Posts: 34 Forumite
    edited 21 October 2013 at 4:11PM
    NFH wrote: »
    No, we're not attacking you. We don't agree that Vodafone should be avoided as a result of your mistake. You should have bought your phone SIM-free and got a SIM-only contract or even Giffgaff. Then you wouldn't be in the predicament you're now in. The "buy now pay later" approach that you took is a risky one when your income isn't guaranteed; it's more prudent to save up for something in advance.

    At the time my income was guaranteed as I had a long term contract (longer than the phone contract). The redundancies are a shock to a lot of us.

    I didn't have the option to buy SIM free otherwise I would have considered it as an option when upgrading.
  • grumbler
    grumbler Posts: 58,629 Forumite
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    edited 21 October 2013 at 6:03PM
    salvyria wrote: »
    I didn't have the option to buy SIM free otherwise I would have considered it as an option when upgrading.
    A 'free upgrading' with an expensive contract attached is a common delusion.
    Why did you not have the option of buying sim-free?

    £41 is a very expensive contract that only high-earners can really afford. If you were one of them I am surprised that while paying £41 p.m. for a mobile you don't have enough saved for not discussing seriously defaulting if Vodafone don't reduce the price a little for just 6 months remaining.
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