Vodafone - Loyalty Counts for Nothing

bigcliff

Hello

a word of advice for anyone (or more realistically, a frustrated rant to get it off my chest!) please don't lazily stick with Vodafone when it comes to renewal, being a loyal customer counts for nothing.

I have been a customer for 10 years. Over the past year, I have had a HTC One S which barely gets a signal indoors. I am on my 3rd phone and it wont work - well it might do but they gave it to me without a back three weeks ago after my previous one was sent for repair. So I cant reasonably use it until that is provided. when i complained to the directors about this and summarising my issues as below

10 years service (the only organisation which I have been with for such a long period of time and I have spent more money with than anyone else ever - for clearly misguided reasons, I thought that meant something);

recognition of a year of pain (over 20 phone calls - including the joy of being put on hold followed by the pleasure of repeating my story again, and again, and again, and again.......- various visits to shops and most importantly a product which my hard earned money pays for but doesn't work the majority of the time (I estimated 80%));

Spending £393.43 for a phone which doesn't work properly, never mind the many thousands of pounds I have spent with them over the last 10 years

In return I was offered:

a part time solution of a 3G box for my home (it is a mobile phone!) or
2nd hand phone plus
a begrudging £40

They have now told me to take my complaint to the ombudsman.

In the end, every company (no matter how big) finishes us up being taken over or going bust. For vodafone, such cheap couldn't care attitudes to its loyal customers could well be the start for it...........

richardvc

It's the same all round be it mobile phones, banks etc etc

I had the same with VF but the minute I quit them they came grovelling to me but I had already found a better deal.

I ended up going into Phones4U who organised me a new phone & provider and gave me great service - left with the phone working, all my contacts moved and a far better deal.

Forget loyalty, it doesn't pay !

Buzby

How quaint for believing than loyalty to consumers is valued at all! It cuts both ways - consumers use websites designed to get them the cheapest rate and whether a CC rate tart or savvy price checker, why do you feel you should be valued simply because you were too lazy to move previously?

It has always been the case that new customers will get a better rate than existing, and I first noticed this in 1991 (when GSM launched). Not much has changed since - so 20+ years on, hopefully everyone else had noticed!

bigcliff

Buzby wrote: »

How quaint for believing than loyalty to consumers is valued at all! It cuts both ways - consumers use websites designed to get them the cheapest rate and whether a CC rate tart or savvy price checker, why do you feel you should be valued simply because you were too lazy to move previously?

It has always been the case that new customers will get a better rate than existing, and I first noticed this in 1991 (when GSM launched). Not much has changed since - so 20+ years on, hopefully everyone else had noticed!

Ok, forget the loyalty and fact I have given them thousands of pounds (although I assumed that they would make extra effort to keep someone who shows willing to hang around)

But ultimately their biggest issues is providing me with a product which doesn't work for significant periods of time. I have experience with other retail organisations who have identified problems, and resolved quickly. vodafone have failed to address the problem in a year. The many people I have spoken to offer the 'final solution'......it is a wearisome process which appears designed to hope you fade away, rather than resolve through knowledge and understanding of what appears a common fault. They have caused lots of hassle and are happy to keep taking my money

virgo17

It's swings and roundabouts.

For every customer like the OP who moves FROM Vodafone there will be another who moves TO Vodafone because they offer a much better deal to a new customer than their old network.

It's the way of the world, loyalty counts for diddly squat.

Cycrow

plus, just because you've been with a network for a long time doesn't actually make you a good customer.

its possibly they simply don't make much profit from you so don't care either way.

I'm sure if you are one of the customers who pays high premiums for unlimited contracts but hardly ever uses them, they will be more willing to keep you on