Vodafone help

Craggie_2

Hi everyone,

Ok so here's my issue, my Vodafone contract should have ended in September, I called in August and they told me that there was an early disconnection fee if I cancelled immediately or I could just let it run it's course.mi decided to let it run it's course and told them to cancel the contract when it expired in September, which they said they would.

A few very busy months passed and as January is the time to get your finances in order I have looked through bank statements to find that they are still charging me. So I have contacted Vodafone and I have spoken to several people some nice, some rude and they have cancelled my contract but are more or less saying that the over payment is my fault for not checking my bank.

Surely this is wrong. So far I have made a few complaints and have today spoken to customer care who initially offered £35 and then £70 when the amount I've overpaid is nearer £200. Their reasoning is that there is no evidence that I have asked for the contract to be closed. Now surely that's not for me to prove? Continently they only record "selected calls" and those that are recorded are only kept for 60 days.

The next steps are for management to review this and if I'm unhappy then it's off to the ombudsman. My biggest regret is not having anything in writing but surely this equates to a breach of contract or something, all be it a verbal contract.

Anybody on here had similar issue? Any advice as to what to do with this would be great! I'm not being unreasonable, I want nothing more than my own money back.

Thanks in advance

InsideInsurance

Verbal contracts are worth the paper they are written on. Legally they are as enforceable as almost any other type but its a devils own job when trying to prove exactly what was agreed. Likewise the fact you continued to pay the contract for several months also suggests you want the contract.

Ultimately escalate the complaint and presumably hold up the fact it hasnt been used at all since the date of the requested cancellation as your evidence

stclair

I very much doubt they would have been able to diarise a cancelation.

You would have been expected to call back and give your 30 days notice on the appropriate date.

Buzby

Your contract ends when you request it. Saying 'it should have ended' shows a common misconception - you never had a fixed period, only a minimum term. You were told that if you cancelled immediately, there would be an early termination fee. So, the onus is on you to provide notice in good time - networks will accept your request to close down service 30 days before the minimum term is reached, so that you can exit at the promised period (24 months?).

You cannot 'stack' your request to leave - and expect the network to do this at some arbitrary date in the future. Since you did not, the ongoing service needs to be paid for until the service closes and the final bill issued.

I'm assuming you did nether write to cancel, or record your conversation where you asked for the service to terminate by a set date? Without this, your verbal amendment is worth nothing.

marliepanda

I did a very similar thing with BT, in that it was cheaper to let it run than to cancel.

I still had to ring back to cancel. They don't book in cancellations.

Definitely keep a closer eye on things in the future.

agrinnall

Craggie wrote: »

...as January is the time to get your finances in order

This is where your big mistake was made. Taking care of your finances is not a once a year job, it needs to be done at least monthly, preferably weekly, and many people will do it more frequently than that. They are unlikely to ever experience the sort of issue that you have.

Vodafone

Hi Craggie,

Thanks for making me aware of this.

If you'd like me to take a closer look at things, 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'll take you to the Contact us form on our website. To make sure it reaches me could you also quote the code WRT135 - MSE in the subject line?

Once sent you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. So I can make sure I've got it could you update the thread with this and I'll get back to you as soon as possible?

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations

Vodafone UK

tinkerbell28

stclair wrote: »

I very much doubt they would have been able to diarise a cancelation.

You would have been expected to call back and give your 30 days notice on the appropriate date.

Not true. I had 2 Voda contracts for the accessories and cash back. I told them to cancel some 3-4 months before expiry. They sent me email confirmation. They were as good as their word, they billed me until x date, then disconnected me.