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Fraud by vodafone
I have been a vodafone customer for quite a few years and I have been so happy with them that in the Christmas of 2012 I took on 2 iPads(one for my daughter) with SIM contracts coming with data allowance of 2GB per month. I had been a happy customer for 8 months and I had previously never paid attention to my data use as our iPad use is limited to checking/writing emails in bed or in front of the tv(where we have wifi) or using the Google-maps application when I am out and about. I had never been over my data usage either.
In July/August 2013 I received a whooping great data usage bill of £500 alleging I had used almost 30GB of data in one month. Thinking this was all some sort of mistake I wrote a letter to vodafone in September 2013 disputing this amount of data usage for mere email and Google-maps usage but this letter was ignored. I then made a follow up telephone call, only to be told that I was browsing the internet between midnight and 7am non-stop every single day when we are supposed to be asleep and then occasionally between 8am - 11am when I and my daughter are supposed to be on the tube to work.
Before I could catch my next breath, the August/September 2013 bill arrived, again alleging I was using almost 30GB per month despite absolutely no change in use on my part. In fact, usage was mostly through wifi at home. Whilst the previous bill was being investigated, I then refused to pay this bill because I am convinced that this is fraudulent. Again I wrote a letter but on this occasion I lost the proof of postage and Vodafone low and behold did not respond and claim not to have seen the letter again.
To add to all this, my post-code in rural Essex only receives a 2G internet speed which can barely cope with anything more than a Google search, hence I am always on a wifi connection.
I then telephoned Vodafone who advised me to go into a Vodafone shop to get the offending iPad looked at. The Vodafone technicians’ instore said they could not see what was downloading data and could not even verify that the data had ever been downloaded. They advised me to go to an Apple store which I did. At the Apple store, the technicians advised that the iPad had never downloaded the level of data suggested and even PUT THIS IN WRITING and went on to suggest there could be a billing error.
My next solution was the Ombudsman whose levels of incompetence are breathtaking. The first letter I wrote to them about this matter with vodafone came back with a standard reply on the subject matter of 'fair usage'. It took a 30 minute phone call to explain that this had nothing to do with fair usage . It is at this point that they halfheartedly agreed to investigate the matter and got back to me after 7 weeks sounding like vodafone employees. They disregarded the letter from Apple because it did not have a signature and the Ombudsman representative in desperation went on to highlight a spelling mistake as more reason to discredit the letter from Apple. They suggested that there is no evidence that the Vodafone charges are wrong, despite being unable to provide proof that they are correct.
I have now gone back to a different Apple store to get the ipad checked again and the result was similar to the first, there is no evidence of 30gb of downloading on the iPad. Vodafone have asked to inspect the iPad themselves again despite inspecting it late last year and not being able to find any sign of downloading.
Has anyone ever experienced this?
PS-This is the first commercial dispute I have ever had in my 64 years of life. has anyone had this problem.
&
This has nothing to do with being over seas as I have not left the country for over a year.
Please advise. For one I am not sending my iPad for a second inspection which didnt find anything.
In July/August 2013 I received a whooping great data usage bill of £500 alleging I had used almost 30GB of data in one month. Thinking this was all some sort of mistake I wrote a letter to vodafone in September 2013 disputing this amount of data usage for mere email and Google-maps usage but this letter was ignored. I then made a follow up telephone call, only to be told that I was browsing the internet between midnight and 7am non-stop every single day when we are supposed to be asleep and then occasionally between 8am - 11am when I and my daughter are supposed to be on the tube to work.
Before I could catch my next breath, the August/September 2013 bill arrived, again alleging I was using almost 30GB per month despite absolutely no change in use on my part. In fact, usage was mostly through wifi at home. Whilst the previous bill was being investigated, I then refused to pay this bill because I am convinced that this is fraudulent. Again I wrote a letter but on this occasion I lost the proof of postage and Vodafone low and behold did not respond and claim not to have seen the letter again.
To add to all this, my post-code in rural Essex only receives a 2G internet speed which can barely cope with anything more than a Google search, hence I am always on a wifi connection.
I then telephoned Vodafone who advised me to go into a Vodafone shop to get the offending iPad looked at. The Vodafone technicians’ instore said they could not see what was downloading data and could not even verify that the data had ever been downloaded. They advised me to go to an Apple store which I did. At the Apple store, the technicians advised that the iPad had never downloaded the level of data suggested and even PUT THIS IN WRITING and went on to suggest there could be a billing error.
My next solution was the Ombudsman whose levels of incompetence are breathtaking. The first letter I wrote to them about this matter with vodafone came back with a standard reply on the subject matter of 'fair usage'. It took a 30 minute phone call to explain that this had nothing to do with fair usage . It is at this point that they halfheartedly agreed to investigate the matter and got back to me after 7 weeks sounding like vodafone employees. They disregarded the letter from Apple because it did not have a signature and the Ombudsman representative in desperation went on to highlight a spelling mistake as more reason to discredit the letter from Apple. They suggested that there is no evidence that the Vodafone charges are wrong, despite being unable to provide proof that they are correct.
I have now gone back to a different Apple store to get the ipad checked again and the result was similar to the first, there is no evidence of 30gb of downloading on the iPad. Vodafone have asked to inspect the iPad themselves again despite inspecting it late last year and not being able to find any sign of downloading.
Has anyone ever experienced this?
PS-This is the first commercial dispute I have ever had in my 64 years of life. has anyone had this problem.
&
This has nothing to do with being over seas as I have not left the country for over a year.
Please advise. For one I am not sending my iPad for a second inspection which didnt find anything.
0
Comments
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We will need more information to really help. We don't know exactly where on the iPad Apple checked either. Does your router get turned off at night and when you leave the house? This would explain the data use at these times as the iPad will default to the network connection with no Wi-Fi available. If you only get 2G at home why is the data connection even on in the first place? It will only act as a battery drain.
There are settings you can check yourself on the iPad to see if it has used the internet but I believe they would reset if the iPad is reset at any point to factory settings.0 -
If it was me I would wait for Vodafone to sue me, then take the letter from Apple (and any other relevant info) to show the judge.0
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Thanks for the response. My router pretty much has never been turned off except when I was moving from Talk Talk to Sky a few years ago and neither do I have any apps that are likely to use any data without my knowledge. That is why the whole thing is pretty crazy to me. The level of date that is being alleged is for people that watch movies and I dont know if that can be done on a 2G connection.We will need more information to really help. We don't know exactly where on the iPad Apple checked either. Does your router get turned off at night and when you leave the house? This would explain the data use at these times as the iPad will default to the network connection with no Wi-Fi available. If you only get 2G at home why is the data connection even on in the first place? It will only act as a battery drain.
There are settings you can check yourself on the iPad to see if it has used the internet but I believe they would reset if the iPad is reset at any point to factory settings.
It is incredibly frustrating and to add to it, Vodafone does not bother replying anything, instead have offered £20 for my proofs of postage.
What other info do i need do you reckon?0 -
I wouldnt like to get to that stage but if it does, i am ready!james_joyce wrote: »If it was me I would wait for Vodafone to sue me, then take the letter from Apple (and any other relevant info) to show the judge.0 -
Just a question (since a lot of people will look at this thread) but has anyone actually been taken to court by a mobile phone company? The normal process is:
Write nasty letters.
Trash credit file, write more nasty letters.
Pass on to debt collection agency who will write more nasty letters (This is as far as i have heard it go on any of these forums. nobody seems to come back and comment beyond this stage).
After that it should be:
Pass back to mobile phone company.
Phone company pass on to solicitors.
Person gets a notice before action letter.
Court case.
CCJ. etc0 -
I wouldnt like to get to that stage but if it does, i am ready!
Why you think you would get close to a judge eludes me. Networks will simply cease the service, compile a final bill and if not paid wreck your credit file for 6 years. Easy peasy.
As to your usage - why not look at your pad and check what it reports as your WiFi and cellular activity. This will confirm what has been transferred.
Saying you cannot have used it whilst sleeping or at other times is nonsense - only when YOU turn off data will service stop. Apps will update silently, adverts from 'free' apps will refresh in the background and you may never even view them as they are refreshed regularly.
You agreed to service, and to pay bills on request - the billing system is robust and certified by OFCOM, the ombudsman does not enter into billing disputes and never has done.
If you want to slash and burn, then doing nothing is the way forward.0 -
I mentioned the fact that it was downloading at night merely to illustrate that I was not using it. I have been using the iPad the same way since i got it, so it is a shocker for usage to go from 0.5-1.5GB per month to 30GB per month with no change in usage or explanations.Why you think you would get close to a judge eludes me. Networks will simply cease the service, compile a final bill and if not paid wreck your credit file for 6 years. Easy peasy.
As to your usage - why not look at your pad and check what it reports as your WiFi and cellular activity. This will confirm what has been transferred.
Saying you cannot have used it whilst sleeping or at other times is nonsense - only when YOU turn off data will service stop. Apps will update silently, adverts from 'free' apps will refresh in the background and you may never even view them as they are refreshed regularly.
You agreed to service, and to pay bills on request - the billing system is robust and certified by OFCOM, the ombudsman does not enter into billing disputes and never has done.
If you want to slash and burn, then doing nothing is the way forward.
The wording from the Apple letter was that 'the data downloaded on the iPad was inconsistent with the data billed' which is exactly what i am querying. I am disappointed that you want to swallow what these companies tell you Hook, Line & Sinker without questioning despite the bankers scandals, PPI scandals, horse meat scandals and other forms of thuggery by these so called big companies. I know OFCOM audit the billing system, but I suspect there is something not right about this because I hand on heart could not possibly have used that level of data. I dont even watch movies on the iPad or anything like that0 -
I am trying my best to resolve this without going down that path. I promise to report back on the result whichever way it goes.Just a question (since a lot of people will look at this thread) but has anyone actually been taken to court by a mobile phone company? The normal process is:
Write nasty letters.
Trash credit file, write more nasty letters.
Pass on to debt collection agency who will write more nasty letters (This is as far as i have heard it go on any of these forums. nobody seems to come back and comment beyond this stage).
After that it should be:
Pass back to mobile phone company.
Phone company pass on to solicitors.
Person gets a notice before action letter.
Court case.
CCJ. etc0 -
How can someone in a Apple store look at an IPad and say it hasn't used that amount of data? Just curious, because you could use data without ever actually downloading much.0
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How can someone in a Apple store look at an IPad and say it hasn't used that amount of data? Just curious, because you could use data without ever actually downloading much.
Apple have diagnostic software that can read all the lifetime settings for cellular, wifi, battery use etc.
It used to need connecting to a computer but they now simply connect to an Apple site over wifi to download the info.====0
This discussion has been closed.
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