Vodafone complaint

33days

I've been with Vodafone for 8 years and always paid by DD however this November my DD was for an amount way above my bill, i have 2 contracts both with unlimited calls and text and 4 gig of data so I knew it wasn't my fault!.. I contacted Vodafone as the system was down on-line and rightly said sorry it was their fault and it will be resolved the stated..... Come this December bill it again was way above even last months bill and so i tried to checked my bill on-line again but with the same error message..... I contacted Vodafone again by going in store and they again apologised and said they would escalate the matter via email to head office and to give them 24 hours..

After this time had passed I tried live chat but again they said they would escalate. I called after a few days and spoke to a manager who stated it was a system fault and could i give her another 24 hours to sort the matter and that she would call me the next with the outcome. I didn't receive the call so i called them...!! again the same response from a manager "please give me 24 hours and i will call you back"

Well i was sure it would be sorted this time but still no call the next day but i left it 48 hours before i called again and by this time im being demanded at for the bill.... I called again and spoke to the 3rd manager and he asked could he have 48 to resolve the issue, my response was NO!! it had being going on to long and i pointed out the fact that this issue had breached their own T's & C's and that i wanted to cancel after a short hold on line he agreed that that was the case and it would be cancelled without fees or charges and to just hold the line while he dose the relevant changes, he comes back on and says im putting you through to cancellations .....

Now after being put through and the call has now gone on for 2 hours and 10 minutes I spoke to the most arrogant, rude gentleman ever and he should never be behind a telephone speaking to customers, he stated that there was nothing wrong with the account and that he could see the bill and commented about a payment of £3 and £42, absolute nonsense I said, I further asked how could he see it if no one else could? he said well I can and my manager can I asked "can i speak to your manager" his reply was NO he has left the building. Well i was confused and started to explain before he jumped in and said as no T's & C's had been broken no cancellations will happen and as i am very angry he was terminating the call and he hung up ....

I did try to call back but after speaking to another 3 people every time i was left on hold until the lines went dead.... Can anybody advise on what i should do now.. they are still asking for payment but the system is still down and i cant pay or view my contract.. BUT all i get from Vodafone is "sorry we will escalate the problem"

unholyangel

So what went wrong with your bill in november? Did you invoke the DD guarantee or was the overpayment amount refunded? Where did the excess charges stem from?

Which part of their T&C's are you reliant on for cancelling? Does it state that it entitles you to treat the contract at an end?

33days

No idea what went wrong not even Vodafone know! and they cant understand the excess amount and at the time they said what ever over payment there has been it will come off my next bill, and I accepted that......

As for T's &C's :- 10. Termination
10.1 Customer shall have the right to terminate this Agreement in whole or in part by giving Vodafone 1 month’s written notice of termination, subject to the payment of any early termination charges as set out in the Commercial Terms.
10.2 The Parties shall each have the right to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect (by serving written notice of termination to the other Party):
10.2.1 if the other Party becomes subject to an Insolvency Event; or
10.2.2 if the other Party is in material breach of any of its obligations under this Agreement (provided that where such breach is capable of remedy, the breaching Party is given 30 days to rectify such breach from the date that notice of any breach is received from the non-infringing Party).
10.3 Subject to Clause 5.5(d), Vodafone may terminate this Agreement in whole or in part with immediate effect, by giving notice in writing:
10.3.1 where Customer has failed to pay any Charges due within 60 calendar days of the Due Date; or
10.3.2 where Vodafone has repeatedly invoked its rights of suspension pursuant to Clause 3.3 or Clause 5.5(b), or has invoked its right of suspension under clause 2.2 (iv) for a period of not less than 14 days.
10.4 The Parties shall acknowledge, as soon as reasonably possible, the receipt of any notice of termination of this Agreement (in whole or in part) received in writing from the other Party.

unholyangel

So you still haven't seen novembers bill?

I think you're slightly misunderstanding the terms. Not all breach of contracts allow for repudiation. That is what it means when it refers to a "material breach" - that you must be deprived of a significant benefit under the contract (such as no/poor provision of services that you have paid for).

The first thing to do is establish where these extra charges have came from and whether they are indeed due.

Unlimited mins, texts & 4gb of data does not mean that these charges are definitely not due. I have unlimited everything (including data) on my plan - and while I won't be charged for dialling an 0845 number, i will be charged for dialling 0844 or any number abroad, or using my phone to sign up to subscription services etc.

I'd also advise that if you are having problems communicating with them via telephone, try email or letter. Ask them to email you a copy of your bill if you are having trouble accessing it online.

33days

They have admitted that the charges are wrong and don't know where they have come from and as for Novembers bill yes it was just taken out of my bank via DD as it always is.... Do we not think not having my billing system available and down for 40 days so far and for me to stay in control not a "material breach"?

And thanks for the input thus far

wealdroam

stu82 wrote: »

...as for Novembers bill yes it was just taken out of my bank via DD as it always is....

The Direct Debit Guarantee was mentioned earlier.

There are two parts of that guarantee that you might find useful.

Firstly:

If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit the organisation will notify you (normally 10 working days) in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

... probably means that as you cannot access their billing system*, and presumably they have not otherwise notified you, then they are in breach of that obligation.

Secondly:

If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

...means that you can get the money refunded without any hassle.



*was Vodafone's billing system unavailable for 40 days for everyone or just you?

meer53

I really can't believe their billing system wasn't available for 40 days ! I've used it recently with no problems.

agrinnall

When I was with Vodafone (for about 10 years until August 2015) they sent me an email every month to tell me my bill was ready and what the total amount to be debited would be. I'm pretty sure they also sent me a text with the amount in too, although having changed phones I no longer have those.

33days

Their billing system HAS been down since November 5th, my first call regards the issue they apologised and stated it is only affecting a select few ...

33days

wealdroam wrote: »

The Direct Debit Guarantee was mentioned earlier.

There are two parts of that guarantee that you might find useful.

Firstly:

... probably means that as you cannot access their billing system*, and presumably they have not otherwise notified you, then they are in breach of that obligation.

Secondly:

...means that you can get the money refunded without any hassle.



*was Vodafone's billing system unavailable for 40 days for everyone or just you?

This is very helpful information thanks and as for the system being down they said it was just a select few...