Being SCREWED by Vodafone!!!!!!!!

jdq2rp

Well folks. Here's Vodafones position.

Good Afternoon Mr. Quill

Thanks for your email to Vodafone about your account.
I completely appreciate your concern over having such a high bill, and have looked into this issue thoroughly for you.
The number 666222233335555 appears at numerous points throughout the month on your bill, for different durations and at different times of the day. This appears to be some kind of calling card number for routing through to another country or a premium rate service.
I understand that you're saying you've not called the number, but from our records the number was dialled from the same handset as you use with your account. Every call you make from your mobile logs the serial number of your handset at the same time. Even if you didn't call the number, it's been dialled from your phone and ultimately you're responsible for the handset. As a result, I'm unable to offer any kind of refund for the charges.
We're always here when you need us Mr. Quill, so feel free to get in touch at any time and we'll do our very best to help.

Best Wishes

Tom Rushton
E-Mail Customer Services
Vodafone Limited
I'm shocked.
1) This appears to be some kind of calling card number for routing through to another country or a premium rate service. - The number does not connect to anything at all.
2) "I understand that you're saying you've not called the number, it's been dialled from your phone " - At no stage have I ever contested that the number was not dialled from my phone. As I've said, the thing was malfunctioning.
I'm going to the ombudsman with this. This is absolutely outrageous. How they can say that this number is connected to something, when it patently is not is beyond me.

jdq2rp

Here's the entry from my bill on the night in question.
Date&Time Number Duration Cost
Sat 08 Mar 03:07 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 03:08 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 04:07 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 04:09 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 05:08 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 05:09 666333322225555 01:00:00 £76.408 Sat 08 Mar 06:09 666333322225555 00:30:03 £38.161 Sat 08 Mar 06:09 666333322225555 00:29:19 £37.225

There is so much wrong with this entry.
1) If any of you pick up your phone right now, ring this number, you will not get through to anything. Not Thailand, not a premium service, nothing, nada, zip.
2) Look at the very fist time the call was made.03.07. It then says that the "duration" was for 1hr. Impossible! The next time the number is called is at 03.08!!??? What's up with that??!! This time it goes for 59mins, but is repeated again at 04.07, but this time for 2 mins and I still get charged for one hour!!??

This stinks and I cannot believe Vodafones position.

I understand they're in the business of making money, but for God's sake, come on! Where's the common sense, decency and a grasp of the bigger picture? I've been with them for 10 yrs. what does that count for? Nothing. The fact that they have lost my lifetime custom (and potentially those of my friends/relatives, when I show them this) will cost them a lot more than this 650+.

I'm sorry for ranting, but I think this is just wrong.

redux

jdq2rp wrote: »

Well folks. Here's Vodafones position.

Good Afternoon Mr. Quill

Thanks for your email to Vodafone about your account.
I completely appreciate your concern over having such a high bill, and have looked into this issue thoroughly for you.
The number 666222233335555 appears at numerous points throughout the month on your bill, for different durations and at different times of the day. This appears to be some kind of calling card number for routing through to another country or a premium rate service.
I understand that you're saying you've not called the number, but from our records the number was dialled from the same handset as you use with your account. Every call you make from your mobile logs the serial number of your handset at the same time. Even if you didn't call the number, it's been dialled from your phone and ultimately you're responsible for the handset. As a result, I'm unable to offer any kind of refund for the charges.
We're always here when you need us Mr. Quill, so feel free to get in touch at any time and we'll do our very best to help.

Best Wishes

Tom Rushton
E-Mail Customer Services
Vodafone Limited
I'm shocked.
1) This appears to be some kind of calling card number for routing through to another country or a premium rate service. - The number does not connect to anything at all.
2) "I understand that you're saying you've not called the number, it's been dialled from your phone " - At no stage have I ever contested that the number was not dialled from my phone. As I've said, the thing was malfunctioning.
I'm going to the ombudsman with this. This is absolutely outrageous. How they can say that this number is connected to something, when it patently is not is beyond me.

The claim that this is a valid phone number, and specifically has the appearance of a calling card access, is entirely incorrect.

It's quite amazing that this company is willing to send you a message containing such lies. There are no UK numbers starting in 6 or 06, there are none that long, and no valid numbers in Thailand of that form.

Does the phone actually list these alleged calls in your dialled numbers? Any attempt to dial an invalid number should be rejected. And a phone on Vodafone does indeed reject such attempts.

I agree with you about Ombudsman, if they refuse to budge from this stance in the near future, but to go to an Ombudsman I think you need a deadlock letter from Vodafone, and that's probably from their Complaints or Executive Office. And you might need to ward off any over-enthusiasm by their debt collection unit while it gets sorted out.

I'd suggest discussing it with Ofcom (020 7981 3000) and Otelo (01925 430049) for advice.

jdq2rp

Thanks for your support redux.

I thought I might have been going mad.

The problem is that they already have my money.

I will get it back.

Jer.

redux

I can't find any calls on the Vodafone website with a tariff of £1.50 a minute, which seems to be what you've been charged, with VAT.

So it's a false tariff whatever the number

But it's a false number as well :rolleyes:

Intasun32

Hi jdq2rp,

The more I read about Vodafone, and the rest of the networks, it's hard to understand how they are allowed to get away with it, but they do. I know only too well from my own experience.

Redux is correct, your only course of action is to take it to the Ombudsman, Otelo. Sadly Ofcom are not interested in the likes of you, me and the other poor b*****s that have to accept this crap.

You have to have been in dispute with Vodafone for 12 weeks or to have received a deadlock letter informing you that Vodafone can take the matter no further. That is 12 weeks from the day that you first contacted them regarding this problem. Some advice: Put everything in writing, posted recorded delivery. This way they can't say they haven't received your correspondence and you have proof of posting and receipt. If they call you in response to your letter, make a note of the time and date, the name and department of the person and make a note of what was discussed. Then ask for all the points confirmed in writing or record all calls but you will have to inform them that the call is being recorded. This sounds a bit OTT but believe me you are dealing with the pro's.

Contact Otelo and ask for advice, I found them very helpful. Also do some research into this so called 'calling card'. Post on various forums dealing with mobile phone fraud, The-Scream, Moneysupermarket, 3G Forum & Grumbletext to name but a few. You will be surprised what people know.

Finally demand all information that Vodafone hold on this 'calling card' number.

Good luck.

redux

It isn't a calling card number; it isn't anything

This thread is the only web page in the world with this number on it

matrix999

Go straight to the top... Contact the Chief Executive Office!

I'm sure there must be an e-mail address listed somewhere.

adecor

If Vodafone have done anything incorrect regarding collection of your dd you may be able to reclaim from your bank & then fight Vodafone. This article may be of help http://www.financevictims.co.uk/direct-debits/index.htm

Intasun32

jdq2rp wrote: »

Basically my phone had malfunctioned during the early hours of a Saturday morning ringing a bizarre number that I don't recognise as being normal (66633332222555).

Is this not the number we are talking about and the number that appears on the VF invoice and VF records?