How do I escalate a Vodafone complaint?

Scott12345. · 20 August 2010 at 10:20AM

Long story but basically I just renewed my Vodafone contract and was sent a new Blackberry as an upgrade. 2 months later it broke so Vodafone offered to send a new one out the next day which I thought was really good service.

However when the phone arrived it was actually a reconditioned one. I wasn’t very impressed but wasn’t too bothered until I realized it hadn’t been re-formatted and I was therefore receiving emails and Blackberry PIN messages meant for the previous owner!

These were a mix of loan application responses, bank account updates, facebook messages etc and so were of a highly personal nature. Not only that but several of the emails and messages were of an adult nature which was quite embarrassing as some of my workmates seen the subject headings.

I contacted Vodafone as not only was it not very pleasant receiving these mails but also I could not configure the phone to switch to my own email. I called Vodafone to express my concerns about what I seen as a serious Data Protection breach and the customer service issues I was having and the first advisor said they wouldn’t look into this and I should just delete the emails. The second advisor (I called again) was then extremely rude and said Vodafone doesn’t have a complaints department before hanging up on me!

I’ve emailed the customer services department twice and on both time have received a badly worded response completely ignoring all my concerns.

I’m now stuck with a phone I can’t use with email (the reason I got a Blackberry) and I’m still receiving messages intended for the previous owner. I’ve been with Vodafone for years but I’m don’t know what else to do except cancel my contract and switch to someone else. However I’m sure Vodafone will try and bill me for the remaining 16 months of my contract! All I want is for someone to call me from Vodafone to sort this out but I’m getting nowhere.

Any suggestions on how I can either sort this out with Vodafone or just cancel my contract would be much appreciated.

Old_Gold · 20 August 2010 at 10:29AM

Find out the name and email address for the CEO and write to tell him your experience and ask for him to intervene to sort out your problem. Usually someone from his office will contact you and should help. Try googling for his name and email or ask CS and if they refuse ask to speak to their supervisor.
Personally I think we should all refuse to deal with Customer Services until they actuaally start to live up to their name.

Beowulf1970 · 3 November 2010 at 11:02AM

do not get me started on Vodafone's shoddy service !!

My HTC Desire developed a serious fault. I returned it to Vodafone on the 24th of September for a "repair/replace" that would take 5 to 6 working days.

my phone came back to me on the 2nd of November! ok so 5 weeks + for a 5 to 6 working day repair isn't good but I'm a patient soul mostly. At least my phone would be working again.

ha !

I wrote this complaint on the Vodafone forum, but like big brother state they delete it.. you can't stick it to the man on the man's squawkbox can you?

basically the phone has come back in a worse state than it went away in. it now lasts about 3 mins before it overheats and powers itself off. It will not reboot until it's cooled down.

quoting their letter "Due to the nature of the fault with your phone it will not be possible to repair it within a reasonable timescale" what 5 weeks is reasonable these days?

"We have therefore replaced it with a similar phone that has been CAREFULLY SERVICED AND REFURBISHED BY OUR REPAIR CENTRE"

so carefully serviced and similar to my old phone in fact that it too is a worthless paper weight!

I phone them up I get the run around. I get told I can't get a replacement as I didn't take out the optional insurance.. why should I have to pay a premium to cover their derrières when the hardware they sold me doesn't work.

"Oi this car you sold me doesn't have an engine!"
"Well it wouldn't you didn't pay for the optional engine inclusion insurance"

grrr.. I am so angry about this, I do not normally complain but I am writing a letter of complaint to watchdog as we speak. or is there other channels I could go through? Already sent my complaint to Guy Laurence..

I'm fizzing mad ! :mad:

Pete

Vodafone · 22 December 2010 at 8:13PM

Hi Beowulf1970,

Thanks for your post here about the faulty goods you've received from Vodafone. I'm sorry that this has gone on for so long.

I've managed to locate your email address courtesy of your eForum registration details and can see that you've now had a replacement handset. You've also emailed us confirming that the replacement is working well, which is pleasing to hear.

I have just emailed you detailing where to return the handset to and I've also raised a credit to your Vodafone account to cover the cost of postage.

If you still require further assistance, please let me know.

Many thanks,

LeeH
Web Relations
Vodafone UK

tazdevil01985 · 24 December 2010 at 4:19AM

Vodafone_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Beowulf1970,

Thanks for your post here about the faulty goods you've received from Vodafone. I'm sorry that this has gone on for so long.

I've managed to locate your email address courtesy of your eForum registration details and can see that you've now had a replacement handset. You've also emailed us confirming that the replacement is working well, which is pleasing to hear.

I have just emailed you detailing where to return the handset to and I've also raised a credit to your Vodafone account to cover the cost of postage.

If you still require further assistance, please let me know.

Many thanks,

LeeH
Web Relations
Vodafone UK

Classic more concerned with a handset replacement than the original posters DPA breach !

Wintermute · 24 December 2010 at 6:38PM

tazdevil01985 wrote: »

Classic more concerned with a handset replacement than the original posters DPA breach !

I was actually shocked when I seen that, the post its self could be considered a bit of a DPA breach!

I think that's a very good reason to avoid vodafone!

Considering the post is almost two months old (and they haven't been logged in since then!) I don't think LeeH's post really achieved anything either, he could see the issue had been resolved, but he still chose to breach DPA regulations to show that Vodafone care by posting details relating to a customers account even it they're not sensitive in nature they could provide a potential fraudster clues to access their account.

Without out going through some security checks you shouldn't be revealing anything to do with a customers account no matter how small it is to an individual and under no circumstances should you be posting details about a specific customer public! Surely you should know this, DPA seems to be one of the most serious issues in any CS job. The vodafone eForum you mentioned doesn't allow discussing account specific info so why post it here?

Guys_Dad · 24 December 2010 at 6:54PM

Yes, for some reason Vodafone Web Relations team seem to have been trawling through old posts that must have been either dealt with by now or ceased to be an issue.

Don't know why - maybe business is slack or management are looking for job cuts and "the team" are trying to appear busy. It's a pity that they don't respond more regularly to issues if they intend to keep a presence on here. And, incidentally, if you look at the last few posts in the last week or so that they have made, they seem to be at strange times of the day - i.e. not 9-5. Late shift or what?????

In any event, I agree entirely that sending out a "refurbished" handset that is still set up and passworded for a previous customer's email is a fundamental breach of the DPA and you just have to wonder at what basic training these technical experts that repair and reissue handsets actually have had.

Wintermute · 24 December 2010 at 7:24PM

The trawling through old posts is quite annoying and obviously more about PR than helping customers, the hours don't seem that surprising considering they're in a customer service role.

I'm rather concerned that they've started replying to their customers posts and referring to private communications, credits and replacements on a public forum, they don't allow it on their own forum for obvious reasons, they shouldn't start on here.

As for the original issue, the first thing done to any returned handset should be a full wipe, factory reset and reflash regardless of why it's been returned.

Vodafone · 4 January 2011 at 12:47PM

Hi all,

Thanks for your comments here.

Although it's fair to say that our presence on MSE has been limited over the last few months or so, until recently, I would like to take this opportunity to let you know that our intention is to be more regularly on hand to help our customers in any way we can moving forward.

As you can all appreciate it can be difficult to determine how helpful we can be with account specific queries until the poster has chosen to email us with their details but what we can assure everyone of is that all cases will be reviewed fairly and we will always get back to the customer as soon as we can.

As has been the case in the past anyone who would like us to investigate any concerns they have can email us via the Contact us form on our website here and to ensure that it reaches us they'll just need to quote either WRT135 - FAO Lee or WRT135 FAO Kirsty.

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

ruggedtoast · 4 January 2011 at 3:33PM

I wouldn't knock the web team too much. They're often the only people you can find in Vodafone to genuinely help you.

Compared to the rest of their colleagues I have found them to be pretty helpful. Certainly much more so that the utterly useless Indian 'wait 48 hours' email centre, or the 191 people who seem to live in a nebulous world of fantasy and myth. A place where reality and imagination blurs into one and then gets told to the poor customer.

Nish84 · 12 July 2011 at 5:30PM

Within the past 18 months of my 24 month Vodafone contract I have been given 4 handsets - non of them have worked and I've had to use an old Nokia phone for pretty much the whole time I've had the contract. They keep sending me these refurbished handsets. The touch screen on the first couple of handsets didn't work at all, the third one stopped charging working soon after they sent it to me and the laest one doesn't have any signal and does't recognise my sim card.

I've had enough and I just want to cancel my contract. I called customer services today and explained the situation and the customer service agent was so rude. He didn't listen to me, didn't really care about the fact that I didn't have a phone to use and told me I'd have to pay £130 to cancel my contract. I then asked to speak to a manager and typically, no manager was available so I waited half an hour on the phone for a manager. When he finally came on the phone he was equally as rude an told me I was in the wrong department and transferred me without listening!

No one offered me any kind of compensation. They offered me yet anther handset which would take anpther two weeks to arrive - that'd be 18.5 months without a handset.

I can't believe they're so rubbish. I have made 18 payments to vodafone. I've stuck to my end of the contract but they have failed to stick to theirs. They haven't been able to give me a phone or any form of good service.

I can't wait to leave vodafone. Unfortunately I can't leave right now because I'm being threatened to have to pay £130 which I'm not prepared to do either.

How do I escalate a Vodafone complaint?

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free