Tearing my hair out with conversation with Vodafone - frustrating

[HowIHateVodafone]

Tearing my hair out with conversation with Vodafone - frustrating

You cannot telephone the store to see if they have a certain handset in stock...

So i go on to live chat

me - Does your XXXX store have a XXX in stock
them - Whats your mobile number
me - No, Does your XXXX store have a XXX in stock
(repeat)

transfered me
me - Does your XXXX store have a XXX in stock
them - Whats your mobile number
me - no does your XXXX store have a XXX in stock

transfered me
me - Does your XXXX store have a XXX in stock
them - Whats your mobile number

them - here is the number for your store
them -are you looking for an upgrade or new order
me - i want to know if they have it in stock
me - thats on voice mail
them - yes for me too



Why do they have to make it so difficult, i just want to know if XXX store has the XXX in stock.... its not like a national secret...!

[vienna1981]

I phoned Vodafone recently and I actually succeeded in defying the menu and speaking to an actual person. Sadly, said person was, unsurprisingly, in a foreign call-centre with its attendant problems. I could tell that she wanted to help with my query but the language barrier was such that I ended the call none the wiser. Not her fault at all but entirely Vodafone's. Must do better .

[MyballsareSandy]

Vodafone are shit and I can't wait until my contract with them ends at xmas. They are the only phone company I've heard of that won't cap a phone. They keep saying they 'cant' but they really mean they won't as they get lots more money from kids that go over their limit.

[HowIHateVodafone]

I ordered an upgrade on Saturday, (my account expires on 25th Nov)
on Sunday pm and Monday am & pm and Tuesday am & pm
checked my account as I was expecting something on my account to say there was an order, nothing. So each time I used the livechat and each person said to me "yes the order has processed and will be with you on Wednesday", one even telephoned me to tell me this too,

on Weds there was still nothing on my account and i spent 2hrs 20mins on live chat for them to tell me there was no order on my account - I said they could either courier it to me (get it to me today), or cancel my account completely

They offered me £8.99 off my bill
then £10.99 off my bill

I said no - thats not good enough - cancel the account (been with them 9 years) I'm not interested in a company that hires liars to work for them, as the people had told me that the order was going through were either stupid or liars....

So i have escalated to the CEO, and am waiting for an update - the latest offer was £34, but I just want out

[Karou]

I feel your pain, I have been trying for three months to get a company to update my account to the correct details.

four letters
20 phone calls (they know me by name)
about 50 emails - and they are still obtuse about giving a simple - have you updated the details or not question.

Its not bloody complicated but it is really important to me

[Karou]

that should be answer, not question. Just thinking about it sends me into a total spin

[Rainuntilseptember15]

I have been hung up on during live chat, as I too was being lied to (telling me I was at data limit by text message and offering more for ££, when I was nowhere near the limit).

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

I wouldn't go back to Vodafone if you paid me. They upgraded the software on my signal booster box and promptly stopped it working. When I complained they told me that it was my problem and they couldn't help and I'd have to fix it. It escalated and escalated and I just went round in circles. The ombudsman was no help as he said you have to exhaust their complaints procedure and I couldn't get anyone to follow a procedure as they just kept fobbing me off. They are utter, utter arseholes. Get out as soon as you can.

[LIZS]

Don't do it! Dh has had no end of trouble with them and the sky inclusive package that expires each month Customer services are useless and shops claim they can't help.

[Pico2]

If it's any help, I had a crap experience with EE recently. I spoke to one of them on the phone and was told that the easiest way for me to get a new phone was to go into one of their shops. So I schlepped into the nearest EE store (30 min drive plus very expensive parking) only to be told that they couldn't do what I needed in the shop and I needed to do it by phone.

I now have a nice new phone and account with 3 as it was the nearest alternative phone shop to EE when I stropped out. It's also a cheaper package for more data.

[Cabrinha]

Oh I hate Vodafone!

I spent waaaaay too much time on the phone to them over new contract phone, for PAC. They kept telling me it wasn't a Vodafone number that I had. It was. Bought in a Vodafone store. They eventually decided there was an error on their side. But each time I phoned, it made me enter my number and it would trill "that's not a valid number, goodbye! "

I got through to them by calling the corporate line (work Vodafone) which funnily enough is answered quickly, by a human, in the UK.

I've given up arguing over whether it's their phone or not! They've not billed me yet...

[DarthVadersTailor]

I've been with them for nearly 4 yrs now and I am very doubtful as to whether I'll renew my contract. The only reason I did previously was because of a good deal I got involving NHS discount when I worked as part of the health service that meant I got more stuff (minutes and data) but paid less. On the one hand I signed up with a 3g contract because I refused to pay extra for 4g that wasn't in my area yet, they now give it to me for free. On the other hand there are still some major pockets of shit signal in my town and as pp have already mentioned customer services are a joke.

I wonder though if any of this will really change with a new provider, surely they're all just as crappy to deal with as each other?

[NatashaRomanov]

I recently left vodafone after three useless and completely unhelpful online chats, and then being completely ignored in one of their stores. Switched to EE (in carphone warehouse, just because it was the nearest phone store!), and so far, EE have been great. Good customer service when my sim wasn't activated properly, and credited back one third of the next month's bill (it had take a week to sort things, mostly due to poor carphone warehouse service).

[HowIHateVodafone]

So.... I was told in email and live chat I could get my upgrade from a Vodafone store....

Guess what. ... that wasn't right either as the best offer they could do was 44 a month not 32.... !!

[chocolatemademefat]

I was offered a SIM only contract from vodaphone at twelve pounds a month and one of the questions they asked was how much I earned then how much my husband earned! For twelve pounds a month I thought this was way too much information to be giving out and told them to stick it.

I sympathise with your frustration and no YADNBU. Phone companies have an inflated sense of their own importance.

[SlaggyIsland]

I had two recent horrible experiences with Vodafone. My Samsung S5 started playing up, took it into a store to be sent away for fixing as it was under warranty. A week later they got in touch insisting it was accidental damage and wanting to charge me nearly £200 to fix it. Tried to complain and got nowhere. Also got angrier than I'd been in years.
Then, needed to cancel contract as I'm leaving the country - something I didn't know about at the time I took the contract out. Completely inflexible, they are insisting I pay out the entire value of the contract.
I've been with them for years but they don't give a shit. I'll be back in the UK in a couple of years but will not use them again as long as I live. Truly shit-awful company.

[LavenderRain]

My dad had trouble with Vodafone.
He has him and my mums phone on his account and somehow they managed to swap their phone numbers!! How???
Whilst phoning to try and sort it, he was transferred and was suddenly asked what service he requires
Dad said 'Vodafone' but the lady said 'sir this is the emergency services are you ok'
wtf!!!

[3littlefrogs]

Do not go anywhere near vodafone. They are absolutely dreadful.
That is all.

[AgadorSpartacus]

Just wanted to agree. They owe me £70 from a mistake they made last September. They are fucking awful.

[lorelei9]

I'm not with them but I would feel quite confident that in terms of "what's in store" my provider would be the same. I'd have to ring the store direct & check, they would just tell me they don't know and I'd have to go in or call.

[HowIHateVodafone]

info: at 20:04:13
Thanks for your patience - your approximate wait time is 0 minute(s) and 4 seconds.


System: at 20:10:19
Please wait to send your question until we connect you with one of our representatives.


Thats a long 4 seconds..... i've been transferred to 7 different people/departments

[aquashiv]

They are down right liars.
They sold me a European cover then to cover me when travelling. .Then charged me over £200 telling me Ireland isn't in Europe.

[NotMeNotYouNotAnyone]

I upgraded in November and first off the activation didn't work. Then it did but they did something random that stopped it. Trudged back to the shop on my lunch break and the staff member called Vodafone, he did their verification process (with multiple people as they all kept putting him through to the wrong department), then they insisted they insisted they needed to verify me as well. But he couldn't hand the phone over the counter, it had to be a separate call (wtf??? I work in a financial services call centre and people regularly pass the phone around to let me verify the customer and then speak to the person the customer wants me to deal with). The shop staff pointed out that the reason I was there was that my phone wasn't working. The Vodafone call centre idiot insisted it has to be his way. The shop were helpful, but the call centre was so bloody useless that I left in tears of frustration and was an hour late back from my lunch break

[JennyOnAPlate]

I left Vodafone 8 years ago and have been with O2 ever since (can't fault them if you're looking to change!)