Small amount of debt but feel paralysed by it

[Celia24]

I lived abroad for a short time before the pandemic and now owe the bank about 270 euros and am receiving threatening emails. This is coming from my Vodafone mobile contract - at the time I took out the contract I had a contact where I spoke half in her language and half my language as I was still learning so it worked well.

I came back to my home country in a hurry just before covid and when I tried to contact her to close the account I received an email saying she'd left the company. I followed up with customer service emails and never got a response.

The issue is it has been 3 years since I lived there and my language is rusty. I have enough trouble with Vodafone in English never mind trying to close the account in another language. I feel paralysed, I've known for years the amount is building but I feel frozen over it.

I don't know what to do. The figure keeps building but when it comes to making it stop my mind goes blank.

Just go be clear the issue isn't that I can't speak English well - it's that Vodafone are awful when if comes to customer service and resolving in another language feels like a difficult barrier

Can you find someone who speaks the language (on a FB group maybe) and can negotiate with Vodafone on your behalf? It wouldn't take them long and it would close the matter for you.

They should have an interpreting service. I've worked for various call centres and they have all used Language Line. Have you tried calling and asking for an English interpreter?

I thought about putting out a request before on the group for the city I lived in but it's public and I knew friends might see when it's a private matter. I have friends living there but don't want to drag them into it.

I do speak some of the language but I'm not sure jt will be enough to get past Vodafone hunger games. I didn't know an English interpreter was an option - I'll look into that.

Contact Vodafone in the uk. Tell them to help you