I have had contracts with Vodafone for over 3 years now and all was fine until May. In March I got an unsolicited call from them offering me a 'reward' of a heavily discounted tablet with a 4g data plan for £17 a month as I was such a valued customer. I accepted as I thought DC could use it.
It was actually not used until May. Roll on the end of May and I get a bill (bill recieved online 1 day before it was due to come out of my account) with an extra £170 of data charges on it. On checking my usage there an already an extra £50 of data charges on the next months bill so £260 including VAT.
It turns out that I was being charged for 4g data roaming when I thought I was connected to my home wifi. £20 a day. I immediately disputed it but they insisted the charges would stand.
I have now taken my complaint to the telephone Ombudsman and awaiting their investigation all the while paying my normal contract rate over the phone every month. Every month Vodafone restrict my lines and it takes at leadt 4 to 5 calls to get explain again that I am disputing the data charges before they unrestrict them. I have been called a liar and been told that I am a problem customer because I wont just cough up and hand over enough money to feed my family for 2 weeks for a service I did not use.
Last month my phone was stolen. Within 30 minutes of me realising it was not in my bag, 3 calls had been made to Zimbabwe costing £50. At the time, I thought I may have left it at home but when I couldnt find it, I immediately contacted Vodafone to block it. When I rang them the next day to ask them to send me a new Sim because Id searched everywhere and couldnt find it, I found out about the calls and thats when I realised that someone must have taken it out of my bag although I cant understand how! Vodafone said that they would cancel the charges and later sent a text to my DSs phone which I was using confirming they had done so. I had a new Sim sent out but it took 2 weeks to get it activated as they wouldnt do it until I had paid the previously disputed bill. Eventually after about a zillion calls, they agreed to put the disputed amount on hold until the Ombudsman had investigated my complaint.
Got my bill yesterday and the charges were still on there. Told today that I had to pay it as they have no proof (have crime reference and never made international calls before) that I did not make the calls and that's that so I have but they still wont unrestrict my phone lines until I have paid the £261. Ombudsman will take another 3/4 weeks to complete their investigation so DC have no phones to contact me on their way to/from school and I suffer from anxiety anyway so need to know they are OK.
Im going to have to pay the bastards with money I have not got aren't I? I am steaming! Also furious I have paid for the scum who nicked my phone to ring home and have lost hundreds of pictures of the DC and all my contacts as well.