Pleas help me deal with fooking Vodafone!!!

[MsJamieFraser]

Please help as my stress levels are through the roof!

In my job I need to have outstanding credit rating.

My contract was up with Vodafone in August, I emailed my months notice in July. last payment came out 30th August. I received email and written confirmation my account was cancelled in August and received letters saying my sim was now on PAYG monthly, I've been with them 10 years... never had a issue until now.

Every month I am getting my monthly contract bills plus ££ added to it!

We are spending hours on the phone, (when we eventually get through) and via web chat, emailing the complaints obudsman complain line also. We get letter confirmation to say it's all sorted, we get post to say it's all sorted etc... and here I am on my 5th month dealing with the issues again.

When you call they will not transfer you to manager, and if you do your on hold and then get told you cannot be connected due to a local emergency ...

I went into my local branch and the store manager was as frustrated as I was he tried to help me also, put notes in the system, I was in there for 2.5 hours dealing with this incompetent company, been advised its sorted, got the letters in the post and via web chat transactions saying it's all sorted, we don't owe any money etc...

I've emailed the customer service director,,, no response, I've emailed the obudsman, no response, any communication via phone or web chat, to no avail.

We have spent 4 hours tonight and we are no further forward.

I need to speak to someone English! I know that sounds bad, however they all read from the same blatant script, it's all automated and when they are forced to type talk the writing skills and spelling is very poor.

I've a consultation with my companys solicitor in the afternoon tomorrow, if anyone has any ideas. PLEASE HELP

Im sorry i can offer no help but i can sympathise, ive had a nightmare with vodaphone this year and cant wait for my contract to end so i can leave. The customer service is appalling, not much gives me the rage but the thought of having to ring them makes me murderous! Good luck with it.

I don't have any advice but I am having my own issues with them (a long story!) and am sick of phoning them all the time. Like you, I just want to speak to someone who has the authority to do something about my problem rather than fob me off!! It's a nightmare and I feel your pain!!

I hated Vodafone and my similar nightmare ended only when I threatened with ofcom (i think it was) contract due to end August, called with correct timeframe but still got a bill, then said I hadn't WRITTEN to them to confirm! I'd advise you go on to money saving expert forum where there's pages of support on leaving evil Vodafone!

they are awful I have had months of problems with them. I've ended up putting in a complaint through resolve website I got a call from customer relations the other night (even tho only supposed to correspond via email) have assured me everything is now sorted. My current bill is so far correct I just have to wait and see if I get cut off again this month. Apparently if they have given you a bad credit score incorrectly you have to go through a different department think it's credit scores but can't remember sorry. Customer services can't help you with this even tho they will tell you they will sort it! Good luck

Try raising a case with Resolver. It's free and gets you to the top at the organisation. They seem to get good results. It also helps you document your calls, correspondence etc.

My dad had lots of trouble with them last year. For some reason they put him and my mum's phone bills into one when they've always had separate bills they kept saying it was sorted then another joint bill would come out!
Dad had a directt line to someone, I will ask him tomorrow.
He was always getting passed from pillar to post and on one occasion ended up with the emergency services
They are totally incompetent.

I am another who had an absolute nightmare with Vodafone. The customer service is laughably bad and if you find someone who thinks they can fix the issue invariably another system or department will end up fucking it up once you've hung up or left the store. I ended up doing something I generally hate when it is suggested.....went into the branch with every email and telephone note in hand, kicked off very loudly and refused to leave. I'm not proud of it but I was losing my mind and money due to their incompetence.

I saw Martin Lewis on the TV recently talking about massive problems customers were having with Vodafone. Is it worth checking on the money saving expert website to see if they can offer any further advice? Hope it gets sorted soon

It's as if they have two company systems, when I put my Vodafone mobile number in their automated phone line, it says I am on PAYG monthly... when I speak to them they say I have an active pay monthly account.

I honestly want to cry, we work full time, our time and more so now as it's the festitive season, I need to be doing other thing and doing christmas activities, instead I've had to plonk them on their gadgets... for a hour.... which tuned into 5 hours as me and dh where trying to speak to someone to no avail. I haven't bathed the children tonight so will be flying around in the morning like a headless bloody chicken!

My house is a mess, I have presents to wrap for the in laws going away on Thursday etc...

Il be trying all your suggestions in the morning, something has to give.

Doing Christmas activities with my children

I used to work for another mobile phone provider - so will help the best as I can.

To log a complaint with the ombudsman, you will have needed to follow the complaints procedure within Vodafone first (which it does sound like you have been doing).

You have to log your complaint with the "official" complaints/high-level complaints/customer relations (it depends what Vodafone call theirs). This is NOT customer services.

If after following this and you have either -

Not had any response in 8 weeks from the initial log, or,

Cannot reach an agreement - so you are in "deadlock" with Vodafone (you can get a deadlock letter from Voadfone to confirm that neither side can reach an agreement).

You can then take it to the ombudsman - Vodafone should want to avoid this, as they will be fined for any complaints referred to the ombudsman - whether they are right or wrong.

Besides speaking to the call centre/webchat and store, have you filled out the complaints form on their website (or called Vodafone's complaints helpline)?

www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/complaints/

It's as if they have two company systems, when I put my Vodafone mobile number in their automated phone line, it says I am on PAYG monthly... when I speak to them they say I have an active pay monthly account

They WILL have separate billing systems for Pay Monthly and Pay&Go accounts.

What you have to be careful of is the terminology they use, as it can be (sometimes intentionally) mis-leading.

Is your account actually a Pay&Go - as in if you wanted to use it you would have to add credit (add a top up) - with this there would be no bill whatsoever

Or is it a Pay Monthly on a "Sim-Only/Rolling Monthly/Month to Month" contract - so there will still be bills, but you are not locked into a contract, and could cancel at anytime.

The fact you have mentioned the Pay&Go Monthly doesn't sit right with me and makes me think you have been misled, an account is either Pay&Go OR Monthly.

Also have a look at their Twitter, full of similar complaints!

I'm not sure tbh, when I go into their automated service the SIM, account says I need to top up, as I have zero text, zero minutes and zero data.

The complaints line I have filled in 5 times now, not a single reply have I received.

The line number has also been inactive for 7 months.

Sorry that should say link also

Have sent you a PM

Ombudsman plus next time you contact them I.e. Vodaphone, tell them you are a business, time is money and you will start billing them £xx per call

They will ignore you, go to small claims court, they will not turn up, you win by default

Don't get what Vodafone are playing at.

As they are making it so hard for you to follow their complaints procedure, would suggest you email Vodafone UK's CEO -

[email protected]

Now whilst this will go to the CEO's email address, it will most likely be assigned to an "Executive Complaints/Relations team" - this will be effectively the highest point within the Vodafone chain you can get in touch with, they should absolutely resolve it, if not then you will definitely have grounds for ombudsman help.

How are you getting in touch with the ombudsman (as in what email address are you using?)

Pointless but I obvs was thinking ombudsman when I said ofcom up thread!

They are truly shit! Trying to change the date of my DD was like trying to drain the Atlantic with a leaky straw. I kept getting lied to (two people would tell me contracting information so at least one was lying), kept getting told it was sorted, ended up cancelling the DD. They text me every month now saying it's due and to reply and it'll come off my card. It probably isn't great for my credit but it's already dire so eh

Definitely complain to the ombudsman, your situation is totally unacceptable and they're not resolving it themselves when you've complained directly to them

They are horrendous , they spend AGES reading 'the notes' to just pass you about !
In the past 2 weeks I've spent a total of 8 hours on the phone to them , I'm at the end of my tether and ended up drafting a letter to the ombudsman .
My complaint hasn't been resolved yet and it's been over 6 months
They are incompetent , I don't actually get what they are paid for because nobody has a clue what to do unless it's on their bloody script !
Infuriating

These are the contact details for Ombudsman Services: Communications

www.ombudsman-services.org/contact-us-communications.html

When I finally managed to leave Vodafone they owed me money. I requested a cheque which they sent out. Made out to a completely different name. I swear they did it on purpose.

Thank you, you've all been super helpful, I've a few other options now and am going to try and get this resolved tomorrow. I will update when I get somewhere.

Much much appreciated