Hi,

I appreciate that Vodaphone do monitor this forum, they are dragging their feet and emails to them are bouncing...

I have been helping a friend to remove a default on his credit file, he has enjoyed 30 years of excellent flawless credit history and of course the default notice is extremly damaging for him.

It should be noted that he had tried to get the issue of the account resolved PRIOR to his discovery two days ago of the default notice. The ombudsman made a ruling that he received a few days before Christmas which was in favour of Vodaphone, on the basis that HE had not been able to prove that a contract did not exist (Vodaphone did not prove that one existed.

His latest email to Vodaphone SAR team is still awaiting a written response. The SAR email address was given by Emma in Vodaphone Disclosures.

Copy of latest email sent to Vodaphone:

Hi CAG members,

We thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves and to assure you all that our presence on CAG is with the very best of intentions.

vodafone UK has recently introduced a dedicated Web Relations Team which is keen to seek out customers who’re having difficulties with their accounts and feel that they have no other place to turn to than CAG and other consumer forums and blogs.

Naturally, it’s not possible for us to help directly with account specific queries on CAG and as such we would encourage those members who feel we can help them to contact us privately and securely using the ‘Contact us’ form on the Vodafone website with your account details.

https://help.vodafone.co.uk/system/s...PARTITION_ID=1

When emailing us we would also ask that you either provide us with a link to your post or thread – if you’ve posted in another member’s thread please also provide your CAG username so that we can check what your query is – and state the code WRT135 within the body of your email to make sure it comes through to us.As soon as we’ve received your email we’ll endeavour to get back to you as quickly as possible.

Many thanks

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK.

CAG members contacting us, add the code WRT135 in the subject line in order ensure that email gets routed into our queue.

The link in your post above does not work.

An email containing full details was sent to the email address you have previously given out in this thread.

Please advise the correct email address.

I do appreciate that Vodaphone will not want the adverse publicity associated with this matter being aired in a public forum, however after many months of partially or unanswered replies, perhaps the best way forward (in the interests of helping other people avoid such problems in comunication) it may be better for the information being passed in the first instance in public.

here are the docs

Response to Ombudsman.pdf

Ombudsman.pdf

Hi

So your (ex)employer gave you a works phone on a contract paid by them. Vodafone (in their wisdom) default you for the company failing to pay the bill.

My opinion, Letter Before Action giving them 14 days to remove this default and if they refuse, take them to court

We thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves and to assure you all that our presence on CAG is with the very best of intentions.

vodafone UK has recently introduced a dedicated Web Relations Team which is keen to seek out customers who’re having difficulties with their accounts and feel that they have no other place to turn to than CAG and other consumer forums and blogs.

Naturally, it’s not possible for us to help directly with account specific queries on CAG and as such we would encourage those members who feel we can help them to contact us privately at webrelations@vodafone.com quoting ‘WRT135 – CAG Forum’ in the subject line.

When emailing us we would also ask that you either provide us with a link to your post or thread – if you’ve posted in another member’s thread please also provide your CAG username so that we can check what your query is.

Many thanks

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK.

i'd also use this post up stuff:

scan the required letters/agreements/sheets

as a picture[jpg] file

remove all pers info inc barcodes etc using paint program

but leave all figures and dates.

goto one of the many free online pdf converter websites

it would be better to upload a multipage pdf

than many single ones

or if you have PDF as an installed printer drive use that

or use word and save as pdf

open a new msg box here

hit go advanced below the msg box

hit manage attachments below that box

hit the add files button on the top right

hit select files, navigate to your file on your pc

hit upload files

NB:you can set where it goes in the post by hitting insert inline.

the hit reply button

dx

Thanks for the posting information - Lee has emailed me and I have sent him a copy of all the information, is there anyone else it should be sent to?

I see the pdfs in my earlier post do work

If Lee is on the case, I would let him do his bit

what are the jpgs in post 3

duplicated in the pdf's now then?

dx

Thanks - I'm new to this forum and the jpg's were posted first but I thought they were so small that they would be impossible to read, hence the duplication by posting as PDF .

I'm not sure how to delete a post, otherwise I would have done some house keeping!!

Time will tell with regards Lee - if he does start to sort it then it will be a new leaf for Vodaphone, they have spent months passing it from person to person without anyone actually sorting anything out.

i will leave you to decide that

just look at lees sucesses

i'll deal with the jpg's i just wanted to check i was not deleteing info

dx

My friend has had contact with vodaphone - using the contact details supplied on this forum for Vodaphone, quoting the reference number given by Lee, he attached another letter for their reference.

He has just received a reply from Dan Steele at Vodaphone, the contents are below.

In view of the reply and the pressing urgency of the matter in the context of the threat to his potential new job, I feel he has no alternative but to start Court action (they have replied within the timescale offered in the previous letter) to remove the default. If anyone else has any ideas please let us know. It does seem awful that Vodaphone will issue a default notice against someone, even though (after numerous requests) they can not produce evidence of the alledged contract.

Please remember no default notice was ever received.

After reading the previous involvements of Lee, in disputed matters I did think that this was going to be settled by application of common sense rather than Law.

Do Vodaphone have no knowledge or respect for contract law in the UK?

Letter to ex employer.pdf

how about asking the cra to verify where they got the info from as the default is untrue?

if they are carrying untrue info, they must remove it

or provide proof that it is legit.

dx

Excellent point, three letters are now being prepared to send to the CRA's to ask for their involvement. However my concern is for my friends prospective employment and the chances of that being thwarted due to the default being on his credit file and the adverse inferences that could be drawn from that at face value. As you can appreciate time is of the essence with this matter to try to limit the consequential damage to him. At least Vodaphones latest response has allowed a Court application to be made without further notice.

I'm concerned that Vodaphone are taking the line of what the Ombudsman says is always right and in this case ignoring the law of contract.

My friend is 58, therefore it can be said that new employment is increasingly difficult to find as you get older. a 30 year old experiencing such issues might have time to recover from the issues. At 58, as an airline pilot he has a relatively short working window left.

Until this is sorted, you can apply a 'Notice of Correction' next to each offending item. This can be up to 200 words. This will be seen by all people checking the file,

Hi Justicebydefault,

This has certainly become a complicated case.

Although I can make no guarantees as to the outcome of this matter please be assured that I'll review it as thoroughly as possible and get back to you as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I'd recommend following the silverfox's advice and arrange for a Notice of Correction to be added to your credit file.

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

Hi Lee,

Thanks for the reply, I must admit frustration after seeing the email from Dan Steele. It would appear from his response that Vodaphone would rather trust the advice of the Ombudsman, even if it was legally flawed. I am assuming that Vodaphone legal department have not (yet) given a view on the case?

It is good to hear that you are still dealing with this matter - it was assumed that Dan Steele had answered for you.

It's important that a claimant (party affected by wrongful action) can be demonstrated to have done as much as they can to mitigate any potential losses as soon as they become aware of the potential for loss or damage.

With that in mind the following Notice of correction has been sent to the three credit reference agencies. It should be noted that it is intended as an interim measure, before either Vodaphone remove the default or it has been subject to Judicial review. It should be noted that the Credit reference agencies have also been asked to seek from Vodaphone proof that a Contract existed (with Mr L.) and that the default entry is in fact correct and lawful.

Thanks again for your own help, it's much appreciated and hopefully can be resolved sensibly.

Notice of correction:

Dear All,

Just to update you - My friend has had an email from Lee at Vodaphone asking him to confirm his address and date of birth. That was a request following him sending Lee copies of his credit report WHICH CLEARLY contained his address and date of birth....

I do wonder if the reports (that my friend obtained from the credit agencies after his identity was verified) had even ben read by Vodaphone

To confirm, I have spoken to Lee in the past and have also been asked to confirm details also, this is purely because they require the confirmation in text and not part of a picture/document issued by another company

This is so that they have a proper wtitten confirmation of identity,

Hope that helps

Dear All,

 

Just to update you - My friend has had an email from Lee at Vodaphone asking him to confirm his address and date of birth. That was a request following him sending Lee copies of his credit report WHICH CLEARLY contained his address and date of birth....

 

I do wonder if the reports (that my friend obtained from the credit agencies after his identity was verified) had even ben read by Vodaphone

All the requested details were sent to Lee a few days ago (even though everything had been in the documentation supplied to him) As of yet no direct response has happened from him.

However the debt collecting agency has started calling my friend at all hours on his home telephone line. At least a log is being kept and that can be attached to the claim. I understand that my friend and his wife intend filing at the Court on Friday, enough is enough. Vodaphone sem to have a blatent disregard for law.

I think my friends wifes email this morning says everything:

Bryan Carter, Solicitors are at 11 De Havilland Drive, Weybridge KT13 0NT, telephone 08458396249. FPC Debt Collection Services (aka Fredrickson International Ltd.) is at PO Box 260, Weybridge KT13 0YH - telephone 08458396246. Mmmmm. As you say - probably in the same building, but because of the different postcodes maybe different doors??? FPC and Bryan Carter both quote their reference as VOD/08938130! Bryan Carter refer to Vodafone as their client and FPC state they have been instructed by Vodafone who have passed the account to them for collection. Any correspondence we have received has been responded to - and with Bryan Carter I foolishly assumed that they would understand contract law and accept that Robin has not entered into a contract with Vodafone. I don't think we heard from them again after I wrote, but it would seem they are all part and parcel of the same company! When I spoke to BT ages ago to set up the 'Choose to Refuse' on our account they did say that these debt collection ages have many different numbers to use to harass us!! How right they were

FPC, Freds and our favourite, Bryan Carter are all best buddies.

If you wish to respond, write and tell them that as this account is subject to a serious dispute and has been for some time and that they must return the account to Vodafone immediately. Failure to do so will result in complaints to them, Trading Standards, the OFT and the solicitors regulatory authority (for mr carter)

I did hear that VF were having issues with their email service. I also note that Lee hasn't been on the forum since the 2nd

An Update:

Thanks for the advice about the Debt collectors thats been actioned.

Lee emailed my friend yesterday following my post.

What I find strange is that its sometime since the credit reports were emailed to Lee and he made no contact previously about problems opening the reports.

For reference I copy below a couple of extracts from the credit report,

This refers to his own Vodaphone Contract, he was able to close this account as he had all the security details, it ran for 16 years with a perfect credit score, no late payments,no problems.

• Name: MR ROBIN L****
  
• Account Address: *********************************************
  
• Date of Birth: 21/*********
  
• Provider: Vodafone Ltd
  
• Account Type: Telecommunications Supplier
  
• Account Number: *****1394
  
• Account Status: Settled
  
• Date Updated: 01/03/2011
  
• Account Start Date: 10/01/1995
  
• Account End Date: 25/02/2011
  
• Account Opening Balance: --
  
• Repayment Frequency: Monthly
  

This is the other Vodaphone entry on his credit report, he did try to close the account when Vodaphone sent debt letters to his address and he became aware of the account. They refused to close theaccount as he could not give them the required security information. As he never set up the account, entered into a contract for the phone with Vodaphone or paid the bill he could not identify the bank account that paid the bill (simple really, he never had any details of how itwas paid – it was set up by his ex employer for him as a company phone).

• Name: MR ROBIN L****
  
• Account Address: ***********************************************
  
• Date of Birth: 21/*******
  
• Provider: Vodafone Ltd
  
• Account Type: Telecommunications Supplier
  
• Account Number: *****0933
  
• Account Status: Default
  
• Date Updated: 01/12/2011
  
• Account Start Date: 25/08/2010
  
• Account Opening Balance: --
  
• Repayment Frequency: Monthly
  
• Default Date: 02/07/2011
  

Please ask yourself - would a man who has previously had an excellent payment and credit history mess it up for a very small amount? All other items on his credit report continue to show a perfect payment record.

Papers are ready to file at Court on Friday to start proceedings against Vodaphone.

All the requested details were sent to Lee a few days ago (even though everything had been in the documentation supplied to him) As of yet no direct response has happened from him.

 

However the debt collecting agency has started calling my friend at all hours on his home telephone line. At least a log is being kept and that can be attached to the claim. I understand that my friend and his wife intend filing at the Court on Friday, enough is enough. Vodaphone sem to have a blatent disregard for law.

 

I think my friends wifes email this morning says everything:

 

 

 

Bryan Carter, Solicitors are at 11 De Havilland Drive, Weybridge KT13 0NT, telephone 08458396249. FPC Debt Collection Services (aka Fredrickson International Ltd.) is at PO Box 260, Weybridge KT13 0YH - telephone 08458396246. Mmmmm. As you say - probably in the same building, but because of the different postcodes maybe different doors??? FPC and Bryan Carter both quote their reference as VOD/08938130! Bryan Carter refer to Vodafone as their client and FPC state they have been instructed by Vodafone who have passed the account to them for collection. Any correspondence we have received has been responded to - and with Bryan Carter I foolishly assumed that they would understand contract law and accept that Robin has not entered into a contract with Vodafone. I don't think we heard from them again after I wrote, but it would seem they are all part and parcel of the same company! When I spoke to BT ages ago to set up the 'Choose to Refuse' on our account they did say that these debt collection ages have many different numbers to use to harass us!! How right they were

Hi Justicebydefault,

Apologies for the delay with returning to your thread.

Please be assured that I'm still investigating this matter for your friend and intend to provide them with an update later today.

Kind regards,

Lee

Web Relations Team

Vodafone UK

Thanks Lee,

Thats very much appreciated. The whole business is putting his future employment at risk, and as such time is against things. Its gone on for over six months without getting resolved. Hopefully you will be able to get to the bottom of this and get the mater resolved.

Due to his high earning as a pilot it also means that a Claim against Vodaphone for damages would involve very substantial sums of money, so my personal feelings are that this matter needs resolving quickly to mitigate the damage potential to both sides.

At the end of the day we are talking of him (and his wife) being hounded for a Contract he never entered into and as of yet no proof has EVER been offered to suggest a contract between him and Vodaphone was ever in place in respect of this matter.

Have you dealt with the issues of the debt collecting agency as well?

A further update

Dear all,

My friend has been contacted by Lee, he has forwarded the email to me. It should be remembered that this has gone on for many months without any response from Vodaphone other than transferring the matter to Debt Collectors. At least now its in public on this forum it seems to be getting attention.

At least now things are moving. With regards the statement Lee makes about a Direct Debit Confirmation being sent directly to him. That never arrived. If it had, he would have been able to give the security details to close the account when he discovered the issues about the phone after he left his job, he wanted to stop the phone but was unable to as he had not got the account details. He had returned the phone to his employer upon leaving his employment.

I find Lee's comments about my friend paying money to them for something he never contracted with them for, its simply incredible. My friend NEVER entered into a contract with Vodaphone for the claimed service. His employer did of course have all of his details. His employer never responded to the letter talked about by Lee.