locutus, I think the evidence speaks for itself. My phone worked fine until Vodafone initiated an unrequested software update. Why should I have to go to the trouble to get independent engineer, surely it should be them? As an analogy, if I buy a car and the garage I bought it from decides to do unrequested work on my car, which then stops working, I would expect the garage to get it working again. No way would I have to get another garage to look at it. Vodafone have now offered to repair the phone but will bill me for the repair and then refund me for the bill. I've agreed to this, not because I'm satisfied but because I'm exasperated with 8 weeks of hitting my head against the proverbial brick wall with their support team, whom it appears don't actually bother to read your email responses. I won't be renewing any of the 3 contracts I have with Vodafone and I may still complain to the Ombudsman, the URL of which is given below: Vodafone: Ombudsman ​referral website: ht​tp://help.vodafone.c​o.uk/system/selfserv​ice.controller?CMD=V​IEW_ARTICLE&PARTITIO​N_ID=1&LANGUAGE=en&C​OUNTRY=us&CONFIGURAT​ION=1001&CURRENT_CMD​=BROWSE_TOPIC&REQUES​T_PAGE=CONTACT_US&AR​TICLE_ID=323259&TOPI​C_ID=26274​

I've got another two responses today from the same person, but again this person is someone who hasn't contacted me before. Fortunately the Vodafone website states that after 8 weeks of being unresolved, I can contact the Ombudsman. Here's the URL: help.vodafone.co.uk/system/selfservice.controller?CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&PARTITION_ID=1&LANGUAGE=en&COUNTRY=us&CONFIGURATION=1001&CURRENT_CMD=BROWSE_TOPIC&REQUEST_PAGE=CONTACT_US&ARTICLE_ID=323259&TOPIC_ID=26274 Here's one of the emails I received this morning, along with my response (sigh). Received : 17/12/2012 10:54 I've already told you that the 50% waiver is not acceptable. What part of " Again, I re-iterate that my phone worked perfectly well until Vodafone initiated the software update and I would like a replacement phone, not an offer from you to repair my phone at a discounted rate." do you not understand? You broke my phone. Why should I have to pay for it to get repaired? And you want me to extend my contract with a company that breaks my phone? It's now getting close to 8 weeks since my initial complaint. Once the 8 week period has passed, I will take my complaint to the Ombudsman, as per instructed on your webstie: If after eight weeks we still can't resolve the complaint you can refer the issue to the independent Alternative Dispute Resolution service provided by Ombudsman Services Communications. Provided your complaint is in their remit, they will investigate your complaint free of charge. On 17 December 2012 at 10:14 Vodafone Customer Services wrote: Hello Bill, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services with regard to your phone. I have checked your account and can see that we have already you 50% waiver on repair charges. Please write back to us with the confirmation if you agree with this. Further, I have again discussed your case with my manager and would like to inform you that we can send you Samsung Galaxy S2 only if you agree to extend your contract with 3 more months. I trust the above information helps. Kind regards, Anis Farooqui Vodafone Customer Services

Vodafone initiated a software update on my Samsung Galaxy SII over a month ago (Sun Nov 25 2012) as a result of which my phone became unusable. I returned it to the Vodafone shop in Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Scotland. After about a week, Vodafone informed me that the phone had been water-damaged and refused to repair it. I have argued that the phone worked perfectly until the software update and also pointed out that the Vodafone shop assistant did not point out that the phone was water damaged. I have had at least eight responses via email, each one from a different person, offering to repair the phone at a discounted price. I don't see why I should pay for a repair to a phone which they broke. I'd like to escalate this Vodafone, but they don't seem to have any escalation process. I have threatened to raise a claim against them in the Small Claims Court. Here is the email trail, please contact me with any advice. 27/11/2012 09:49 Hello Anita Dewnani Hiren Buch Ronak Gandhi Janvi Peshavaria Manan Vora Manoj Vyas Aamir Shaikh Vijay Bajarani I've now had responses from eight different people regarding "Dispute with repair centre. #10424038", the most recent of which had a salutation which got my name wrong. Can someone (anyone at all), please let me know what's happening regarding my Samsung Galaxy S2 getting repaired after it ceased working due to a software update. Regards, Bill Watson 24/11/2012 06:57 Hello Krzystof, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services I can understand your concern regarding the credit affected, however we have not got any update from the concern department. I have again sent request, to them get back to us after 7 to 10 working days, we will update you on the same. Further, I would like to inform you that if the quality assurance team check the file then also they will just update the file stating the claim to be settled. However, the mark on the file will be there for six years. I appreciate your patience and co-operation in this regards. I trust above information helps Kind regards, Anita Dewnani Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. 22/11/2012 08:00 Hello Bill, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to you. I understand how important it would have been for you to get this issue resolved. I regret the level of service you received as this is not the way Vodafone believes in serving its customers. The incident you have highlighted will not only assist us in improving the service we provide in the future but it will also be used to further develop and improve our ongoing training program. In this case, I would like to inform you that we are unable to proceed without IMEI number and as you mentioned that it is with warehouse we are unable to check it from handset. Hence, I would like to request you to get back to us with IMEI number so that we can confirm it with warehouse the status of your handset or can arrange postal repair for you. I trust the above information helps. Kind regards, Hiren Buch Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. --Original Message-- Date: 11/20/2012 5:26:29 PM Hello Ghandi, 1. First of all, my phone is already at the Vodafone Store in Buchanan Street Glasgow. It was returned there by your Repair Centre on 9 Nov 2012 DESPITE THE FACT THAT I HAD TOLD THE REPAIR CENTRE ON 08 NOV 2012 THAT THEY SHOULD KEEP THE PHONE AS I DISPUTED THE REASON THAT THEY HAD GIVEN FOR IT FAILING TO WORK 2. Secondly, regarding your points below: - Colour of phone: It's white and surely that's marked on the records you keep for me. I do lease the phone from you. Also, it's still in your possession, albeit at the Vodafone shop (oops, you don't appear to know that.) - IMEI number. Again, you have the phone, so why don't you look below the battery of the phone. - Short description of the fault. Again, you have that, but here goes: it ceased working after Vodafone initiated a software update. There is no service; no applications; I can't make/receive calls/texts; I can't connect to the internet; I can't run any applications. - Alternate contact number: again, it's on the Vodafone customer records (01417794854, my home number), but you can also get me on my mobile number 07813824980 as I'm having to use an antiquated Blackberry so that I can at least get phone calls (but no 3G connectivity, thanks to Vodafone). PLEASE DO NOT INUNDATE MY PERSONAL HOME NUMBER WITH SALES CALLS. Finally, I'd just like to say that as a customer with three phone contracts with Vodafone, their customer care is absolutely abysmal. Friends of mine who have bought their iPhones directly from Apple have had no problem in getting their phones repaired or replaced immediately a fault occurs, even outwith the 1 year warranty. MAYBE THIS IS WHY APPLE ARE MAKING SO MUCH MONEY IT'S COMING OUT OF THEIR EARS, WHILST VODAFONE ARE LOSING MONEY. Regards, Bill Watson On 20 November 2012 at 10:39 Vodafone Customer Services wrote: Hello William, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services. I understand your concern that you wish to get your handset repaired again hence you need to get your phone checked from your nearest Vodafone store. To locate your nearest Vodafone retail store please click here Alternatively, if you do not wish to visit the Vodafone Retail Store we can arrange a postal repair for you. We will send you a prepaid envelope with the address you need to send the phone to. You just need to put the phone in the envelope. All the accessories like Memory Card, battery and SIM Card should be removed before placing it in the envelope. You can then post it to the nearest post office. In order to arrange for a postal repair, please get back to me with the following details: · Make and model of your phone (Given) · Colour of the phone · IMEI number of the phone. The IMEI is a 15-digit number that you can get by dialing *#06# from your phone or below the battery of on your phone · Short description of the fault · Alternate contact number Once your phone is sent for repair, you can keep a track of the same by visiting the link mentioned below: LINK Moreover if you also have a password on your phones get back to us with the same as well. We will re-send the handset back to repairs and try and identify the fault and try to fix it if possible. I trust the above information helps. Kind regards, Ronak Gandhi Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This message and any files or documents attached are confidential and may also be protected legally. It is intended only for the individual or entity named. If you are not the named addressee or you have received this email in error, please inform the sender immediately, delete it from your system and do not copy or disclose it or its contents or use it for any purpose. Thank you. Please also note that transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Registered Office: Vodafone Ltd. Vodafone House, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN Registered in England: No 1471587 Regards, Bill Watson RE: Dispute with repair centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 20/11/2012 10:46 Hello William, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services. I understand your concern that you wish to get your handset repaired again hence you need to get your phone checked from your nearest Vodafone store. To locate your nearest Vodafone retail store please click here Alternatively, if you do not wish to visit the Vodafone Retail Store we can arrange a postal repair for you. We will send you a prepaid envelope with the address you need to send the phone to. You just need to put the phone in the envelope. All the accessories like Memory Card, battery and SIM Card should be removed before placing it in the envelope. You can then post it to the nearest post office. In order to arrange for a postal repair, please get back to me with the following details: · Make and model of your phone (Given) · Colour of the phone · IMEI number of the phone. The IMEI is a 15-digit number that you can get by dialing *#06# from your phone or below the battery of on your phone · Short description of the fault · Alternate contact number Once your phone is sent for repair, you can keep a track of the same by visiting the link mentioned below: repairsUrl Moreover if you also have a password on your phones get back to us with the same as well. We will re-send the handset back to repairs and try and identify the fault and try to fix it if possible. I trust the above information helps. Kind regards, Ronak Gandhi Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. RE: Dispute with rep?air centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 18/11/2012 06:49 Hello William, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services. I understand that you are not happy with our customer services. I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you. I would like to inform that the repairs team just check and repair those things which are mentioned on your postal repair request. However, if you wish have the application on your handset you need to download it again or else you can visit the store and get it downloaded from there at free of cost but only those applications which are free. Moreover, if you have any other issue with handset you can have the postal repair again or can even get your handset checked in the Store. I understand that you are concerned about your handset settings. I request you to please call our dedicated technical team on 191 from your Vodafone Number or on 08700700191 from any other number, option 2 and then option 2, between 10am-5pm. One of our technical advisors will be able to assist you further in this case. I again apologise for the inconvenience caused to you and appreciate your understanding in this matter. Kind regards, Janvi Peshavaria Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. RE: Dispute with rep?air centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 16/11/2012 12:28 Hello Bill, Thank you for your reply. I understand your concern with regard to handset damage. Please understand that when the handset was checked at the repair centre, it was already liquid damaged. As the handset was in your possession, you are responsible for any damage that occurred to the handset. However, I have discussed your account with my manager and as a gesture of goodwill, we can offer you a credit of £25.00 as a onetime exception. Please get back to us with the confirmation so that we can apply the same on your account. Furthermore, I have also updated the marketing permission on your account so that you do not receive any marketing emails from Vodafone. We look forward to assist you. Kind regards, Manan Vora Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click. Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. RE: Dispute with repair centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 16/11/2012 12:28 Hello Bill, Thank you for your reply. I understand your concern with regard to handset damage. Please understand that when the handset was checked at the repair centre, it was already liquid damaged. As the handset was in your possession, you are responsible for any damage that occurred to the handset. However, I have discussed your account with my manager and as a gesture of goodwill, we can offer you a credit of £25.00 as a onetime exception. Please get back to us with the confirmation so that we can apply the same on your account. Furthermore, I have also updated the marketing permission on your account so that you do not receive any marketing emails from Vodafone. We look forward to assist you. Kind regards, Manan Vora Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. RE: Dispute with rep?air centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 14/11/2012 20:11 Hello Mr. William, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services in regards to your handset. I can understand that you are not satisfied. However I would like to inform you that £15.00 is the maximum amount that we can offer you. Hence if you agree to this, please get back to us with a confirmation. Once we have received the confirmation we will be able to credit the amount to your account. We look forward to your reply. Kind regards, Manoj Vyas Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. 12/11/2012 09:26 Hi William, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services with relates your handset. As informed by our expert team that your handset is damaged due to water damage than it must be due to it. Please don’t think that that water damage is due to our repair team, we are a corporate giant and have not reached this position by doing this to our valuable customers. I am afraid but you’ll not get a new handset free of cost. Just you being a valuable customer I will give you £15.00 as a goodwill of gesture, just for you. Awaiting your reply. Kind regards, Aamir Shaikh Vodafone Customer Services We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click . Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out. Re: Dispute with rep?air centre. #10424038 From : Vodafone Customer Services 10/11/2012 10:33 Hello Bill, Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services. In order to respond to your query and maintain the security and privacy on your account, please confirm the security details given below: - Your full name (Mandatory) - First line of your address along with the postcode - Your date of birth - Your method of payment - Vodafone Account number - Number of subscriptions on the account Please get back to us with any 2 of the following details so that we can assist you. Regards, Vijay Bajarani Vodafone Customer Services Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer. Vodafone has logged your email address in case it needs to contact you about other matters relating to your account. It may also be used for marketing purposes - you will soon receive an email explaining this and how you can opt out.