Vodafone Mobile Broadband

[jowil1973]

Hi,

 

I recently took out a new Vodafone Mobile Broadband deal after my old deal (which included a laptop) reached its two year expiry date.

 

I had 5GB per month but never came near that usage partly because the signal was usually very poor (something I contacted Vodafone about a few times but they didn't seem to be able to do much about, despite my living in a 'strong signal area').

 

I wanted them to match a deal I had seen in Tesco 3GB for £15 per month on a monthly contract. I didn't think this would be an issue as that deal was with Vodafone and when I called them direct and explained, I was told I was getting 3GB for £12.50 per month. As it turned out I was getting 2GB. Eventually (after a few calls, explaining the same thing over and over again) I was given 3GB for £15 per month on a monthly deal, matching the Tesco offer.

 

I had issues with the dongle connection (via USB) to my laptop dropping and with the usage counter suddenly jumping up overnight (while the laptop was off and the dongle disconnected) from about 1GB to over 7GB.

 

I called Vodafone several times and spoke to several different people - each time having to explain the whole scenario all over again - and was told that I needed to keep calling them to check my usage or that I could check through my online account. The old broadband number was still showing on the online account however and every time I called they woul run a report (which took a few minutes) and the usage would jump up and down - even on the same day!

 

I was told by one person that due to all the issues I had had, that they were giving me 6GB for the first three months as a courtesy measure. Knowing how people 'say' things that are later denied I asked the next person I spoke to to confirm this and he said that it was down in the notes and therefore was confirmed.

 

Evntually I got passed througfh to a techie who remotely connected to my laptop and installed the latest mobile broadband software for me.

 

However when I got my first bill I was charged £50 instead of £15 as it said I had gone way over my uasge (although still short of the 6GB I was promised for three months). I called to complain and was told that there wasn't anything in my notes about getting 6GB for three months - and that it isn't even possible to arrange that!!

 

He did agree - after my long complaint - to drop the excess charges.

 

Now I find that the Vodafone software doesn't even appear on my laptop, no matter how many times I reboot or whichever method I try to open the application.

 

Also, although the new mobile broadband number now appears on my online account, there is no tally of data used!

 

As the software has failed (again!) and the online account doesn't give any tally of data usage, there is no way of monitoring my usage (knowing how much I have left or how close I am to going over my limit and encountering charges) other than to call up and ask for a total.

 

And even then, when I did this last month I was given contradictory information.

 

I have spent nearly 40 mins on the phone to Vodafone this morning (the first call was dropped when I was about to be transferred for the third time!) only to be told they could get a techie to run through a fix for my software despite me saying at the start that my laptop is at home and switched off and I am at work!

 

They confirmed that there is no way of seeing a tally of usage so far despite being told previously that I could see this through the online account.

 

They also refused to put me through to a Manager (although they kept saying that they weren't refusing) but did give me their managers name (very reluctantly).

 

I don't see how Vodafone can legitimately charge excess fees when there is no accurate way of monitoring usage??

[dx100uk]

good morning

 

we have vodafone onboard here at CAG

 

can i suggest you follow the stickied thread in this fotum and then comeback and post the ref No. in this thread

 

that will help Lee and the crew to assist you

 

dx

siteteam

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi jowil1973,

 

It's a shame to hear about your recent experiences with us but please be assured that I'll do my best to assist you as much as possible.

 

In terms of the coverage quality you've previously experienced I'd recommend providing this feedback via our Coverage Map here. Please be assured that information provided is important to assist us with determining where enhancements are needed the most. In addition, we do feature any network faults under investigation here.

 

To assist you with ensuring that everything is set up correctly with your dongle I'd suggest following the guidance on our eForum here. At the top of the section you'll find some troubleshooting guides followed by topics with other users have sought advice about.

 

In order for me to address the billing and customer service side of things could you email me by following the information in our pinned thread here http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?213340-Vodafone-Webteam-for-Customers-With-Problems?

 

Once your automated reply comes through just update your thread with the email reference number and I'll come back to you as soon as possible.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK

 

 

 

[jowil1973]

Hi Lee,

 

I have already logged my issues through that link straight after I posted here?

 

No reply as of yet...

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi jowil1973,

 

Thanks for coming back to me.

 

On the basis that you haven't received an automated reply as of yet it doesn't like it's come through, As such, I'll send you a PM with alternative contact details for me.

 

Kine regards,

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK

[silverfox1961]

May I congratulate Lee. You have passed the 1000 post mark. Quite an achievement. I just wish the others could do the same

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Thanks very much Silverfox.

 

I'm aware that the subject of company representatives has been the source of hot debate recently and so it'll be interesting to see what happens over the coming months.

 

Take care and of course my offer of assistance still stands.

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK

[jowil1973]

Hi Lee,

 

Thank you for your interest.

 

I did receive an automated reply when I logged my issues on the website. The reference number is [#6594768].

 

As of yet I have received no response to that?

 

I did get a call from Omar last week who was calling me back as I requested to be put through to a Supervisor when I was getting nowhere on the phone a couple of days before (as mentioned in my thread).

 

Unfortunately all he said was to confirm that (at least at present) it is not possible to see a tally of total data used through the website and that I would continue to have to call to find out my usage through the month. I explained that this is extremely time consuming and not very practical but at present it seems to be the only option.

 

To use an analogy it seems to me like a bank that gives you an overdraft facility - at a big premium - but doesn't allow you to see your balance when you make withdrawls.

 

To make matters even more confusing, Omar told me that my biling period was being changed from month start to month end to the 13th to the 13th of each month.

 

This is only going to make it harder to determine where my usage stands and to avoid excess charges!

 

The current system seems to be unnecessarily complicated. Having logged into my account, I am still unable to see what my broadband usage was for May, let alone current usage for June??

 

Of course I can call again, when I am at home and have my laptop available and try to get put through to a techie again, for them to do the neccessary software updates (which I am charged for downloading!) and see whether that lasts again for a few days.... BUT please remember that this resets any counters, so I am still inable to determine my usage in any way that is practical and helps me avoid excess charges!

 

In fact having seen that 3G do both a 15GB and an unlimited mobile broadband deal for £15 per month (the same as I am paying Vodafone for 3GB), I think it's going to be far easier to switch providers and avoid the hours of explaining that I have had to do with Vodafone; especially as I still have had no solutions presented to me!!

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi jowil1973,

 

Thanks for coming back to me.

 

Having just checked that email reference I can see that one of my colleagues replied on 9th June - could you check your Spam/Junk folder to see if it's arrived in there at all?

 

If it hasn't, I'll get it re-sent for your records but while I'm here I can confirm that the recommended course of action in assisting you further can be seen on our eForum here.

 

In regard to the ability to access billed/unbilled data totals through My Account I will get this raised with the relevant department to see what the latest news is on this and as soon as I receive an update I'll let you know.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK

 

 

[jowil1973]

Hi Lee,

 

I check my junk box regularly... no response?

 

Also I think you may be misunderstanding my current issue with the application?

 

One of the Vodafone technical team remote accessed my laptop 3 or 4 weeks ago and downloaded the latest software already. This ran ok for a few days.

 

The problem now is not just that it's not counting my usage correctly. No matter how many times I click on the various ways to load the Vodafone Mobile Broadband application it doesn't launch at all!

 

The only way I can connect to the web is to click on the wifi icon in the bottom right corner (on the taskbar) and select 'connect' on the Vodafone 3G Broadband option.

 

If I download the software again, not only does this increase my data usage but it also means that the counter will be reset, meaning I still have no way of knowing what my tally comes to for this month.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi jowil1973,

 

Thanks for coming back to me again and please accept my apologies for the misunderstanding here.

 

I'll get this looked into further and as soon as I've got more news I'll come back to you.

 

Best wishes,

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK

[jowil1973]

Hi,

 

Just an update...

 

I received a call from Lee a couple of weeks ago, basically advising me to download the latest software again. He confirmed that the only way to gauge my usage is to call and ask or to go online and download the individual data usage amounts in excel format and then insert a SUM function. Personally I don't think either of these options are practical to avoid being charged excess fees. Especially as continually downloading the data usage comes from my data allowance.

 

I have twice now downloaded and installed the latest software from the Vodafone site. The software still runs but is not visible in any way, so there is no way to see the usage.

 

The link in Lees post above provides no resolutions but is a list of other customers complaining about the same issues. It seems that a few of these have been charged excess fees for going over their allowance. It is also mentioned that the older software never had these issues (which was also my own experience).

 

Can it really be that difficult for Vodafone to sort the software out so that the tally can be clearly seen as it was on the old software? Or to make it possible to see the total monthly usage online? Or even both?

 

I wonder how much additional revenue Vodafone are making while these issues remain unresolved and their customers unknowingly go over their data allowance??

 

OR how many customers are being so careful to not unknowingly go over their allowance that they are hardly using the data they have paid for??

 

It seems NO surprise that the fixes are not forthcoming! For Vodafone this must be a license to print money!!

[locutus]

You should download DUMeter (google it) it's free and highly recomended for people with mobile broadband. It tracks all data sent and recieved by your computer.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi jowil1973,

 

Ultimately, we want all of our customers to benefit from the best possible experience when using our products and services.

 

Whilst it's a shame that you've come across the difficulties which you've posted about please be assured that I'm still on the case for you and as soon as I have some news I'll be back in touch.

 

Thanks,

 

Lee

 

Web Relations Team

 

Vodafone UK