@vodafoneuk Vodafone's negligent communication has lead to early termination fees [#7281299] ** RESOLVED **

[92FS]

The person I’ve been in contact with from customer services has completely ignored the whole point of my complaint (not to mention got my name entirely wrong in the initial reply) – can someone from the Web Relations Team please pick this up? I believe that Lee frequents this forum? (I will now go and fill out the form as I've seen in other Vodafone threads.) Edit: Reference number received: WRT 135 - CAG Forum [#7281299]

 

From what I gather, only the Web Relations Team seems to care about things like this. So instead of sending my latest reply to someone who isn’t helping, I thought I’d just add the whole email chain below (people's names and details redacted), and then just add my latest reply to the end of it. I hope you'll be more helpful, Lee!

 

--Original Message--

Date: 12/06/2014 13:56:42

Subject: complaint

 

Name: [withheld]

Email: [withheld]

Contact number: [withheld]

12/06/2014

[Address withheld]

 

 

Dear Vodafone team,

 

Earlier this month, I sent you a letter to cancel my contract due to your recent plans to increase out-of-bundle prices. I originally received a text message informing me of these changes, directing me to your website. The webpage stated that the customers affected would receive a text message. As I mentioned, I did receive a text about it, so I understood that I could cancel my contract without any early termination fees. I proceeded to write Vodafone a letter for confirmation of this, asking to *let me know* if I could contact customer services for a PAC code. What I requested is very different to what was then actioned.

 

A couple of days later (5th June), I received a PAC code directly by SMS, with no other information except that I should use it within 30 days or it would expire. A general inquiry to customer services confirmed that by using the PAC code the contract would be terminated. All fine then, I thought…

 

I received no further communication until yesterday, exactly one week later, by which time I had already ported my number over to a new provider. So despite promptly sending me a text with a PAC code, it was *only today* that I received your most crucial communication – i.e., that somehow my number isn’t actually affected by the changes and thus I can’t cancel early without incurring fees.

 

A one week gap is far too late and completely disjointed from the delivery of a PAC code. I rung up customer services again, identifying myself and my situation this time, and one of your agents thoroughly agreed with me. Furthermore, the letter I received didn’t even explain how the decision was made, seemingly ignoring my own original letter where I outlined how my usage was changing and would be affected by your price increase.

 

The customer services department informed me that there is now an early termination charge of over £300 for the remaining 12 months that I had on my contract. They can’t waive it themselves, but I was recommended to write to the Vodafone head office – your agent agreed that there were serious shortcomings in the way that things were actioned. So to recap:

 

- I received a text (29th May) saying your prices were increasing. Your website confirmed that the customers affected would receive a text and could cancel their contract by writing in.

 

- I wrote in (2nd June), not asking for a PAC code directly, but instead asking for confirmation that my contract could be terminated due to your changes, and to let me know if I could contact customer services for a PAC code.

 

- This was entirely overlooked, as I was directly sent a PAC code (5th June) by text. Customer services confirmed that using a PAC code would terminate the contract. With no further word for a week, it was more than reasonable to think that my request was approved.

 

- But it was only then, a week later on the 11th June, that I was informed I would have to pay early termination charges after all. I do not understand why someone chose to use snail mail to convey this most critical information, or to have not at least prefaced it with a call or an email at the same time as the PAC code was sent.

 

I find it very misleading and neglectful that in the age of instant communication, someone chose the worst possible order and method to send this critical information. Even if we ignore all that, someone completely contravened my wishes. It was quite clear that I only wanted a PAC code due to the recent changes, which were supposed to allow ending your contract without early termination charges. The main error was sending me a PAC code which I didn’t directly request, worsened by delaying much more crucial information (i.e., that early termination fees would apply) by sending it through the post with no other faster warning.

 

In conclusion, it would certainly help me keep my confidence in Vodafone if you would do the right thing and waive these early termination charges. A major misunderstanding was created which I am now expected to pay for. Surely, retaining someone as a potential future customer is more valuable to Vodafone than the charges themselves. I’d also be much happier to write and share something positive about how Vodafone handled the situation, rather than go down a long road of complaints. Finally, if someone could contact me by phone or even by email in the first instance, rather than have me wait for another letter, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Best Regards,

[withheld]

 

Former account no: [withheld]

Mobile phone no: [withheld]

Email: [withheld]

 

 

Date: 17 Jun 2014 11:37

Subject: Re: complaint [#7161124]

 

 

 

Hi Harmeet [my name isn’t Harmeet?!],

 

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services regarding cancellation issue.

 

I understand your concern thoroughly and would have felt the same if I were in your place.

 

I called you today on your alternative contact number [withheld] at 11:25 p.m. GMT and could not reach you as it just beeped.

 

We’ll just need to confirm a few security details before we can help.

 

Please reply to this email with your:

 

• Date of birth

For any further assistance, and for future reference, please click here to get in touch with our relevant teams.

Additionally, you can post your query to our customer service team on Live 24/7 online chat.

 

Timings -

 

Voice : 08:00 -20:00 ( 191 & 03333040191)

 

Live Chat : 24 * 7

 

We appreciate your business with us.

 

We look forward to serving you better and thank you for being a valued Vodafone customer.

 

Kind regards,

[withheld]

Vodafone Customer Services

Vodafone Limited

 

Vodafone HQ, The Connection, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2FN, Registered in England No 1471587

 

We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click 'here'.

Thank you for being a Vodafone customer and I hope you enjoy all that Vodafone has to offer.

 

 

Date: 17 Jun 2014 12:09

Subject: Re: complaint [#7161124]

 

 

Hi,

 

Thank you for trying to call me but that number is no longer connected. Please call instead on [withheld], thank you! To answer your security question, my date of birth is [withheld].

 

Best Regards,

 

[withheld]

 

 

Date: 24 Jun 2014 07:26

Subject: Re: complaint [#7161124]

 

 

 

 

Hi [withheld],

 

Thank you for contacting Vodafone Customer Services regarding PAC issue.

 

I can understand your concern thoroughly and would have felt the same if I were in your place.

 

I have checked your account and confirm that your number [withheld] is not going to be impacted by 10% rise in price. Whenever you request for PAC it is mandatory for us to provide you PAC. You used the PAC code and your number was ported over to Three on 9/6/2014.

 

Once your number is ported out, and your number gets active with the other service provider, your account with us will automatically get cancelled. Post the cancellation of your account, a final bill will be generated as per the usual bill cycle date. This bill will consist of the line rental and usage on pro rata basis till the last day.

 

Also, your online account access will be disabled and deactivated on the disconnection date. We’ll recommend that you download the bills, if required, from your online account before this date.

 

Please do not cancel the direct debit for this number till the final bill has been paid.

 

For any further assistance, and for future reference, please click here to get in touch with our relevant teams.

Additionally, you can post your query to our customer service team on Live 24/7 online chat.

 

Timings -

 

Voice : 08:00 -20:00 ( 191 & 03333040191)

 

Live Chat : 24 * 7

 

We look forward to serving you better and thank you for being a valued Vodafone customer.

 

I trust the above information helps.

 

Kind regards,

[withheld]

Vodafone Customer Services

We hope you have found our Email Customer Service helpful and convenient. To contact us please click 'here'.

 

 

"I already know you’re obliged to send people a PAC code if customers request one, but I did not do that. Instead, I asked you to let me know whether *I* could contact customer services to get one… provided, that is, that I could leave my contract without early termination charges, as per your announcement.

 

After all, your website mentioned that all the affected customers would receive a text message – which I did, and that’s what pointed me to your website in the first place. Whether or not this was supposed to be a different text message, you did not specify at the time. Any normal person in my situation, having received a text and read the website, would have concluded that they were eligible for the cancellation. Hence I wrote a letter asking if it would be possible. Since you quickly sent me a PAC code directly by text message, with no other information for a week, it was pretty reasonable to think that you had simply allowed me to leave. After all, if something important needed to be communicated to me, surely it wouldn’t have been a problem for a major telecommunications company like Vodafone, right?…

 

Except you did make it a problem. First of all, you refused to let me go without charges, which you didn’t explain at all – “you’re not on the list” isn’t an explanation. Your ‘list’ is probably based off past usage, which is completely irrelevant because your price changes aren’t going to affect past bills. They will affect future bills, and I clearly detailed how my future bills were going to change with the upcoming start of a second job – I stated how the rise in charges would impact me by over 10% of my usual bill.

 

Secondly, and most importantly, you withheld this crucial information by sending it to me by letter, which took *a week* to arrive. It’s no surprise that I had already used the PAC code by then, because in the absence of any other communication from you, I was led to believe my request was approved. Any normal person would have reasonably expected a warning within no more than 24 hours – not a week. There is no excuse when I could have very easily been informed by email, or via a phone call, or even in a separate text accompanying the PAC code. Delaying this crucial information was negligent at best or deliberately misleading at worst. It is not reasonable to expect me to pay for the mistakes and shortcomings of your employees.

 

I would rather not be forced to complain to the Ombudsman Services, CISAS and OFCOM. Not to mention, I am sure you'll agree that keeping a potential future customer (and his household) is worth far more than an early termination fee, which was the result of negligent communication to begin with.

 

Best Regards,

[name withheld]"

 

 

 

Okay, that's all of it! Sorry for the massive post, Lee, but thought it would be best if you got the whole email chain... I do hope you'll be able to help.

Edited June 26, 2014 by 92FS

[92FS]

Reference number received: WRT 135 - CAG Forum [#7281299]

[silverfox1961]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

Hopefully Lee will see this tomorrow and respond accordingly.

 

I would have assumed that VF would text only those that would have been affected by the new charges. If they did a mass text to all customers then that would be very misleading in my opinion.

 

I would also place this matter in dispute with VF as they are fairly swift at screwing up your credit file and by disputing it, they should place all action on hold until the dispute is resolved. Make it very clear to them that if they choose to ignore this dispute and file a default, you will take matters further.

 

While Lee has been very effective in some cases you still have to remember that he has to follow the company line.

[92FS]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

Hopefully Lee will see this tomorrow and respond accordingly.

 

He did indeed respond very quickly -- yesterday evening, actually.

 

I would have assumed that VF would text only those that would have been affected by the new charges. If they did a mass text to all customers then that would be very misleading in my opinion.

 

I'm not sure if they texted all customers, but I do know that I received a text at the end of May. This led to a webpage -- and Lee told me that they have since then (after I read it) changed the wording on the webpage because it was "vague".

 

So at the end of May/early June, I sent in a letter to check whether the conditions did apply to me. I asked whether they could let me know, and if I could contact customer services for a PAC code. Instead, I got a PAC code directly by SMS a couple of days later, with no other details. I was told yesterday that they did this to be on the safe side -- they want to ensure customers don't file a complaint that they weren't issued a PAC code, even if they didn't explicitly ask for one. That's how safe they want to be. But what about the safe side for the customer? How about sending a warning that doesn't arrive a week later in the post? If you've already typed up a letter, 99% of the work is already done -- just copy/paste it into an email and fire it off.

 

I think it's fair to be forgiven for being misled in thinking that I was let out of the contract, considering the info I received through the text and webpage. How was I to know they sent the PAC code so that they could be safe? I would have thought that if anything, it's the customer who should be kept safe. Is it not a serious shortcoming to have communicated the most important information (i.e., a warning that I would incur early termination fees) through a letter which took a week to arrive after the PAC code?

 

I would also place this matter in dispute with VF as they are fairly swift at screwing up your credit file and by disputing it, they should place all action on hold until the dispute is resolved. Make it very clear to them that if they choose to ignore this dispute and file a default, you will take matters further.

 

While Lee has been very effective in some cases you still have to remember that he has to follow the company line.

 

Thanks for the advice. If I dispute the charges, would this place a marker on my credit report? Or could disputing the charges affect it in any other way?

Edited June 27, 2014 by 92FS

[newhereplease help]

Hi, I hope you eventually get this sorted out. It baffles me that the mobile companies, not just Vodaphone, are allowed to change terms whilst still in contract. I'm sure if I called up and said 'From 1st July I am only going to pay 50% of my bill' they would argue that they expect me to honour the original contract. We are going back to PAYG once our contracts run out. You can get a good 'bundle' deal that requires no 24 contracts. Take care

[silverfox1961]

Thanks for the advice. If I dispute the charges, would this place a marker on my credit report? Or could disputing the charges affect it in any other way?

 

I suggest you check your credit file anyway. I believe that the default process is automatic with very little human input. If they have placed a default there you can write a 200 word notice of correction.

 

If nothing is there, by disputing the charges should not affect it at all as any dispute is dealt with internally.

 

Also, if there is no resolution, VF pass any 'debt' onto debt collectors and charge you for the privilege of receiving scary letters. They call this an 'admin fee'.This fee has no basis in reality as they charge 15% or 3100 whichever is the lowest but the rules state that they are not allowed to profit from admin fees and they should reflect the actual cost of administration.

[92FS]

I suggest you check your credit file anyway. I believe that the default process is automatic with very little human input. If they have placed a default there you can write a 200 word notice of correction.

 

If nothing is there, by disputing the charges should not affect it at all as any dispute is dealt with internally.

 

Also, if there is no resolution, VF pass any 'debt' onto debt collectors and charge you for the privilege of receiving scary letters. They call this an 'admin fee'.This fee has no basis in reality as they charge 15% or 3100 whichever is the lowest but the rules state that they are not allowed to profit from admin fees and they should reflect the actual cost of administration.

 

I haven't cancelled my direct debit yet, so thankfully I haven't defaulted on anything. I don't think it's worth the hassle of letting them mess with my credit scores (and the hassle of removing any future markers on my report).

 

I know it could be a hassle in itself to get the money back once it'll actually be taken (in July, I believe), but at least it won't affect my credit report in the meantime. Asides from defaulting (which I don't want to do), I'm guessing there isn't a way to delay/dispute the charges while this is looked at, is there?

[silverfox1961]

So long as you have the funds to cover this bill then I would let it proceed as that removes any problem with your credit file. You could state that the bill is being paid under protest and that you would be seeking a refund.

 

I would also leave the DD open for another month after as it is well known that VF suddenly pop up with 'extras' and when they try to collect and can't, the whole cycle could start again.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi 92FS,

 

Thanks for your time last week.

 

As promised, I'll be back in touch with you as soon as I have an update.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[92FS]

Hi 92FS,

 

Thanks for your time last week.

 

As promised, I'll be back in touch with you as soon as I have an update.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

 

Just checked my emails and it looks like the final bill for £290 just came through. Thanks in advance for any update.

 

UPDATE: I just wanted to let everyone know that this has all been sorted now. Very impressed with how quickly it was done, too. Didn't expect it be done so soon.

 

Lee, thanks again for looking into this. I'll now update my original post.

 

I think it's fair to say that vodafoneicon completely redeemed itself, and the WRT is definitely a great asset to the company. I have no problem with returning as a customer in the future.

Edited July 7, 2014 by 92FS

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi 92FS,

 

I'll be getting back to you later today.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[92FS]

UPDATE: I just wanted to let everyone know that this has all been sorted now. Very impressed with how quickly it was done, too. Didn't expect it be all worked out so soon.

 

Lee, thanks again for looking into this. I'll now update my original post.

 

I think it's fair to say that Vodafone completely redeemed itself, and the WRT is definitely a great asset to the company. I have no problem with returning as a customer in the future.

 

 

Edit: I've tried to update my original post/thread, but it seems that I can't edit it (because it's probably been too long). Would a mod be able to modify the title of this thread to indicate that I've had my problem solved? Thanks!

[citizenB]

You can only edit for 24 hours after the post has been made. I have amended your thread title to show this is now resolved.

 

Very pleased to hear this

[silverfox1961]

UPDATE: I just wanted to let everyone know that this has all been sorted now. Very impressed with how quickly it was done, too. Didn't expect it be all worked out so soon.

 

Lee, thanks again for looking into this. I'll now update my original post.

 

I think it's fair to say that Vodafone completely redeemed itself, and the WRT is definitely a great asset to the company. I have no problem with returning as a customer in the future.

 

 

Edit: I've tried to update my original post/thread, but it seems that I can't edit it (because it's probably been too long). Would a mod be able to modify the title of this thread to indicate that I've had my problem solved? Thanks!

 

Well done to you and Lee. Any chance of saying what was done to resolve?

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi 92FS,

 

Thanks for updating your thread to confirm that your query has been resolved.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK