VodaFone Phone stolen in Spain - now hugh bill

[stefob]

Hi Rebell1, It's certainly been very interesting on just about every front and I've learnt a great deal about how people can help each other, even when there isn't anything in it for them. That can't be bad, only a good way to live and so although it's been very stressful, it's been very valuable as well.

 

My son is very grateful to everyone who has helped us and asked me to pass on his thanks...

 

Peopod

Peopod

 

I have read your thread with great interest as

 

 

my son is now in the exactly the same position having his phone stolen in spain,

used fraudulently and faces a vodafone bill of over £6000

 

His bill like your sons includes simultaneous calls to premium rate numbers to gambia bosnia and guinea

and we too have had awful customer service from Vodafone

 

 

spoken to many diffferent agents with many different unhelpful responses.

 

 

We wrote to them and had an unsatisfactory response,

have written to them again and are awaiting a response but

 

 

today had a call from the debt collector who said Vodafone have passed case to them

(vodafone never advised us!) and have till the end of October to pay before the credit rating is impacted.

 

Your advise that Vodafone finally wiped your sons bill.

 

 

Do you know why they agreed to do that in the end?

 

 

Was it your continung lobbying?!

 

 

or writing to your MP or newspaper...

 

 

.any help or tips would be appreciated

Grateful if you could advise asap

Best regards

[dx100uk]

contact lee follow below

 

 

We here at CAg have a very successful VodaFone Rep operating here

.

We advise you to follow this method to alert them to your thread:

.

If you'd like any help from Lee, email your details via the Contact us form here (https://help.vodafone.co.uk/system/selfservice.controller?CMD=ESCALATION_REQUEST&PARTITION_ID=1&CONFIGURATION=1000&COUNTRY=us&LANGUAGE=en) and quote the code WRT135 - CAG Forum in the subject line.

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post back with this

Vodafone UK

.

CAG.

[Peopod]

Hi,

 

I'm sorry to hear about the issues your son is having with Vodafone, it's remarkably distressing and all time consuming.

 

The short version of a long story for my son, was that I emailed my MP and wrote to several national newspapers. My MP wrote to the both the chairman of Vodafone and the UK CEO within 10 hours of getting my email. In addition, one of the newspapers picked it up and contacted Vodafone ([email protected]). Within a week, Vodafone called to say they were dropping the charges...

 

From my observations, the only way Vodafone will drop charges is when there is a danger that a story will fall into the hands of the media, or in our case as well, an MP who was asking questions.

 

Vodafone are in print saying that when a phone is stolen and used for premium rate numbers they consider it to be 'organised crime'. I'll look up the article again and let you have it. I only knew about the premium rate numbers because I went through the bill, Vodafone didn't know, or if they did, they didn't admit it.

 

Did your son have the Euro Traveller package? This is when a customer signs up to take their UK allowance (calls and texts) overseas (to most European countries)?

 

Peopod

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi stefob,

 

Thanks for making me aware of this.

 

So I can take a closer look at things for your son, ask him to email me via the contact details provided by dx yesterday.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[veganite]

hi stefob,

as you can see from peopod thread, if i remember rightly, vodafone ignored the complaint and continued to ignore it up until the time where potential media spotlight appeared on them.

 

your phone is like a bank card. it can cost you a lot of money. your bank protects you against theft / fraud, the phone network doesn't.

 

similar to peopod thread, - calls made to premium rate numbers and vodafone did nothing to prevent this.

[Peopod]

Hi Stefob, Just wondering what happened, have Vodafone sorted out your issues?

[JoeyJoeC]

Put a pin on your sim! This won't happen then.

[Peopod]

If only it was that easy! Do you seriously think these gangs can't hack into a simple pin number? Having a pin certainly didn't help my son.

[JoeyJoeC]

If only it was that easy! Do you seriously think these gangs can't hack into a simple pin number? Having a pin certainly didn't help my son.

 

Well sim card's can't be 'hacked' as such.

 

You give it a pin, if it's correct, the sim activates and you can use it, if not, it give you 2 further attempts. If you get these wrong, the sim is in "PUK" mode. The sim won't respond with anything other than to activate with the correct "PUK" code.

 

Seriously, if they could be hacked as simply as you imply, wouldn't they just clone everyone elses sim cards to make these calls?

 

I'd bet your son didn't have a sim lock on the phone. Remember it's not the same thing as a pin to unlock the lock screen.

[BazzaS]

Well sim card's can't be 'hacked' as such.

 

You give it a pin, if it's correct, the sim activates and you can use it, if not, it give you 2 further attempts. If you get these wrong, the sim is in "PUK" mode. The sim won't respond with anything other than to activate with the correct "PUK" code.

 

Seriously, if they could be hacked as simply as you imply, wouldn't they just clone everyone elses sim cards to make these calls?

 

I'd bet your son didn't have a sim lock on the phone. Remember it's not the same thing as a pin to unlock the lock screen.

 

SIM lock won't help if the SIM is unlocked by the user when the phone is stolen ......

[JoeyJoeC]

SIM lock won't help if the SIM is unlocked by the user when the phone is stolen ......

 

If your phone has a lock code, and the sim has a lock code. Then this won't happen. Unless they steal it while the phone is unlocked and keep it unlocked. Still worth doing, especially abroad.........

[smari000]

Hi Peopod,

 

I have also been caught out like this. I just created a separate thread.

 

Can you please PM me (I cant PM as I have fewer than 45 posts).

 

I would like to discuss the steps you took in your son's case.

 

Thanks,

[dx100uk]

please keep things in the open

 

 

cag is here to help EVERYONE

even readers that don't register

 

 

PM helps no-one else

and is very selfish.

 

 

if we did that

you'd never have found the thread you are now reading