@vodafoneuk Help with Vodafone LBA

[Poke The Bear]

Hi folks

 

 

This will be a long post, so please bear with me. My Vodafone troubles are long and plentiful. I'm hoping some legal minds can help me out.

 

 

I have endured a long and agonising dispute with Vodafone and I am now at the end of my tether. To be honest, I regretted taking out a contract with them the moment I signed up.

 

 

Right from the first month, things went horribly wrong. I started out with a SIM-only deal in Dec 2012 because it seemed like a bargain at the time. However, only days after receiving my new SIM, I received a very odd text message telling me to phone customer services and confirm my details, or my account would be suspended. I assumed that, because I was staying with friends at the time (waiting for my new house to be ready to move in), that it was a standard check to make sure it really was me... So I phoned them up, only to be told that the text had been sent in error and I should ignore it.

 

 

Surprise surprise, 48 hours later my account was suspended and I couldn't use my phone. This is a major problem when you are trying to sort a house move and this was my only phone! I could not even get through to customer services because the twits had blocked that too. I had to use my dongle and email them about the problem. I waited several days for a reply and was promised that everything had been reactivated.

 

 

Only problem was, I still could not send any texts. All I could do was make voice calls. So I phoned them again. This time they told me the sim needed resetting (or something like that) and they could do that right away. I was told that all would be well by the next day. Well, of course it wasn't. By the time I moved into my new house, I still could not send texts. They promised to send me a new sim to my new address. It was waiting for me when I arrived... and it still did not work.

 

 

Just before moving, I checked with them to make sure that there would be a signal in my new location. I live in rural Cumbria, so there are black spots. I was assured that all would be fine. GUESS WHAT! All was not fine! No signal. Nadda. Nothing. Even when I went up the fell, the darn thing would try to connect to the nearest mast ON THE ISLE OF MAN! Oh, and trying to disable roaming was another nightmare that I gave up on. So there I was, locked into a contract, no signal whatsoever, and even when I was in an area with signal, I only had partial service because I could only make voice calls.

 

 

It was a good 6 months before they finally figured out how to let me send texts again (if ever I was in town, that is).

 

 

It seemed so soon that the 12 month contract was over and I was dead set on leaving them. However, an upgrade was dangled under my nose and I could not afford a new handset at the time. I gave in to temptation after doing the sums and realising that the total cost by the end of the contract would be less than buying the handset new. Of course they mucked that up too.

 

 

I received the handset ok, but they neglected to replace the old sim with a micro sim. I phone them up and ask them to pretty please fix it. What do they do? They send me an empty envelope. Yes folks, I open it up and there is nothing inside. So I have to call them again. Second attempt they managed to put the sim in the envelope. Well done Voda. Gold stars all round.

 

 

But... they mucked up the direct debit. I don't know how, because all appeared to be set up at the bank's end. Vodafone just weren't taking the money. I called them each month only to be told that they have requested it, it is pending, and all I need to do is wait. So I would call my bank to hear them say "Vodafone have not requested payment for 3 months". AAARGH!

 

 

This was eventually followed by threatening letters. By Jan 2014 they had recorded late payments on my credit file and threatened to terminate the contract. I also discovered that the account was suspended (they like doing that), not that I would have known, since I have no signal and all.

 

 

I wrote a stinking complaint to them and actually got a decent response from someone based in the UK. That threw me a little because Vodafone do not habitually *do* that "customer service" lark. She acknowledged that the error was at their end and set up the new DD (correctly this time). She also refunded the outstanding balance as a goodwill gesture. The late payments on my credit file were still in place, so I had to raise a dispute via the CRA in order for them to fix it.

 

 

That was my first experience of Vodafone's propensity for messing up a customer's credit file instead of dealing with the dispute.

 

 

Fast forward to Dec 2014 when I was looking forward to being free of them in the not-too-distant future. I decided to request an unlock code for my new handset. Since I'd had my contract for over a year, this should have been free according to https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/unlock-code-request/. However, instead of an unlock code I got an email back saying “We are unable to provide an unlocking code as the device is already unlocked.”... Oh...

 

 

I had no way of testing this at the time, but I have since replaced the sim with an O2 PAYG which actually has a signal here. Whoopeeee!

 

 

But... imagine my horror when my next bill includes a £19.99 charge for an unlock code that was never provided! Furthermore, since I'd met the requirements for free unlocking, I should not have been charged regardless.

 

 

I banged off another complaint email. I was getting used to this by now. Except, this time, instead of a nice lady getting back to me to sort it out, the complaint was ignored. Instead I got the standard "we are terminating your contract" threat-o-gram less than 2 weeks after I complained.

 

 

This was the point where I decided that enough is enough. I sent them another complaint stating that I accept their unlawful contract termination.. and basically shove it. In essence, I refuse to be bullied into paying money I do not owe. Naturally they hit my credit file at the first opportunity. This time it caused serious problems because I am self-employed and was on the hunt for a better deal on my business account, as well as additional finance to help with my plans to aggressively grow the business this year. I now get refused and have been set back seriously.

 

 

Vodafone, in spite of having terminated the contract and suspending the account, kept billing me for another 6 months (plus late payment charges AND early termination fee!), then sent Fredrickson to harass me too. I now have a fresh default on my credit file and am as good as a financial leper until it is gone.

 

 

Current situation is daily txt and phone harassment from Fredrickson. I have blocked them until they find a way past the filter. I wrote to head office on 24 June, addressing the letter to the CEO, Jeroen Hoencamp. I gave them until 20 July to resolve the dispute. I can redact and upload the letters I sent if you wish to see them.

 

 

Now I am at the point where they have completely ignored the warning letter, so now I wish to send an LBA out on Mon, followed by claim when they undoubtedly refuse to comply. I want to get it right, hence my post here.

 

 

My goals are:

to force them to stop processing my data

to claim for damages due to harassment, loss of income, and the problems I am experiencing as a result of my trashed credit file

to force them to remove the default

 

I hope somebody can assist. As an aside, I do suffer from serious long-term health problems - I know this will take a lot out of me. I cannot do this on my own, but I cannot allow them to walk all over me either.

 

 

Bear

[BankFodder]

I would hold off starting any action until you have sent off an SAR. Once you have all the available information - including their phone records, screen notes etc, you will be in a good position to start.

 

Vodafone are horrors - as bad as Npower in the energy industry.

Not enough people bring small claims actions against them and so they get away with it. There is a customer services rep on this forum who may help you but that has the effect of taking the problem off-forum and out of the spotlight.

If you want to get it sorted out sensibly and also help others, then I suggest that you tackle them straight-on for a decent level of compensation and a good slap for Vodafone. We will be happy to help you but send the SAR off first

[Poke The Bear]

Thanks, I will get that sent off first thing Mon. I've had a browse through some of the other Vodafone cases around here and, whilst it is comforting to know I am not alone, it is pretty disgusting how they treat their customers and don't give a monkeys about it. Their CEO made song and dance about improving customer service recently, so I naively addressed my letter to him. He said he wants to help, right? Wrong.

 

 

SAR cooking now...

[p3t3r]

hi, for your SAR, you would need to complete a vodafone specific form from their website.

 

without completing their own internal SAR form then your SAR will not be processed.

 

it is not a requirement in law that you complete such form but vodafone policy. vodafone have confirmed to me through online chat, web forum and a letter from their CEO department that their specific form is needed to process SAR and that their own policy comes first before uk law.

 

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/webcontent/vftst031658.pdf

[BankFodder]

Yes, complete the VF form to speed things up but Vodafone are breaking the law by imposing this formality. You should also complain to the ICO - not that the ICO will be at all interested

[Poke The Bear]

Ah. thanks for that. Nice to know that they are above the law. Hopefully they won't ignore my SAR if I follow Vodafone protocol instead of bothering with that silly UK law lark. Is that why they don't have a complaints procedure either?

[BazzaS]

Ah. thanks for that. Nice to know that they are above the law. Hopefully they won't ignore my SAR if I follow Vodafone protocol instead of bothering with that silly UK law lark. Is that why they don't have a complaints procedure either?

 

Depends if you want to get "bogged down" in a battle over the SAR.

If you have health issues you might want to let others fight the "can Voda insist on their form for an SAR" "battle", and concentrate not on that battle but instead on your own "war" by just using Voda's form (and hoping they then comply)!

[Poke The Bear]

You are right Bazza and I intend to use their form. Doesn't mean I can't have a whinge about the stupidity of Voda's attitude.

[Poke The Bear]

Goodness me, I was beginning to think my SAR request had gotten lost in the post. It was finally signed for this morning. Should the 40 days start today or next working day?

[BankFodder]

Count the next working day do be on the safe side

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Bear,

 

If you'd like me to look into this further for you, email me with your details via the Contact us form here.

 

To access the form you'll need to enter the code WRT135.

 

As well as stating your query in the question box, please also quote "CAG Forum".

 

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post it on here and I’ll check I've received it.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[Poke The Bear]

Hi Lee

 

I don't want to be unfair to you if you are simply acting out of your own initiative here (In that case, hats off to you!), but I can only say that, at this point it is too little too late. I complained to your CEO of all people, and he did not even have the decency to reply to me. This is the same man who said all this: http://blog.vodafone.co.uk/2015/05/12/vodafone-uk-ceo-jeroen-hoencamp-talks-customer-service/... so please forgive me if I am more than a little cynical at Vodafone suddenly wanting to take the discussion offline.

 

 

At this late stage, I feel that satisfactory resolution to this dispute can only be obtained through the courts. Bitter experience tells me not to trust Vodafone in the slightest, which is why we are at this point today.

 

 

That said, the details of my case should make me easy to identify internally. Vodafone can start by honouring my Subject Access Request first of all. Mr Hoencamp is also free to issue a satisfactory response from his department, since he has yet to bother doing so. I'll gladly share the details here if it ever materialises.

 

 

I hope you understand.

 

Bear

[BankFodder]

Beware of taking the discussion offline. I think that this is helpful to Vodafone - but not to other victims.

 

Vodafone does not seem to be very enthusiastic about transparency

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Bear,

 

I appreciate that you're unhappy with the level of service you've received.

 

However, if you change your mind, you know how to contact me.

 

Beware of taking the discussion offline. I think that this is helpful to Vodafone - but not to other victims.

 

Vodafone does not seem to be very enthusiastic about transparency

 

Hi BankFodder,

 

Although we're only able to deal with account specific issues privately, customers are free to post updates at their discretion.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[BankFodder]

 

Although we're only able to deal with account specific issues privately, ...

 

 

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

 

".. only able ..." because Vodafone has chosen to structure its procedure in way which suits it to reduce transparency.

 

Also, you should know that the Site Team generally has discerned that that there seems to be a diminution in the level of enthusiasm which your company is applying to its customer service function on this website, at any rate.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi BankFodder,

 

I can assure you that we remain committed to helping our customers who post on CAG.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[Poke The Bear]

Could Vodafone kindly commit to handling my Subject Access Request? It's been almost a fortnight and they've not even banked the cheque yet.

 

 

Clock is ticking...

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi Bear,

 

Our Disclosures team will get the subject access request (SAR) to you by 10 September.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Comms

 

Vodafone UK

[Poke The Bear]

Hi Caggers

 

 

I have just received a SAR response from Vodafone via email. I can say straightaway that it is not everything that they hold, and I am not impressed. I'm still going through the finer details of the account notes, but apparently they believe that they have already responded to my complaint. This is the first I ever heard of it, since their "resolution" (if you can call it that) was attempted to my old disconnected Vodafone number. They later tried another old, disconnected number. At no point did they attempt to write to me, even after having been told very clearly that I will only deal with them in writing.

 

 

Here is the main bit from the section pertaining to their alleged "resolution" of my complaint:

 

 

 

Case id ***

Couldn¿t upload the complaint as it is an attachment.

Summary:

Customer filled an NUC request in December 2014. Customer received a reply from the NUC team saying they were unable to provide an unlocking code as the device is already unlocked. Customer was charged for this service on the next bill. Customer sent an email to Vodafone on 12th January about this issue. Customer received a letter from Vodafone saying the contract will be termination if they did not pay the amount in 7 days. Customer disputed that Vodafone continued to bill them. Customer discovered that the account was handed over to a debt collector agency.

Customer wanted an apology, correction of records held at Credit Agencies and compensation of no less than £500. Customer wanted to resolve the issue to their satisfaction.

Investigation: On 04/02/2015, CR agent *** worked on the account. As per the investigation done, customer had issue with the NUC and late payment mark. We agreed to waive off the NUC charge for the customer as an exception. We would not be able to remove the mark from credit file as customer cancelled DD. Customer was charged £19.99 for NUC in the last bill. On 20/05/2015, we received a response from the QA team saying the late payments were recorded in March, April and May 2015. The late payments were recorded correctly and will remain on customer's credit file. In the bill dated 07/01/2015, customer was charged £19.99 for NUC dated 21st December. The account is overdue by £352.31. I have credited £19.99 on the account for the NUC charge. Resolution: Once we contact customer, we will acknowledge customer¿s complaint about the NUC charge issue. In the bill dated 07/01/2015, customer was charged £19.99 for NUC dated 21st December. We will inform customer that we have credited £19.99 for the NUC charge. Customer will be liable to pay the remaining outstanding balance on the account. Furthermore, if customer raises issue about the credit mark we will inform customer that the late payment make was recorded for March, April and May 2015. The late payments were recorded correctly and will remain on customer's credit file.

We would also advise the customer that we would not be able to offer a compensation of £500.00 to them as we don¿t compensate for loss of time or business as per the T&C¿s. We would also inform the customer that if they wish to restart the lines we would waive the ETF and they would be liable to pay the remaining bill amount.

This is the sort of thing I have come to expect from them. A kind of "yes, we admit to wrongly charging you for the NUC thing, but the only refund we will give you is a goodwill payment of £20. But the late payments incurred at a result of you rightfully disputing this will stand, so pay up already!"

And they should know that they suspended the account the moment I complained about the wrongful charge because here it is:

18/01/2015 02:55

Subscription Services

Bar

Added

Outbound

xxx

CSM

xxx

xxx

7884310461

Memo code: 0006; System text: Suspension of CTN/BAN:Reason - , ONE CTN(s) suspended.; User text:

 

 

 

 

 

And the termination letter:

26/01/2015 00:08

Fraud/Credit & Collections

Collections

Letter Sent

Outbound

xxx

CSM

xxx

xxx

Memo code: 1018; System text: Letter has been Requested (CSUS Consumer Suspension).; User text:

 

 

 

 

All of this makes their supposed "resolution" to my complaint more bizarre than ever, since it is on the record that they jumped the gun, suspended and terminated without ever contacting me about the original complaint. How can they possibly refuse to wipe that bogus "debt" and compensate me properly is beyond me.

This bear is in a bad mood now...

[Poke The Bear]

Hi again

 

 

I've been away for a long time. Seriously ill, in and out of hospital, so that has taken all my time.

 

 

Since the last time I posted, Vodafone went and sold my data to Lowell. The disputed default had previously been suppressed and/or marked as disputed with the various CRAs, but those delightful bottom feeders in Leeds have entered a fresh default with a start date of Nov 2015.

 

 

And all this is after I specifically wrote to Vodafone to tell them to stop processing my data. Will need to make a complaint to the ICO because this is shocking behaviour, even for Vodafone.

 

 

Not quite sure where to go next as my health is in a precarious place right now, but the harassment is not helping me get any better

[AndyOrch]

Thread moved to telecoms..mobile

 

Andy

[silverfox1961]

Hi

Sorry to hear of your health problems and I hope you are progressing well.

 

Now, the default. Do you know when VF defaulted? When the Leeds Losers buy these debts, they can only change the name of the creditor, not the date so IF they have changed the date, that is grounds for complaint to Lowell.

 

As such a long time has passed since your original complaint to VF, it may be that they have marked the case resolved and as such, for you to take further action, you would need to start again and that would include a fresh SAR to get updated info about what happened in the interim. You do not need to use VF's forms. They must accept any form sent. They only demanded people use their forms as they didn't give the customer enough options to get all data.

 

Make sure you send the same level of ID that you did last time. If they try to say the ID isn't enough you can respond with, ' well you accepted it last time'

 

Hopefully you will be well enough to see this through. Lee is no longer active here, nor are any VF reps.

The ideal way is to deal in writing and by letter rather than email although you could email and then follow up in writing. Send all letters by Signed For delivery as this will ensure VF cannot deny receipt.

Initially just write to the head office and when(if) they respond, there may be a different contact to use.

 

Personally, I like to lay out the first page with the basics as bullet points then on separate pages you can lay out in full what happened, why you fell VF have screwed up and what you want them to do about it to resolve this to your satisfaction.

 

Keep copies of all letters sent and received just in case you need to escalate this matter further (which is usually the case with VF)

[BankFodder]

Just to point out that the reason that Vodafone is no longer on this forum is because we suspended them. They turned out to be unreliable and when we challenge them they started bleating on about a lack of resources.

 

I then asked them questions about their policies in relation to dealing with their customers – in particular their handling of people's credit file entries – and they went silent on me for over a month.

 

Most recently I had a contact with somebody who was part of their regulatory and compliance function and I posed him the same questions – and he has gone silent on me as well.

 

I think that Vodafone social media presence is mainly about managing reputational risk and reputational damage – which means moving their customers of the Internet and into their own private confidential channels.

 

At some point we also suggested that they make a payment to us and that if they started doing a good job that we would return the money to them at the end of the year. They refused.

 

Vodafone seem to have so many problems and seem to be so unwilling to allocate resources to providing a proper service for their customers, that we would not recommend Vodafone to anyone who is seeking a mobile phone service

 

At the end of the day, if Vodafone have a reduced number of customers then they will have a reduced number of complaints and this should then mean that they will be able to deal with the rest more effectively. It seems to me to be a win-win situation.

[BazzaS]

Just to point out that the reason that Vodafone is no longer on this forum is because we suspended them. They turned out to be unreliable and when we challenge them they started bleating on about a lack of resources.

 

I then asked them questions about their policies in relation to dealing with their customers – in particular their handling of people's credit file entries – and they went silent on me for over a month.

 

Most recently I had a contact with somebody who was part of their regulatory and compliance function and I posed him the same questions – and he has gone silent on me as well.

 

I think that Vodafone social media presence is mainly about managing reputational risk and reputational damage – which means moving their customers of the Internet and into their own private confidential channels.

 

At some point we also suggested that they make a payment to us and that if they started doing a good job that we would return the money to them at the end of the year. They refused.

 

Vodafone seem to have so many problems and seem to be so unwilling to allocate resources to providing a proper service for their customers, that we would not recommend Vodafone to anyone who is seeking a mobile phone service

 

At the end of the day, if Vodafone have a reduced number of customers then they will have a reduced number of complaints and this should then mean that they will be able to deal with the rest more effectively. It seems to me to be a win-win situation.

 

I feel sorry for Lee, their CAG Rep. I got the impression he tried really hard to do his best, but was hamstrung by the organisation he represented. Lee, if you are reading this : best wishes!.

[Poke The Bear]

Hi

Now, the default. Do you know when VF defaulted? When the Leeds Losers buy these debts, they can only change the name of the creditor, not the date so IF they have changed the date, that is grounds for complaint to Lowell.

 

 

Thanks for your kind words. VF defaulted very early on. I seem to remember it was around Jan/Feb 2015 and without a default notice because the first I knew of it was when I applied for business finance. So the Leeds Losers have effectively added nearly a year to the clock on a default which was never lawful in the first place.

 

 

As such a long time has passed since your original complaint to VF, it may be that they have marked the case resolved and as such, for you to take further action, you would need to start again and that would include a fresh SAR to get updated info about what happened in the interim. You do not need to use VF's forms. They must accept any form sent. They only demanded people use their forms as they didn't give the customer enough options to get all data.

 

 

My SAR was dated 27 July 2015 and when I got it back, they had entries in it claiming that they had already resolved the complaint. Of course by "resolved" they meant telling me to pay up or else. Their SAR covering letter was dated 7th Sep. I cannot remember exactly when Lowell started sending their threatograms, but it was also around that time, so it would appear that they sold it as soon as the SAR was dealt with.

 

 

Given that Lee was on this thread for the duration, they couldn't possibly claim that they did not know it was a matter under dispute.

 

 

I've attached a pdf of two pages from the account notes they sent me from the SAR. You can see at the bottom for the entries dated 21/12/14, they show an NUC code provided as NOT LOCKED, yet still generated the charge for it. This is the same darn thing I argued about and which was on their system all this time. This is the only thing they ever agreed to refund and it took them 7 months of tooth-pulling to do so.

 

Then the entry dated 14/01/15 where I cancelled my DD in protest, followed by suspension of my services only 4 days later on the 18th. Termination letter was sent about a week later on 26th and my account was subsequently deleted. I had no way of logging in after this point to check whether bills were still being generated.

 

 

Yet you see up at their "resolution" on 27/06/15 that they think I should still pay for all those months of service that I was not getting because, according to their own system, my account was no longer in service. Then they tried to advise me of their "resolution" on the very mobile number that was no longer in service *headbang*. It seems they later tried to get hold of me on an old payg number that was no longer in use, but of course, even if it was still in use, I had specifically requested a written response so would not have discussed it over the phone.

 

 

Also noticed that when I complained to the director's office, they simply batted it back to the same person who had ignored my complaint months previously. The director's team, it would seem, never got involved.

 

 

This is why I am upset. They wasted no time in selling something that was very hotly and very publicly disputed, and I am left to pick up the pieces

Vodafone_SAR_notes_Redacted.pdf