@vodafoneuk Vodafone not refunding my money!

[alyssa19]

I'm hoping you can help - this seems to be my last avenue before I get legal advice.

 

I took out a contract with Vodafone at the end of September - I was then provided with a new work phone meaning I no longer needed/required the contract I had taken out with Vodafone. It was stated that I was entitled to a 14 day cooling off period and so I rang Vodafone up to cancel the contract only to find out I was unable to cancel the contract until the phone arrived...which to me was bizarre.

 

I ordered the iPhone 6s rose gold and due to high demand the date I received the device was after the 14 day cooling off period but i was told this would not affect my rights, the 14 day cooling off period would begin when i received the phone. Therefore, once the phone arrived I rang CS 3 times to try and send it back ...all in which they hung up. So instead I went into one of Vodafone's stores. However for some strange reason they were unable to process the return there and then as I had ordered the contract/phone over the phone and so the return needed to be dealt with over the phone. Because I knew I was not keeping the handset I did not open the device however the assistant that was dealing with my request opened it as he believed it was necessary for me to contact the CS team!?!? Anyway after waiting in the store for over an hour to speak to someone on the phone he arranged to send me the return form and promised that if there was any delay it would not affect my rights.

 

I received confirmation of the warehouse receiving the device on the 27th October and the email stated they will check it over and get back to me soon. I did not hear anything back from anyone and so I called CS numerous times again, in which they promised me a refund with 5-7 working days. After waiting 7 working days no refund appeared.

 

I got annoyed and tired of waiting for my refund of £107.94 so i took my anger to twitter and tweeted your UK CS team. I then spoke to an agent on live chat who said my refund would be returned to my bank WITHIN 24 hours, it was not. I then spoke to another agent on the live chat who said she promises to make sure I received my refund...I STILL HAVE NOT. (I do have copies of these chats).

 

After not receiving my refund AGAIN I went back to twitter to voice my anger! I was then provided with an email address to contact regarding my refund. This email chain lasted 4 days as they had to check with the warehouse that the phone had been returned in October...which surely would be on the system since I received confirmation of this in October and surely this should have been noted the first time I rang regarding my refund!? Anyway the last email I received confirmed that the handset was returned and that I am ENTITLED to my refund of £107.94.....yet my bank has still not been credited this amount???

 

WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO WAIT THIS LONG FOR A REFUND I AM ENTITLED TO?!

 

Has anyone been in a similar situation with Vodafone....if so, how did you manage to get your refund? Did you have to go through legal advice or making a money claim?? Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

[silverfox1961]

Hi and welcome to CAG. Sorry you were missed.

 

VF have the worst customer complaints listed by OFCom so that should tell you lots.

 

I think after waiting all this time with VF doing nothing, I would be inclined to send them a Letter Before Action giving them 14 days to refund and if they fail to do so, take court action. This is a relatively easy option to follow as it would be in the small claims court which is designed for litigants who have little legal knowledge.

 

Vodafone think they are too big to be bothered with us little people and deal with complaints as a nuisance rather than deal with it however, once court papers hit their desks, they suddenly spring into action.

 

If I was doing this, I would claim the refund plus statutory interest at 8% plus costs for the time you have already spent on this. If it actually got into a court room, you never know!

 

I do rather suspect they will settle out of court though.

 

Although we do have a rep that sometimes comes on and you could try that route, they are not as prominent as they used to be so it's a bit hit and miss.

 

If you have to phone them, record the call. You do not need to tell them that you are doing so. Ideally you should deal in writing only and ensure that the letters are sent by trackable means (signed for delivery or special delivery)

[alyssa19]

Hi,

 

Thank you for getting back to me.

 

I really appreciate your help and advice and will write a letter to vodafone expressing my views and if this problem isn't resolved will have no choice other than to take legal action.

 

Thank you once again - this is the first time I have ever had any difficulty with a large corporation and I really wouldn't know where to go with this.

[Lee Vodafone Company Rep]

Hi alyssa19,

 

Thanks for making me aware of this.

 

So I can access your account, email me via the Contact us form here.

 

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

 

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Please update the thread with this so I can make sure I've got it.

 

Kind regards,

 

Lee

 

Social Media Operations

 

Vodafone UK

[silverfox1961]

Hi alyssa, Has anything progressed since your first post?

 

Did you try the email option again?