@VodafoneUK usual incompetence turns virus crisis into bigger personal crisis!!

[jake53]

When my two-year Vodafone contract came to an end  

I decided to switch to a SIM-only contract that would have cut my former £25 a month bill in half.

This made sense to me as I never download any TV and mainly use it for WhatsApp, texts and emails.

 

£12 a month for one Gig seemed tolerable as I hardly ever reach my limit.

 (I only got 1 Gig for that original £25 a month contract anyway so there would be no change)

But I didn't bargain for the reaction of Vodafone.

 

Instead of putting me on £12 a month SIM only like they said they would

- my online account showed they put me on a whopping  £86 a month contract!

 

Exasperated and fed up at the endless runaround I then got trying to get a response from the Vodafone sales team

I then decided to cut my losses and dump Vodafone entirely.

 

I requested my PAC number which I need to keep my phone number to another provider  and which - I believe-  Vodafone is legally obliged to provide.  

All I got from talking to them was confirmation that I was now on a £86 a month contract!

 

Instead, after yet another lengthy run around with their sales agents my cell phone service has been mysteriously cut off.

Equally mysteriously I've been locked out of my online account therefore I cannot communicate with Vodafone in any way.  

 

I cannot call them, text them or communicate with them online so I cannot get them to remove that DD.

 I could cancel the DD unilaterally at my end but I've been told only to do that as a last resort or legal letters will be never ending.

I'm going to send a SAR but it seems a lenghty process and I can see £86 coming out of my bank account before I get a reply.

 

I wondered if you have got any other suggestions as to how I could resolve this?

How I could get my PAC number and more importantly get my DD cancelled?

[jake53]

Many thanks for that reply and the useful info.  Not having the ability to even text Vodafone on my phone is a problem though.  One benefit of having lost my job due to the lockdown is that I' ve the time to put into this! Looks like a long haul one way or another.

[jake53]

I'm relying on my partner's phone at the moment.  I've just spent the morning telling former employer and relatives they can no longer get me on my old number. Surprisingly stressful all this!  The team on this site are a godsend!  

[jake53]

Actually my original 2-year contract actually elapsed on the  6th February this year but I didn't get around to calling them to change my contract until the 15th April. This was due to my oversight in forgetting that I needed a new contract.  But I certainly got no reminder text or  email from Vodafone that my contract was due to expire.

[jake53]

Em...the PAC code link.  I'm looking at that BBC page and can't find the one that says PAC Code.....  I can see the text numbers I can use to obtain PAC code but of course my text has been cut off......

[jake53]

Thanks again Bankfodder. 

My last telephone conversation with them - the fifth - got heated while trying to get an explanation for the £86 contract

they, out of the blue, suddenly told me I had to return the handset. T

 

his  had not been mentioned before and I felt it was a distraction tactic which underlined their bad faith. 

They had also previously assured me the handset was mine coming as it did at the end of a two year contract,

 

This 'handset' issue was aired by some kind of supervisor who I had not spoken to before and who cut me off while I was telling her what I thought of the service so far but there was no swearing or insulting language on my part and I'd be more than happy for our conversations to be aired. 

 

My line was suddenly terminated at the end of  that conversation. 

[jake53]

Just ploughing through their extensive SAR notes now. And bought a GiffGaff Sim....

[jake53]

Will do.  Many thanks. Will keep you posted....

[jake53]

Well that was a full, exciting day.  Here's my update on the Vodafone drama.  I took BankFodder's advice on the SAR and got it off by mail and online - belt and braces approach.  No point in getting it sent recorded delivery as no-one is signing for it at the other end because COVID19 etc.   I  then planned my strategy on contacting Vodafone customer services.  I'd decided to take BankFodder's advice again and record the call.

 

But how to do this in a hurry? After examining the Truecall and various other options I decided to go minimalist - I put a friend's phone on speaker and placed it near my laptop while I made the call.  I used the audio recorder software that comes with Windows 10 and it seems to have worked OK. I recorded a 26 minute call and both sides are very audible so that was a success. 

 

Getting through to Vodafone customer services was a minefield.  Main problem was, as I outlined previously, that they had helpfully cut me off so I have no service at all from my own Vodafone mobile.  So I then had to beg use of someone else's mobile to play an extended version of telephone tag with Vodafone customer services.  After many abortive attempts I eventually got through to a helpful sales rep by simple act of telling the robot service that  I wanted to set up a DD.  This did the trick and I instantly found myself talking to a human being.  

 

I explained that there had been a "mix up" and asked if he would help.  This guy was chatty and straightforward. (I think it must be the luck of a draw if you get someone helpful).  He pulled up my records and we went through it.   He made a number of crucial admissions that will help considerably. 1) That my mobile phone service had been terminated and account closed.  2) That an £86 direct debit was nevertheless attached to my account.   There was no mention on my notes of how I had initially attempted to go to a £12 a month SIM only and then, after much frustration, had tried to close my account and extract the PAC number.

Another piece of advice from  BankFodder  came in very useful.  I got the sales guy to read out my account notes.  He said he would write them up after the call.  I said I'd rather wait so he could  read them back to me which he did.  I then specifically asked him to add that I had attempted to close my Vodafone account and obtain the PAC number which they are legally obliged to give me.  I also asked him to specifically write that I had never requested the £86 unlimited broadband account.  He described other aspects of my previous notes which made no sense to me.  He specifically asked me if I wanted to remove the DD.  I said yes and he said he did that.

 

The only slight worry was that he did not give me the PAC number there and then.  He said wait until I had another provider lined up and then the two could be transferred.  No idea what he meant by that but I do not know what was involved.  Should have pressed it. It is sort of academic now as I've ordered a new SIM from GiffGaff. He gave me some numbers which he said would unblock my Vodafone but I haven't tried it yet.

 

I think that phone call and the  admissions therein put me on much firmer ground. I feel much more confident in dealing with this. Had to go for a two hour walk before I could face calling Vodafone again!  The advice I've got from BankFodder and CAG has been invaluable. CAG has been far and away the best resource I've come across. Everyone should support it. 

 

Meanwhile I'm holding my breath about that Vodafone DD....

[jake53]

I'm a bit more cynical about all this than I let on. Just didn't want to vent on a public forum.  I've no doubt their "customer services" are set up to drive people beyond the level of endurance so they loose the rag or give up.  Wouldn't trust any of them as far as I could sweat......  God knows how the elderly or anyone vulnerable or easily dissuaded could possibly cope with this...

[jake53]

Just thought you would like an update on my Vodafone drama. There has been conclusion of sorts.  If you will recall I tried to cancel my Vodafone account and get a PAC to port my number to a new service.  Vodafone's reaction was to cancel my service, switch my DD from £25 to £86 and block me from my online account. Many calls and emails went unanswered and promises were broken in the days and weeks that followed.

 

It had all started in the beginning of April but by May 8 I felt  I was in a stronger position.  Although Vodafone never did re-connect my line - so I could get a PAC code - or cancel the DD  I had - on BankFodder's advice - recorded two calls and sent a subject access request letter. 

 

So I felt more confident when, on May 8th, I called again.  On this occasion I decided to tell them that I was recording. I don't know if it was this that made the difference but my experience was, for once, totally different.This time a friendy sales guy told me my case had been prioritised. He asked me if I still wanted my PAC code. Wanting to keep this process as short and uncomplicated I settled for having my handset unlocked instead so I could switch over to Giff Gaff and just start over again with a new number. 

 

The guy said the unlocking normally took five days but because I had been prioritised it would go much faster. Sure enough I had the email in my inbox before I put the call down.  The guy was profusely apologetic throughout and admitted my case had been the subject of some sort of management intervention.  Minutes after the call I was away from Vodafone and signed up to Giff Gaff. He had assured me the £86 DD was gone but on checking my bank account I saw the old £26 a month DD was still there so I cancelled that myself at the bank end. 

 

It had been a gruelling few weeks. What had been in theory a simple transaction that should have handled with a few keystrokes turned into an expensive and stressful ordeal.The amount of bad faith I've encountered from Vodafone in being kept hanging on the phone for up to 30 minutes, being passed from one to another, The promises on action and call-backs that were never  kept. The lies and delaying and distracting tactics.

 

It takes my breath away that this all happened at the hands of a public company. It was more like the experience you'd get from some foreign back-street boiler house operation.I'm convinced that Vodafone silently condone this slimy behaviour by turning a blind eye. That they deliberately do this to take advantage of vulnerable, less-assertive people. Effectively fraud is part of their business model, it seems to me. Im still awaiting the results of my subject access  request and will wait until this comes through before I decide what, if any, further action to take.

 

STOP PRESS Just received this email from Vodafone:

"Thanks for getting in touch with us about your recent experience. I'm really sorry this led to your letter to our Customer Relations Team on 10 May 2020. So that we can look into things for you, we just need a bit more information ' please reply to this email including either your Vodafone mobile or account number. A member of our Customer Relations Team will then be in touch to resolve this as 
quickly as they can.  Just to note, you'll need to let us know your unique reference number ##### before we'll be able to talk to you about your case.

Thanks again, and we look forward to speaking with you soon."

Don't know what this refers to as my last communication was that last phone call on May 8th.  I'm minded to not even acknowledge this email. This would allow them to pretend that they had handled it properly. Instead I'm minded to wait for my subject access request info and then make a decision then. I still believe I'm owed big time for the stress alone? What do you think?

 

Thanks again to the Consumer Action Group and BankFodder in particular for the guidance and encouragement.  Could not have gotten this far without you!

[jake53]

No offence taken but I think you must have overlooked a couple of paragraphs at the end of my last entry where I say: "

 

"The amount of bad faith I've encountered from Vodafone in being kept hanging on the phone for up to 30 minutes, being passed from one to another, The promises on action and call-backs that were never  kept. The lies and delaying and distracting tactics.

 

It takes my breath away that this all happened at the hands of a public company. It was more like the experience you'd get from some foreign back-street boiler house operation.I'm convinced that Vodafone silently condone this slimy behaviour by turning a blind eye. That they deliberately do this to take advantage of vulnerable, less-assertive people. Effectively fraud is part of their business model, it seems to me. Im still awaiting the results of my subject access  request and will wait until this comes through before I decide what, if any, further action to take."

 

I do indeed plan to take further action against Vodafone for the loss of income and stress they have caused, all coming at a time of national crisis and job loss for me.  Presumably it would be prudent to wait for the results of my subject access request before making another move. Do you agree?