Shitty Vodafone Customer Service (Again)
You would think I'd have learnt my lesson, having experienced poor customer service from Vodafone on at least two previous occasions (see "Vodafonies" and "More Vodafone Woes"). Well, apparently I'm a glutton for punishment having yet again renewed my relationship with Britain's largest and most inferior mobile provider.
Towards the end of April Vodafone rang me up because, unbeknown to me, my previous 18-month contract came up for renewal. The chap on the phone caught me at a bad moment so I asked him to ring back later that evening when I could be sat in front of the internet looking at pictures of whatever handset they offered me.
I'm a good customer for them because I don't know much about phones, so I always take the first thing I'm offered. On this occasion the first thing I was offered was a Nokia 6210 Navigator.
At the start of June, only 6-weeks after receiving my new handset, a problem developed with the display. It became very low resolution with the characters all "bitty" and a centimeter wide black margin down the left hand side. I tried to call Vodafone customer services to discuss my options for getting the handset repaired or replaced. After about 10-minutes of listening to their canned music I got bored of waiting, so I decided to use the help form on their website instead. I received an email acknowledgement but never heard anything back after that, blowing away their claims to respond within five working days.
Ten days (and at least 8 working days) after my email I decided to ring their customer services people again. I actually managed to speak to a helpful person on that occasion and we agreed I'd take my defective handset into my nearest Vodafone store.
At the Vodafone store, on Grainger Street in Newcastle, I was yet again fortunate to deal with a helpful Vodafone employee, who inspected my handset and quickly declared that my "display has gone" and he'd send it off to the repair centre. I explained to him that the fault had just developed, I hadn't exposed the handset to any extreme conditions and it was only 6-weeks old when problems began. He wrote on the repair form that the handset was in good condition with no external scratches.
Today I returned to the store to collect my handset, only to be told that the damage was not covered by warranty and they wouldn't proceed with repairs until I agreed to pay for them.
How shit is that? Any other retailer in the world if you buy something and it goes tits up after only 6-weeks they'd offer you a repair, replacement or refund. A phone being used normally is meant to last for more than 6-weeks - if it doesn't there is a defect in the materials or workmanship - which is something the retailer (not the manufacturer) is legally obliged to remedy under the 1979 Sale of Goods Act.
So I'm in a bit of a quandary now: do I: (a) pay for the repairs when I completed disagree with the way Vodafone has shirked from their original legal responsibility to provide me with a handset of satisfactory quality; or (b) pay ten times as much to escape from my contract with the scheming money-grabbing shysters?
Either way, I cannot recommend Vodafone because of the abysmal way they treat their contract customers.
In case anyone from Vodafone is reading this my repair number (SID) is: 2470040. I'll also warn you now that I'll be in a belligerent mood having to waste yet more of my time by visiting your store on a second occasion.
Towards the end of April Vodafone rang me up because, unbeknown to me, my previous 18-month contract came up for renewal. The chap on the phone caught me at a bad moment so I asked him to ring back later that evening when I could be sat in front of the internet looking at pictures of whatever handset they offered me.
I'm a good customer for them because I don't know much about phones, so I always take the first thing I'm offered. On this occasion the first thing I was offered was a Nokia 6210 Navigator.
At the start of June, only 6-weeks after receiving my new handset, a problem developed with the display. It became very low resolution with the characters all "bitty" and a centimeter wide black margin down the left hand side. I tried to call Vodafone customer services to discuss my options for getting the handset repaired or replaced. After about 10-minutes of listening to their canned music I got bored of waiting, so I decided to use the help form on their website instead. I received an email acknowledgement but never heard anything back after that, blowing away their claims to respond within five working days.
Ten days (and at least 8 working days) after my email I decided to ring their customer services people again. I actually managed to speak to a helpful person on that occasion and we agreed I'd take my defective handset into my nearest Vodafone store.
At the Vodafone store, on Grainger Street in Newcastle, I was yet again fortunate to deal with a helpful Vodafone employee, who inspected my handset and quickly declared that my "display has gone" and he'd send it off to the repair centre. I explained to him that the fault had just developed, I hadn't exposed the handset to any extreme conditions and it was only 6-weeks old when problems began. He wrote on the repair form that the handset was in good condition with no external scratches.
Today I returned to the store to collect my handset, only to be told that the damage was not covered by warranty and they wouldn't proceed with repairs until I agreed to pay for them.
How shit is that? Any other retailer in the world if you buy something and it goes tits up after only 6-weeks they'd offer you a repair, replacement or refund. A phone being used normally is meant to last for more than 6-weeks - if it doesn't there is a defect in the materials or workmanship - which is something the retailer (not the manufacturer) is legally obliged to remedy under the 1979 Sale of Goods Act.
So I'm in a bit of a quandary now: do I: (a) pay for the repairs when I completed disagree with the way Vodafone has shirked from their original legal responsibility to provide me with a handset of satisfactory quality; or (b) pay ten times as much to escape from my contract with the scheming money-grabbing shysters?
Either way, I cannot recommend Vodafone because of the abysmal way they treat their contract customers.
In case anyone from Vodafone is reading this my repair number (SID) is: 2470040. I'll also warn you now that I'll be in a belligerent mood having to waste yet more of my time by visiting your store on a second occasion.
4 comments:
hi,
I got samsung j700 mobile with vodafone connection and took pics of it and i locked them in my privacy settings but now, i forgot the password can u help me how to do that so..
I don't give Vodafone technical support. You mustn't have read my post very carefully.
Hi there, please DON'T pay them anything! You know what the law states. Your product must be of 'merchantable quality' according to the Sale of Goods Act 1979 which of course, yours WAS NOT after only ordinary 6 weeks usage. Contact Consumer Direct and they will advise you and if necessary take up your case.
The first thing to do (even though it takes some effort, I know), is to jot a to the point (not rambling) letter of complaint, stating your rights and what you would like ie a repair and/or a new replacement phone at this stage. 14 days to respond otherwise you will be prepared to seek legal advice with the possibility of taking further legal action. Send it recorded delivery.
If no response, contact Consumer Direct! They will help.
I know because I have had major problems with 3 Mobile (customer service in this country stinks generally!). I wanted to cancel one of my contracts because I had two with them and the 3 upgrade phones they offered my contract were Sh-t! Lower grade and spec than the one that I was supposed to be upgrading. When I threatened to cancel, their upgrade cs operator asked why I wanted to cancel and I told her the reason. She asked what phone did I actually want, I said the NOKIA E71 without ANY change to my existing price plan. She agreed and confirmed 100 TIMES that this was possible and even confirmed the contract price and terms and even STRESSED that I would continue on the same price plan. She said for the sake of a phone they didn't want to lose me as a valuable customer. Great! I was as happy as larry. Renewed contract for 18 mths. Received it. Started using it and was very happy. 5 days later I get a confirmation letter of my new contract. DOUBLE the price!!!! With video minutes attached. WTH!!!
Couldn't believe it. Phoned to query the mistake. No mistake. 3 insisted that is what I had agreed! Because that is what the cs operator wrote on her notes! I was passed from pillar to post with 100 CS operators telling the same story. Asked to speak to the woman that signed me up. She refused tome to the phone. I wonder why?!! 3 said the contract stood.
I wanted to cancel as it was still within the 14 day distance selling legal time to return. 3 insisted that they wouldn't accept it because I had used the phone so I had to take the contract. Well, of course I used the phone!!! At that point, I had no reason not to until after the fact!
In the end I contacted Consumer Direct. They gave me the above advice, I gave you. BEFORE, I wrote to 3, I phoned them to say that I was re-calling any DDebits that had been paid to them and would be paying only the contract price that was agreed and in dispute until it went to court, should it not be resolved before.
I told them that I had contacted Consumer Direct for advice and I told them I would be sending a recorded delivery letter of complaint about what amounted to nothing but a SCAM (there were lots & lots of stories of identical stories on the internet! which I would have been producing as evidence and attached to the letter).
The CS operator said that he would speak to his manager and tell him what I said. He came back offered an apology and said that they were happy to rectify everything that had taken place - they would refund (credit) the overcharge and my contract would continue at my old price plan.
Wow.....
So, stick to your guns. That is the only way they know that the public are not idiots willing to accept anything.
Wish you the best of luck.
Portia
Thanks for your comments Portia.
This is quite an old post and I did begrudgingly pay Vodafone to repair the handset.
What is quite telling is the number of people who land here on the search term "vodafone customer service". I guess 50% of everyone who visits this blog land on this article.
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