Pay monthly services

[JustPassing]

Hi

I'm on a £10 30-day SIM only price plan with a £7.50 Internet bolt on.  I recently saw a new price plan that replaces this, being £13.00 a month with 100MB included data and 750MB of BT Openzone.  This would be perfect for me saving me a few pounds a month by dropping the bolt-on, as I don't use much data.

So I rang to change price plans.  The first person I spoke to had no record on their system of this price plan, telling me it didn't exist, eventually they checked on the Vodafone website themselves and saw it, then said I need to speak to the retentions department.

So I speak to someone else who tells me they don't see this on their system, and without it being on their system they can't give me it.  They check with someone else then tell me the plan is for new customers only, well this isn't stated on the website, and not offering it to existing customers when it is a better price plan isn't retention in my book!  I'm on a 30 day rolling contract, why can't I just swap to it from my next billing date.

I'm told I could cancel and buy it as a new customer, but couldn't keep my number as Vodafone systems don't allow the transfer of a number between Vodafone and Vodafone, yet I can keep another phone number from a different operator coming into Vodafone!  Never heard such rubbish.  So if I'm to lose my number, I might as well go else where, so less a retentions department, more of a "we don't want you and will do nothing to help keep you as a customer" department.

So is this correct?  I thought the whole point of 30 day SIM only contracts was the flexibility?  I'm not asking for any favours, just wanting to swap to an advertised price plan.

[AnnS]

This plan does indeed exists, but it could be an online offer and not available through telesales.

The best way to get this solved would be through an online chat with a Vodafone representive.  If you put a few items in your basket, take them out again, you will find a window will pop up and you will be able to enter the chat.

You will soon have your tariff changed to the one you have seen online.

[JustPassing]

Hi

Thank you, I did as you suggested but had the same silly corporate rubbish and being messed around.

I was directed to an upgrades website, which doesn't have the price plan as an upgrade option, same problem I had when talking with them.  I still have the representative on chat, explain the problem, to which I'm told I need to downgrade my number to PAYG then sign up again as a new customer.  On asking "Why should I need to change my number?" they have not responded.

It makes no sense to me the customer why this isn't a simple process.  Surely the costs to Vodafone in issuing a new SIM and number is greater than just changing my price plan?  If I move to another mobile operator, I get the same or slightly better deals and get to keep my same number.

Okay, they finally came back with "Well then please visit the shop & check if you can upgrade to the £13 deal"!  But it's an online price plan, so surely that is asking me to waste me time even more.

Goodbye Vodafone!

[JustPassing]

Hi

Well no response from anyone from Vodafone here so I assume this is an internal policy to make it as difficult as possible to stop customers on 30 day SIM only deals from switching to better price plans, even though 30 day SIM only deals are sold on the basis of being flexible and not being tied in. 

So after years and years of using Vodafone I'm getting my PUK and leaving, where ironically I can get to keep my number.

A tip to anyone considering a 30 day SIM only plan with Vodafone, don't bother, they do their best to tie you down to your original plan and will refuse to swap you to a better plan, forcing you to cancel and sign up again as  new customer losing your number in the process. There is no flexibility with a 30 day Monthly SIM as far as Vodafone are concerned, despite how they advertise it.

[Dave]

Hi JustPassing,

Apologies for the delay in responding - we handle each post in order of receipt to ensure fairness to everyone.

The good news is that our upgrades boys have taken a look on the system for me and they've advised that they have two SIM only plans which match that description showing on their systems, so whilst we do have some plans which are online exclusive or new customer deals, these do not fall into that category.

I'll pop you an email to get your details so that they can call you to discuss setting one of these up, so if you want to discuss this - no obligation - just reply back.

The two deals are:

30 day 100 mins 500 sms 100MB data and 750MB WiFi (Quote 1O10V1A13)

12 month 300 mins 3000 sms 100MB data and WiFi (Quote 2O30V1A13)

I wish I could say why these didn't appear on the system previously when you've tried to arrange this, but I have seen them myself this afternoon so I can safely say that they are available.

Just reply back and we'll do all the work from there for you.

If you want to leave any comments regarding how I've handled your query, they're always appreciated and you can do so here.

Dave

eForum Team

[JustPassing]

Hi

Well given the code I thought I'd call 191 at my convenience and get it sorted, surely now it's on the system it can't be that hard......

First off I end up at upgrades, same problem as before, code was not recognised, "It's not on the system", "You can't change to this price plan and keep your number", "How about a 12 month SIM only deal we can do that"....  I explain the problems I'm having and at least this guys first language is English and we can talk without the awkwardness of struggling to understand each other and a 5 second delay of a cheaply routed call to an overseas call centre.  "You need to speak to customer service, perhaps they will have that code on their system".

So eventually I arrive at "customer service".  Heart sinks at the heavy accent and monotone voice of someone reading scripts in some far flung place and we start talking over one another due to the time delay!  Why UK companies persist with foreign call centres I'll never know.  No security questions to confirm who I am or that I am the genuine account holder by the way.  I give the tariff code, he then asks me all the details of the package, so obviously that code was no use. on providing details of the new package I'm told,  "but that is the same package as you already have", so I have to explain why I want to change, to drop the bolt on for data and get a small amount of data included on this new tariff.  I'm given the silent treatment for several minutes why something is checked, or perhaps he was just having a coffee.  He then comes back and tells me he has added 500Meg of data per month for free and the data bolt on has been dropped.  Not exactly what I wanted as I was looking to get the included BT Openzone Wi-Fi as that might come in handy and I use very little mobile data,.  I'm also suspicious if anything was really done or I will find its a "freebie" of data for just a month then the next month get stung for out of plan data charges, but I could hear the person had little interest in doing anything so just accepted it was a lost cause and hung up.

I'd also sent an email asking about changing to this tariff prior to first posting here and was told in some dubious English. "I would like to inform you that all the departments offer different price plan. We will not be able to offer the price plan offered to you online. In order to avail the price plan you will have to try again to get it online."

I'll fill out the form and see who contacts me, if there's a time delay with another dis-interest person on the other end I'm hanging up and emailing for my PUK code, this service is simply dreadful.

[JustPassing]

Hi

Well no one called me today, and I just received another email asking for my details.

This forum is full of the same complaints about dreadful customer service for even the simplest straight forward requests.

Vodafone must have some serious internal issues if they think treating their customers the way they do is acceptable.  The call center staff and support they provide is utterly useless.

I've spoken to 5 people, 4 of whom I couldn't tell if they really understood a word I was saying or were just completely dis-interested in their job or both.  A response in this forum for my details for a phone call that never materialised.  An email responded to which didn't make a lot of sense, and an online support chat session where they washed their hands of helping me by suggesting I waste more of my time visiting a Vodafone shop to try and get what they've just told me is an "online" only deal.

So that's it, Vodafone certainly don't deserve my custom, they've given me enough hints that they obviously don't want it anyway, and the great thing about a "flexible" 30 day SIM only deal is I can walk away, which I am doing. I've emailed my 30 days notice, and my partners account is going as well.

Good luck to all those stuck with Vodafone until the end of your contracts, if you ever need to contact them, even for the simplest request, chances are you are going to need it.

[James]

Hi JustPassing,

I completely understand your frustration here however, I'm sure the eForum team can get this all sorted for you.

I have checked our email system and can see that you haven't replied to the email which Dave sent to you.

Please can you reply to this email so we can get into your account and get it all sorted for you.

James

eForum Team

[JustPassing]

Hi

I've received two forms to complete with contact details and returned one.

I'm sorry but on reflection I shouldn't have to come here complaining in order to get a very small changed completed, I was given help with price plan codes here and gave it another go and got the same rubbish Vodafone customer service.  Yes the problem might well be sorted out here, but then I dread the next time I have to go through to some foreign call centre and speak to people who quite frankly couldn't care less about Vodafone customers.  I've never experienced anything as bad as this, and I'm not going to leave myself in a situation where I have to deal with incompetent call centre staff at Vodafone again. 

So I'm leaving, companies don't get to treat their customers this way and keep them!

Thanks for trying, but the problems at Vodafone customer care are very much bigger than the tiny team trying to firefight here.