Pay monthly services

[ClaireEdwards]

I am totally frustrated with the completely rubbish service I am getting at the moment. I have been given 3 different dates about when I can upgrade, get told one thing on online chat, another on the phone and something else in store. The website is often down, I've been waiting for a rep on online chat for over 10 minutes now. I have trouble making myself understood when I phone up, so that is pointless. I have been with Vodafone for 10 out of the last 12 years, but now I have no idea why. Poor poor service, and I am sad that I am tied in to my contact fully until May.

[tonymc]

Have e-mailed requested information yeserday as the contact us form wasn't working - still to hear from someone. Have received PAC code so one step nearer to ditching Vodafone................

[mostlyharmless]

"Vodafone offer eary upgrades as a goodwill gesture to customers. No other UK network offers early upgrades" How much goodwill is this gesture going to earn Vodafone? Short term thinking...

[terimuggeridge]

Yes I do agree, I have just had the same problem today!! My account has been saying I can upgrade my phone from tomorrow, which I have been planning to do and looking forward to, however I went on my account today only to see that it say I can't upgrade until 3rd April now!! I called customer services & had a 'live chat' complaining about this. They both just kept saying that the upgrade policy had changed! Surely vf have to honour what they have agreed prior to them changing the terms of early upgrades!! It would be better not to offer early upgrades at all if vf are just going to change the rules as they go along!!! at least then we would all know where we stand. I am now considering leaving vf as I am so angry about this!!

[bunny2002]

This is a complete joke. 

I logged into my account in January 2012 and it told me I could upgrade on 20th February 2012. I then logged in early Febuary to be told it is now the 29th April 2012 and now logged in today and it now says the 8th June 2012. 

What is going on??????

I have an iphone 3gs and really want the new iphone 4s I can't see why vodafone have a problem with upgrading early. iphones are the same price when ever you buy them.

Oh and to top it all off ive had calls everyday since the middle of January from vodafone agent asking me if i want to upgrade. 

Please someone tell me this is all a joke. I want to upgrade my phone now. 

I think I may have to change network and go to Orange if this continues I have been with vodafone for over 10 years now and this is how you treat me. 

[chickenmclulu]

Hi Guys

Well I too looked on my account in Jan to see I could upgrade in March and today it's telling me July, I called the unhelpful phone line etc - I'm sure you get the jist!

Anyway I just came accross this post from Vodafone on another thread (I can't be bothered to figure out how to do a snazzy link) unless copying one works? try here.

If not the message is below:

20-02-201209:05 AM

Further to the message above, as of 20th February:

We have taken the decision to reduce the period within which a customer can upgrade, to within 50 days of the end of their contract. We still offer one of the most competitive free early upgrade options available for customers.

These changes do not affect the length of the contract a customer has committed to. Any period left on an existing contract is accounted for before the customer’s new contract period starts.

This means that regardless of the period in which a customer can upgrade their phone, the contract length is not affected. The change does, however, mean customers will have to wait a couple more weeks before getting their next handset, so we have tried to introduce this change at a time which is traditionally relatively quiet in terms of new handset launches.

This change takes effect from February 20 across our retail and online channels and March 12 through customer services.

We will honour upgrades for those customers that were notified of their upgrade date ahead of any changes that we have made.

Now so far I have completely failed to understand Vodafone's thinking behind this but I read as a) I was notified of my upgrade date on 1st Jan, ahead of the changes (which I think came into affect in the last few days) so b) I am entitled to an early upgrade in March???

Is it really this simple, if so who do you talk to to get the upgrade agreed?

[mick_j]

What I find odd is that Vodafone have reduced advanced upgrades during a period and I quote Vodafone directly “……we have tried to introduce this change at a time which is traditionally relatively quiet in terms of new handset launches.”

full message  here

Surely they would want to stimulate sales when it is quite

----------------------------------------------------

Upgrades from

O2: between one and six months before their usual upgrade date.
Orange: their standard upgrade period is within the last 3 months of contract

[nikee]

 Before the new year I logged on to see when I was due an upgrade, as I have been wanting to upgrade for quite some time. It showed I was due an upgrade on the 25th of January. I logged on, on the 26th of January to sort it and the date had changed to the 5th of May! I have just logged back on and it has now changed yet again to the 13th of June! I am not a happy customer, I want an upgrade or I will be switching to somebody else.

[Nabs]

Hi nikee,

Info about the change in early upgrade dates can be found in the Advanced Upgrades announcement.

The upgrade dates have been changed as the options that were avialable to upgrading customers were often very expensive and did not offer customers good value.

Vodafone do still offer upgrades earlier than any other UK network so you are still benefitting from being a Vodafone customer.

If there is a deperate need for you to upgrade now(ege your handset has died) then there may be a few options available however they will involve potentially large payments and a very long contract.

[Flicty]

I have had that exact same thing happen to me, for ages my date was the 29th February, then went back to the 5th June, checked today now shows 15th July. This makes even less sense as my contract is due to end at the start of july. I've been waiting for ages as my battery on my current phone is terrible, needs charging every day.

[chickenmclulu]

Well I got my reply from Vodafone after I questioned the change of the upgrade date, here's the response:

Thank you for contacting Vodafone with regard to upgrade.

I understand your concern about the upgrade of your contract.

I would like to inform you that we have undergone certain changes in the upgrades policy.

Due to the changes in the upgrades policy early upgrade was stopped since 19th January, 2012. Hence, you could not upgrade prior to 190 days. Further, to this certain the changes took place on 20th February all the customers can now upgrade prior to 50 days.

Hence, you can now upgrade on the below mentioned date:

23 July 2012 via upgrades team/ Retail Stores / Indirect / Vodadone.co.uk upgrades (50 days)

Please understand that these changes were made in order to abide by the policies of commitment term, as when you upgrade early and take another 24 months contract your total commitment term longer, to avoid this we have discontinued the early upgrade option for our customer's.

I request your kind understanding in this matter.

Kind regards,

I have to say overall the change in policy makes sense, I had no idea early upgrades just added to the overall commitment term and had I know this I would have waited to upgrade.

I few things I'm not happy about:

Previously when upgrading I was never told the initial contracts would still be running and tacked on to the new commitment time.

One of the reasons I stayed with Vodafone was because the customer service was so good, now I find the helpline is overseas and my email was obviously written by someone overseas and without my own investigation online I would not have understood the response.

Vodafone have handled this whole change of policy in such an unprofessional way, surely it would be better to gradually phase this policy out, rather than customers to see an upgrade date one day and another later date the next, can you blame people for getting annoyed? You don’t have to be Alan Sugar to see the problems this would cause (not that I particularly respect him, but that’s for another time).

There really should have been a better notification method, rather than some obscure post in a forum, with proper statements given to the overseas employees so they could adequately explain what had happened.

Bearing all this in mind, apart from decent coverage I really don't see the point in sticking with Vodafone when my contract is up. Very disappointing.

[Flicty]

After reading so much about the ugrades, I'm seeing many other people with the same problem as me, I have now seen 3 different dates for an upgrade 27th Feb., 5th June and now 15th July. My contract started on the 1st July 2010 so I am completely confused about the new rules. How does this fit with a 50 day upgrade period? 

I also do not appreciate like everyone here the complete lack of communication from vodafone, I receive all my bills from them via my emails, it would not have taken very long to email all customers about this change.

[nancy]

Mine has changed too - for months it was Jan 14, then changed to 23 April, now saying 2 June.  I'm aware the 190 day advanced upgrade was withdrawn, but why the second date change? So much for the "best upgrade dates" !!

[w6mth]

Mine has gone from 19th Feb to 19 May and is now the 17th July! Not even an email to inform me of the changes! Safe to say that unless I get a VERY good deal come June time I will finally be leaving Vodafone after 11 years and heading somewhere else!!

[MarkFincham]

Same with me dates changing all over the place....I have two contract phones in my household and was considering changing our business phones over to Vodafone but no more. Your customer service is shocking and the total disregard for your loyal customer base will cost you in the long run Vodafone. You cant even talk to a UK call centre to get some competent help!! Appalling service

[AndyClark]

Hi all, could someone please tell me why my upgrade date's keep changing please. I have 5 contract mobile phones. 1 for each member of my family.

Now the 2 which are due for upgrade (my 2 daughters) the date thus far has changed twice since i have been checking.

1 of them i know about which was the 6 month early upgrade which has now stopped. This 2nd time though, was originally due on the 14th of May but now my account is saying 24th of june, could someone please enlighten as to what on earth is going on. I have 2 rather peed off teenagers.

Regards

Andy.

[mari1970]

Hi AndyClark,

I have provided a link with regards to this, if you read the post by Tom, the Community Manager

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/About-the-Community-and-Latest/Advanced-Upgrades/td-p/982161

[nancy]

Why do the "community experts" and whatnot always post links to the advanced upgrade withdrawal post, when the dates changing for a second time isn't ADVANCED. I can't wait to leave vodafone now, been a thorn in my side since November.

[Jinx70]

I was eligible for an early upgrade on the 14th of Feb for one phone and the 25th of Feb for the other. I was waiting to updgrade my phone from the 14th until my second phone, which is my Sister's became eligible as of tomorrow, so that I could do them both together. I have just looked online and the dates have now been changed to the  20th March and 5th April, respectively.

I have read the link below about the changes in upgrade times and it states at the bottom of the second post that Vodafone will honour update dates if the customer had been told of the previous upgrades, (which I had). Is this true? I am desperate to upgrade and was eagerly waiting for this month so I could, both phone's are on their last legs and I doubt that either will last until April.

http://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/About-the-Community-and-Latest/Advanced-Upgrades/td-p/982161

Please can someone advise.

Thanks

J

[BlueDaz]

Hi, have you heard back from Vodafone?

I have 3 phones on my account, Vodafone called one of them and my daughter answered (I was at work). They offered an early upgrade on the basis of being a long standing customer, I called Vodafone today to arrange the upgrade and they have nothing logged from their original call and the impression I got when I phoned was that they thought I was lying!

Very unhappy!!