Does anyone know how long it takes for the Advance Technical Support team to get in touch?

[Waitingfordata]

Hi, I was hoping someone might be able to tell me how long it normally takes for someone from Vodafones advanced technical support team to get in touch once an issue has been raised with them to assist with? It’s been over a week since I was told someone from that department would be getting back to me, and I am pretty much at my wits end.

I have been making use of a £5 per month 500mb data extra on my PAYG account for well over a year now without any issues until a couple of weeks ago. On the day the extra is was supposed to automatically renew a problem arose as I didn’t get my usual text message from Vodafone to say that the extra data was ready to use, instead I got a message to say that I would be charged £2 standard rate for data etc. I contacted Vodafone via live chat and the person I chatted with checked my account, agreed Vodafone were at fault in the data extra not renewing and they then said they had re-started my extra and all should be fine.

I finished the live chat and went to use the mobile data on my phone and suddenly found that although the phone said it was showing it was connected to 3g it wouldn’t load any webpages nor could it check and upload my emails. The only message I was getting on my browser was that the page had failed to load because the server had stopped responding. That was just over two weeks ago and despite multiple/several hours worth of phone calls to Vodafone’s many call centres and a trip to my local store to have a new sim put in my phone (at the insistence of one of the advisors I spoke to who was adamant my sim must be corrupt and that was why I couldn’t get any data), I remain without the ability to use mobile data on my phone.

No-one I have spoken to so far seems to know why my iphone cannot all of a sudden use the mobile data network, all I know is it was working absolutely fine until I did the live chat asking why the data extra had not renewed, and I suspect something went wrong when the live chat operator tried to restart the extra and for some reason Vodafone’s server is now blocking my phones ability to use the mobile data network. The phone seems to have no issue in connecting to the 3g but the server seems to be blocking it from being able to upload anything.

Unfortunately, I have been given multiple misinformation from people I have spoken to on the phone, including over basic things such as what the VPN settings should be for PAYG, but have persevered and jumped through all the hoops they said I had to go through before they were willing to refer my case to the advanced technical support team. As mentioned above I had to go and get a new sim and this hasn’t helped, and I have tried my sim in another handset and the mobile data still wouldn’t work. I can confirm all the VPN settings on my phone are correct and have been doubled checked in store. There are also no bars or blocks on my account that are blocking the data. I have exhausted all of the ways the frontline customer service team can come up with to try to get the mobile data to work such as restarting the phone, resetting the carrier, resetting all of the mobile network settings, clearing cookies and cache, and I have even had the mobile data permission for my account switched off and on again remotely by one of the Vodafone representatives I spoke with, all to no avail.

I was told by the person I spoke to in store that I would probably have to have my number disconnected and reconnected to the network before I could get the data to work again, and the only way I could get this to happen was for the advanced technical team to help since there is a limit as to the amount of things the regular customer service operators can do. After some persistence I finally got to the point where one of the phone operators was at last willing to refer my issue to the advance tech team. I was then told over a week ago someone from that department was looking into my issue and would be phoning me back before the end of the day. When that didn’t happen I called the next day and was told my issue had definitely been referred to the advance tech dept. and someone would contact me within an hour, well no one contacted me, so I called back again and was told by the next operator I spoke to that I should allow 4-5 working days. I have now allowed 6 working days and still no one has got back to me.

I am essentially hoping that one of the moderators on this forum might be able to message me and assist with getting someone from advance technical support to get back to me asap as I am dreading the thought of having to call back to speak to one of the call centres again as every time I do, I feel I am back to square one again.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi @Waitingfordata

I can certainly understand why you would be unimpressed and frustrated with this situation. 

It sounds like you have pretty much covered all the self help troubleshooting you can do at your end. 

Every post left here is read by the Vodafone Customer Team and they do engage to help where they can. Please hang in there while they catch up with your thread. 

[Waitingfordata]

Thanks BandOfBrothers, sincerely ppreciate your supportive message. I have replied to the moderators private message I was sent this afternoon so have got my fingers crossed someone will be in touch soon and the issue will be resolved.

[Waitingfordata]

Hi, I was hoping someone might be able to tell me how long it normally takes for someone from Vodafones advanced technical support team to get in touch once an issue has been raised with them to assist with? It’s been over a week since I was told someone from that department would be getting back to me, and I am pretty much at my wits end.

I have been making use of a £5 per month 500mb data extra on my PAYG account for well over a year now without any issues until a couple of weeks ago. On the day the extra is was supposed to automatically renew a problem arose as I didn’t get my usual text message from Vodafone to say that the extra data was ready to use, instead I got a message to say that I would be charged £2 standard rate for data etc. I contacted Vodafone via live chat and the person I chatted with checked my account, agreed Vodafone were at fault in the data extra not renewing and they then said they had re-started my extra and all should be fine.

I finished the live chat and went to use the mobile data on my phone and suddenly found that although the phone said it was showing it was connected to 3g it wouldn’t load any webpages nor could it check and upload my emails. The only message I was getting on my browser was that the page had failed to load because the server had stopped responding. That was just over two weeks ago and despite multiple/several hours worth of phone calls to Vodafone’s many call centres and a trip to my local store to have a new sim put in my phone (at the insistence of one of the advisors I spoke to who was adamant my sim must be corrupt and that was why I couldn’t get any data), I remain without the ability to use mobile data on my phone.

No-one I have spoken to so far seems to know why my iphone cannot all of a sudden use the mobile data network, all I know is it was working absolutely fine until I did the live chat asking why the data extra had not renewed, and I suspect something went wrong when the live chat operator tried to restart the extra and for some reason Vodafone’s server is now blocking my phones ability to use the mobile data network. The phone seems to have no issue in connecting to the 3g but the server seems to be blocking it from being able to upload anything.

Unfortunately, I have been given multiple misinformation from people I have spoken to on the phone, including over basic things such as what the VPN settings should be for PAYG, but have persevered and jumped through all the hoops they said I had to go through before they were willing to refer my case to the advanced technical support team. As I say, I had to go and get a new sim and this hasn’t helped, and I have tried my sim in another handset and the mobile data still wouldn’t work. I can confirm all the VPN settings on my phone are correct and have been doubled checked in store. There are also no bars or blocks on my account that are blocking the data. I have exhausted all of the ways the frontline customer service team can come up with to try to get the mobile data to work such as restarting the phone, resetting the carrier, resetting all of the mobile network settings, clearing cookies and cache, and I have even had the mobile data permission for my account switched off and on again remotely by one of the Vodafone representatives I spoke with, all to no avail.

I was told by the person I spoke to in store that I would probably have to have my number disconnected and reconnected to the network before I could get the data to work again, and the only way I could get this to happen was for the advanced technical team to help since there is a limit as to the amount of things the regular customer service operators can do. After some persistence I finally got to the point where one of the phone operators was at last willing to refer my issue to the advance tech team. I was then told over a week ago someone from that department was looking into my issue and would be phoning me back before the end of the day. When that didn’t happen I called the next day and was told my issue had definitely been referred to the advance tech dept. and someone would contact me within an hour, well no one contacted me, so I called back again and was told by the next operator I spoke to that I should allow 4-5 working days. I have now allowed 6 working days and still no one has got back to me.

I am essentially hoping that one of the moderators on this forum might be able to message me and assist with getting someone from advance technical support to get back to me asap as I am dreading the thought of having to call back to speak to one of the call centres again as every time I do, I feel I am back to square one again.

[AnnS]

Hi @Waitingfordata

The extra data add on is designed to run with a Freebee or Big Value Bundle and this could be the reason for your PAYG extra data no longer working. If you have a Freebee or Big Value Bundle with adequate data, it should not be necessary to pay £5.00 extra per month for 500mb data.

It may be an idea to take a look at your tariff, you may be paying unnecessarily for the data add on where you could have it included in your Big Value or have a data Freebee, plus your credit to use as you would like.

There is further information on PAYG bundles below.

PAYG Bundles

[Waitingfordata]

Hi AnnS, Thanks for your message, and I really appericiate your advice re: checking out the bundles etc. My issue is not so much that the data extra isn't working but my phone isn't able to use any form of mobile data (including even the standard daily rate) , it's as if the Vodafone server has blocked it for some reason following the live chat where the operator tried to get the extra to  renew, hopefully someone from Vodafone will be in touch soon and my phone will be able to use data again.

[Tash]

@Waitingfordata Please let us know your email reference number that you received in the automated email response, and we'll be happy to check on the progress of this for you.

The reference will look similar to [#12345678].

[Waitingfordata]

Hi Natasha,

Thanks for your message, I would love to be able to give you the automated email reference number, but I haven't been sent one, nor have I recived an automated email in reply, despite my having filled out the form as per the instructions in the private message you sent. The photo below is a screen shot of the page that showed after I submitted the form yesterday, at apprx. 15.40pm. I have checked both my inbox and junk folder and there is no sign of the automated message.

Do you want me to fill out the form again? I am happy to do so if you think that would assist? I did everything as per your instructions in the private message re: the code, username and link to my post and am now concerned based on your recent post as to why I have not recieved an automated email or reference number. 

I sincerely appreciate you staying with this, and checking up on its progress and I would be very grateful for any help you could provide. 

[Annie_N]

@Waitingfordata Have you had any joy with this? If not, do you by any chance have a Yahoo email address? Sometimes those addresses seem to get blocked by the contact form, and it can be worth using a different address, if you have one, to see if that produces an email with a reference number. Otherwise, clearing cache and cookies, or using a different browser, can do the trick.

BTW, I often use the £5 Data Extra as a stand-alone, to run down my balance between top-ups to get Freebies, without any apparent problems.

[Waitingfordata]

Hi Annie_N,

Thanks for your message, unfortunately no joy in getting anyone to reply to the contact form/get a automated reference number, and nothing back from Natasha yet despite my replying to her last post asap. Yes I do have a yahoo email address, thank you so much for the tip, so I followed your advice and used a different email, a different browser and cleared cache (I have filled in the form via the link Natasha sent me about 5 times now, a different way each time) and I didn't even get the page I got the first time a few says ago saying my email has been sent. Now when I press submit on the form page I now just see a white blank page with vodafone.co.uk in the website address box , no acknowledgement of any kind. Perhaps the code/link Natsha sent me has now expired and I require a new one? Her link and code still loads the form perfectly fine but I once filled out and I press submit it doesn't seem to be getting any further.

As you can imagine I am starting to get to the point of utter despair over this as its coming up to three weeks without being able to use any kind of mobile data on my phone, I have made so many hours of calls and thought I had finally got to the point the week before last where my issue had at last been referred to the correct department where someone would have the power to rectify the issue, as that was what I was twice told on the phone but no-one has got back to me. The operators on the front line admit they don't have the powers to fix the issue, it needs the advance department. I'm then promised they will call back asap on the phone and then days go by without anyone getting in touch.

Now it seems despite my following Natashas instructions re: submitting the contact form a few days ago, which raised my hopes that someone would help me get this fixed, that form may not even have been recived, nor can I seem to successfully re-send it. I've been a vodafone customer for over 20 years and luckily have never had an issue until I lost the mobile data capability on my phone a few weeks ago following the live chat, however I am starting to get the impression it would be easier to leave Vodafone and join another newtwork than it would be for someone from Vodafones advance tech team to contact me and get the issue fixed.

I'm very grateful for the support I have gotten via this forum from people such as yourself, I just don't know what to do next. Perhaps Natasha will be able to assist/ send a new link or code and then at least I can get to the point of being able to submit the contact form and get a reference number.