Forcing users into bundles - appalling practice

[MAYG]

This isn't really a question for the community, as I just got my issue resolved (I think...) after 30 minutes on hold to the 191 number. I just wanted to get this off my chest...

The way that Vodafone presents its 'Big Value Bundles' is at best baffling, and at worst downright misleading. I had a lengthy dialogue with a Vodafone Customer Service rep on live chat last week, who assured me that it was fine to have PAYG with no bundle - if I didn't want a bundle, I simply didn't need to buy one. This suited me, as the sim would be used sporadically, so I was happy to pay 30p / minute straight from my balance.

So I ordered a Vodfone PAYG sim, topped up £10 with a voucher, and guess what - the £10 credit was immediately consumed on a £10 bundle without my permission. It seems the bundles are turned on by default - in direct contradiction to what the rep told me, and contrary to the flow of the Vodafone site (where I had the choice BETWEEN topping up OR buying my first bundle, see the attached picture).

Nothing I had done suggested I wanted this bundle, and at no point had my permission been sought to spend all my credit on one. VERY bad form Vodafone, I've been with you an hour and have already formed a clear opinion on how you do business.

The 191 line have now cancelled the bundle and reinstated my £10 credit. From the call it was clear that they have to do this a LOT.

It strikes me that Vodafone's marketing materials & practices around these bundles is very dodgy - I'lll be writing to Vodafone & the regulator to tell them so.

Thanks for listening, I feel better for that...

[BandOfBrothers]

I concur @MAYG

@Annie_N certainly knows her stuff. 

👍🏻

[Annie_N]

Well, thank you! :smileyembarrassed::smileyembarrassed:

In defence of BVBs, it should be said that they suit a lot of PAYG customers, particularly the relatively heavy users. The snag with the SIMO contracts is that they are just that - contracts! So you have to pass the credit tests to get one, and then, if you get things badly wrong enough, you could end up damaging your credit score. Whereas with the BVB, or indeed any of the Freebies, you can stop whenever you like, take a month or two off from topping up, or mix and match with the Extras as well, to get a deal that suits you. The worst that is likely to happen is that you have no funds or allowances on your phone for a month or two, but unless you let it drift a long time, that won't stop your friends calling or texting you, even if you can't return the compliment.

I have a Freebie Data, and sometimes I have Extra Minutes, but basically I make it all up as I go along, and reckon I get a very good deal out of it. At the end of last year I did experiment with the BVB for a few months, mainly because I felt I needed to know more about how it worked out in practice. I was tempted to stay with it, as all I had to do was ensure that I kept my balance high enough, and the BVB would roll on without my forever wondering whether I needed Extra Minutes for the coming month, or whatever. But I just don't use my phone heavily enough to justify that, so I reverted to the Freebie Data.

Which brings me to the question raised by @BWeir - how to opt out of a BVB before it can automatically renew itself. If you have less than the required £10 on your account, and make sure that you don't top up until more than 7 days after the old BVB expires, you will be opted out, and you are then in basic PAYG mode, unless you opt in to a Freebie or buy a new BVB. (And it's important to opt in to the new Freebie before you top up, to get the allowance when you do top up.)

However, if you have £10 or more, or want to get onto a Freebie as soon as possible after the BVB has ended, you need to opt out before it ends, so that it won't renew. You can do that via your online account, under Manage Services (Correction: it's under Current Usage: Bundles and Freebies!) Or you can do it via the 2345 Credit Line - initially take Option 2 for everything other than topping up, then ask to be told about BVBs (possibly Option 2 again, but it is IVR so you get options appropriate to the details of your account), and at some point you will be told that you've got the product, and did you want to opt out?

It isn't possible to opt out of products via the My Vodafone app; I believe that it provides a lot of information and options for PayM accounts, but it is rather more basic for PAYG.

If you are still stuck, contact CS - details via the link in @BandOfBrothers signature!

Once you have opted out, wait until the original BVB has expired, and then you will be able to opt in to another Freebie, and only then should you top up (by at least £10 in one go) to get your free allowance for the next 30 days.

Phew! I hope I've covered it all, but realistically it's quite hard to explain, and keep tabs on all the possible ramifications. On the one hand there are all these options which add up to a lot of flexibility, but on the other hand it is quite complicated in order to accommodate all the options.

[BWeir]

Thanks @Annie_N. As @MAYG says above, it still seems bizarre to call something PAYG when your purchase does not buy you anything and it disappears after 30 days whether you use it or not. I just wanted to use this phone for minutes and texts - (no data requirement) - as a pensioner my usage is low, just keeping in touch with family and as an ICE device. It seems I made a mistake going with Vodafone. When my BVB is gone I will have the phone unlocked and move to another provider. All in all, a salutory lesson - if you don't fully understand the sales speil ... don't commit.