I have a complaint about being charged for calls that I shouldn't have been charged for

[nginks]

I want to make an official complaint about being charged for calls to Ireland since my contract renewal on 24 June 2016.  When I renewed my contract Vodafone assured me that phonecalls to my mother in Ireland from the UK were included in my package.  Since June I have been calling Ireland regularly from my mobile believing that there would be no charge for the calls.  I now notice that I've been charged a premium rate for everyone of those calls.

If you check the transcripts of my conversation with Vodafone on 24 June you will see that I was told that my package included calls to Ireland.  I would like you to do this as a matter of urgency and then refund me for every call I was wrongly charged to Ireland since that date.

I raised a complaint about this with Sam on 04.11.16 but I have heard nothing since.  I am getting increasingly frustrated about this and unless you deal with this urgently I will be writing to your regulatory ombudsman.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Your login credentials here are different from your myvodafone account so no one will know who you are. 

If you've raised a complaint then look to the Vodafone code of practice as it holds time frames. 

Vodafone will have 8 weeks to resolve any issue or if not resolved in that timeframe you can go to the Communications Ombudsman or for you want to engage them earlier then Vodafone would need to issue you a deadlock letter. 

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/forms/complaints/

I hope this is resolved asap for you. 

Some information in http://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/travelling-abroad/

[AnnS]

Hi @nginks

The Republic of Ireland is charged as an International call. As Northern Ireland is part of the UK, calls come out of your monthly allowance.

Unless you have Vodafone International included in your plan, calls to the Republic of Ireland will cost £1.50 per minute with texts charged at 35p per message.

If you are calling the Republic of Ireland on a regular basis, it may be worth considering Vodafone International, for a monthly payment of £5.00, you will than only be charged 5p per minute for calling a landline in the Republic of Ireland.

Further information for you below.

Calling abroad from the UK

[63johnw]

Hi @nginks, just as a guess, perhaps the person you spoke too was an overseas agent and  didnt know the difference between Ireland and Northern Ireland and so believed they were giving you the correct information. If the call can be traced Vodafone may offer some sort of good will gesture if it backs up your recollection of the conversation.

[andyh3930]

Sorry, but shouldn't Vodafone staff be properly trained? They are serving Vodafone's UK customers so they should know what's what.

If the agent stated that as fact then I think Vodafone should honour it. Maybe it will encourage Vodafone to properly train it's staff.

I don't expect them to, though. 

[nginks]

Thanks very much for your support.  Maybe I'm naive but when I get told something by a vodafone agent about my contract I tend to believe them!

I agree with you that it is Vodafone's responsibility to ensure that their employees don't give out false information regarding contracts because regardless of whether it was a mistake or not it still constitutes miss-selling. 

[AnnS]

Hi @nginks

When you called Vodafone did you specifically ask about charges to the Republic of Ireland or just Ireland?

If you just asked Ireland with Northern Ireland only now being called Ireland, you would have been given the correct information and Vodafone International would not have been needed to call Ireland.

I am not defending Vodafone in any way, but the advisor could have genuinly given the correct advise for call charges to Ireland.

I always think it's best to double check the information for myself and you can usually find the advise available from the website.

[andyh3930]

@AnnS

If you go to Vodafone's Roaming Charges page https://www.vodafone.co.uk/explore/costs/travelling-abroad/ 

and type in 'Ireland' an Irish Republic Tricolour flag appears.

So Vodafone thinks Ireland refers to Republic of Ireland.  

[nginks]

That is so helpful, thanks @AnnS

[AnnS]

Dear @nginks

I hope you get it sorted, there is nothing worse than finding there are unexpected high billing charges.

I wish you all the best and hope Vodafone will come to some agreement with you.