Mobile Disconnected because someone at Vodafone felt like it!

[Welshman1982]

After 3+ weeks of repeated Vodafone mistakes etc someone has gone ahead & disconnected my mobile number. Now for the best part, it's going to take anywhere up to 3 days or more for the relevant department to have a go at reconnecting my mobile number etc. 

Mysteriously there's no trace or any record of who did this disconnection or why which is exactly the same old story I was being told when I was getting emails & texts from Vodafone saying my address had been changed on my account & my online username & password had been changed thus locking me out of my own account. 

Fraud have "supposedly" looked into this but Insist everything's fine. Well it looks anything but fine now my mobile has been disconnected. Who is this mysterious person who's intent on screwing up my Vodafone account & mobile service?

Vodafone, If you want me to leave then that would suit me down to the ground, I've had a complete gutsful. Supply me with my PAC Code & compensation for the continual service failures & now a complete loss of service & I'll gladly go to another service provider who can manage to provide a service! 

[Welshman1982]

BT £5 a month Sim Only. It's a 12 month contract so you don't end up finding out you've been cut off when you go to use it like on Pay As You Go.

The way that Pay As You Go works now is nothing short of a rip off. The networks kept it very quiet when they changed Pay As You Go from lasting until your top up balance is used. You could put £20 on & have it last months if you didn't use it.

Now any Pay As You Go balances etc are reset after 30 days. I don't know why they just call it what it is - Pay Monthly.

[Rahim]

@Welshman1982 We're sorry to hear about your experience. 

If you'd like our team to help, please contact us directly using the details I sent previously via private message.

[Annie_N]

@Welshman1982

The main thing here is probably to get in touch with @Rahim as he has suggested, so that the forum's Tech Team can look into whatever is going wrong on your account.

As far as a back-up phone is concerned, you are right that all the networks seem to push inclusive bundles, which is obviously where the greater part of their business is. But in fact they all still offer what amounts to the old-style PAYG account, where you can keep a top-up running for months. @BandOfBrothers refers above to Vodafone's Freebies, which give you a bonus when you actually top up, but where the credit only runs down as you use it. I have a back-up phone with a different network on which I achieve precisely that - I just have a diary note to send a text every three months, so that I don't get disconnected. If I don't make any calls for real, my £5 top-up should last me something like 7 years!

[BandOfBrothers]

The only bit of advice I can think of in reference to @Annie_N advice is if you decide to.choose an alternative network to use them ensure network coverage is sufficient. 

[ahodk · Accepted solution]

It's a breach of contract, simple as that.

Write to their complaints team, not customer service.

If they don't resolve this in a satisfactory way, write to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman will most likely rule in your favour, and possibly compensation too.

[Welshman1982]

I did contact the Vodafone Team here but details were missing. Now I've contacted them again & asked:-

Did my original contract end when Vodafone disconnected me?

Is the email I've received about being in a new contract correct?

I have no faith in Vodafone anymore & I certainly don't trust them when account addresses are changed, My Vodafone username/password changed & then I have my service disconnected for absolutely no reason.

Vodafone have no interest & insist everything has been done by someone they can't trace or track. I don't believe that for a second!

I'm literally waiting to see what account changes are made next or how long until I'm disconnected again because someone felt like it?

At this point, I think that it'd be worth paying to leave Vodafone. At least then my details & service would be safe from these supposedly untraceable people who keep making changes!

My complaints are being ignored so I'll pass everything onto the Ombudsman. They can't be any less interested than Vodafone.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hey @Welshman1982

If you decide to end the contract as you touched upon,an Early Termination Fee could be applied. 

"The Early Termination Fee is the total amount of line rental outstanding for the remainder of the contract, without VAT, and less a 2% rebate.This figure will be calculated on the price prior to any discounts.You can confirm the exact figure by calling 191."

Tip > Please consider not cancelling the Direct Debit until Vodafone have taken any final payment(s) and if applicable applied any Refunds. And you have received the final bill by post, paid by Direct Debit and a £0 bill and Sorry Your Leaving Letter has been received that confirms the account is closed. (Please retain this paperwork)

If you wish to take your number to another then ring 191 , choose 'Thinking of Leaving', and ask for your PAC Code. They are obliged by Ofcom's guidelines to give you the code on the phone or within 2 hours of calling via Text. 

I hope it does not come to this and Vodafone Customer services resolve this situation fully. 

Please take into consideration that not every Network provides the same signal strengths and Data Speeds everywhere, and in the same area. Moving Networks may affect this. Please don't make any decision to join any network purely on what an Online Network Checker shows for signal as this is for indication only and not a guarantee. Test out Networks via Payg sim cards. If a phone is locked to Vodafone then if criteria is met it's free to unlock the phone so it'll accept any Network SIM card. Link > Vodafone and Unlocking.

Vodafone have a Code of Practice. This explains how to put your issues across and timeframes. 

The Communications Omsbudsman allows Vodafone 8 weeks to resolve / deal with highlighted issues. A person can engage the Communications Omsbudsman earlier if Vodafone agree to supply a Deadlock Letter. 

Information in > Vodafone Code of Practice.

[Annie_N]

@Welshman1982

I've re-read this thread, and it seems rather unsettling. In view of your expressed anxiety that there might be a fraudulent aspect to what is going on, it might be worth checking your credit rating through Experian or one of the other credit rating agencies, just to make sure that there haven't been any unexpected transactions. I'd think it unlikely that there has been anything, but better to discover sooner rather than later if there is a problem.

[Tash]

@Welshman1982 As you've mentioned on the forum that your case is with the Customer Relations team, please contact them for any updates regarding your account.

So that we can look into this further and chase this up for you, please follow the instructions given in the private message I previously sent to you. 

[Welshman1982]

Customer Relations are as much use as a chocolate fireguard! 

I've now sorted everything myself. Both PAC Codes received & already handed to BT Mobile. 

I ordered two sims from them in seconds & they arrived the following day. Vodafone couldn't do that over a course of 5 weeks. That's says it all.

Goodbye all.

Good riddance Vodafone.