Help!!
I can see I am not alone in experiencing issues with Vodafone support.
Here's my issue...
I purchased a Vodafone Smart E8 phone for my daughter at the Vodafone Reading store on 30th July this year hoping to have it ready for the new school year.
Unfortunately, I didn't realise that the phone topup needed to be applied, but on discovering this I activated the phone a week later on the 7th August.
I wanted to unlock the phone to give me the option of putting a different SIM in and applied for a NUC on 2nd September - I now realize that was a little too early, as it should be have been 30 days from activation, not 30 days from purchase.
However, I received an e-mail saying the unlock code was being processed and would take up to 10 working days to arrive. I thought this a little add as this was a Vodafone handset. I've since learned that actually it's a ZTE handset - so fair enough, the 10 day limit should be OK.
However, I phoned customer service to ask about this. I was told that I would "definitely have the NUC in two days".
Two days later - nothing.
I tried calling customer services again -- only to be told that the full 10 days would be needed, and thus the NUC would definitely be with me on the 12th September.
So I was a little puzzled when I received an e-mail yesterday (11th September) telling me that my NUC request had been unsuccessful.
Here's what it said:
"You asked us to unlock your phone so you can use it on another network, but the IMEI (serial number) number you gave us () is not showing on our systems as being provided by us "
Now, that's odd - no IMEI?
OK - the email said to try again. So I did.
At 2am, I received this e-mail:
"There's a problem with your unlock request.
"You recently asked us to unlock your phone so you can use it on another network. However our records show we have already unlocked it."
That clearly is not true because I can't use the phone with another SIM.
I phoned up this morning to ask about this. I was told by Ahmed(?) that he would be looking into it, and would call me back today with a NUC.
He did not.
I tried to use Live Chat and was told that the IMEI request was definitely being processed, and would take between 10-15 days to be handled.
I was a little skeptical by now that this was the case, so I called again tonight to confirm what was going on and the agent this time tried to tell me that the phone had not been activated. When I read her the voucher code I used to activate it, she rescinded and tried to tell me that the phone needs to have been used for 30 working days.
I protested that:
i) This was not made clear to me in the store when I bought the phone
ii) The terms on the website itself clearly state the following.
To get your unlock code, we’ll need some information from you first. Once we’ve received it, we’ll contact you within 24 hours. Sometimes we may need to get in touch with your phone’s manufacturer. This can take up to 10 working days. We’ll always keep you informed, so you’ll know what’s happening and when.
..
Click each of the following boxes to confirm that they apply to you.
I've been using the phone and number for more than 30 days
In this text it clearly draws the distinction between working days (in the 10 working days it will take to receive the NUC code) and "I've been using the phone and number for more than 30 days".
The support staff tried to claim that the store and the website were not specific enough. She tried to calculate the 30 working days - and told me I would definitely be able to unlock the phone on Friday (when actually 30 working days would be the following Tuesday - but I'll allow for a calculation mistake under pressure).
For now, I have accepted that this might be the case and I will try and get an NUC again later this week. It might also explain why the first e-mail had no IMEI. If the system doesn't recognize my phone yet because it really is 30 working days, then I can understand why the first e-mail might have occurred.
I cannot however explain the 2nd email that claimed that my phone was already unlocked.
Nor can I explain how 4 agents all told me that my NUC request was being processed and would definitely be with me soon.
This whole episode has put Vodafone in a very poor light. I see now from looking around other forums that the company had a reputation for poor customer service. I see sadly that this has not improved.
Specifically:
i) Why does it take 10 working days to get an NUC when any other provider I've dealt with can do it over the phone there and then?
ii) Why was I told different - conflicting - stories by every different support representative that I spoke to?
iii) Why is it not possible to simply phone up and get a NUC?
I have wasted several hours now trying to get this resolved. I need the phone unlocked as quick as possible so my daughter can use it for school - it is why I bought it after all.
Please would someone take the time to find out what is going on, and get someone there to contact me and give me a valid NUC?
And if the 30 days really is 30 working days make that clear on all communications. Or else educate support staff properly as to what the policy actually is...
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