Really getting annoyed with the service I've had to date.
I went into the Vodafone store in Carlisle on Monday (17th Dec) after uni and explained the problems I was having again. They said that they would send the phone away to be repaired. I asked if I could have a phone to use in the meantime. They said that they didn't have any courtesy phones available, but they would have tomorrow. They offered to send the phone off anyway, which I declined, I really need a phone and one which is working at least some of the time is better than none. They took my details and they said they would call me to confirm they had one tomorrow, and if a smart phone came in they would hold one for me.
Tuesday. I go to uni in Carlisle. Still no phonecall from Vodafone by the time I get home. Not very impressed as I know I won't be back in Carlisle until next Monday (I have very few classes and a lot of personal study time at the moment, exams and dissertation due over the next few weeks). It's a 40 mile round trip either back into Carlisle or to Workington, I have no reason to make the trip to either other than I need to get the phone sorted. I called 191 and eventually got through to someone dealing with insurance claims (the wrong department but sounded the closest to what I wanted going through the options). They put me through to someone else, agreeing that it sounded like a warranty issue. Explain the whole story to this person, they said I should always try to claim on the insurance in the first instance. I explained again that the issues started when the phone was only a few weeks old, and I didn't want to pay the excess for something which wasn't my fault. He ignored and put me back through to insurance. I explain to this lady that I have been on the phone for 30 mins so far as well as this is the 3rd time the phone has had these problems, visited store yesterday, they haven't got back to me as promised, been through 2 people already on the phone and back to the same place. She apologised and said she needed to put me through to someone in customer services, but she would explain to them so I wouldn't have to go through it all again. Waited and waited ages... eventually someone who didn't speak English very well came on. She said that she would send me an envelope to send my phone in for repair. I asked whether she could send me a phone to use in the meantime. She said that I would have to get one from my nearest store, and suggested I try Cambridge... I explained that it is hundreds and hundreds of miles away and would take me a whole day, there is no way I could afford the money for fuel let alone the time! So she suggested Canterbury instead! Which obviously is even further. It took some time to explain that I live in rural Cumbria, but eventually she sent me a text with my 3 nearest stores contact numbers in so I could call them to check they had one for me. She also said that I would be reimbursed for the inconvinience of having to travel to store again. Ok, maybe I'm getting somewhere after 65 minutes on the phone so far (plugged into the charger the whole time of course, so I can't even move)... Read the text she has sent me... all mobile numbers, so I have no idea where in the country these stores might be! The first one - I get through to voicemail, Carlisle store. Left a message asking them to call me back as soon as possible, need a courtesy phone while mine goes for repair. Second one - voicemail, just the standard Vodafone message, I left them the same message as Carlisle, no idea which store it is and never heard back from them. Third one - Workington Store answer. I explain everything to them again, they suggest I go in to send the phone off as it is easier if I want a courtesy phone from them anyway. They say they will hold me a smart phone and I will go in first thing to get it. Great! Result at last...
Wednesday - make the drive to Workington, find the Vodafone store. The same lady I spoke to at closing time on the phone yesterday is there, Kat. She said that she would just order me a new battery. I explain AGAIN that this is the third time, Carlisle looked at it and said it could be a problem with the phone, and either way I want it fixed properly this time as the battery has swollen so much it is now pushing the screen out from the front of the metal border of the phone, it is a known issue with this model, been on Watchdog and there's loads about it online everywhere, Samsung have been replacing phones etc. She tells me that it is my fault for overcharging the phone!!! Another lady working in their who is processing the repair backs her up and says that I will have to pay for the repair and that I must have been told everytime I have taken it back to Carlisle store, I definitely haven't ever been told that. All the advice I have had has been to do longer charges regularly rather than little and often. She says that the reason it doesn't even say it in the Quick Start guide from Samsung is because everybody knows that these days so why would they need to tell people. Absolutely gobsmacked, every electrical appliance comes with instructions etc, advice on how not to damage it, so to suggest that a phone worth hundreds of pounds is sold without any just because everyone should know that by now is absurd! Anyway, I need it fixed one way or another, so they continue to process it. They offer to have the phone returned to Carlisle which is great, at least I can collect it on a day I'm in lectures. They get out a smart phone that is unrecognisable, looks very basic and they admit that it is. I ask if that is the best they can offer - yes apparently. My partner pays EE the same for his insurance and gets Clone Phone guaranteed or better model, so I'm left again wondering why I keep putting up with worse service... The phone I have is terrible, keeps crashing when using most apps, too slow to text on - if you type too fast for it again it just crashes and loses the message, doesn't pick up any mobile data anywhere - the list goes on. It is horrible! (But at least it is slightly better than nothing...) I specifically asked if I would be able to use my SIM and memory card so I knew what I needed to back up. After realising that most of my numbers had disappeared, I discovered that they have swapped the SIM for a bigger one, and my tiny one was loose in the bottom of the carry bag, I guess having fallen out of one of the holes in the box. Unimpressed again, they could have warned me I had the wrong size SIM as I now can't access a lot of numbers I need...
Friday - I realise I have a voicemail from late afternoon from Carlisle store - from the message I left sounds like I need a courtesy phone, if I still want it go in first thing tomorrow, they have one available now... More than 4 whole days after I left my details with them, which I assume they have disregarded anyway since they referred to the voicemail on Tuesday instead...
Sunday - Really getting fed up with this old replacement phone. Remember I can track my repair online, sure they said they would give me text updates as well. Log in and look... the only stage which has a tick next to it is - Job Created 19/11/2014 09:48:07 - so what my phone has been sat in Workington store for over 4 days so far? Surely not! But the despatched from store line definitely isn't ticked or highlighted...
Today - got a text this morning saying my phone has been received at the repair centre. Log in again to check just now, but it is still showing only as 'Job Created', hasn't moved on.
Oh and I've also noticed that on the job form it says that my phone will be returned to Workington after all, so will wait to phone customer services back to discuss reimbursing for travel until after I have been all the way back to collect it! The mystery envelope which I was supposed to get to send my phone in still hasn't turned up, good job I wasn't relying on that.
Is this typical of other people's experiences of trying to get a phone repaired by Vodafone? I had a phone with a problem about 6 years ago and I'm sure it got sent away and was back in a few days, no problems at all...
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