Community home

JOEAHOUGHTON · ‎06-07-2017

Hi,

I bought a phone from Vodafone on 12/10/2014 and used it for 2 and a half years on a vodafone sim card. (it is NOT an iPhone and was bought outside of a contract)

I have applied for an unlock code for the phone via the online form which was rejected because it says the IMEI is incorrect. The IMEI is NOT incorrect. The phone was bought from Vodafone directly so it should take no more than two days and there should be no problems.

Since then I have contacted customer services many times trying to get this sorted out. First I was told it was sorted only to receive another email saying the IMEI is incorrect. Contacted customer services again and they went round in circles asking me the same questions that I had already answered. i have even provided the order number of the phone and they tell me they cannot find it in the system.

Then I was told to email the NUC department with my problems and told to wait two days. After two days I did not hear anything so I contacted customer services asking for a status update, they again sent me round in circles and would not put me in contact with the relevant department. Wasting my time again.

Now today I have finally received a response, but you are now asking me for a proof of purchase! The email says this will take another 5 days for a response, and then obviously another two days for the NUC application. I bought the phone from you directly and attached the email receipt when I emailed the NUC team, you do not need a proof of purchase. Clearly nobody even read my email. This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Even worse than when you wouldn't refund my money you charged me for no reason.

Give me the phone numeber of somebody in the NUC department so we can sort this mess out quickly. I am not waiting another week to unlock a phone that shouldn't have been locked in the first place.

JOEAHOUGHTON · ‎22-07-2017

Mine did eventually get solved but it was the absolute worst interaction I've had with any company in my life.

Was lied to three times by the customer service team on webchat and on call, as well as the complaints team who I should really raise another complaint about.

THe NUC department is apparenty uncontactable by phone by anyone from Vodafone which is obviously a lie too. So the only people it's possible to talk, are the customer service team who actually don't know what they are talking about and are not even equipped to deal with any actual problems. (what is the point of a customer service team who cannot do anything but repeat what is already written on the website? The fact the website didn't work was the reason I needed to contact them!).

So the only way to contact the NUC team is via an email address which is supposed to be a secret (this is the only way the customer service team can contact them also, making the customer services absolutely redundant). The NUC team will subsequently take at least two days to respond to any query via email. My original email contained all of the necessary details for them to get the NUC code: my details as well as the original email receipt for the phone. They took three days to respond and then asked me for the model of the phone, which I already included in the original email. Then they took another two days after my response to again respond asking for proof of purchase, which again was included in the original email.

In the meantime I raised several complaints including this thread and have been lied to by the complaints team when they said they would contact the NUC team. After another few days a different complaint op spoke to me and confirmed that so far they had done nothing to resolve the issue other than to keep calling me for no reason. So that's three or four separate departments taking 3+ days each to either prove they can't read or to just do absolutely nothing.

Since this was a phone bought direct from Vodafone it should have taken two days maximum but in the end took two weeks.

If you want it sorted my advice is to cause as much hassle as possible until somebody who can do the following two basic things responds: 1. READ, 2. Contact the necessary department.

If you have not yet received an email from the NUC team saying they will get the code from the manufacturer in the next ten days then probably the best bet is to raise a carefully worded email complaint here https://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/complaints/ (best raise three or four to make sure!). And also call them and make sure somebody is paying attention!

Good luck! (and thanks to anybody who actually did try to help me)

View solution in original position

Tash · ‎11-07-2017

@JOEAHOUGHTON I'm sorry to see this is ongoing.

I've been unable to locate an email from the email address registered to your Community profile.

Please let us know the reference number you received when submitting your details and we'll check on the progress of this for you (this will look similar to #12345678).

Dobsy · ‎13-07-2017

I am having the same problem....being passed from Vodaphone to Carphone Warehouse to Vodaphone with both saying the other one is the one who has to unlock my old Iphone. Initially I completed the Vodaphone unlock form but it was sent back with an error message that it did not recognise my phone's IMEI.

I too have attempted to email the original Proof of Purchase invoice ( including the correct IMEI) to an out of date email address provided by Vodaphone Customer Service just yesterday....it got sent back. Today Vodaphone tell me only CPW can unlock it, but that a Vodaphone SIM would work in it!! Unbelievable! CPW say they cannot unlock phones. I then get put through to CPW customer service who "can't receive or send emails [yeah right, in 2018]", who make out they are going to talk to Vodaphone on my behalf but who actually just transfer me to the opening script for Vodaphone Customer Service. Really really bad after care on both sides. Particularly Vodaphone who I have paid for 3 years and who say their SIMs would work in the phone. Clearly if this is the case Vodaphone can unlock the phone. Please could you help?

Tash · ‎15-07-2017

Hi @Dobsy, we'd like to get this sorted for you.

So we can help, I've sent you a private message with details to contact our team directly.

Once we have your details, we'll be in touch as soon as possible.

Dobsy · ‎18-07-2017

Hi Natasha,

I have done what you suggested, sent off the form, and have heard NOTHING back from anyone at Vodaphone despite you saying someone would be in touch "as soon as possible" once my details had been received. I am getting really frustrated by this and, having taken advice from Ofcom, I would like to make an official complaint to Vodaphone about their refusal to unlock my Iphone and continued delaying tactics in taking the issue forward.

Please could you get back to me.

PS Your own forum website states the following about unlocking Apple phones, hence it clearly is something you can do:

"You will receive an email either with the unlocking code and steps to use it or, in the case of Apple devices, an email to confirm that we've requested the unlock by Apple and a resync with iTunes is required to complete the process once it's completed."

Dobsy

Gemma · ‎20-07-2017

@Dobsy - I’m sorry to hear you’ve not heard from us. We want to help.

I’ve searched for your email via the address you’ve registered to the Community with and nothing’s showing. What’s the reference number from the auto reply email (it looks like #123456)?

Once we’ve got this, we’ll look into what’s happening.

Dobsy · ‎22-07-2017

Gemma,

I am really really fed up on no one helping me and you moderators publicly "pretending" to offer help with no-one ACTUALLY helping or attempting to make contact with me.

I have now completed and submitted the form using the code I got in the "private message" 3 times. Each time I have submitted the form it has included my email and my mobile number. Each time I've had a confirmation that says "We've received your email and we'll be in touch as soon as possible." There is NO call reference given in the format you state I should receive when this form is submitted, which I'm sure you guys are aware. And NO-ONE has been in touch.

It really is so unhelpful , shocking that Vodaphone treat customers in this way, and a total waste of all our time.

As I said before I want to make a Formal Complaint. Please let me know how to do this and please get someone from the unlocking team to phone me directly.

JOEAHOUGHTON · ‎22-07-2017