Vodafone - hopeless shambles

[ofcomuk]

Like many other people, I have had a very poor experience with Vodafone, a company that seems to be at best incompetent, at worse, almost completely dysfunctional...

Despite being aware of the high level of complaints against Vodafone, its poor customer service record, the broken billing systems, and the recent £4.6M Ofcom fine, I foolishly decided to give this company the benefit of the doubt and apply as a new customer.

Here’s a brief summary of the shambles that ensued… 

My initial online application direct with Vodafone for a SIM only contract, (no handset subsidy therefore no loan element) was declined with no explanation; webchat CS advised me to contact Experian, or - insultingly - get someone else to reapply on my behalf.

I then had to subscribe to Experian CreditExpert service to get full access to my credit file and check for errors or bad data; all I found were very minor anomalies in address details. Credit rating is very good, clean, with no warnings.

Applied again online for Vodafone account, declined with no explanation.

Next, visited a high street store hoping to get any issues resolved. Applied again via staff member who seemed to be typing exactly the same info into the internal system (painful and slow). Application declined again with no explanation. Staff shrugged shoulders saying they could not help and I needed to contact Experian.

Contacted Experian again, no problems with credit file, and no record of recent searches.

Contacted Vodafone CS online (webchat), asked for a phone number within Vodafone UK, but was unhelpfully given a phone number for Experian. Contacted webchat online again, asked again for a phone number for Vodafone Customer Services UK.

Called Vodafone CS, battled through the menu system demanding a Vodafone mobile number - which as a potential customer I did not have - and eventually spoke to someone who was very helpful but said I would need to check with *Equifax* - I had previously been advised to contact Experian in all other contact with Vodafone and had therefore wasted a lot of time dealing with the wrong CRA.

After clarifying some address details, the Voda CS I was speaking to helpfully offered to talk to the Credit applications (?) department and re-apply for my new Vodafone account. Again, this was declined with no explanation.

Set up an account with Equifax in order to check their files and talk to someone. No problems with my credit file here either, no credit searches but some searches in the ‘other’ category. Equifax advised me that my file was very good, they could see no reason why I would be declined, but they could not tell me anything about the Vodafone search, so I would need to ask Vodafone for an explanation. 

Neither organisation is willing or able to offer any explanation for these declines and Voda CS advised the only course of action would be to escalate the issue and send copies of my credit file reports. At this point I gave up. Clearly Vodafone does not want me as a new customer.

I have read somewhere that after an application is declined, for whatever reason, re-applications will get automatically rejected for the next 30 days. I don’t know if this is the case here, and at no stage has anyone at Vodafone mentioned it to me.

I count this is a lucky escape, but I still fear for my previously clean credit file now Vodafone has been near it and has also sucked a load of personal data into their flakey systems from my signup attempts.

I get the feeling that despite really trying to help resolve this situation, the super-helpful CS representative I was talking to was simply powerless to do anything due to Vodafone’s shambolic and broken processes and procedures. The main role of CS seems to be mainly pacifying customers and ‘appearing’ to help, rather than genuinely resolving issues.

Now, this has been a miserable and frustrating experience for me, but it pales into insignificance compared to how Vodafone has treated a great many of its active - and long-term loyal - customers. With the huge level of complaints against this company, perhaps it is turning away customers because it can’t cope with the ones it already has? No, of course not. But with the ongoing rate of departures, perhaps Vodafone should be welcoming new customers?

You don’t need to look very far to appreciate the scale of Vodafone’s incompetence, it simply beggars belief. The evidence is overwhelming: this company is totally customer-hostile and utterly inept. It really does seem like there is no willingness or ability to actually resolve problems, never mind prevent them from re-occurring. Processes are flawed, internal communication is almost non-existent, CS staff try to help but are not empowered to do so.

It is clear to see how a good proportion of the recent Ofcom fine was ‘for the flaws in its complaints handling processes’. What is utterly unforgivable here is that aside from its major issues with internal systems, Vodafone has had plenty of time to sort out they way it deals with customer problems and complaints, yet it seems things just continue to get worse.

I have cooled down considerably before writing this post and I don’t apologise for my harsh words; Vodafone really is this bad, is *still* in disarray - a complete and utter shambles.

[BandOfBrothers]

Hi

Totally understand the frustration your feeling over this. 

For a persons credit score to recover it's suggested to leave 90 days between each application. 

Unfortunately due to data protection Vodafone won't advise why you haven't been accepted. Even a good credit score does not guarantee acceptance. In fact a too clean a credit file can go against a person too. 

[ofcomuk]

Thanks for responding...

>> For a persons credit score to recover it's suggested to leave 90 days between each application. 

If this is a Vodafone policy, then why? And why was this not mentioned by a variety of Vodafone representatives who were happy for me to re-apply?

>>Unfortunately due to data protection Vodafone won't advise why you haven't been accepted.

I know this, despite the CRA actually advising me to ask Vodafone for an explanation. What I did request was an explanation from Vodafone as to the purpose of the CRA check (id, credit, why credit for SIM-only?) and what information they were providing - they should know this. However, as evidenced by the Ofcom fine, Vodafone does not want to help, it has customer-hostile processes in place and that's the end of it.

>> Even a good credit score does not guarantee acceptance. In fact a too clean a credit file can go against a person too.

My score was maximum possible, but I know this is usually not relevent. Both CRAs said there was nothing on my file that should cause a decline, they also said there were no credit checks against me. So what is going on?

I also understand that Vodafone is not obliged to accept me as a customer for whatever reason they like, but I do expect some sort of explanation.

[forumfairy]

A credit check would be done for SIM only as it is still a financial contract with the company.  This is fairly standard with mobile companies, even for the cheapest of deals.  Bearing in mind these are not capped contracts there is every possibility that a new customer may exceed their contract allowance.  As AnnS stated, they do have to ensure that they are providing credit in a manner safeguarding both the customer as well as themselves.  Having worked in credit referral and accounts previously with another company, I have seen how easily a very small SIM only contract can spiral into a costly affair if not managed correctly. 

[ofcomuk]

>> A credit check would be done for SIM only as it is still a financial contract with the company.  This is fairly standard with mobile companies, even for the cheapest of deals.  Bearing in mind these are not capped contracts there is every possibility that a new customer may exceed their contract allowance.  As AnnS stated, they do have to ensure that they are providing credit in a manner safeguarding both the customer as well as themselves.  Having worked in credit referral and accounts previously with another company, I have seen how easily a very small SIM only contract can spiral into a costly affair if not managed correctly.

There is some very narrow bean-counter logic going on here!

In the highly unlikely event that anyone would overrun allocations on a mostly unlimited plan, Vodafone would not lose out financially; the worst that could happen would be an additional but microscopic, almost undetectable usage on the network.

The consequences of bad customer treatment is far more likey to have financial implications than a highly unlikely inperceptable overrun of plan allocation.

[forumfairy]

Sorry, I can only give you information from experience I have - if you choose to see it as narrow then so be it.  As it seems that no Vodafone plan offers unlimited data, its not "highly unlikely" at all.  Collections departments within mobile companies deal with this very issue on a daily basis.  Mobile companies are the same as any other business and do have to set credit assessment around their experience of what the worst case scenario can be, i.e. the number of customers who routinely run into problems with going over allowances, ending up in payment plans and, sadly, defaults.  No company wants to see their customers head down this path.  This is clearly something that they wish to protect their customers and themselves against. 

I am genuinely sorry you are not happy with the outcome. 

[BandOfBrothers]

@ofcomuk

I am a little late back to this thread but I can see your highlighted parts of my reply and your attached replay have been kindly addressed pretty well by @forumfairy

I get that your unimpressed with this and annoyed so I'll let you proceed how you wish armed with the information supplied to you as best as we as fellow customers can. 

Take care. 

[frunet]

"Unfortunately due to data protection Vodafone won't advise why you haven't been accepted..."

What complete nonsense. Whose data, other than the person making the application/enquiry, is being protected and from whom?

Another lame excuse by people who are so afraid of the DPA that they block everything for fear of making a mistake.

[forumfairy]

Sorry to hear you have had such a difficult time - it does sound as though there have been communication issues with your application.  However, in the same way that if you apply for a credit card and are declined it is not possible to get a reason why, Vodafone customer services would also not be able to give you any details as to why the application had been declined. The only information that they can confirm is either an accept or a decline.  They do seem to have quite a strict process and it may be that the anomalies that you refer to have been enough to prompt a decline.  Re-applying within such a short period of time would unfortunately only provide them with the same response as the initial application.  It is usually recommended that you do not apply again within 90 days. It is unfortunate from your point of view that they are not able to give you further details but they will face the same restrictions as any other financial application would.  If you had applied to one of the other mobile companies, they would also be unable to provide you further details of the application and would refer you back to credit reference agencies. 

[AnnS]

Hi @ofcomuk

Even the slightish discrepancy on your credit file, can prevent you from obtaining credit or purchasing a mobile phone contract.

Vodafone as any other creditor, have a duty of care towards customers to minimise debt and to prevent someone using your details to take out a contract.  For this reason, they have to make sure you are who you say you.

The best way forward now, is to contact the credit agencies and get any discrepancies corrected and make sure everything matches.  You also need to make sure you are on the electoral roll at the address.

Leaving the next application for 90 days will give your credit file time to recover from the searches and there should not be a further problem.

@ofcomuk

If you keep applying, it will only make things worse.  That was more than likely the reason for being declined, too many credit file searches within a short period of time.

Leave it for 90 days before applying for any more credit and let your file recover.