So will I lose my free calls package?

[thesled]

I'm nearly at the end of my 24 month contract and I had a text message to renew on a new 24-month contract which I was fine to do as it all works OK and it would save me a £3 price increase. 

However I have a free calls package which it looks like I will lose on renewal. I chatted with Vodafone and the guy said 'we don't do those anymore'. But he also said I would keep the package if I didn't renew the contract. To add a new package would be £8 a month. 

So it seems a no-brainer. I bale out of the renewal on the 14-day getout, swallow the £3 increase and keep the calls package for free rather than save the £3 and pay an extra £8 for the calls package. On balance I probably benefit from the calls package as I do make quite a lot. 

However what I wouldn't want to happen is that I cancel the renewal and find my calls package mysteriously doesn't come back. Then the fun really starts !

Any thoughts on this very welcome, especially if you know if I would automatically keep the calls package by not renewing the contract. Or not. 

[Cynric]

@Racal-Yodafone My point was that it would be a swap not an additional connection.

[Racal-Yodafone]

I understand 😃👍

[thesled]

About 4 days !

[Jayach]

@thesled 

As we are passed the end of your contract, I was wondering just what you decided. Did you manage to keep the calls package?

I've also has a text about renewing by simply answering the text, but like yourself I don't know if that means the free calls package will be renewed.

[thesled]

@Jayach

What seems to have happened is, absolutely nothing. 

I never heard anything back from my replies to the text messages even though they seem to come from a Vodafone number, I'm starting to think they were some kind of scam though I don't know what exactly. 

It's now 3 days past my expiry date and my plans are still showing as expiring on that date. Something seems to have gone up a bit but not by much. I'll only be able to see in full when my next bill is produced. 

Other than that I'm none the wiser. If nothing much else happens I'll probably just let sleeping dogs lie. 

[Jayach]

@thesled 

I replied RENEW to the number given, and immediately got a text asking me to confirm I wanted to renew, so I answered YES, and then had another saying they will be in touch by email in a few days.

Still no idea if my inclusive calls package will be included, but I can live without it if it isn't.

[Racal-Yodafone]

This all kinda reminds me of a similar situation around 19 years ago, when, I think, Orange or Three sold a bunch of their customer data and then another mobile network, Three or Orange, aggressively and over enthusiastically tried to get all those customers to come over to them and there was a little bit of smoke and mirrors and economy with the truth going on but the gist of it was that some customers were tricked into "renewing" but with the competing company. I think Ofcom were eventually involved or the Competition Authority. I'm sure it's not the same situation this time but it just reminds of back then. Also, I once got involved in a situation when I was with Three where the telephone sales team were aggressively trying to vie for the sale against the staff in the Three store. So Three were fighting Three and the telephone sales team seemed to actively hate the in-store team! It's not out with the realms of possibility therefore that one part of a telco would try and get you to sign up or renew to win the sale over another part of the same company!

[thesled]

Yep that's exactly what happened to me. Still nothing and it's now 8 days since my contract expired and I replied to the text several days before that. The only thing that seems to have happened is that I've lost a £1 discount I had for some reason lost in time. 

The bill has gone up as well but I won't know exactly where until I get the next bill which won't be till July 1st. I will also have to wait for the bill to find out if I still have free calls as I can't see from the rather basic website information. 

Tedious. 

[Jayach]

I'm on the last day of my contract, but, like you, I've heard nothing from Vodafone.

Oh well, I was intending to run without a contract until I got the text offering to let me renew, as taking out a new contract would almost certainly have meant going to FTTP and VoIP, which I don't want at this time. 

As for whether you still have free calls, you could make a call, and see if it shows a charge here:

When logged into the landline part of your account. 

[Jayach]

So, shortly after posting the previous, I had a flurry of emails from Vodafone, saying they were upgrading me to Full Fibre and digital voice. Just what I didn't want.

So it looks like answering the text to "renew" automatically raised a new order on the last day of my contract

I've now cancelled the upgrade