Vodafone issues

[drb5374]

Hello.

Unfortunately this is a long post, so please bare with me.

I have suffered issues with Vodafone when I first moved from EE, but once they had been sorted out, the service/network coverage was very good for my area.

So coming to the end of my contract, I decided to give them another shot, as I had already told myself to move back to EE after all the initial problems. I however didnt expect the following...

I was after an iPhone XS Max 256gb with around 20-30gb of data.

I was offered either a brand new one for £80 a month and £49 upfront for 30gb of data, or the same phone/data except it was a "Nearly New" phone for £74 a month and £29 upfront. When asking what the nearly new phone was exactly, I was told it was simply phones which were shipped out, but came back as undeliverable for whatever reason...wrong address etc. I asked if it were still in original box sealed and the answer was "no different, exactly same as other phone". It also came with full 1 year Apple warranty and 2nd year warranty with Vodafone.

I decided to go for it and wonderfully, the phone was delivered next day, but instead of an Apple box, it was delivered in a white Vodafone box, with Apple lead in ziplock bag, sim tool in ziplock bag and the phone was in a clear bag...not sealed, or protective tape on phone. On top of that, when checking the warranty status, the date was 04.10.19.

I have checked on Vodafones site, what nearly new actually means and the wording leads me to believe the phones are a MAXIMUM of 30 days old. Maybe I'm wrong here, but it certainly shouldn't be over 7 months old.

So having spent well over an hour chatting with Vodafone advisors, I was offered a brand new XS Max 256gb for £80 a month and £29 upfront...a saving of a whopping £20! On top of THAT, should I choose not to want the nearly new one, I will need to pay a return shipping fee, or hand it in at a Vodafone store...a minimum 30 minute drive for me.

I distraught with rage right now. It isn't about the money here, it's about the principal. The idea that Vodafone employees are blatantly lieing to get the customers in. Once they're in, the temptation of keeping a phone that isn't as advertised, is hopfully to great, or maybe they don't even realise what they have.

I'm only 1 person, so in the grand scale of a multimillion pound company, I don't matter, but hopfully others see this post before signing up to Vodafone and it puts them off.

Just to add, I wouldn't mind a nearly new phone, if it was actually what the website states, but it clearly isn't. It's subpar and nothing like what I was told in the webchat.

David

[BandOfBrothers]

As far as I understand things a nearly new phone is just that.

One that's been out and returned within the 30 day cooling off period and then checked by Vodafone to ensure it's been wiped of info along with the original Apple ID and is of a satisfactory condition.

This does not always include original packaging.

Vodafone do apply a 2 year warranty and so does Apple now. Apple.com/legal/warranty/products/warranty-edition-row-english.

I agree Vodafone need to be crystal clear when advising on what a nearly new phone is as this shapes the final decision by the person contacting them.

Vodafone can send a returns bag to you which should be free postage as your cancelling within the 30 days cooling off period.

My own decision would be to take it back to a store and I appreciate the distance you'd need to travel but for me the peace of mind of knowing it's back in Vodafones hands to speed up the process is paramount for me personally.

I wish you all the best with this situation.