Yesterday I had reason to contact customer service because of no roaming service while I was in the EU. My Vodafone sim s a security device in a campervan. It communicates with my mobile phone, warning me of theft or interference with the van,, and allowing me to monitor its whereabouts, tuen on the alarm sounder, and shut down the engine if needed from my mobile.
None of these functions were available while roaming didn't work.
I rang Vodafone, and got a message from a computer telling me that the quickest way to speak to an expert was to go online. So i did. No online chat was available just a Bot which was basically an impenetrable stone wall. It was not possible after 20 mins to get to a human being, even on an online chat.
So I eventually found an 0800 number which finally put me through to a human. After 15 minutes, he disappeared, although the line stayed open.
This was repeated 2 more times, always with different people, so that I had to answer all the same questions over and over. No notes ever appeared to have been written about each call to help me on subsequent calls.
After almost 2 hours now, I still hadn't actually talked to anyone about the problem; each call had entirely been spent attempting to answer security questions.
Eventually I found an online complaints form, and filled it in. I was even allowed to submit it.
They sent me a txt to ask if, based on my recent experience, I would recommend Vodafone to a friend. Possible answers 0= definitely not, 10=definitely.
The answer 0 was refused by the server 4 times.
This sort of thing must improve their customer satisfaction ratings, if low reports are simply refused.
They sent me an email to say that they've received my complaint, and I could access it at the following Web link using my email and the foowing password, which I was given. I copied it, and pasted it into the appropriate field of rhe Web page, only to be told that it has expired. In under 12 hours.
This sort of experience is absolutely disgraceful, and how it can be passed off as customer service baffles me.
In the 60s a customer would look up customer service for a company in the phone book, ring up a person and they would either solve the problem or put you through to someone who could. That was customer service.
This is the absolute pits.
Vodafone, you need to get your act together.
Helping your customers - serving them - is a basic part of your work.
