Applewatch and Onenumber connectivity

[Thomostash]

So, I took the plunge and purchased an Applewatch Ultra 2 from Vodafone, local store set me up with a new Onenumber plan (with a different phone number?). Told me to wait 24 hours for my Watch was available to use on Celllular. Was told I didn't need to do anything.

New eSIM downloaded to my phone automatically, nothing happening on my Watch. 3 day over 1.5 hours with 191 getting moved around, nobody seemed to know where to transfer me or what to do. Utterly useless.

Day 4 another 1.5 hours on the phone, after trying a few technical things (re-start of watch, SIM out of phone etc) I was they would try a disconnection/re-connection). However that wouldn't happen for another couple of days. Contacting Vodafone on twitter, said some soothing words but no real progress. 

Yesterday, somebody was meant to call me to arrange disconnection/re-connection. No call, twitter support said they would carry this out. Message this morning, all completed.....but still no connection on my Watch.

Ive now tried to add a connection via the watch app and Onenumber, added a subscription with the plan associated with the eSIM. Now I think Ive added an extra subscription and will get charged extra.

Pulling my hair out now, no idea what to do....no real help from Vodafone. Im now considering returning the watch and cancelling my eSIM contract. Should have looked on these forums beforehand seeing the number of issues with this all over the place.

Can anybody help? Ive been with Vodafone for 25 years and never experience customer service as horrific as this.

[Gemma]

@Thomostash - I'm sorry to hear the experience you're having with getting your watch connected. I've found your conversation on our Social Channel and we'll continue to contact you there. 

[Thomostash]

UPDATE: Still no further information. No connectivity on my watch.

@Gemma  I have contacted your social team this evening (Sachin) and have been told to contact the technical department myself again. This is after I was told by Alex he would be able to raise a complaint to the Customer relations department who may have the authority to cancel my One number and let me return my watch.

Sachin is now telling me he cannot do that and is only telling me to escalate this issue again. This is something I have already done MULTIPLE times.

Can you please let me know what actions I can carry out to get through to a person with authority to action my complaint. I have now spent HOUR upon HOURS constantly following this up and it is starting to impact my mental health. This is really really unacceptable. Can somebody please help me.

[Thomostash]

UPDATE: Contacted by the social media team today. They have raised an official complaint, I am now awaiting further communication.

As an aside, before the complaint was raised to the customer relations team I was asked if this could be resolved by the Social media team, at which point I was offered a £10 Morrisons eGift card which could only be used 'in store'.

[WelshPaul]

The Vodafone social team are about as much use a chocolate teapot.

[Thomostash]

Some of the people have been really helpful and supportive but don't seem to have any actual ability to escalate. Its seems there is a massive disconnection between them and the technical department.

The most shocking thing is how I have never been kept in the loop on anything beside a small 4-5 day window 3 weeks ago. Since then I have constantly had to chase updates, given promises of contact which aren't honoured then sent back to somebody else who then re-starts the whole process again. Im a 25 year business customer who has remained loyal to the company and spent thousands of pounds with them, yet I am left for 6 weeks pretty much fending for myself being sent this way then that and repeating the same process again and again just with different people.

I still have no idea what is actually going on.

[Thomostash · Accepted solution]

UPDATE: Contacted today. Offered compensation which I accepted, One number plan cancelled and Watch being returned next week.

My advice, do not buy an Applewatch Ultra or Ultra 2 on Vodafone if you expect to connect it to a One number subscription. There is a very good chance this won't work. The support you will receive is detailed on this thread.

Thanks for watching.

[WelshPaul]

One can't help but wonder what mess the Vodafone backend systems must be in if it took this long, that many staff members, and yet they still couldn't resolve what should have been a simple issue.

[Bishuk]

I'm having similar issues after starting a new airtime plan which cancelled my Onenumber. I have a series 7 Apple watch and have spent over 9 hours over 8 days on the phone and no nearer to getting a working Onenumber.

[julioo]

It may be different in your country but I know here in the US you cannot buy a completely standalone data plan for the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch plan is an add on to an existing account with the same carrier and uses the same data pool. There is a bit of an exception for watches using family setup but those still have to be attached to a primary account and they lose some functionality. If it’s the same there your only real option is to switch to Vodafone.