Applied for Vodafone Essentials Broadband over TWO MONTHS ago - still no contact from Vodafone!

[Yogafone]

Hi, I'm hoping someone from Vodafone can look into this and help me resolve the issue.

I applied for Vodafone Essentials Broadband on 27th November 2022. I am eligible, being in receipt of one of the listed benefits.

Straight away I received an email confirming my application. Part of it read: "We've received your form and we'll be in touch soon to let you know if you qualify. What happens next? A member of our dedicated team will give you a call within five working days to check your eligibility and process your order. Our team will contact you from an 01482 number so keep an eye on your phone."

I never received a call from Vodafone within the specified 5 working days, neither did I have any missed calls from that 01482 prefix. Over the next couple of weeks I wasted ages on the phone and live chat, trying to find out the status of my application. The so-called 'support' I received each time was utterly useless. One advisor even asked me if I was applying for a business account, despite me making it clear it was the social tariff that I had applied for (and how can a business be on benefits?). Another advisor kept switching between telling me that my application had been refused (I asked how, given nobody had even been in touch with me to confirm my eligibility, but she couldn't answer that) and telling me that it was still in progress (but could give no indication of what stage it was at). And, obviously, she was at complete loss to explain how my application could be simultaneously rejected and still being processed. She clearly didn't know what she was talking about, and - like the other advisors I spoke to - was not at all interested in helping me. I got the distinct impression that I was low priority as I was applying for a cheap package, and, since I was technically not a Vodafone customer, they didn't really need to bother assisting me.

Eventually I gave up, as nobody I spoke to at Vodafone was bothered about helping me. However, I'm posting now two months on (yes, I know it's a long time, but I just lost the will to keep contacting them and being let down), as I need to know whether the application was processed or not.

I'm also concerned about the fact that a credit check may have been conducted by Vodafone as part of the eligibility check (the T&Cs state that this can happen). That would be fair enough if Vodafone had at least contacted me to let me know that my application had been refused on credit grounds.

So, at the moment, I've no idea what happened. Since nobody contacted me to discuss my eligibility as per the application confirmation email, I'm assuming that Vodafone never even started processing my application. But I don't know for sure, since Vodafone haven't gotten back to me at all.

Even without being a customer (yet), I feel very let down by Vodafone's exceptionally poor customer service. Somebody should have contacted me within a week of my application as stated in the email, but nobody did, and my attempts at chasing up the matter were frustrated by clueless and very unhelpful advisors.

Two months down the line my application seems to be in limbo. I'm still interested in the Essentials package, so I would be grateful if someone here could look into just what happened (or didn't), and help me get some closure on the matter. I'm reluctant to make another application (either with another company or re-applying with Vodafone) in case Vodafone did in fact run a credit check.

I was going to say that I'm happy to share my application reference number, but looking at the aforementioned email again, I see that there wasn't one!

If Vodafone did run a credit check, and my application was refused, then they should at least have the courtesy to inform me, both of the fact that it had been turned down, and that a check had been carred out. But it wouldn't make sense for that to happen, since Vodafone never contacted me to even discuss the application as the email stated. So, on top of being very disappointed, I'm also understandable confused about the whole situation!

Any assistance from a Vodafone rep would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[pauljcarr]

A further update - I contacted Vodafone via Facebook Messenger and was advised that there was some sort of error had happened their side and a few potential customers had fallen through the net. The rep advised that he had referred my application directly to the team in question and that someone would be in touch within 7 days. That was 5 days ago and no-one has been in touch. It is now 5 weeks since I submitted the webform for the Essentials product.

It is now absolutely clear to me that this is beyond poor customer service and is openly insulting to potential customers who have enough issues to deal with apart from being ignored. In total, it is 5 weeks today since I applied and I have heard and seen nothing more than the can being kicked down the road.

I am 9 days into a 500Mb full fibre contract with Vodafone, which I applied for to protect my 14 day cooling off period with Sky. I rightly anticipated that Vodafone would not respond to me on the Essentials application, and of course they didn't.

I now have 5 days to leave Vodafone within my cooling off period, and given how I have been treated so far, I see no reason to stay. The broadband product I have is working perfectly well, but it seems to be standard that applicants for the Essentials service are treated contemptuously and ignored. @Yogafone is at least one other applicant that has had the same experience.

Shabby and disgraceful.

[pauljcarr]

@Mark @Yogafone still nothing after almost 6 weeks, and yet another promised timescale from the Vodafone Facebook team missed. Meanwhile my "backstop" full fibre product from Vodafone has run out of its cooling off period so it's now a case of adding injury to insult. I am sick to the back teeth of being told that my patience is appreciated etc. I am very far from patient at this point.

I could have cancelled within the 14 days to keep my options open but I would be spending more time and effort on my broadband service than my "service provider". 

Another provider will be offering full fibre in my area in the summer and has a buy out offer for in contract customers. Guess what I will be doing?

[Andy]

Hi @pauljcarr 👋 I sincerely apologise for the time this is taking. I have managed to locate your conversation and can see that we are actively monitoring this for you, so that we can chase this further if necessary. Once again I do apologise for the delay, I would expect you to have heard something within the last timescale given to you on social media.  

[pauljcarr]

Thanks for coming back on this @Andy 

I remain astounded that a communications company is seemingly unable to make a simple phone call in 6 and a half weeks. To say they are very busy doesn't cut it. Even if the "team" is only one person, then there must be a ridiculous back log, or utter ineptitude.

The much more likely scenario is that Essentials Broadband is a corporate social responsibility fig leaf for Vodafone, and is not a real product at all.

[Andy]

I understand @pauljcarr It doesn't normally take this long for the process to complete, so I am unsure as to why for yourself there is this delay. We will continue to monitor this for you, and if there is no progress after the last timescale given we can then look at escalating this further for you.

[pauljcarr]

The most recent timescale given has now come and gone - 6 and a half weeks and counting. Vodafone colleagues on social media and polite and friendly but seem to have no better success with the Essentials "team" than I have had.

I spent well over 30 years working in a customer facing organisation and quite frankly, would have been sacked if my service performance had been so poor. And I would have deserved it.

[pauljcarr]

OK, yet another reply to my own post (bad form I know).

Just after midday today, I finally got the call from the Essentials team. I spoke with Emma who went through the details of my application for essentials broadband quickly and efficiently. She established that I met the qualifying criteria for the product and arranged to have me migrated from my current Vodafone broadband product to an Essentials plan with effect from tomorrow. The cost per month for 12 months will be £12, as advertised.

After all of the frustration surrounding this process, I cannot speak more highly of the service provided by Emma. She was courteous, efficient, friendly and helpful, all of which help to restore my faith in the brand.

For those of you reading this and waiting for a response, I would suggest that you stick with it. The social media teams were, I feel, instrumental in making the contact happen and once it did, all was straightforward.

[Yogafone]

@pauljcarr- Thanks for the updates. I've been following, but haven't had time to reply until now. Needless to say, I'm happy that it all worked out for you in the end.

@Andy- Happy though I am for Paul, when - if at all - will I be contacted by the Essentials teams? As you know from this thread (which I started), I've been waiting since last November, a lot longer than Paul...

[Mark]

That's fantastic news @pauljcarr 🎉 I'm glad to hear you've been switched over and I think I speak for all my colleagues here in the Social Media team when I say it was our pleasure to help get this sorted for you.

If you have a social Media account @Yogafone, I'd suggest popping us a message through any of our channels and we'll be more than happy to help get you switched over too. If you don't have a social media account, please reach out to us via Live Chat, or by calling 03333 040 191 and explain the delay you've faced and the team will be happy to help. 

[Yogafone]

@Mark- Thank for the reply, but I don't see why I need to contact Vodafone again to chase this up. The Essentials team received my application (which included my contact details), and Vodafone knows from this thread that I am still waiting to hear.

As for calling you, as already stated, I did this several times (explaining the delay), and just got the run-around.