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.

[Jayach]

You will get no reply from Vodafone here, other than perhaps the mods asking you to contact them via social media.

I very much doubt a credit check would be carried out, as the Essentials broadband is essentially a monthly contract, as you can leave anytime without penalty.

Broadband Essentials for Universal Credit | Vodafone UK

It would also be a poor show to carry out a credit check, considering who it is aimed at.

Hope you can get it sorted, but I doubt the forum can be much help.

You could try raising a complaint, but as you are not yet a customer, I'm sure how much use that will be,

Complaints Code of Practice | Vodafone UK

[Yogafone]

@Jayach- Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

I'm pretty sure I've seen other threads here with Vodafone reps offering to assist customers with various issues - that's why I decided to set up a forum account. Even if someone invited me to contact them on social media, that would be better than nothing.

Grateful though I am for your reply, I must correct you on a couple of points.

1 - Essentials isn't "essentially a monthly contract" (but you are right about leaving with no penalty). Copied & pasted from the Essentials home page: "Our 12-month contract gives you the certainty of no in-contract price rises but the flexibility to leave with no early termination fees." I see where you're coming from, though - although technically it's a 12-month contract, the ability to leave early with no exit penalty puts it on a similar footing to a monthly rolling contract. So, yes, you could argue that, to all intents and purposes, it is a monthly one. Okay, own goal on that one! I'm sure you'll agree that this is a side issue, anyway.

2 - Re: the credit check, again directly from the Essentials home page: "Will I have to do a credit check to get Vodafone Essentials Broadband? Yes, we will need to run a credit check. For more information on how this works, please visit our credit check information page."

So, yes, my concern about Vodafone running a credit check (yet not bothering to inform me that my application had been refused on credit grounds - or to inform me of anything else for that matter) still stands.

Thanks again for your reply. I'll hang on a little longer to see if a rep can help, then I might try raising a complaint as a last resort. It's really only the affordability of the package that is keeping me interested in Vodafone, it's definitely not their (prospective) customer service which, in my case at least, has been absolutely atrocious! The only thing they did right was to send me an email confirming my application - and that's an automated process...

[Jayach]

Seems you are right about the credit check, I still think it's a bit unnecessary on the Essentials contract, considering there is no penalty if you leave. Probably, because it is a contract, they may have trouble kicking you off early.

If the mods do ask you to use social media, this is the link they will likely use, so no harm trying to be proactive,

Contact us for account specific queries - Community home (vodafone.co.uk)

[Beth]

Hi @Yogafone! I'm sorry that you've not heard anything back from the team. I'd just like to reassure you that we wouldn't run a credit check without speaking to you over the phone first.

@Jayach is right, in that normally we'd advise you to contact us over Social Media so we're able to look into this further as we have no account access through the forum; however in this case, our Social Media team wouldn't be able to assist you with this as we're unable to process sales via that channel, and we're not a part of the team that reviews the Essentials Broadband requests.

I would recommend completing the form here again, to start the process from the beginning, if you'd still like to take out our Essentials Broadband.

[Yogafone]

@Beth- Hi, thank you very much for your message, especially your reassurance that a credit check would not have been conducted.

I'm a bit reluctant to re-apply without at least knowing why nobody contacted me following my first application - since I got the confirmation email, it's not as though Vodafone didn't receive it. Given that, and the poor service I received in my attempts at finding out what was going on, I feel that I am owed an explanation, as well as a written assurance that, if i apply again, my application won't be roundly ignored for a second time.

Ideally, I'd like to speak directly to someone from the Essentials team, but it appears from my conversations with various staff that this is not possible (unless, of course, they contact the customer themselves, as per the confirmation email). I see no good reason why this should be the case. Could you please confirm whether or not it is possible to contact the Essentials team directly, and if so, how? I have no desire to go in all guns blazing, but strongly feel that an explanation is warranted.

I'll consider re-applying, but really I need Vodafone to show some decent customer (or customer-to-be) support, which, in this case, would be to explain why my first application was ignored, apologise for this (and for the subsequent inept service I encountered on the phone and live chat), and assure me that it won't happen again. Otherwise, applying again (and to a company who don't appear to value potential customers) would just feel like another shot in the dark!

[Beth]

@Yogafone There isn't a direct number or email address for the Essentials Broadband team. They are a back-office outbound team who receive the requests via the form and then reach out to customers to discuss this further. They would likely be able to shed some light on what happened with your first application once they've contacted you regarding the second.

All I can do is apologise that they didn't reach out to you following your first application as this definitely should have been the case.

[pauljcarr]

Broadly speaking, the same thing has happened to me. I registered via the webform on 23/02/2023 and had the email acknowledging receipt, and promising a call back within 5 working days. However, I have heard nothing.

Live chats have only offered the option to wait until someone phones me, as they are "very busy" right now. I have no confidence that they will ever phone me, having read your experience @Yogafone.

This level of service is insulting to put it mildly, especially when I can order a non-social Vodafone broadband product online instantly. Whatever nod to inclusivity having a social tariff provides, the utter disregard for applicants undoes.

I am reminded of why I left Vodafone a few years back - even though the product is fine, and I am in receipt of a qualifying benefit, service is simply appalling.

[Jayach]

The thing is Vodafone aren't the only supplier offering a social tariff, so you can "vote with your feet".

Social tariffs: Cheaper broadband and phone packages - Ofcom

Doesn't  excuse the appalling lack of service though.

[pauljcarr]

Yes, you're right on both counts. However the choice is much more limited for my qualifying benefit, PIP.