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Why is Vodafone support so bad?

pwdixon
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

I have been having a broadband dsl drop-out problem for more than 2 weeks, random drop-outs perhaps hours apart but sometimes every few minutes for a whole day.  Since Sunday (4 days) completely lost broadband.

 

We have had mutiple online chats and multiple telephone conversations, every person said they were going to fix our problem, none have.  Each time we have been told and engineer was booked for 72 hours.  Last conversation, no engineer booked so far apparently, escalating to level 3, then a decision to book and engineer would be made and the 72 hours would be started again!  So no internet and working from home so can't do my job properly and absolutly no apologies.

 

Telephone support is obviously abroad, last one said they where in Egypt, no wonder theres a language problem and the line delays are perhaps 2-3 seconds!

 

One guy wanted to get me to allow him to take over my mobile camera (and god knows what else) and got really upset when I said NO.  Surely this is not how support should work?

 

Please Mr Vodafone take note your support is awful, you will lose customers.  We only live about 8 miles from Vodafone HQ you'd think we could get reasonable support.

 

Stop using offshore support people and use psople who's native language matches the country being supported.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 REPLIES 7

MarkD
Moderator
Moderator

Hi @pwdixon, we understand the importance of having a good and reliable internet connection. So we can take a look at your experience and check for any updates with the tech ticket, we would like you to contact us with your details on Twitter or Facebook please. You can find how to contact us here

clint_flick
12: Established
12: Established

Hi

Difficult to say, but most of the support "teams" don't seem to use VodaFone.

If they did, they would empathise, maybe even make an effort to help.

 

 

 

 

 

Pierdavide
3: Seeker
3: Seeker

Dear pwdixon,

You provided a description that is not as dramatic as it is for real.

I had experienced same issues as yours, and spent no less then 10 hours talking with incompetent people that blindly follow manual written for them by some mediocre tech editor. I only get plenty of fake excuses.

If most of the operators where useless, some were also patronizing.

I hold personally and through my company more them 70 contracts with Vodafone and I'm going to cancel them all.

 

 

 

This reflects my experiences so far.   I have had two long discussions in which I am led through painful step-by-step flow charts .. with click this.. click that...  I know where they are going but I have to wait for them?

I think that most Vodafone 1st Line support engineers are all using an outdated version...  

Please click Expert Mode.  WiFi.  Then choose settings and "you can select Band there"  - there is no "Band" there.

Please go to Internet.  DNS and DDNS.   There is a setting DNS.  ..  yes....  and?  Change it to Manual.  And enter 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.   Do you mean divert all my DNS traffic through Google's Public DNS?    Yes.   And, you say this will enable my Roku device to see my SSID?   Yes.   Are you really sure?  Yes.   I don't think that makes any sense.

Sir we have fixed your problem now.  Please wait 2 hours and it will be fixed.

So... 2 hours later who do I call to say it hasn't worked?    Why do all the support staff think that changing the DNS servers a router uses, affect whether or not a device on the network can even pick up the SSID that it is broadcasting????

 

Elsewhere.  You can change the WiFi channel in the Broadband App.  [Install the app].  Open 'My WiFi' ...  er .. exactly which version of the software are you using?   Or are you reading a script based on a version from last year?

 

I think my router is stuck on channel 13.  And lots of devices can't see 13.   They only work on 1,6,11.  Apparently I can change that in the app or in Expert Mode under Wifi Settings...

 

But in my expert opinion (20 years supporting IT networks) the support script is failing Vodafone.  Your support scripts are not keeping up with the change in UI design.  And this gives a false sense of Success to support staff.  One who blatantly told me he had told me to change something and it was now fixed.  When it clearly wasn't.  And wasn't even a sensible fix.  (DNS Auto>Manual on the router to enable a device to see the SSID).

 

It took another 20 minutes for them to connect to their supervisor.  And they merely repeated that changing the DNS would help.

 

Perhaps Vodafone apply a security policy to the router if you use their DNS servers?

 

The Roku device still cannot see the Vodafone network.   It can see every single BT, Sky, EE, TalkTalk and other router in the neighbourhood...  but none of them are using Channel 13.

Jayach
16: Advanced member
16: Advanced member

z@orgster

I think you have said it all. But.


@zorgster wrote:

I think that most Vodafone 1st Line support engineers are all using an outdated version...  


If only they were engineers. And 2nd line are no better, they just have longer scripts.

Anonymous
Not applicable

It used to be that if you called up and said your cat fleas they'd tell you to change the SSIDs, now they tell you to change your DNS servers....

'support assistants'? - human equivalents of Microsoft's 'Click here to troubleshoot your problem'? - [Tho I suspect that they do have a reasonable success rate for a large tier of issues that Vodafone customers in general phone in with...]  "How do I insert this CD into my tablet?"

I have resolved my issue, tho.

I took the TP-Link extender out from the first floor and physically wired it into the Vodafone router in AP mode.. and now everything is connecting at a fairly good speed to the TP Link.  The Roku connected immediately.

This confirms that the Vodafone Router is locked into channel 13, which the Roku (and FireTV) cannot see or use.

Vodafone need to update their scripts with that info (Roku/Fire/the odd Smart Thermostat are incompatible without a change in the firmware) and stop wasting hours of their customers' time with reboots, resets and changing the DNS.