Mis-selling Secure Net

[Uk338]

Hi,

I'm a bit confused how Vodafone haven't been pulled up on the Consumer Rights Act for sneaking in a Secure Net subscription with their mobile plans.

It's totally unclear from the upgrade process that an additional subscription is being taken on - in some places it's simply listed as being "included", with no qualifying information . 

I only noticed at the last minute when I got a confirmation email where it said I had a free Secure Net trial, soon to be changed.

Reading posts on here, the response seems to be "it can be cancelled" (after a giving an advert as to what the product does ), which is totally inappropriate, the issue is the selling practice, it shouldn't happen.

if someone has been duped into paying for this you should take a complaint to the ombudsman, because the consumer laws are on your side. 

I've now tried to cancel, via the App, and it still shows as "active" , although the cancel option is now greyed out. I assume people just do this, never complain, and the practice continues?

[chistery]

Oh it's a massive scam by Vodafone. Adding it to every new contract and upgrade and not allowing you to remove it at point of sale is disgusting and surprises they aren't breaking the law already with it.

It should be opt in and not selected by default. It's a massive waste of money and Vodafone hope you forget to cancel or remove it or they scare you into thinking it's needed and worth paying for. 

Shows you what fools Vodafone take us for. 

You can usually cancel it as soon as it's active, and then you get a text shortly after saying it's removed, but that should not be necessary.

[Effie]

Hey @Uk338 I hope you're doing well. During the sale of your plan, your Terms and Conditions detail that SecureNet is included as part of the package, first on a 3-month trial and then chargeable if you no longer want the subscription. 

We also detail that SecureNet is included in plans on our website under the 'Plan Details' section of each package. 

In regards to being notified, we do let customers know that they have SecureNet included in their plan at the start of their contract and then we notify them when the initial trial is about to end so they have the chance to opt out before the subscription becomes chargeable. 

If you have chosen to opt out but it is still showing as active, please come and chat to the Social Media Team so we can check your account and make sure this is removed. We can also get your feedback regarding the SecureNet subscription fed back so we can look into ways to make it clearer that this is included if needed. 

[Uk338]

Detailing the plan on the website is irrelevant, a seller has an obligation to provide the information at the point of sale.

You say that it is detailed in the terms and conditions, but I've just been through the upgrade process on the app and Secure Net is not mentioned on the summery page or in the terms and conditions which can be downloaded! Try it. 

You don't have the information until after you've made the agreement. It seems blatant, and aside from being extremely annoying for customers, it could prove very expensive "oversight"  for Vodafone. 

[M5000]

I fully agree with the OP's comments.  At the time of taking out the plan you are NOT ABLE to opt out - I got wise after taking out my wife's plan and tried to untick the box on mine when I took it out shortly after.  This means you have to action to remove a contractual obligation that you were not made aware of at the point of committing (because the information was simply not made available in any form) otherwise you end up paying for a service that, unless you read ALL the small print, you did not consent to  and almost certainly did not want.

The comment about making it clearer is risible.  You still can't opt out at the time of taking on the contract and I would expect that anyone paying for this service when not expected should be able to claim against Vodafone and actually have the right not to pay for it.

If it's not illegal it certainly should be!

[Remi]

Thanks for getting in touch with us @M5000. We appreciate your feedback and we take our customers thoughts fully on board and I'll ensure that it's passed onto the relevant department. If there is anything further you'd like to chat about please drop me a message. 

[Uk338]

I think you make good points here. It does seem like there is a legitimate grounds to claim, and if that became a class action the sums could be eye watering.

[M5000]

Interestingly, looking round the net it seems this issue was first highlighted as long ago as 2017.  There's been plenty of time for Vodafone to correct any unintentional errors but it hasn't happened so I'm not optimistic that anything will change.

[CrimsonLiar]

Cheaper options would be to complain to OFCOM.  You can download the codes of conduct from the site, which would suggest the way billable Secure Net is added by default which you then have to opt out of IS A CLEAR BREACH OF CONDUCT.  You could also try contacting Trading Standards in Newbury who have a long and colourful history in dealing with misconduct by Vodafone UK