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.