New contract.....dodgy phone! Well done Vodafone!

[stevexe88]

Right, I'm new here so please be gentle with me! 

Last week I ordered a new Galaxy Note 10+ 5G as an additional line. Happy days! 
Saturday rolls around and it's delivered. Opening the packaging reveals a Vodafone Branded Box.....hmmm.

I thought this was odd and checked the outside of the box, serial number and IMEI on the end with Sam Note 10+ 5G (Contract) typed in the same font on it. Well says nothing about it being refurbished/nearly new. 

Opened it up and I saw that the phone was rattling around in the box unsecured, in a clear polythene bag. The factory fitted screen protector was missing, the little QR sticker that's fitted to new Samsung phones on the back wasn't there and it had a few very light scuffs...not sure if those are from being banged around in a box though. The OTG dongle is missing but the rest of the accessories are present. Charger cable has a rubber band around it. How odd. 

Called customer services and asked if I'd been sent a nearly new device. She said no. I explained that it's missing it's factory screen protector and is in a polythene bag. She still says I ordered brand new so that's what I would have got and "sometimes we package phones in our own boxes". When I asked her to explain why it's missing accessories, she literally says "it's brand new", asked about the charger cable, no response. She was very careful to say as little as possible about it. I also looked on my invoice and it's said nothing about it being nearly new, but listed under the phone on the invoice was "Vodafone Red Box".

After lots of back and forth, they agree to exchange it by going into store......but not before screwing my order up and cancelling it! So new order placed with sales.

Asked them what packaging I can expect it to be sent in and they say new factory box.

However this experience has made me wonder, can I expect another of these odd 'brand new' phones to arrive in the nearly 2 weeks it's going to take to arrive, despite being in stock and one being earmarked for me?! Or should I assume it was a error or oversight?

Maybe call me cynical but I can't help but think that sending out a potentially used phone instead of a £1400 new one is a little bit underhand. 

Any ideas guys and girls? Thanks in advance.

[stonefences]

Sorry!!! I assumed it was an upgrade - just noticed your original post where you say it was a new line!! 

[stevexe88]

Don't worry bud, it's is an additional line. 

Well just spoken to Vodafone yet again who told me that the request made by the store to force the completion of my order hasn't been received.......so I need to wait another 24 hours.......after told yesterday morning it would be 24 hours and before that being sent to a store for no reason. 

Apologies if I seem irate but this saga just seems so ridiculous. Half expect the cast of Carry On to answer the phones in customer services!! 

[BandOfBrothers]

@stevexe88 

Sometimes things do go wrong which I'm sure many accept. 

It's then down to how this is put right which instils confidence back into the product and services.  

I agree not a good experience at all  !

I don't suppose the Vodafone Social Media Teams via Contact-us-for-account-specific-queries  can help. Worth a try.

[stevexe88]

I agree things do go wrong, that is life after all. I run my own business, and when things go wrong I bend over backwards to put it right and to keep the customers experience positive. 

As you said it's how the put it right. But from placing a new order, being sent a second hand phone, then the store cancelling my order in error, ordering a new device, getting a sim that doesn't work, sent to the store for a sim swap, store not being able to do it, then not updating me as promised, then customer services telling me it's going to take even longer than planned......it just seems everything that Vodafone has done so far has gone wrong. 

And are you ready for the icing on the cake......As of this morning, I'm in Athens! That's why I ordered the phone well in advance so it was all set up and in my hand by the time I left. The road to hell is paved with good intentions as they say! 

[stevexe88]

Oh dear......

Another update and it's not good news. The customer relations team have told me that apparently they need to deliver the device before they can resolve the issue......they didn't seem to understand AT ALL that I already have the device which was delivered 3 days ago. 

As it stands currently, they are saying I 'may' have to have another phone dispatched to me before it can be activated.

Regardless of if they go down this route or not, I cannot expect any resolution before the 23rd of Feb.....because apparently there is no one in the entirety of Vodafone who can make the order show as complete, despite me being promised it will take 24 hours for it to be done......and then promised the same when the 24 hours had expired. 

It's lucky I am not a dishonest person or I could have taken the phone and had another delivered and they would have been none the wiser, since they don't have the IMEI, serial number or anything else in their system.

[hrym]

Oh dear.   It sounds as though someone's cut through the system to get you your phone quickly and just made things worse.

TBH, I'd be very careful when it comes to returning the extra device.   Firstly, don't do anything until you have the service up and running, then be VERY careful not to return the phone that's working on it!   Even then, if the other one isn't on the system, returning it could cause havoc, so wait for clear instrucions.  Personally, I'd get these from the Social Media team rather than frontline customer service (I'm anticipating the return potentially triggering a full cancellation of the account ).   IMHO, you may need a different channel to do it, given the circumstances.

I hope this is pessimistic, but so many things seem to have gone wrong that it's going to need to be unravelled very carefully from the Vodafone end.

[stevexe88]

Hi there, sorry for the late reply.

I can't deny that like you, I have a pretty heavy feeling of pessimism on this one, they have already cancelled one of my orders and derped up another. They haven't even confirmed that they will need to send a new device (just that they may need to) and I'm currently entirely in the dark about the situation myself. So many callbacks and promises haven't occurred so far.

As it's gone wrong, so be it, I can't change that, but now there's talk about a new device, that even if there isn't one sent that they can't assure me that the order will be corrected in any form and in any timeframe. 

I have reached out to the social media team over 48 hours ago, no response other than the standard automated one, but I have been informed that the orders team, sales and customer escalations are all involved, seems like a lot of potential for errors. Wish me luck there!! 

[Mark]

Hi @stevexe88 This isn't the kind of experience we want any of our customers having. It sounds like our Customer Relations team are look ing into this for you and I'm sure they'll get everything sorted. It's disappointing to hear our Social Media team have missed your post about this. If you can let me know which channel you used to contact us, along with either your user name, or a link to your post and I'll get this chased for you.

[Racal-Yodafone]

Cue raucous laughter in the style of Sid James... "Whaawhaawhaa...!" 😂

[slickysli]

Haha atleast you got a phone. I have just had my Note 20 5G delivered in a sealed factory box with one thing missing... the phone. Everything else is in there, charger, headphones, booklet. Now I have to wait until monday for the team to contact me... bizarre!