Strange Excess Data Usage - Contacted Ombudsman

[jamesh777]

Well, being a longstanding customer of over 6+ years, I'm fed up with Vodafone. Please feel free to get in contact if you're getting similar issues. I've received no help from 'Customer Relations', and they somehow still can't grasp the actual question - I think it's a scam. Here's my complaint letter:

"

I've been in contact with Vodafone numerous times about my account - If not sorted from this complaint I will be forwarding all of this to Ofcom.

I've had additional charges of £95 on my latest bill for over usage of data. This seemed odd to me as I've never gone over on my account. After downloading the csv file available, I had a query on the supposed usage of data. For this particular month, there's the usual usage per day, a sensible 54.3 mb, or 95.8mb here and there (Seems reasonable in amount and that it's not rounded off) However, on some days such as 26/07/19, there's huge chunks of rounded data such as 700mb suddenly being spent. What is this? These do not exist on previous bills AND stop happening after I hit my cap for that month - These look extremely suspicious.

The process I've been through so far:

1) Spoke online in chat - It took over an hour for them to even understand the issue. Eventually they gave up trying to understand and booked me into the shop in Maidenhead, asking for my post code for my nearest shop.

I add they also kept insisting I close the chat pressing Ctrl + W. (I would assume this is so I can't have my say on the experience since the chat would close - Just awful)

I have saved the chatlog

2) I went into the shop at the allotted time - They had no record of a booking. They tried to help, but could not assist me above. They advised I call 191 for the billing department.

3) Called the billing department. Again, very difficult for them to understand the query. Like the other people I spoke to, I kept having additional charges explain to me, which I full well understand. I'm querying the usage, not charging.

After a lengthy time on the phone, not answering my question, he tried to upsell me more data to stop this from happening - absolutely disgraceful.

I would appreciate someone getting back to me as soon as possible - And I could really do with someone understanding the basic premise that I'm trying to understand what these suspicious large chunks of data are, referenced above.

"

[hrym]

Your phone will have a data monitor.  Exaclty where this is located varies by type, but start with the data menu in Settings.   On Android devices you can also add a shortcut to one of the homescreens so that you can access it easily and monitor it regularly.   You can also put a data cap on your account (via the My Vodafone app, your online account or Customer Services).

The data monitor retains historic records (not sure how far back), so you'll be able to go through and see which app or process is responsible.  Typically, it can be app updates or news apps that update themselves too frequently.  Both can be limited to wifi (in their respecdtive settings0 only to preserve your mobile data allowance.

I doubt the ombudsman will be able to help you unless you can definitely prove that you haven't used data, although it's pretty much a certainly that you have, just unknowingly in background.

[katress77]

This is currently happening to me. How did you sort it?

[Rockybl]

That's because Vodafone are a set of scammers and thieves. They used to charge me for when I had never used my phone when I had pay as you go 1. It happened numerous times. Then they disconnected my number 2 weeks after l had used my phone. Definitely a scam going on. It's time that they were exposed for what they are doing.