Why do we not get a full legally compliant VAT invoice for our business account every month?

[busybee-20]

Why do we not get a full legally compliant VAT invoice for our business account every month? I have asked for this in several different months, including april 2020, Oct 2020, and have been told it would be sorted out and it has not been. I had to ask for back invoices and found Vodaphone can only supply 3 years, but we need 7 years for HMRC. 

[Josh]

@busybee-20 Is your Vodafone account registered as a Business account? Or is it a Consumer/Personal account that you need the details for, in conjuction with business use? 

[busybee-20]

Hi, thanks for your interest. It is a small business account, 5 phones, although we just acquired 2 extra data SIMS so now 7 shown on our account. We actually have two phones from other providers, and my own business phone is one of these. (Is there any reason why would a small business be treated differently to larger organisations? We have been trading and VAT registered for over 3 decades.)

[MarkD]

Hi @busybee-20, do you view or have access to the PDF copy of your bill each month? This should contain key information such as business name, registered address, invoice number and a breakdown of the charges with and without VAT. Mark 

[busybee-20]

Thanks for responding. Every month when I log in we can only see the top sheet, which clearly states page 1 of 4, but no other sheets are present. The top sheet is not by itself legally compliant as it does not give Vodafone's VAT registration number (besides the fact I want the full bill for other purposes). I cannot think of any good reason why they do not issue the bill up-front as required by all VAT registered businesses (and they know we are registered). The only way I have found to obtain the full bill is to phone or to go on online chat and request. I have been told several times they would change the account to give me full access to the bill, this has not happened. The only place I have found to raise this issue other than the chat, and phone, which have not been successful to date, is this forum. (I can also not think why it is that, given that all VAT registered companies must keep records for 7 years in case of HMRC inspection, Vodafone cannot supply full records, they only go back 3 years.)

[Evie]

Hey @busybee-20, thank you for the info! I would advise to contact us on social media including a link to this forum thread so you're not having to repeat yourself.

In regards to your bills and how far back we go to retrieve, this may depend on if you were moved from our old systems to our new systems a few years ago. We can investigate all of this via Facebook or Twitter 😊

Also be sure to include your mobile/account number in your private message to us!

[busybee-20]

Hi Evie, good to hear from you. However, I do not use either Facebook or Twitter. Really, phone or online chat with Vodaphone should have been enough to resolve the problems - having said which this problem simply should not exist in the first place if Vodaphone were fully compliant with the law!

I don't see why Vodaphone would participate in the promotion of these operations (known for monetarising personal data) instead of just looking after customers? I do use Trustpilot however, had not thought of posting about this there but that could be my next step.

So far I have used these methods of contact without getting any resolution: phone, online chat, this forum. This complaint has been running since April.

[hrym]

This is a weird one.  The top sheet should show the relevant VAT information and breakdown.   The rest - on my personal account - are just usage details for each number,

Most companies operate a customer service channel on social media these days and it's worth setting up an account even if only to engage with them.  Because the first contact is public, response is usually prompt.   Twitter is probably the most appropriate for occasional use such as this and you can make your account as private as you like.