Vodafone Liability = No Compensation

[JoannaEwuosho]

So here's my "I'm highly disappointed in Vodafone and will probably not be continuing my contract after this year" story.

New customers, please read and reconsider joining Vodafone, if you haven't already.

Vodafone tech, maybe you can do something to salvage the reputation of this phone company in my opinion. 

So 2 days ago, Vodafone called me and asked if I was interested in an early upgrade. I said sure, why not?

I've been with Vodafone for about 10 years and had no interest in leaving (before now) so, cool.

This time round, I chose the iPhone 5c and it was sent to me first thing the next day (yesterday).

Great.

Got the phone, but my Galaxy S3 sim didn't fit, of course.

I went to my local Vodafone store (20 minutes away) to get a nano sim and secure a sim swap.

Fab.

About 4 hours later, my new sim still wasn't working - i.e. I couldn't make/receive calls or texts.

So I call up Vodafone and asked what the problem was, the man on the phone told me to remove the new sim from the iPhone and "pop it back in". 

Before I did this, I asked the Vodafone employee over the phone how to put the sim back in (because I'm new to the iPhone and didn't know how the whole slider thing worked). He told me, "put the sim in first and then put the slider in".

I did.

The sim got stuck and was wedged inside.

I told him.

"The sim is stuck in the phone and the phone is still saying 'sim not activated'".

He said, "take it back to Vodafone, they'll sort it out."

So I did.

Another 20 minute drive to Vodafone (I live in a village) and the employees there tell me there's nothing they can do. I must either pay £190 for them to try to take out the sim, or head over to an Apple store (nearest Genius Bar is 90 minutes from me) who could probably do it for free. 

I was confused. 

I'm 2 days into my "14-day return" guarantee, and Vodafone is telling me there's nothing they can do about a problem they indirectly caused through bad advice from their employee. I wonder, if the sim was wedged in by their own hands, would they still be turning the responsbility back on me? Probably not.

In any case, I got home, called up again and asked to speak to management, twice. The employees refused to let me speak to a manager, claiming they were "out" - at 3pm on a weekday??

So, where am I now?

I've been left to deal with the situation myself, with no compensation.

And until I get compensation, I'll be spreading the word about a company who takes no responsibility for their own liability, and leaves their loyal paying customers to deal with issues themselves just because it is "outside warantee" - even though it's well within the 14 days.

Disappointed isn't even the word.

But if I get compensated, or at least better treatment, I'll be back to say so.

I don't believe in unfair reviews. Just the truth. 

[jeffkinn]

I'm confused. You wedged the sim in your new phone and yet somehow you're blaming Vodafone? How does that work? If you weren't sure how to insert the sim card you should have looked at a manual or watched a YouTube video or consulted one of the several zillion websites that no doubt exist to show you how to do this.

If there is a problem with this I'm afraid you have to take responsibility for it. Your best option is to take the phone to an Apple store and get a Genius to look at it.

[JoannaEwuosho]

Maybe you didn't read.

I was on the phone to a Vodafone employee and was being instructed.

He told me how to take out the sim slider and how to put it back in.

It was under such instructions that the problem occured.

If I was merely playing with the phone without seeking help, I wouldn't have anyone to blame but myself.

I made it clear to the employee I wasn't sure what I was doing, and he made it clear that he was sure.

Mistakes happen, and that's not my point.

My point is that simply because the mistake happened through my following of emplyee instructions and not directly by the Vodafone employee, I've been the one who had to deal with it.

And this is not what customer support is about.

[jeffkinn]

I read exactly what you wrote. You put the sim in the phone and no one can be blamed for that other than you - it doesn't matter what was or wasn't said. 

Customer service doesn't include paying for something that you did yourself - that's customer damage and as such is not a warranty issue.

[JoannaEwuosho]

Haha.

Well if you're some kind of representation for Vodafone, then good luck to everyone else.

[jeffkinn]

We don't represent Vodafone - we are customers just like you with no connection to Vodafone.

[AnnS]

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@JoannaEwuosho wrote:

Haha.

Well if you're some kind of representation for Vodafone, then good luck to everyone else.

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As fellow customers what you did was just plain silly.

What did you think when the SIM came out of the SIM tray ?   Obviously the SIM goes back the same way as it came out.

If you were having problems, you should have gone straight back to the store.

[Hartluck]

I think Joanna has a valid point as VF talked her through there is liability.

[AnnS]

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@Hartluck wrote:

I think Joanna has a valid point as VF talked her through there is liability.

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Rubbish.

If you read her post, she was told to 'put the sim in first and then put the slider in'.  Obviously the SIM clips back into the holder first.

If she was in doubt, there is the instruction manual, plus plenty of other information available online.  Presumably, she did refer to the manual  before even attempting to use the phone.  

[Hartluck]

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@AnnS wrote:

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@Hartluck wrote:

I think Joanna has a valid point as VF talked her through there is liability.

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Rubbish.

If you read her post, she was told to 'put the sim in first and then put the slider in'.  Obviously the SIM clips back into the holder first.

If she was in doubt, there is the instruction manual, plus plenty of other information available online.  Presumably, she did refer to the manual  before even attempting to use the phone.  

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Excuse me, but please do not adress me with scorn. She was talked through on the phone if necessary an email with tips would do or refer to Apple.