I've cut my Vodafone expenditure by £2,500/year

So I finally managed to make the time to call Vodafone today.

I booked some time in my diary this evening. If you recall, a month or so ago, I walked into a Vodafone shop to try and sort out my various price plans but found out that you can now only do this online. The shops, it seems, are for *new* customers only. Or if you want an upgrade. If you want to simply change or re-organise your price-plan, call up.

Before I called, I spent 30 minutes going through my account online using the company’s (updated) online account system. I even put my Vodafone phone numbers, price plan details, contract length and do so on, into a spreadsheet. I also added in the spend from other accounts (T-Mobile, 3, o2) and discovered, to my horror, that I am committed to spend £376 every month.

I just didn’t think I was spending that much.

I have two lines on Vodafone (out of a total of 5) that have expired on their contracts. Normally I’d be thoroughly, thoroughly excited at the prospect of obtaining more ‘free’ handsets in return for extending commitment.

I’m just not feeling it, though.

I dialed 191 and got through Vodafone’s automated system. I wasn’t sure what option to choose. First of all, I wanted to remove one of the expired contracts. So I selected option 4 to discuss ‘leaving Vodafone’. Unfortunately, having called at 830pm, the automated system told me the staff had all gone home. If you want to discuss leaving, Vodafone is only open from 8am-6pm. Fair enough.

I called back again and selected a ‘change your price plan’ option. Annoyingly, I was told by the automated system that I could do this online. No you can’t. You can find out what price plan your lines are using. But you definitely can’t change it.

I got through to a lady and explained I wanted to reduce my main line — the +44 7769 658104 number — to a SIM-only £20 per month deal.

I expected some kind of ‘you what?’ from them, since I’ve regularly been blowing almost £200 on that line itself.

There were no issues. No comeback, no questions. It was sorted and approved from midnight tonight. Which means that from tomorrow, my main line will boast 600 ‘anytime minutes’ and unlimited texts each month. I added on data and the Blackberry service plan as well.

I felt strange. Two years ago I’d have felt emasculated at moving to a SIM-only deal. But my biggest issue is that, after spending roughly £5,000 on Vodafone over the last 18 months, I don’t really feel that valued.

I think I was pretty surprised that I’d been treated as a number. If you’re paying £10 a month via top-up, I think you deserve to be treated as a commodity. But if I’m spending stupid amounts on a personal account, I expect to get the time of day when I walk into a store. It was, after all, a total arse to have to make the time to do that.

In my spreadsheet activities, I also noticed another line that I’m not using. I was spending £45 on that each month so I moved that down to £11. The lady at Vodafone explained that if I wished to terminate the line, I needed to do that using their online form. Boring.

Fair enough.

I’ve done that.

A few years ago, as I said, I’d have been horrified at moving to SIM-only. There was, I felt, a degree of status to be had from being a ‘pay monthly’ customer.

Now, being contract looks stupid. It is stupid. Unless you’d like Vodafone to finance the purchase of your next handset (and let’s face it, there’s a big market out there), being a contract customer gets you next to no additional benefits.

I think I have finally got over my brand issue with Vodafone. It’s just a data pipe.

My next task is to sort out my lingering T-Mobile UK issues.

How are you getting on with your provider? Are you paying stupid amounts or have you got it all sorted for £20 a month?