Vodafone: Making the most of now(t)

So SMS Text News reader Funda has fallen through the cracks with Vodafone’s Customer Services.

She’s going nuts. As well all do, don’t we? I do.

Have a read of her slightly challenging experience:

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Being a mobile enthusiast and very much into my gadgets and technology in general, I often read articles talking about customer churn being one of the biggest challenges faced by mobile operators today…but apparently not Vodafone (well regarding myself at least).

I’ve been a customer (a loyal one at that) with Vodafone for around six years now and have never been tempted to switch to any other operators, despite attractive offerings such as the promise of a shiny new iPhone or a much more attractive contract from 3 UK. The fact is I am one of those customers that happily call up Vodafone at the end of my contract and sign-up for another 18 months.

That though is now all part of the past!

Like most of you, I have a monthly direct debit setup which ensures that I never miss or in fact worry about a single bill.

However, in early May I received a bill from Vodafone stating a due balance of over £200. Even for someone like me who loves chatting and texting, this seemed way too high to be possible and so the drama unfolds.

Upon calling customer services I am informed that my balance is a result of me not paying my bills between February and May. In the same breath I’m being told that the reason for this seems to be that my direct debit was canceled. Strange, I thought, as I wondered why after six years I would suddenly decide after 6 years to go rogue.

We proceed to discuss back and forth and Vodafone insists that it may be my bank which took the step to cancel my direct debit. Ok, so I’ve been with my bank for over eight years and this has never happened before.

I proceed to talk to my bank which guarantees me that the cancellation of the direct debit was carried out by Vodafone – I am given a reference number as well as a date for the cancellation.

A call back to Vodafone customer services armed with my bank’s reference and a few clicks on their mouse and I am told:

“We’re very sorry; it does seem to be a billing error on our part. It turns out that your bills between February and May have been billed to someone called Mrs Jones.” Apparently a distressed Mrs Jones had called a few days earlier after noticing her bills had shot up quite dramatically. Yes of course, she’s been paying my bills too!

I thought to myself – poor Mrs Jones whilst imagining an old lady who only uses her phone in an emergency. This is of course something that could happen – technology fails sometimes, right? So I ask for a resolution.

The options are simple: pay off the balance.

I protest and say that if I had £200 a month to spend on a mobile phone bill, why on earth would I be on a £40/month contract? I am passed around like an unwanted package until one department suggests setting up a payment plan spread over a few months. I’m fine with that. We work out a plan and I am told I will receive a new balance statement in the post.

A month later and still no written communication from Vodafone and my phone line is suspended, cut off, just like that. I call customer services and they explain that I haven’t paid my balance and therefore the service is now suspended. I explain the situation, we work out yet another payment plan and my suspension is lifted.

Guess what happened to me today, exactly one month later. Correct, I got cut off again.

Now I was really angry. I called customer services and having spoken to at least four agents, I’m back at square one. The payment plan and instalments have once again changed, the sums we are talking about have nothing to do with the ones I was quoted a month ago or even by the first customer agent I spoke to. I request a letter or email outlining my new payment plan and I’m then told that ‘this is not something Vodafone does’.

By this point I am really angry. I understand the challenges of telecoms billing but I cannot understand why I am being refused written information about balances I owe. I only want an e-mail and I can hear him clicking away on his mouse whilst he is talking to me.

I’m furious and a very unhappy customer to say the least.

I’m ready to leave Vodafone, after six years, and inform the agent this is my intention and to tell me the figure I will be left outstanding. I brace my self for a small fortune.

The reply? “I’m sorry; we don’t deal with cancellations in this department. You’ll have to call back into customer services.”

Does that sounds like the voice of a company that cares about customer churn? Not to me. Meanwhile, I still have an outstanding balance of course, and I am tied to this contract (on paper) until April 09. Back to billing. So one of the solutions I’m presented with is:

“If we suspend the service for three months we could use that time to get our billing system to simplify the payment plan and sort this out for you.” During this suspension I would of course not be able to use my phone, but was also surprised to still be paying my line rental. I can’t live without my phone, yet alone not have a phone and throw £40 a month away just to make Vodafone’s customer agent’s life a little easier.

I give up. I pay my outstanding balance for this month (and April) and start to dread the inevitable case of deja vous I will encounter this day next month.

Do you think if I click my heels three times and say “theres no place like Vodafone” I will wake up from this nightmare?

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Well Funda, I think all you need to do is click your heels three times and say the words ‘Forum Intervention Team’.

I feel like Jim’ll Fix It 😉

I talked to Gareth at Vodafone’s Forum Intervention Team. He and his colleagues are looking into the issue right now and will, I’ve no doubt, demonstrate to you why you should keep your Voda account. They’re an attentive crowd and usually ultra quick. Keep us updated, Funda?