Does anyone else find that trying to talk to Vodafone about account issues is like banging your head against a brick wall?

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Does anyone else find that trying to talk to Vodafone about account issues is like banging your head against a brick wall?

carlypalmer

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

#12897 12-Apr-2007 13:34

Hi! I've been lurking around here for a bit, particularly when I got a new laptop and was looking for hints as to what wireless service provider to go with. I started with Woosh (for 4 days - coverage was terrible) and am now using Vodem.

That's where the problems start.

I just got my first bill.... and discovered it was for $690! I am very aware that the per-MB charge is punishing so was carefully monitoring usage, so was totally stunned when I got the bill. Turns out that when I bought the Vodem I wasn't told that I would only get a portion of a gig for the first few days until my billing cycle started... I thought I had 2 GBs to play with so went to town...

Not only was that a bad mistake on their part, but I was charged the full monthly fee as if I was on no-term contract.... and thay inaccurately stated that over-charge was 1c per 10KB (which is about double the quoted 50c/MB... I was going to call them on that too until I did the math and realised that the charge rate was actually 50c/MB, but the bill just states the wrong values).

On top of all that, there is an equally ridiculous bil of $325 for my Dad's mobile connect card which I used before I got Vodem. Turns out that because that was bought before their "3B Mobile Broadband" thingy went live, the $10 insurance bundle wasn't available. Problem was that I had been specifically told that it was when I first started using it.

If I wasn't frustrated enough, trying to get it through to the people on the Vodafone help desk is total agony. There are a couple of different passwords on the accounts (because somehow they couldn't put all the different things on one account) and I will give the passwords in one order one day and find out they are "incorrect" the next. The people seem totally ignorant to the point you are trying to convey and despite two 25 min phone calls on two days we're still no closer to resolving any of the issues.

Final point of my rant: turns out that you can't put a cap on the account so that it doesn't rack up exhorbitant costs after the insurance bundle runs out. Mighty convenient for them, isn't it?

Apologies for all this raving... but I really needed to let off steam!

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#66922 12-Apr-2007 13:48

Go back to the place you bought it from, they stuffed up by giving you wrong information.

johnr

19282 posts

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#66941 12-Apr-2007 17:06

What store gave you those prices

For the 3meg plan your father should have advised you it was on this plan Vodafone have no control over this bit

The $10 double up is only for the 200meg and the 1gig plan and thats it.

and the PWs changing I find very difficult I have had the same PW since 1999

And a credit limit can be placed on all accounts they are a guide line ONLY thats why Vodafone provide manage your account and you can view data usage!

carlypalmer

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

#66942 12-Apr-2007 17:18

johnr: What store gave you those prices

For the 3meg plan your father should have advised you it was on this plan Vodafone have no control over this bit

The $10 double up is only for the 200meg and the 1gig plan and thats it.

and the PWs changing I find very difficult I have had the same PW since 1999

And a credit limit can be placed on all accounts they are a guide line ONLY thats why Vodafone provide manage your account and you can view data usage!

For the first bit, not sure what 3meg plan you're talking about... but my dad nad never used the connect card thing so when I started to use it I rang Vodafone and asked what plan it was on and whether the insurance bundle applied... I was told that I was on the 1GB plan, that i had used 100MB and that yes the $10 insurance thing applied. Only it turns out that because it was bought before VF's "broadband 3G" it apparently does not.

As for the credit limit... the person I spoke to talked to a "higher power" (one of many long holds) and was informed that they cannot put credit limits on 3G broadband accounts. Safe to say I was none too impressed.

johnr

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#66943 12-Apr-2007 17:21

Confusion over 3B instead of 3G sorry

They can put a Credit limit on any account (on Account)

On bill cycle date the following months charges for the pricing plan is put on then. So this will always make the bill look bigger but pricing plans are paid in advance and charges in arrears.

If you see error 619 there is a good chance you have gone over your Credit limit

John

johnr

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#66944 12-Apr-2007 17:41

Few further pointers

Credit limits go on the account side of things

So if you have one account number and many connections under that one account number if credit limit is reached it will affect all connections under that one account number

(hope this makes sense)

John

crichton

111 posts

Master Geek

#67075 13-Apr-2007 23:24

"Does anyone else find that trying to talk to Vodafone about account issues is like banging your head against a brick wall?"
Yes! Over several years my 021 phones have worked very well and I'm well satisfied with that aspect, but whenever I need to contact Vodafone, life becomes very difficult. They send anonymous text message threatening to cut off the phone, but they aren't capable of accepting return text message questioning their incorrect decision. They attached a new owner name to my prepay phone and couldn't find out how/why and couldn't remove it. That meant they addressed invoices to that stranger but texted me about not having paid the invoices! I wrote a somewhat formal and detailed letter on December 6 last year and have not received any written response - only a brief phone call about part of the problem. Yes, trying to contact them about account issues is definitely brick wall country!

richms

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#67367 17-Apr-2007 15:33

Yes, this reminds me of some time back trying to get them to add the 1 gig data plan to an on account so I could use it while out of town, they didn't do it, so it was billed at the casual rate till it hit the credit limit and I could no longer call people. They dicked around and put on hold for so long it wasn't funny.

Then they didn't remove the 1 gig plan even tho it was supposed to have being removed after a month. Again, getting a reversal was like blood from a stone or similar.

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

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NZtechfreak

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#67375 17-Apr-2007 16:20

Yes, there is a brick wall out there with flecks of my grey-matter on it after I spoke with Vodafone a short while ago.

I was updating to SIM2 (yes, I know, unbelievably late and all that) and I phone them to get my account PIN number, that being the one I set like over 7 years ago. . . they won't give it. I answer all their security questions, giving them the PIN number for my credit card top-up and so forth, and they still won't give it. They then give me a 4 digit 'default' PIN, when the default PIN should be 5 digits according to the people in front of me (who try the 4 digit PIN, its rejected). Eventually I am able to talk them into resetting my PIN and its all good. Up until then though it was infuriating. All my questions kept getting the same answer, even when I prefaced my questions with valid objections to the bollocks I've just been told. I'm an exceptionally patient person generally, but I only got any action here by being pushy. . . needless to say I was very disappointed with the service received.

Of course the people physically updating my card procede to lose all my contacts during the update, just to complete the experience.

I've been a loyal Vodafone customer for years, but through that time I've never really needed them to do anything for me, and the first time I do their service is awful. I'm very pleased that I'm purchasing a non-branded N95, I will enjoy every second of my free VOiP calling. . .

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

lokinz

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#67426 17-Apr-2007 21:22

I hardly think you forgetting your password is Vodafone's fault.

NZtechfreak

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#67435 17-Apr-2007 22:00

Of course not, but when I offer all the correct proof of ID answers, them continuing to refuse to sort it out is - unless there is something I'm missing?

It also doesn't change the fact that they continued to give me incorrect information when they were eventually trying to sort it out either, or that they then lost my contacts. . .

The fact the 7 years has elapsed also goes a way to exonerating me in my eyes also. . .

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

lokinz

298 posts

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#67441 17-Apr-2007 22:17

It is policy that the PIN is not given out.

In all my years working on the front line I never once lost a customers contacts, I'm sorry to here you had to deal with incompatance but that to is hardly Vodafone's fault (unless it was an actual Vodafone Retail Store)

NZtechfreak

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#67466 18-Apr-2007 07:27

Yes, thats the company line they kept plugging, the thing is I actually offered far more in depth proof of identity than merely supplying the PIN.

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Nightwyrm

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#67474 18-Apr-2007 08:41

Try changing your account name for any reason. I had to battle with them to correct my account name after they misspelt it ("we need proof that's your name").

Post-geek, opinionated mediaphile, and natural born cynic. Jack of all genres, master of none.

alasta

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#67478 18-Apr-2007 09:53

lugh: Try changing your account name for any reason. I had to battle with them to correct my account name after they misspelt it ("we need proof that's your name").

When I set up my Vodafone account 18 months ago, I filled out the form correctly but the clown at the Vodafone outlet appears to have misspelt my name when he entered it into the system. I keep thinking that I should correct it, but haven't bothered to do so because I figured that it would probably be a huge hassle.

lokinz

298 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#67491 18-Apr-2007 10:59

It appears you all think that people that work in these big corporations should all be 100% perfect 100% of the time, you show no lenience at all, kinda makes me want to start a new thread "Does anyone else find that reading a thread on GZ is like banging your head against a brick wall?"

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