Is Vodafone really that incompetent?

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › Is Vodafone really that incompetent?

eph

187 posts

Master Geek

#175456 30-Jun-2015 15:30

Hi,

Just want to share my latest difficulties with this provider so it might warn other users. I've noticed few days ago by accident that Vodafone silently doubled the prices for additional broadband data. I wasn't very happy about that and since my contract expired few days ago I've decided to jump the Vodafone ship. Called support on Sat, ask them to terminate my account at the end of the month. So far so good.

Yesterday I got message from my new ISP that Vodafone requested my line to be disconnected and I should contact them to cancel that request otherwise the transfer would take much longer. So I tried to do just that yesterday, after spending an hour on the phone talking to various people, getting transferred and waiting again, repeating the same answers I got told to call retention team. The team was of course home already, the person refused to give me contact details for anybody in the team - I think it gives them pleasure just to have people waiting. I've also raised online ticket with Vodafone (nobody has responded to that one yet), asked the community (again no response).

This morning I tried again - after few more tries on the phone talking to various teams I got nowhere. The first line support just got no clue whatsoever, either they thought I wanted to cancel my account termination request or just didn't understand what I wanted. So I called my new ISP for help - they recommended to contact the provisioning team directly. Ok, another round of waiting and answering same useless questions. They've refused to transfer me to provisioning team (against their policy) but of course nobody would help me. In the end I got so pissed that I asked to be transferred to his supervisor. After another round of waiting I got to the billing supervisor and finally somebody who knew what I was talking about. She assured me that the work order will be cancelled. I've asked her again please make sure that that request will get cancelled. I was assured again. Happy!

Sure enough a while ago internet disappeared (they didn't even have the decency to wait till end of the month as agreed). Contacted my new ISP who confirmed that the line was indeed disconnected. Now I will have to wait for Chorus to reconnect the line again which likely won't be this week... VERY angry.

Incompetence or purpose? Scorched earth policy? I don't get it.

Thanks for listening.

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2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1334211 30-Jun-2015 15:34

My bet would be on a lot of manual systems that are different for different customer segments and that complexity along with a desire to help has led to simple human error.

That doesn't help you much but at least now with your service disconnected you can move on and your new ISP can connect you (once Chorus close the work order but that's another story).

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1334246 30-Jun-2015 15:54

Hi @eph

Can you advise more on this ' doubled the prices for additional broadband data ' ?

If you call to terminate an account / connection this will put an order on the line, You should only deal with the GSP (Gaining Service Provider) not LSP (Losing Service Provider) as this confuses matters, Which has happened in this case

If you needed more data why did not just move to an unlimted plan? If I can help further to make this easier for you then please click on my user name and DM some details

Thanks

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
79288 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#1334251 30-Jun-2015 15:56

On the other hand one should not ask to terminate an account as the processes in place will basically disconnect the line.

One should always sign up for a new ISP and let it deal with that.

The processes are not Vodafone's only, but that of the network provider.

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek

#1334260 30-Jun-2015 16:03

freitasm: On the other hand one should not ask to terminate an account as the processes in place will basically disconnect the line.

One should always sign up for a new ISP and let it deal with that.

The processes are not Vodafone's only, but that of the network provider.

yes, although to be fair the customer would not know that.

One would hope that an ISP would have process in place whereby if a customer requests a disconnection, the rep is trained to immediately ask something like
"are you moving to another ISP, or just wanting to leave Vodafone"

then if the customer says they are moving to another ISP, the VF rep can then say "ok, wait until you get your confirmed date back from your new ISP, then let us have that. If we place a disconnection first, it can cause significant delays in your move"

jonathan18

7413 posts

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#1334261 30-Jun-2015 16:03

In direct reply to the title of this thread: yes.

Similarly, I've been doing battle with Vodafone over the past few weeks, but in this case it's over transitioning my parents' account from one house to another. The number of calls, the hours spent, the different and contradictory responses, the promised call-backs that have never made etc etc etc. I've now been told they can't begin logging a request for the phone/internet to be transferred to the new address until the current residents depart and the line is free. So my parents will need to wait up to 10 working days AFTER moving into the house before phone/internet can be connected. With other telcos I've never had to wait to wait until the current residents depart before being able to make a request for the transition of my account - it's always been booked in prior, on the knowledge it was going to be free by a given date, and connection sorted on the day of moving in.

If my parents hadn't signed up for fibre at their last place they'd not have had to 'break' their contract upon moving, therefore wouldn't have had to sign on for another year just to recover the $200 break fee - if that hadn't been the case, there's NO WAY I'd have let them stay with such an incompetent outfit. At the end of that year they'll be departing...

Sorry for the thread hijack, but I just needed to vent!

eph

187 posts

Master Geek

#1334264 30-Jun-2015 16:06

Well John, from your reply I can see that I did the right decision. Better to accuse the customer than to fix the issues.
As for your question - additional data was 1$/GB last time I paid for it, now it's 2$. Thanks for your suggestion, I am actually going for unlimited plan now.

Mauricio, I'm sure you are correct but I didn't know that (never had this issue before). The person I was talking to about account termination didn't suggest I should talk to my new ISP first even if it was obvious that I'm transferring to new provider.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
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#1334265 30-Jun-2015 16:06

NonprayingMantis:
freitasm: On the other hand one should not ask to terminate an account as the processes in place will basically disconnect the line.

One should always sign up for a new ISP and let it deal with that.

The processes are not Vodafone's only, but that of the network provider.

yes, although to be fair the customer would not know that.

One would hope that an ISP would have process in place whereby if a customer requests a disconnection, the rep is trained to immediately ask something like
"are you moving to another ISP, or just wanting to leave Vodafone"

then if the customer says they are moving to another ISP, the VF rep can then say "ok, wait until you get your confirmed date back from your new ISP, then let us have that. If we place a disconnection first, it can cause significant delays in your move"

Is there ANY ISP doing this?

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johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1334268 30-Jun-2015 16:09

eph: Well John, from your reply I can see that I did the right decision. Better to accuse the customer than to fix the issues.

I did not accuse you of anything and I offered to help in my reply above

' If I can help further to make this easier for you then please click on my user name and DM some details '

graemeh

2078 posts

Uber Geek

#1334270 30-Jun-2015 16:10

freitasm:
NonprayingMantis:
freitasm: On the other hand one should not ask to terminate an account as the processes in place will basically disconnect the line.

One should always sign up for a new ISP and let it deal with that.

The processes are not Vodafone's only, but that of the network provider.

yes, although to be fair the customer would not know that.

One would hope that an ISP would have process in place whereby if a customer requests a disconnection, the rep is trained to immediately ask something like
"are you moving to another ISP, or just wanting to leave Vodafone"

then if the customer says they are moving to another ISP, the VF rep can then say "ok, wait until you get your confirmed date back from your new ISP, then let us have that. If we place a disconnection first, it can cause significant delays in your move"

Is there ANY ISP doing this?

They should all do it.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1334272 30-Jun-2015 16:13

@eph my offer still stands if you would like anything checked then please let me know

eph

187 posts

Master Geek

#1334281 30-Jun-2015 16:22

Hi John, sorry I guess I missed the offer?

Was it the suggestion to move to unlimited plan? I didn't really want to pay more for the internet of course.

Since the line has been disconnected it's too late to do anything really.

Thanks for your input though

dylanp

840 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1334317 30-Jun-2015 16:49

jonathan18: ... transitioning my parents' account from one house to another. ... they can't begin logging a request for the phone/internet to be transferred to the new address until the current residents depart and the line is free. ...

Best to wait until the current residents have arranged their relocation, then when we put through the relocation for your parents we will see the disconnect order lined up against the existing connection at that address, which will make it clear that one service is leaving and another is going in, instead of a service being relocated to an address with existing services, which might be going in as an additional line.

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1334549 1-Jul-2015 05:49

then if the customer says they are moving to another ISP, the VF rep can then say "ok, wait until you get your confirmed date back from your new ISP, then let us have that. If we place a disconnection first, it can cause significant delays in your move"

Sorry for the spam but did anyone else read this in an Indian accent?

quickymart

13957 posts

Uber Geek

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#1334554 1-Jul-2015 06:19

Um, no.

eph

187 posts

Master Geek

#1336118 2-Jul-2015 23:43

Guys, the story continues - just received invoice from Vodafone for period 1/7 - 31/7. Why am I not surprised... Actually I remember the first invoice they've sent me was grossly overcharged as well it was over 300$ or something. Took me quite a bit of time to sort that out as well.

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