Overpaid my account which has been closed

Forums › Vodafone New Zealand › Overpaid my account which has been closed

k1w33d

138 posts

Master Geek

Topic # 214581 18-May-2017 18:28

Hi there,

Can anyone help me to get reimbursed some money which I have overpaid to Vodafone after closing my account? I switched providers so paid the outstanding balance straight away but forgot to cancel the automatic payments I had set up. I am unable to log into my Vodafone account as it looks like it has been closed. If possible I would like to get this sorted out without having to talk to someone on the phone as I get anxious talking to people.

Thanks.

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Reply # 1784408 18-May-2017 18:46

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Send them an email? http://www.vodafone.co.nz/contact/form/

teamyoyo

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Reply # 1784508 18-May-2017 23:47

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I tried to do this when I closed my internet account. I made 3 calls. Each time the call center didn't know how to do it so they said they'ed make a note in my account and get someone to call me. Never received any calls back and when I called back there was no note in my account. Emailed twice and got a reply back saying they'ed contact me in 48 hours - never happened. The most annoying part was I kept getting invoices for my positive balance. I eventually contacted Vodafone John here on Geekzone and he was able to get the problem fixed in a couple of days. The hassle of dealing with Vodafone is why I left them.

Dunnersfella

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Reply # 1784531 19-May-2017 06:57

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I'm in the same boat, owed just under $100 and I still get the e-mails.

I wonder if I'll ever go back to Vodafone and be pleasantly surprised by my account balance?

Jaxar

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Reply # 1784587 19-May-2017 08:53

It's been a long time since I've been remotely involved with the email team but my guess is this sort of query is right up their alley.

If I were in your shoes knowing what I know from my time at VF I'd go through them.

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/contact/form/

I would not expect an instant result because they themselves can't do that sort of refund they will have to contact the appropriate people to process it. I also don't know what details they would need off the top of my head. Sorry its been too long since I've answered that type of question.

Please note: I have a professional bias towards Vodafone.

solutionz

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Reply # 1784590 19-May-2017 09:01

Similar experience here; except didn't actively over pay, they simply stole $150 out of my bank account a month after my VF account was terminated (as direct debit was used to pay).

Called multiple times to CS, waited hours on the phone only to be told someone would call back etc etc.

Unfortunately wasn't worth my time / the hassle to pursue.

Linux

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Reply # 1784594 19-May-2017 09:11

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No business is going to steal money from any back account, If they did you could lay a police complaint for a start

You must of given Vodafone authority to debit the bank account at some point

Linux

marlinz

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Reply # 1784603 19-May-2017 09:47

k1w33d:

Hi there,

Can anyone help me to get reimbursed some money which I have overpaid to Vodafone after closing my account? I switched providers so paid the outstanding balance straight away but forgot to cancel the automatic payments I had set up. I am unable to log into my Vodafone account as it looks like it has been closed. If possible I would like to get this sorted out without having to talk to someone on the phone as I get anxious talking to people.

Thanks.

I had the same problem when i closed my paradise account a while back.

It took a lot of emails but it eventually got refunded , they seem to take it easily but have trouble giving it back

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Geektastic

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Reply # 1784604 19-May-2017 09:47

Do direct debits in NZ not have the same guarantee they do in the UK? Would solve many problems like this if they do.

The Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits
If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit the organisation will notify you (normally 10 working days) in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request the organisation to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request
If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society
- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when the organisation asks you to
You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify the organisation.

solutionz

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Reply # 1784618 19-May-2017 10:21

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Linux:

No business is going to steal money from any back account, If they did you could lay a police complaint for a start

You must of given Vodafone authority to debit the bank account at some point

Umm.. I'd like to live in that world where crime doesn't exist but reality says otherwise..

As I clearly stated DD was setup however doesn't give them the right to continue debiting after the contract is terminated.

Obviously this case resulted more from their incompetence in their billing rather than purely dishonestly however VF are well known for their dodgy practices and by continuing to get the run around by staff whether maliciously or not the basic ingredients of theft are there (in at least a moral if not a strictly legal sense); taking something that doesn't belong to you and refusing to give it back.

Lets face it - unethical businesses and staff know that if you make it hard enough a significant number of people will eventually give up; as in my case, and the reality evidenced by the OP and testimonies above.

Geektastic:

Do direct debits in NZ not have the same guarantee they do in the UK?

No, worse still even if you cancel the authority with your bank in many cases the company can keep re-enabling it.

All of which is why DD is a terrible way to pay; CC offers by far the most protection and simplest method of payment reversal.

Geektastic

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Reply # 1784660 19-May-2017 11:05

solutionz:

Linux:

No business is going to steal money from any back account, If they did you could lay a police complaint for a start

You must of given Vodafone authority to debit the bank account at some point

Umm.. I'd like to live in that world where crime doesn't exist but reality says otherwise..

As I clearly stated DD was setup however doesn't give them the right to continue debiting after the contract is terminated.

Obviously this case resulted more from their incompetence in their billing rather than purely dishonestly however VF are well known for their dodgy practices and by continuing to get the run around by staff whether maliciously or not the basic ingredients of theft are there (in at least a moral if not a strictly legal sense); taking something that doesn't belong to you and refusing to give it back.

Lets face it - unethical businesses and staff know that if you make it hard enough a significant number of people will eventually give up; as in my case, and the reality evidenced by the OP and testimonies above.

Geektastic:

Do direct debits in NZ not have the same guarantee they do in the UK?

No, worse still even if you cancel the authority with your bank in many cases the company can keep re-enabling it.

All of which is why DD is a terrible way to pay; CC offers by far the most protection and simplest method of payment reversal.

I wonder why they don't protect the customer better? Seems fairly simple to adopt the same best practice here, I would think.

MikeB4

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Reply # 1784661 19-May-2017 11:13

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Geektastic:

solutionz:

Linux:

No business is going to steal money from any back account, If they did you could lay a police complaint for a start

You must of given Vodafone authority to debit the bank account at some point

Umm.. I'd like to live in that world where crime doesn't exist but reality says otherwise..

As I clearly stated DD was setup however doesn't give them the right to continue debiting after the contract is terminated.

Obviously this case resulted more from their incompetence in their billing rather than purely dishonestly however VF are well known for their dodgy practices and by continuing to get the run around by staff whether maliciously or not the basic ingredients of theft are there (in at least a moral if not a strictly legal sense); taking something that doesn't belong to you and refusing to give it back.

Lets face it - unethical businesses and staff know that if you make it hard enough a significant number of people will eventually give up; as in my case, and the reality evidenced by the OP and testimonies above.

Geektastic:

Do direct debits in NZ not have the same guarantee they do in the UK?

No, worse still even if you cancel the authority with your bank in many cases the company can keep re-enabling it.

All of which is why DD is a terrible way to pay; CC offers by far the most protection and simplest method of payment reversal.

I wonder why they don't protect the customer better? Seems fairly simple to adopt the same best practice here, I would think.

It's for these reasons I refuse to have direct debits. If a company insists on it they do not get my business.

Mike
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The views stated in my posts are my personal views and not that of any other organisation.

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cadman

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Reply # 1784676 19-May-2017 11:34

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I don't think blatant incompetence meets the criteria of intent for the purposes of determining that could be considered theft.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
- John Stuart Mill

quickymart

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Reply # 1784915 19-May-2017 18:40

I suspect while your service was stopped, the billing was not at the same time (left hand doesn't know what the right is doing).

blakamin

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Reply # 1784921 19-May-2017 19:06

Contact your bank, it might take a month, but they'll find the money.

dejadeadnz

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Reply # 1784978 20-May-2017 00:42

In my experience, when things go wrong with Vodafone, they go catastrophically wrong and most interactions with their CSRs are the equivalent of trying to have an intelligent conversation with a dumb cat. The one method that generally gets me results is to post a very stern but factual post on their Facebook wall and thoroughly shame them. This usually leads to pretty quick action.

If all else fails, their CEO and senior management's e-mails are available here. On another note, I'd love to know who was the muppet that decided heads of business units/GMs would be called "Directors". Did this idiot not study business 101? The concept of a director and what this properly denotes in normal usage is so well-known that anyone over 20 years old with an IQ over 100 shouldn't get pretentious and reinvent the wheel but ultimately only invite the laughter of everyone else.

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