Vodafone

Are all mobile companies created equal?
I am one of those rare customers who will research and go for best deals, perhaps bowing to my Chinese Thrift Gene DNA mixed in with good value for money instincts
Over the years, I’ve been with Orange and O2 for my mobile phone needs but the kind generosity of my ex girlfriend in getting me a staff discount with Vodafone persuaded me to change to Vodafone when they started offering the iPhone
Unfortunately, to her embarrassment, my experience with them has been less than stellar. I had always viewed Vodafone as being more expensive and targetting the business community with the tradeoff of more expensive tariffs but better coverage and service
My troubles started literally from day one and I think in those first few monhs, I must have become on first name terms with the Vodafone complaints department, which to be fair, were always courteous and helpful. If only they could get the rest of their business to run with that level of efficiency and pride in their work they’d be onto a winner
My problem began when they couldn’t connect my phone to their network on the day they started billing me (I was porting my old phone number over from O2). On ringing their customer service department up, they said they were having problems with the iPhone connections for new customers. And that’s all they said. No apology. No explanation. No estimate of when they’d be able to do it. When I asked for a rough time frame as in whether it would be hours, days or weeks, they said that they couldn’t say. When I asked if they wouldn’t bill me until I was properly connected, they it wasn’t their problem
Then came the horror show of my billing. Firstly, having been expressedly asked and my emphatically declining insurance on my phone, yet, it appeared on my first bill. They kept billing me with the wrong amount and it took 4 months before they got it right
Having just returned from the States where my iPhone was limited to 2G speeds on the prepaid plan I picked up on holiday, I’ve come to realise how slow English networks are (including Vodafone). Our 3G is only a tiny bit faster than their 2G speeds. Disgraceful
Their network coverage is nno better than the cheaper networks with gaps in 3G cover in big towns in Surrey. Ironically, the service was poor in Newbury where Vodafone’s global HQ is located
Their website and app was really user-​unfriendly and slow though the latest versions in the last few months have improved things
Lastly, I’m not too impressed by Vodafone paying no UK tax last year. While they may not be breaking the letter of the law, they are certainly breaking the spirit of the law. If you have UK customers and trade over here, please pay the appropriate level of tax
Fortunately, my contract has now expired and I’ll be going back to Orange or to T Mobile with their 4G network

Note: This review involves a story that covers 2 Vodafone locations, the first of which was in the Brunswick’s location, and the second in the Oxford Circus location.
I’d heard good things about Vodafone, so I chose them as my carrier. I originally purchased a HTC Explorer phone in Vodafone’s Brunswick store on the 31 May. I soon began having second thoughts, so I returned to the store the following Thursday 7 June, hoping to exchange for the identically priced Galaxy Mini. It was towards the end of the day when I arrived (about 5:55, & the store closes at 6– I know, cutting it close), and they said they were out of stock for the Mini, but I could come back the next day. I hesitated, and voiced my concerns that it had already been 7 days, and the manager (whose name, according to my receipt, states that I «have been served by Chi») assured me that it was based on 7 –WORK– days, not calendar days, so I was actually on day 3, rather than 7 due to the weekend and the jubilee bank holidays being cut out. I mentioned that I would be traveling outside the country over for the weekend and asked if I could come back the following week, and was told that I could. I got a sensation that I was being rushed (it was about 6:05 at this point), but had been assured that I could return the following week, so I left less-​than satisfied.
I returned the following Wednesday 13 June to find the store under construction with a sign that said, «This store will be closed from 10 June and will reopen on 20 June». Irritated that I’d been assured that I could come back the following week, only to find the store inaccessible the following week, I searched for the nearest –open– Vodafone store and found the Oxford Circus store.
After walking a mile to Oxford Circus, I was told that it would be impossible to return my phone because it was the 13 June and the phone had been purchased the 31 May, so it was 6 calendar days overdue. I mentioned that the other store manager had told me that it was based on business days, not calendar days, and he told me, «I’m sorry, but he gave you the wrong information» and led me to use the phone in the corner of the store to contact customer services. After explaining the above and being rerouted twice, I was told that her department only covered online purchases, which IS 7 working days, so she could not do anything to help me, but advised me to ask to speak with the store manager, and if that didn’t help, to contact the area manager and explain my situation. She was the most sympathetic out of anyone I have dealt with, though not much help. I thanked her for her help regardless, & got off the phone with her.
I returned to the store manager (who, as it turned out, was the original man I had spoken with in the store, who had brought me to the phone) and he said that the 7-​business day situation only applies online. He then said, «look, I can scan it (to try to return it) if it’ll make you happy, but it’s going to come up and say that I can’t return it because it’s been over 7 days». After a few more minutes of frustrated-​but-​polite dialogue, he finally scanned it and showed me that it said that in order to override the block on returning it, he would have to call a number on the screen and «give them proof that it was purchased 7 days or less ago». He said he couldn’t do that because it wasn’t within 7 days of the purchase. I asked, «isn’t that the whole issue here? What counts as 7 days? Calendar days or business days». However, he still didn’t call and informed me that that he wished he could help, but felt he would be risking his job if he tried to do the exchange. I left, both of us (likely) frustrated (I know I was).
When I returned home, I did a bit of research on the Vodafone website. The website, linked below, stated the following:
” If you’ve changed your mind and:
You bought your product from the Vodafone online store, telesales OR RETAIL stores —
You have within 7 working days (counted from the day after you receive your product from us) to ask us to exchange your product or to cancel your agreement and have a refund. A working day is Monday to Friday and DOESN’T INCLUDE weekends or UK Bank and Public Holidays.“
The Vodafone website therefore confirmed what the Original store manager from the Brunswick had said: it counts as 7 BUSINESS days, NOT CALENDAR days. That there could be such confusion and just plain wrong information given to customers boggles my mind. Also, the manager was resistant to even scan the HTC box («I know it’s going to refuse») because he knew that it would refuse it and would require a call, which would «require [his] proving that it was purchased 7 days ago.» I mentioned that it WAS within 7 business days, that Wednesday 13 June being Business Day #7, he still refused to call, arguing that it was calendar days, not business days. A simple web check on his own company’s website would have proven this manager’s theory wrong, but this simply didn’t happen.