Why mobile companies suck AKA vodafone are a bunch of dicks
I lost my Vodafone dongle last week and decided I had better replace it and report it, strolled into Vodafone Oliver Plunkett St in Cork and stood around for 55 minutes on Friday awaiting someone to be free. I had the IMEI, phone number and bill with me, see below, totally covered and insured.
So this morning I get a letter saying claim denied and low and behold they have my own phone number rather than the dongle number on the claim.
I called Vodafone claims management where I dealt with one of the usual smart alec’s who told me it was my fault as I must have filled in the claim wrong, I didn’t, the girl in the shop filled it in and that I would have to return to the store to fill in another form as they couldn’t email me one.
So I have just wasted another hour, that’s two hours in a week.
There must be an easier way people
Will they pick up on this post, I doubt it.
You know what’s the worst, they never even turned off the lost dongle SIM and this morning tried to bullshit me that it had been turned off.
My wife lost her phone a couple of years ago by leaving it in a taxi. Common enough occurrence. The Vodafone insurance wouldn’t pay up, claiming accidental loss wasn’t covered.
My daughter had her O2 phone stolen and the insurance wouldn’t pay up. Claimed it was her fault it was stolen!
There’s a theme developing here.
Has anybody ever managed to claim on phone company insurance?
And I always thought “It happens ONLY in India”.
Glad 2 see that Telecom companies worldwide maintain a level of “Customer Dissatisfaction”.
I always thought Indians are treated badly and there is some prejudice with people in here only.
They maintain the same standards word wide.
Cool.
I’m about to leave Vodafone in a couple weeks (waiting for a new MVNO launch to see their rates) because they increased the rates and I’m very unsatisfied with them.
That’s no suprise. HEre when it was still Omnitel the company was awesome; once Vodafone bought it, it started s*cking.
Pat (& Richard), I am not familiar with Vodafone insurance, but I doubt that the company is entitled to be “judge and jury” on claims. There will be a dispute resolution provision, I suspect.
Hi Fergus
You are quite correct - they do have an escalation procedure, but it was cheaper (in time) just to buy another handset in both cases.
And cancel the insurance, of course.
thanks - rmm
My experience was the opposite. My phone got destroyed and Vodafone replaced it really quickly with a new N95.
Then, like a complete idiot, I managed to lose that before it was even a few weeks old. I noticed within minutes that it was missing but someone had obviously picked it up.
I went to the Vodafone store in Carlow - had a new sim in minutes and another phone arrived (the better 8GB model no less) arrived 2 days later. I had to pay an excess of 75 Euro I think but I found Vodafone very helpful at the store and on the phone when I called to tell them I needed it NOW.
Hopefully I won’t need their services in the near future.
Keith
Only 3 months to go and I’m off Vodafone.
http://cisnky.com/?p=319
Vodafone do not deal with claims it is a third party insurance company that provide the insurance and deal with claims !
Paddy, Look at the letter sent to Pat again.
Something tells me someone in the shop made a boo-boo.
Any of the insurance products I have seen charge you for replacement, as well as the premium…why?
By the time you loose it/break it, the price has dropped anyway…
I never saw the point of insurance. Its just a money-spinner for all operators.
my 2 cent..
bernard
I had free insurance from Vodafone for 12 months. After 12 months I tried to cancel it, but they kept charging me for it. After many calls and emails it eventually got cancelled. I got 4 months free on my contract but it was all too late, come november I’m changing provider.
@paddy
that’s quite strange Paddy since I received the following “voicemail from the claims office, you should get onto them about imitating vodafone employees
Hi this is Dave Fox here from Vodafone. Pat I’m ringing in connection with a claim you have in with ourselves for a lost Howay(?) E220. If you can gimme a shout when you get a chance please on 091596240, that’s 091596240. I’ll be able to send one out to you. That’s a Monday to Friday 8:30 to 5:30 number. It’s just coming up to 4:00 on the 2nd of September. Thanks a lot. Bye bye”"
Thats a nice ip address you came in on there Paddy, its a vodafone proxy isn’t it?
I wont embarrass you by posting it
In the U.S. the same problems occure with Verizon. Avoid VZ!
I dropped O2 for reasons that make your problem seem a walk in the park. There was no way I could stay with O2 unless I was willing to waste 4 hours a week on the phone with the biggest jerks around.
In the end I started recording the calls so others could hear the larkey going on. Amazingly if I told the agent I was recording the call they would hang up saying they are within their right to hang up if I record the call. But they record they themselves record the calls and I don’t have an option!
I went to T-Mobile business which has been fantastic. Just like it should be - I send them an email - and to a person I know not a general address - and get an answer back within hours.
I left Vodafone before O2 because of an insurance farse!
Here’s another great Vodafone story. My girlfriend was using Vodafones mobile internet. The guy in the shop told her it would be 99c for the day and you get a 50mb allowance. What he forgot to tell her was that you can go over the allowance and that they would charge you 2c per kb after your 50mb and that they wouldn’t let you know you had surpassed the allowance. So we have the situation where on one day she got charged 99c for 25mb and another day she got charged 439euro ex VAT for 75.92 MB. They then had the cheek to ask if she thought the bill was a bit over the top. Unbelievable stuff from Vodafone Ireland again.