Vodafone Customers Scam - iPhone 5 Plans 2012 - Look out

[Deactivated] on 25/10/2013 - 19:14

Hey Ozbargainers,
this must be happening to more people. My sister is affected also. I signed a contract with Vodafone in September 2012 for the new iPhone 5 back than. The 24month $50 contract included 750MB plus a monthly extra data of 500MB. I recently got a sms saying the I have used 100% of my data allowance. Called Vodafone to ask what is up and they advised that I receive 750MB per month although I signed up to 1.25GB. They said that 500MB was only for 12 month as a Bonus. I checked my contract and it says nothing like that. I asked them to send me a copy of the contract they had and again it says nothing like that when I received it 2 days later. To avoid excess data charges in the meanwhile I was forced to sign up to $20 a month data pack. And as usual all the Team leaders and Managers are unavailable at Vodafone as they are in meeting on a Friday afternoon India time but I can expect a call on Saturday? They are now saying that I can switch over to a 2013 version of my contract which gives me 1GB of data although I signed up for 1.25GB of data. I am not stupid and I am taking this to Vodafone issue to Consumer Affairs.

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Comments

  • ozhunter on 25/10/2013 - 19:16
    +4

    Not a scam lol. I haven't t read your contract, but I have seen bonus data promotions that only last 12 months.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/10/2013 - 19:19

    I wish I could attache a copy of my contract here. There is nothing written in Bonus Options. Just a big empty space. Here is transcript.

    Intended Contract Start Date: 21/09/2012
    New Cap / Plan:
    $50 Plan 24m - TXT
    Bonus Option:
    Additional Products or Services: Included Data
    Plus 500MB of Data
    Contract Period: 24 Months

    • ozhunter on 25/10/2013 - 19:33

      That doesn't say much at all.

    • RockyRaccoon on 26/10/2013 - 05:43
      +22

      Intended Contract Start Date: 21/09/2012
      New Cap / Plan:
      $50 Plan 24m - TXT
      Bonus Option:
      Additional Products or Services: Included Data
      Plus 500MB of Data
      Contract Period: 24 Months

      Given that I would suggest the following.

      Talk nicely to the Vodafone people. If you take the "Scam" approach all you will get is reactions and less willingness to help. (sorry maybe you were being polite, but the your posting here gives the impression you are annoyed "scam," "Indian call centre" "I'm not stupid" etc)

      Quietly and Politely point out that.

      1. You were not told it was for 12 months
      2. The information they supplied does not confirm that it was for 12 months as per the info they supplied to you.
      3. Just ask to have it escalated if the rep cant or wont help. Again stress that you do this with a quiet voice etc. And ask for names and record times of each connection.

      If they cant resolve it then tell them you are not happy. A simple, I am not happy, as this is not what I was lead to believe by discussions when I signed up and in written information by vodafone.

      Then tell them if they cant resolve it you will need to submit it to the TIO for their resolution. NOT consumer affairs as the TIO handles these complaints.

      So if Vodafone dont resolve it and you have the above contract, then I think you will find the TIO will help but only after you give Vodafone the chance to rectify it.

      My past dealings with Vodafone while slow always came up with resolutions that were financially satisfactory. But I did it with respect to the call centre staff. One such discussion lead to the staff member calling me back and when I asked if he could give me a better deal he did.

      BTW I have moved on from Vodafone now.

      • coolhand on 26/10/2013 - 20:35
        +3
        • Solid advice for dealing with any customer service situation, people are so quick to jump on the offensive, remaining calm and approaching these situations rationally will always give the best results

        edit had no idea putting in the addition symbol made a bullet point

      • poppit88 on 27/10/2013 - 16:44

        So we should,"Quietly and politely point out", well frankly I'm getting a tad sick of companies thinking that the customer (who is paying their wages and keeps the company in profit.) is stupid and that they think it's ok to treat people like this. I often think that maybe Ii's not a 'mistake' they do it intentionally and hope that most people either chuck their contract out, lose it or don't think to refer to it. They then proceed to juice every additional dollar out of us that they can.

        • coolhand on 29/10/2013 - 18:03

          I don't think the person on the other end of the line had any say in what has happened in almost every case & I certainly don't believe they will think you are stupid if you are aware of the hierarchy. You can still be reasonable about requesting to speak with a manager or suggesting that you will escalate the matter to the ACCC, if you feel like you are getting no where with the current communication.

      • nikey2k27 on 28/10/2013 - 07:39

        Quietly and politely point out if people come at me with a scam i not be willing to do anythink for them.

    • wayacos on 26/10/2013 - 13:38
      +2

      In my opinion that says 2 years of 500mb extra.

  • drfreak on 25/10/2013 - 20:50
    +4

    I also signed up last year around September when the iPhone 5 was released, jumped on a $60 per month contract with 1Gb data + a bonus 500mb for the first 12 months. I clearly remember this being on the web site as a promotion at the time. Based on this, I would say the same thing applies to your contract. I dont have a copy of my contract with me to confirm what was in mine (as in bonuses etc). So I dont believe its a scam in any way.

  • Cyphar on 25/10/2013 - 23:25
    +5

    My wife is on the same plan. Definetely not a scam. The bonus data was for 12 months only.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/10/2013 - 10:08
      +1

      See my reply below.

  • kwaker on 26/10/2013 - 07:12
    +1

    Make a complaint to tio and they will probably give it to you. They always pull the manager is in a meeting bs but I don't put up with it. Being nice to them gets you nowhere but walked over

  • [Deactivated] on 26/10/2013 - 10:07
    +10

    Got a call from a company called soho solutions who handle the Vodafone escalations today. They asked for a physical copy of my contract. After I send it through they admitted that they made a mistake and that no term for the additional 500MB was in the contract. They rectified the issue and offered me an ongoing discount for my data pack until the end of my contract. So all is well but again I would check your contracts. If there is contract term for the bonus 500MB you should call it in.

    • Cloudie on 29/10/2013 - 09:18
      +2

      if they admitted that they made a mistake….shouldnt they have just given you data for the rest of your contract instead of making you pay a discounted datapack?

      when i had an issue with my voda (not with them anymore) they offered 3 months half price. i got 3 months free instead. just stuck with "thats not what you said when i signed up" :) but then again i had so many problems with them that i was on voda for a year for free (of 2 yr contract). But it was slow and painful like batsh*t left on your car too long.

      • rekabkram on 29/10/2013 - 09:43

        From my experience with Vodafone they have one of the best call centres, that's not to say that you get quick resolutions but rather they are so used to ever customer being disgruntled with their shitty product that they know how to deal with you.

  • JediJan on 26/10/2013 - 13:17
    -1

    Interesting post. Signing up for these contracts sure is a scary process. I have been happy with 3 and Vodafone (I have continued on a very old plan and reject all the "new phone" offers .. buy my own phones as of course cheaper in the end if you have a good plan to start with).

    Friend of mine from Samoa (who didn't really understand what she was getting into) signed up on a $30? plan (free phone), found her young relatives hooked her up to their wifi but when she returned home interstate (no internet) has found $800 and $600 bills to pay. Does very much sound like she has signed a contract without fully understanding the consequences (usage etc). I would expect Vodafone salesperson should have some responsibility to ensure customer understands what the contract entails, as she really doesn't know what has happened. She believes her Facebook (relatives set this up for her) usage is what may be causing these excess charges. Would this be so? My own plan has 1GB data included which I find satisfactory, as I only use it for emails and weather. (I am not a Fakebook fan).

    What help is there for people in her situation? Any suggestions?

    • ozhunter on 26/10/2013 - 14:21
      +4

      found her young relatives hooked her up to their wifi but when she returned home interstate (no internet) has found $800 and $600 bills to pay.

      Is she sure she was on wifi?

      What help is there for people in her situation? Any suggestions?

      Well first she shouldn't sign contracts she doesn't understand or bring someone along to explain it to her. If there is something she doesn't understand, she should ask the salesperson. Install the vodafone app and show her how to monitor her data usage.

      • JediJan on 26/10/2013 - 18:54

        Yes, she showed me her new mobile when I visited her in Melbourne, and I noted it was using her neices wifi. I was unaware that she was looking at contracts before my visit so I could not have helped her. She had been using pre-paid Vodafone sim before with an old Nokia I gave her earlier in year. She is not computer literate.

        We are now in different states but I have smd'd her how to send sms to 1512 ti check usage etc. Not much anything else I can do from here. Have suggested she not use Facebook etc until she visits library or Maccas for free wifi service. She was not aware of free wifi services.

        I very much agree that she should not have purchased on what appears to be spur of the moment. She doesn't understand what the charges are for even though she has received the bill… kind of proves she doesn't understand. She is not working and has a young toddler. More than likely salesperson would have been quite aware of her lack of understanding.

        • Benicio on 28/10/2013 - 16:59

          "personal responsibility"

    • rekabkram on 27/10/2013 - 09:57
      +1
      • I would expect Vodafone salesperson should have some responsibility to ensure customer understands what the contract entails

      Everytime I have signed my wife and myself up for a phone contract I do research as to which plan I want to go on and I'm annoyed when the salesmen says 'sorry I have to go through this'. They do go through what is included in the plan and it's a bit of a lousy excuse to put it on the salesmen.

      I would however suggest that your friend contacts Vodafone and explains the situation. Be honest while playing a little bit of ignorance in not realising the excess usage charges and not fully understanding the contract.

      In saying that Vodafone have no obligation to help out, they will most likely speak to a manager before rounding the bills off (if they were $622 then rounding them to $600, $865 down to $850…).
      From this I'm assuming that your friend won't be able to afford all of this in one go, they don't need to stress about their credit rating as they can go on a payment plan to pay it off over several months if they ask.

      Should your friend feel as though this isn't good enough then they can bring in the TIO to help with their negotiations, there is a possibility that once they are contacted by Vodafones TIO department they will offer a better resolution (drop a couple of hundred bucks off the bills) along with the warning about excess usage and that this is a one time courtesy.
      Meanwhile if your friend doesn't understand contracts or can't be bothered taking the time to research then you can either offer to help them research what's best for them or leave them to screw themselves over.

      • JediJan on 27/10/2013 - 13:31

        I am too far away to assist her with Vodafone problem. It is difficult to speak for another in regard to contracts, especially if in another state and she has no family there to help also. Partner, although working, has less communication skills. I suggested she speak to Centrelink welfare officer etc who may hopefully refer her to an agency to assist and speak on her behalf. Hopefully someone there is proactive in helping there. There is some language difficulty not only telecommunications literacy problem. Apparently she has bought another pre paid sim card (more expense but s plan when most afer) and using that instead of the post paid sim so it no longer is used (even though costing $30 per month). I know; wish she had stayed with the pre-paid plan.

        I pay only $20 per month for my son's pre-paid plan (another old mobile) - Pre-Paid International. Has unlimited Vodafone to Vodafone calls so is a really useful as most of my family use Vodafone for mobiles. Has really low data (25 Mb) but he is happy enough to wait until he gets home to use internet. Hard to imagine Facebook would use much; though we are not into it.

        Ps. What does TIO stand for?

        Thank you all for your responses.

        • rekabkram on 27/10/2013 - 20:27
          +2

          Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

          If you don't know what they are, imagine them as umpires. They are an independent organisation that hand out verdicts and fines to Telco's for breach of customers rights and contracts.

          Also you would be amazed at how much data Facebook uses, in the past 2 and a half days I've used 61.7mb of data on Facebook and I'm not a heavy user. That's about 45 minutes a day so 2ish hours and no videos.
          Keep in mind that Facebook is photo heavy.

        • JediJan on 27/10/2013 - 23:13

          Thank you for the information; most useful.

          I'll check if she is getting any help from anyone and suggest TIO. I seriously think language problems and understanding of usage has contributed to the problem. Her nieces who set up the wifi initially are only young teens; and the most vulnerable group too with these mobile phone plans. Hopefully she will not sign any more contracts in the future without assistance.

          Glad I am not into Facebook; we make do with only 12GB on Virgin wifi broadband! Most of that seems to get depleted on YouTube (when I am not about)!

          :o)

        • Bargain4U on 28/10/2013 - 00:14
          -3

          TIO is a toothless tiger. I had a TIO case against Telstra, escalated to a senior level three. There were clear breaches but because Telstra agreed to some compensation all was forgotten by the TIO and no breach recorded.

  • Ryk on 26/10/2013 - 19:46
    +8

    fwiw - don't sign contracts. buy outright and go pre-paid.

  • Weezle on 26/10/2013 - 20:37
    +2

    Moral of the story: don't join Vodafone.

    • pitiek on 26/10/2013 - 23:08
      +7

      That's just shallow and ignorant..

      • enforcer on 27/10/2013 - 09:34
        +1

        and practical

        • Merapi on 27/10/2013 - 09:44
          +1

          I agree. Not going to elaborate my own story, but my partner had a bad experience with Voda. Misleading contract etc.

        • Wampus on 27/10/2013 - 11:19
          +1

          Not to mention those of us outside the major cities who simply cannot get on the Voda train due to lack of coverage. All other carriers are fine

        • Akuma on 28/10/2013 - 09:55

          Don't worry, the Voda train ain't going nowhere.

      • Akuma on 28/10/2013 - 09:54

        Not really. There is a VERY good reason why they are STILL losing customers by the bucket load.

        I had NOTHING but problems with Vodafone when I was with them. Ever since changing to another Telco, it has been smooth sailing. I've never had to ring them once about my phone.

  • Diji1 on 27/10/2013 - 18:59

    With contracts the aim is basically to bamboozle the customer with options that make it difficult to both compare plans and have an understanding of what the customer is really getting eg. using dollar amounts to describe what the customer is getting which have little relevance to what the customer is getting and so on. People have great difficulty in assessing the relative value of plans and it requires at the very least some writing things down simply because most people cannot keep more than 7 items in so called working memory of the brain. This isn't a reflection of intelligence BTW. Lack of reference points also comes into it for many people.

    If you're interested in why this is done you could do worse than grab a book called The Myth of Fair Value by William Poundstone which is essentially about the psychology of price setting.

    It shouldn't be allowed but unfortunately it's legal in AU and US (and probably many other jurisdictions).

    • gimme on 27/10/2013 - 22:41
      +4

      meh I'm no genius and actually have a very bad memory yet I've never fallen for any of these so called 'scams'. People spend more time looking for a 2c fuel discount than reading the details of what they're signing. It doesn't take that much time to read/understand/keepcopy of any basic contracts you sign. Nothing to get bamboozled about. It takes a lot less effort than trying to rectify issues afterwards, not to mention all the stress etc.

      PS: The $$ amount caps only takes 2nd grade maths to convert to actual minutes. Yes I know most people don't seem to do it. Their fault.

    • Akuma on 28/10/2013 - 09:59
      +1

      Actually, anyone who has to resort to tricks to get a customer signed up to a plan is just a scumbag, and doesn't deserve to work in sales. Sales is about tailoring a solution to a particular customers problem. It has become a dirty business in most companies because a LOT of salaries are based on commission, meaning the salesman are 10x more likely to try and rip people off.

      Telco isn't hard to sell to people, and if you need to resort to that then you aren't going to get far. Vodafone is full of people like that unfortunately.

  • chiefbodge on 28/10/2013 - 01:48
    -2

    Telstra did the same thing to me. Got "bonus data" and it was never explained to me / written in the contract that this bonus data would be automatically charged at $20 a month once the contract had expired. I called up telstra and asked why my bill was $20 higher, they explained it to me and then I asked them to remove the data pack and they credited me the $20 so it all ended well.

    That said vodafone is a fair bit more dodgey because who has a 12 month bonus on a 24 month contract - that is just plain confusing

    • gimme on 28/10/2013 - 08:35
      +1

      What's confusing about that? Sometimes I wonder how people get through life when simple concepts seem to confuse them. And why do we have to rely on 'someone' to explain everything when everything is written down? The last thing I want to do is listen to some idiot salesperson at a telco shop explain anything to me. Much rather read the CIS and conditions of any 'bonus' packs.

      • chiefbodge on 31/10/2013 - 00:38
        +1

        Except that there was no such thing as a CIS back then and it WASN'T in the contract that the bonus data would be removed (well not removed but charged at $20 a month) when the contract expired. So how exactly do you expect me to read their minds? I am not sure telcos are being intentionally misleading but I do think they need to either have dead simple plans or go the extra effort to explain their plans, that's why the whole CIS thing exists but it is a pretty piss weak effort, it's not even standardised.

        I think a courtesy email or letter that my bonuses were about to expire would've been the right thing to do but of course I am glad that they were able to help me without hassle on the phone so overall the experience was good. I realise that my situation is very different to the OPs and I sympathise - I was merely explaining a similar situation with a different carrier. I really don't understand why I got negged and then called an idiot for not being psychic :|

    • Akuma on 28/10/2013 - 10:02

      So, I wouldn't exactly say Telstra did the same thing. The "bonus data" was offered to you as an addition to the contract. Once the contract expires, they are under no obligation to continue providing that to you. It is unfortunate that the salesmen didn't explain it to you, but 90% of the time, the salesman probably didn't know either.

      As a huge point of difference, your call with Telstra seemed to go well, with them offering to take it off and credit you straight away, no hassles. Whereas the OP had a lot of difficulty dealing with Vodafone's support, they basically refused to look into it and tried to charge him more money. This is exactly how Vodafone's support people work. I have had a MUCH more pleasant experience with Telstra.

  • wbeer on 28/10/2013 - 11:20
    +3

    just download porn on your work computer instead. Problem solved.

  • bam on 28/10/2013 - 22:29
    +3

    I'm surprised the Vodafone network was fast enough to download 750mb in a month.

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