Jesus wept, etc etc.

Will a mobile provider supply a PAC if you’re still in contract? I’m about to do a “if you don’t sort this problem out, I’m cancelling my direct debit and going somewhere else” toys out of the pram thing. Muppets.

I still need my phone though. Retaining number is important.

They are horrendous, there were quite a few folks on here bemoaning Virgin media customer service when moving to Voldefone. Oh how I laughed.

Yes, their customer service is not good.

As for the PAC code, I thought they were legally obliged to do so nowadays?

I tried changing my phone contract to sim only back in January. Like the dufus I am, instead of changing my contract I ordered a new sim by mistake. Had confirmation email then realised what I’d done. Phoned them first thing next morning to cancel order. Changed existing contract to sim only on same call. “All sorted,” thinks I. Next bill arrived and I was charged for new sim. Rang again. And again.

So all because that original adviser didn’t write a “note on my account” that I was cancelling the online order, nearly 6 months later, and 5 bills, I’m still bloody paying for it. And do you think I’ve been able to speak to a human bean since CV hit? Not a chance.

I should add, I also have their broadband – which has been fine and that’s kind of essential at the moment, with Mrs dd WFH. I guess if I cancel my direct debit, they’ll just cut off everything won’t they?

if you persist and only work by email you can get a fair amount off them. so far I have had £80 in credit for poor service and £60 in erroneous charges removed from my account.

But boy is it wearing

I’d drop vodaphone if I could – but unfortunately they have by far the best coverage in the highlands and the main use for my phone is safety in the mountains

This might help:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/switching/switching-mobile-phone-provider

But boy is it wearing

To be honest, I think this is deliberate on their part. I’m worn down already after an hour and a half to an online advisor.

You should try the electric companies.

Due to assorted errors on their part;

* the first place turned up two years after we left them demanding £1600. Just for shits and giggles, when I phoned up and spoke to people, their first response was to threaten bailiffs and up the demand to £2500.
* the second place overcharged us for the same two year period by about £1500

I was completely anal about recording the phone calls, because, well, prior experience, I spend upwards of thirty hours on the phone with those two issues. Including three hours of phone calls while I was on holiday.

We eventually got all of it back from the second place, and the first place dropped the amount to £0.59 – however they never admitted it was complete invented rubbish and never actually cancelled the demand.

This is why I only will discuss things by email and insist that is so.

You can ask Vodafone for a PAC by logging in to your online account or by dialling the relevant number on phone, but in either case you need the PIN. Not sure if you can cancel a contract by doing so, though.

I struggled to get a PAC for my MiL on Vodafone. She was in hospital, no visits because of pandemic, no signal on Vodaphone so wanted to swap it. But we didn’t have her PIN or account details. Eventually gained access to the account via the chat line, reset the PIN, dialled the number and then discovered that since it was on PAYG I didn’t need the PIN!

I told vodaphone they did not have my permission to text me for any reason and to do so would be breaching GDPR. They texted me again. I got £15 compensation!

Holy crap.

I eventually said, “I’ll wait while you get the recording of my call. Then let me know what you want to do.”

A few minutes later, “we’ve listened to your call and are applying the credit straight away.”

Jaysus – only took about an hour and a half. 😂😩

A colleague tells me her husband left Vodafone but that they issued a go.al bill for £0.00 . As he didn’t pay it because well you can’t they sold the felt to a collection company. As they didn’t pay them they either they destroyed his credit rating. They found out when they were denied a morragage

I have done a toys out of the pram DD cancel with them in the last few weeks. Luckily I’ve already typed it out – a truncated version – but here you go, an extract of my experiences in an email to customer relations:

1. Logged onto Vodafone, selected upgrade phone.
2. Happily received phone. Surprised that nothing seemed to be at hand for transfer of number.
3. Logged onto Vodafone, surprised to see both phone numbers against my account.
4. Couldn’t resolve issues at 2 & 3 using website. Calling Vodafone couldn’t manage to resolve 2 & 3 using automated system. Tried to game the phone system to reach a human – couldn’t you system hangs up on you. Getting annoyed now.
5. Found if I rang a number for non-Vodafone customers wanting to join Vodafone I could game that to reach a human. Very annoying – interpretation is you don’t care about your current customers.
6. When I explained my situation regarding 2 & 3 call handler said something along the lines of “this happens all the time” regarding phone upgrades going wrong. It doesn’t matter if the phone order went wrong because of something I did wrong on the website -if it “happens all the time” your systems are wrong.
7. The remedies offered by the call handler where frankly ridiculous – there was a request to send the new phone back (ironically enough, given I now can’t get you to take it back), so another could be sent out. This is after I’ve started set the new phone up. There was also a suggestion I could send the old phone back. Recall – I just wanted an upgrade phone carrying my old number over.
8. My tolerance levels are exceeded now I inform the call handler I am rejecting the new phone.
9. After the better part of a week no returns bag so I have to game the system to get through again to find my case is in some sort of review and no return bag has been sent. Again, not doing what the customer wants, with my frustration compounded by wanting to settle issues with Vodafone before seeking a contract with a competent competitor.
10. Asked for an email address from the call handler because I am concerned your systems leave me with no proof of having corresponded with Vodafone to reject the new phone. Call handler fobbed me off by saying he would text me this through at the end of the call – not received.
11. Resorted to ranting through the complaints procedure to try to terminate all our relationships with as little communication as possible.

Terminating our relationships is my main aim at the moment, but I remain encumbered by the boxed Motorola awaiting return and the question of what was due on the cancelled DD. To that end, all I want is a return bag and, if appropriate, an itemised invoice that I will settle promptly. I don’t want excuses, explanations, discussions, or any other complications.

Please stop engaging with me in any manner that is not solely aimed at ending our relationship. To assist in ending our relationship please use email.

As a general rule of thumb, just cancelling payments on a contract without prior agreement between both parties is a really bad idea. That’s how otherwise law-abiding people wind up with a CCJ.

Cancelling new contracts is a different matter. I’m stupid busy but will elaborate later if I get chance.

You can get a PAC at anytime by texting PAC to 65075. They’re valid for ~30 days.
But if you have a contract you will still be liable for any charges even if you port your number.
you need to sort the contract problems out before stopping a DD or taking up another provider.

After 20 odd years on Vodafone contracts, I went to sim-only at the end of my last contract in April. I opted for Voxi, which is part of Vodafone, making the process so much easier, even keeping the same sim. I’m quite happy with it and can cancel any time if I want. The process of changing to another supplier should be quite simple after using this potential stepping stone.

Had an issue with Vodafone screwing up my bills a few years ago. My DD details were in my account and they had collected every month without fail for a few years. Suddenly, one month they failed to collect and sent me a snotty email threatening disconnection if I didn’t settle. I contacted them, explained the situation and all was OK. Next month, same again. Called and discussed, everything sorted. OK the third month, all good thinks I. Wrong. Next month, New Years day, I have a text on my phone. Due to non-payment all three phones on my Vodafone account have been suspended. The only number that the main phone can call is VF customer services.I call and explain the debacle of the previous months. The CSR checks my account and there are no DD details, hence the failure to collect payment. They lost them, I didn’t delete them. I pay over the phone by debit card. I then decided that I can’t trust VF not to screw my credit rating and decide to leave them despite having several months on my contract, 8 I think. Due to their cock-ups I demand to be immediately released with no further payments, which they refuse due to me having 3 handsets. Much emailing and physical letter writing followed after which I declared a stalemate.

At this point I contacted OFCOM and handed all details including email transcripts and scanned copies of letters. I had also kept logs of all telephone communications too. OFCOM agreed with me and instructed VF to release me from my contract with immediate effect, 6 months still remaining. I got PAC codes with no fuss and transferred to Tesco whom I must say have been awesome.

To back up what TJ said, always use written communication where possible. If a call is made log the exact time and date. Stick to your guns and you should win. I’ve adopted this approach against a couple of other organisations and have 100% success rate. They rely on wearing you down and you giving up.

I would never use Vodafone again, EVER. They may have good coverage but their customer service is the worst I have ever encountered without question. Good luck!

I’d drop vodaphone if I could – but unfortunately they have by far the best coverage in the highlands and the main use for my phone is safety in the mountains

In the highlands, they mostly share masts with O2. So get much the same coverage from them.

Cancelling new contracts is a different matter. I’m stupid busy but will elaborate later if I get chance.

So, right.

If you sign up to a new service, you have 14 days from initial receipt of the service to cancel it without requiring a reason. This falls under Consumer Contract Regulations. Note that if you have received the service for any amount time then you might be expected to pay for the period you’ve had use of it.

If however you just unilaterally cancel a direct debit for either a new or existing contract then you’re not cancelling it with Voda or whoever, you’re cancelling it with the banks. Payments will bounce and no-one will give the remotest of tosses about why you’ve cancelled the DD, only that you’ve just welched on your credit agreement. If you make a habit of this it can adversely affect your credit rating and / or end up with you receiving increasingly threatening letters from the third-party debt collection agency they’ve sold your account to.

I meant to say to your previous post that I knew all that, yeah. But thanks for your valued input.