Moving from Vodafone to O2

Villain

I had a long winded conversation with vodafone this morning and I now realise they don't really want to hold on to customers well not ones that look for something anyway.

Basically I have a Nokia 6310i that I bought on upgrade last march, I have the phone in a nokia car kit a lot of the time and now it's starting to die, i.e. turning itself off a lot.

I know I'm not meant to be intitled to a upgrade for another 6 months but my bills have been in averaging 200 euro for the last 5 months and I called Vodafone and told them of my problem.

They offered me a Nokia 3310 for 99 euro and it wouldn't affect my upgrade. I said a 3310 was of no use to me I need infrared and Bluetooth, I told them I was going to go to O2 when the number portability kicks in they said grand they couldn't offer me a upgrade all they could do was offer me the 3310 or a free months rental.

So I say grand I'l go to O2 but they reckon I have to pay the remainder of my contracts rental to move to O2 ?????? is this true????

So if i move to O2 after july 25th I have to pay vodafone 6 months line rental first???

and if anyone here works for vodafone I have to say the people I spoke with lack customer relations training in a big big way one girl got really ratty and angery with me.

Sorry for the long post.

jesus_thats_gre

Hi

I sent you a PM message.

Luke

hussey

If you signed a contract for a least a years service (standard upgrade/first time policy) then yes you do

as this is a legally binding contract

if you move to o2, you will have two bills to pay

why don't you try to get the phone fixed??

also my brother had a 6310 and after a few months it started to die he brought it back to the shop, and teh guy got out a piece of tissue opened it up and cleaned the back of battery/phone (where the gold bars are) with the tissue .. there was a lot of dust there .. the phone worked fine after that

flamegrill

Originally posted by hussey
If you signed a contract for a least a years service (standard upgrade/first time policy) then yes you do

as this is a legally binding contract

if you move to o2, you will have two bills to pay

why don't you try to get the phone fixed??

also my brother had a 6310 and after a few months it started to die he brought it back to the shop, and teh guy got out a piece of tissue opened it up and cleaned the back of battery/phone (where the gold bars are) with the tissue .. there was a lot of dust there .. the phone worked fine after that

Sadly this is not the case. I got my 6310i back in november, my calls have averaged around 200 euro/month since then and I've had an upgrade I can avail of since May. I've not got it yet, as my 6310i is fine and dandy.

Paul

blorg

You do have to pay the remainder of your contract's rental, whatever the term is, that is true, and perfectly reasonable.

When is 'last March' - March 2003 or March 2002?

Surely if you got the phone in March 2002, you are now out of contract (presuming it was a 12-month contract?)

If you got the phone in March 2003, it should be under warranty and you can get it repaired for free.

I presume I am missing something here?

Villain

Originally posted by blorg


I presume I am missing something here?

Nothing only I'm seriously P***ed off with my phone, this is my third phone of the series I had a 6210 then a 6310 and now a 6310i and they have all done the same, Yes i could get it repaired but then it will do the same again I want a new phone and then buy a bluetooth handsfree for the car and hopefully I won't suffer the same again.

My main argument is Vodafone were totally unhelpful and willing to lose a good paying customer for over 3 years over a upgrade that will cost them sweet f all.

blorg

I understand. You won't find o2 any better, however (I'm an o2 customer myself and they were if anything even more inflexible about upgrades).

pclancy

if reference to the phone ive heard its an issue with the whole 6xxx series that do that battery contact thing, their software is a piece of crap as well.

I moved to o2 in january and my bills have dropped by a huge amount, plus i think they're support is much better. I had to pay the last three months of my contract off to vodafone but theres nothin u can do bout that.

Go to o2 man, vodafone dont care about any of their customers as far as i can see.

Villain

Originally posted by pclancy
if reference to the phone ive heard its an issue with the whole 6xxx series that do that battery contact thing, their software is a piece of crap as well.

I moved to o2 in january and my bills have dropped by a huge amount, plus i think they're support is much better. I had to pay the last three months of my contract off to vodafone but theres nothin u can do bout that.

Go to o2 man, vodafone dont care about any of their customers as far as i can see.

Ya think I will I didn't like they way any of them spoke to me this morning. :ninja: :mad:

Only thing is how much is a 6610 on O2 first time connection. Although might get an XDA who knows what I'l do when I get this months pay!!:p

jesus_thats_gre

With regard to Vodafone not caring about customers. That is complete nonsence.

There has been numerous arguments about this before but there is very little between both O2 and Vodafone. Their call charges are more or less the same and the only reason you will save money by switching from one to the other is that you have specific call patterns, i.e. the majority of numbers you call are all on the one network and so on. In the majority of cases, all three firms in this country have the same policies with regard to most issues and usually try to distinguish themselves through the services they offer.

It is unfortunate that you feel you have been mistreated. If you have had numerous problems with Nokia handsets, this is an issue for Nokia and as such they should compensate you. Calling Vodafone and demanding an upgrade wont get you anywhere, especially when you seem to be adopting the attitude that getting it repaired just wont be the same. I would suggest trying a new battery, I had the same problem with a number of 6210s and 6310s and this solved the problem.

Again, it is unfortunate that you have that the outcome of this problem has not been to your liking, but I personally have tried to check this out for you and there is genuinely nothing I can do. As I mentioned previously, the other two mobile companies in this country would say the exact same to you, just bear that in mind.

You mentioned also that you have had 3 years good service behind you, you will loose this permently also. You may feel that this will make no difference, but you really are expecting way too much to be able to get an upgrade after just 4 or 5 months.

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre

It is unfortunate that you feel you have been mistreated.

I feel I was dealth with in a manner and tone that left me to think Vodafone weren't bothered if I left them or not.

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
I personally have tried to check this out for you and there is genuinely nothing I can do.

I understand that and apprecaite the effort you made

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre

You mentioned also that you have had 3 years good service behind you, you will loose this permently also. You may feel that this will make no difference, but you really are expecting way too much to be able to get an upgrade after just 4 or 5 months.

I don't think so I have given a lot of money to Vodafone over the last 3 years and I was looking for very little in return, what does an upgrade cost them?? not much in realtion to the money they have made from me.

seamus

There's no excuse for the way you were treated, but two small points;
If they let you have an upgrade after a few months, then everyone would be on the phone looking for an upgrade every 5 months.

Did you ask to have the phone repaired? Handset problems are the domain of the manufacturer, not the service provider. It should be do free and quickly, considering the phone is so new.

Unfortunately for non-corporate customers, the company has to stick to procedure and rules. To make exceptions on a per-customer basis would cause way more hassle than it's worth.

Villain

I agree with you seamus but I know when I get this repaired the same will happen.

I think they could go by the ammount you spend rather the time on the contract I mean my bro's have got 2 phones over a year and a half without hassle but their bills would not exceed 50 euro.

I just feel they could do more to hold on to a good customer, the supervisor was not interested in trying to talk me out of going to O2 at all makes you wonder.:rolleyes:

jesus_thats_gre

They do go by the amount you have spent... Thats a private matter though between yourself and Vodafone.

If for example, you spent something like 1200 in the space of 6 months, you may get an upgrade. Unofficially, a customer who spends 1200 in 12 months will get an upgrade. If a customer spent 1000 in 12 months, it is unlikely they will. They will probably get one after 14 or so months.

But expecting an upgrade after 4 or 5 months, regardless of spend, is pushing it. Sometimes, due to company policy, there is never a happy outcome.

I can assure you that the majority of customer care staff in Vodafone are extrememly prefessional. Unfortunately you probably got some crabby ould cow who has given you a very bad impression of the whole company. Vodafone are putting in alot of effort to create an impression that is opposite to the one you have been given.

jesus_thats_gre

And I sound like a complete corporate monkey.....

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre

If for example, you spent something like 1200 in the space of 6 months, you may get an upgrade. Unofficially, a customer who spends 1200 in 12 months will get an upgrade. If a customer spent 1000 in 12 months, it is unlikely they will. They will probably get one after 14 or so months.

But expecting an upgrade after 4 or 5 months, regardless of spend, is pushing it. Sometimes, due to company policy, there is never a happy outcome.

Well when I have paid this months bill I will have spent 879.42 since my upgrade.

So I'm not asking anything unreasonable epecially since if I got the upgrade I'd be staying with them for another 12 twelves months?? Can Vodafone not see there going lose money over a upgrade valued by them at 139 euro.????

jesus_thats_gre

Ok fair point, but how long is it since your last upgrade... Also, you are over 300 euro off the 1200 i mentioned still. Maybe in two months time, the situation will be different. I personally have only ever seen a upgrade been given to a personal customer within 5 months of their last upgrade on two accassions. And they were extreme cases.

You probably know this, but every upgrade you get is subsidised by around 200 euro, that varies depending on the handset.

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
Ok fair point, but how long is it since your last upgrade... Also, you are over 300 euro off the 1200 i mentioned still. Maybe in two months time, the situation will be different. I personally have only ever seen a upgrade been given to a personal customer within 5 months of their last upgrade on two accassions. And they were extreme cases.

You probably know this, but every upgrade you get is subsidised by around 200 euro, that varies depending on the handset.

Well I might give vodafone a month depends on O2's tarrif options and whether I get a XDA at a good price i really don't know do I really feel like vodafone don't give a damn. I might give a call again soon and try a different supervisor maybe I might get one with a personality this time.

jesus_thats_gre

Maybe so, I find myself more respsnsive to someone who is politite on the phone. If someone is aggressive or expectant, it is very hard not to begrudge that person. Just a hint.

Michael Collins

Handset problems are the domain of the manufacturer, not the service provider

But he signed the contract with Vodafone surely they have the responcibility of providing him with a functioning phone?

I'd just go back and ask for the phone to be fixed or replaced and if after a while your new phone suffers the same problem take it back again, keep getting them to replace it, by then you'll be entitled to your upgrade.

The same thing happened to my mam. She had a siemens phone that broke through no fault of her own, they seemed very ruluctent to replace it, sent a away a few times and it was never fixed properly. I kept telling her to go back and tell them, eventually she was due an upgrade. I wouldn't have let them away so easily.

jesus_thats_gre

"and eventually she was due an upgrade"

Surely this was going to happens anyway.


You have a contract with Vodafone for them to provide a GSM cellular network. They are doing this in adherence to the the contract. They have no responsibility to provide support for the handset, they may do this as a service however.

The handset in this case was manufactured by Nokia, of which Vodafone had no input on the manufacturing process. An example used in the past, would you contact RTE if your TV was not working? The fect of the matter is, Vodafone subsidised the handset in the first place in order to provide you with access to the network, just because they paid for half of the handset, does not mean they are responsible if it malfunctions.

mooman_00

I dont know if anyone else has mentioned this yet but anyway

its the car kit that is destroying your phones, a phone techie type person said to me that if you constantly travell at the same speed your in car charger/car kit will do no harm.
Unfortunately since we all constantly speed up slow down there is a slight power fluctation in the charger that damages the battery.
As well as this turing the car on and off with the phone still hooked up fairly often also damages the phone.
I enquired if that is true then how come taxi drivers always have the same phone. His reply was that for the most part those phones wouldn't last an hour outside the car.
Imo its not nokia's fault(manufacture wise) although if this is the case then maybe they should warn phone oweners about the possible dangers.
Also i was told the best conditions for charging a phone were when it was turned off for a full overnight charge after it had almost run dead. I've stuck by this and my battery life has always been brilliant.
Another one is when you buy a new phone to charge it fully before turning it on and let it run dead before recharging it and repeat that process a few times.
I was told by a phone shop employee that due to new batteries this was no longer needed, however ill stick by those methods rather than risk shiit battery life.

jesus_thats_gre

Mind you, the shop where you purchased the phone has a responsibility to get the handset repaired for you. If they are unable to do so, then they will likely replace the phone assuming you are within warranty.

I would also ask you to consider mobile phone insurance?

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre

I would also ask you to consider mobile phone insurance?

Y I did I got the forms sent out to me but I can't claim for the first 60 days!!!!

jesus_thats_gre

So ya broke the phone in the first 2 months?

Villain

I had an idea last night say if I put my account in credit to the value €350 that would bring me up to €1229.

I had to do that when I first signed up for a nokia 8210 when I was 18.

Could it work??????

jesus_thats_gre

It works on the amount you have spent since your last upgrade, combined with how long it has been since your last upgrade. Amount spent = total of bills issued

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
It works on the amount you have spent since your last upgrade, combined with how long it has been since your last upgrade. Amount spent = total of bills issued

I understand that but I will have spent €1200 if I was to give them 350 I'm just paying in adavance. I know what you mean about having actually spent rather than having it in credit but surely it would be worth a go??

sunbeam

Just curious: does the total spend taken into account by Vodafone include the value of previous phones purchased directly from them?

Much to my surprise I was offered an upgrade six months after buying a communicator (it went on my monthly bill). I definitely had not spend anything near €1200 on calls in that period, but may have when the price of the phone was taken into account.

Or was the upgrade just a happy accident?

Villain

I'm just after getting off the phone from Vodafone and offered to pay €400 credit into my account.

And you know what the well trained vodafone agent said why not spend the €400 on a phone!!!!!

I seriously am getting a bad impression of Vodafone.

Well they obviously feel they don't need customers they have enough.

In contrast I had a very good conversation with a Meteor agent very helpfull and I can get a 6610 for €69 and 2 free flights.!!

Decisions decisions.

jesus_thats_gre if you read this I think you'l find it hard to defend Vodafone.

Michael Collins

An example used in the past, would you contact RTE if your TV was not working?

If I bought the TV off them...yes? But since RTE don't sell TVs that couldn't happen. Vodafone DO sell phones, however. Your contract is always with the retailer. Whether Vodafone sell you the phone at a cheap price or not it makes no difference, you still bought it off them.

So if the phone breaks (within the guarentee period, minimum of one year) you bring it back to Vodafone, and they contact Nokia or whoever the relevent company may be.

Webmonkey

o2 even give support for a laptop if you had problems connecting to the internet with your mobile

jesus_thats_gre

To Irish1

You are right, I do find it hard to defend Vodafone on some occassions. Specifically some of the their customer care staff, the company as a whole however, is very well run and offer a very good service.

On this occassion i think you are being purposely difficult in order to prove a point. While you have to a certain extend proved this point, you dont seem to realise that you will receive the exact same treatment of any other mobile company in this country, whether it be O2 or Vodafone. You are expecting way too much to be honest and tryin to be far too cute about it. Your arguments are correct to a certain extent, but its operating policy.

I have experiences where I had an O2 bill phone for 3 years. I called them to say I wanted to disconnect because Vodafone offered me a better deal. The girl on the phone just gave me the address and hung up the phone. This I was very shocked with considering the experience and training I have had from Vodafone, this does not mean that O2 are a bad company, just means I was speaking to an idiot or someone who had a very bad day. The large majority of customer service staff are the exact same in every company, they are not in it for a career in most cases, thus may not give the best impression if they are having a bad day.

This I accept is no excuse, as a last resort I would suggest writing to the address i have PM'd you with.




To Micheal Collins

If you bought the phone directly of Vodafone, then yes. If you bought it from a store, return to ths store and they will organise for it to be repaired. I am not disputing this, just dont hassle some poor customer care staff about it, its not their responsibility and they dont need the added hassle of people arguing this with them.

jesus_thats_gre

Vodafone offer support if you have problems connecting to the net also. This makes sence, operators see data as a major source of revenue, thus are pushing this as much as possible to keep it simple.

Vodafone Data Support: 1850 287 000

Villain

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
To Irish1
On this occassion i think you are being purposely difficult in order to prove a point. While you have to a certain extend proved this point, you dont seem to realise that you will receive the exact same treatment of any other mobile company in this country, whether it be O2 or Vodafone. You are expecting way too much to be honest and tryin to be far too cute about it. Your arguments are correct to a certain extent, but its operating policy.

Policy's are made in most cases to be a GOOD way of dealing with a problem, but in every walk of life there are always exceptions. I'm not going to try and say O2 OR METEOR would deal with me any better simply because I have been a loyal Vodafone customer for over 3 years and don't know what they are like.

I don't think I am being "purposely difficult in order to prove a point" I am simply looking for value for money and good service. If Vodafone had dealt with me in a decent and respective manner than I might not be as cheesed off. But the simple fact is I am left thinking that Vodafone don't care about my custom. I have spend quite a lot of money with them and would continue to do so if they were reasonable.

I mean if the supervisor had listened to me and then was willing to me meet me half way like say wait another month and then if you put account in credit we might be able to help you

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre


This I accept is no excuse, as a last resort I would suggest writing to the address i have PM'd you with.

I will do that when I calm down a bit and try and put my point accross. Thanks for taking the time to reply at least I know some Vodafone employees care about there customers.

Regards,

jesus_thats_gre

I will make one final point, you are receiving a perfectly good service. Vodafone are under no obligation to offer you an upgrade, they offer this a a gesture of good will and a method to keep customers locked into a contract.

Mind you, I hope you have a better experience, no matter what the outcome.

Elmo

I wrote a letter to O2 to get a phone because mine had been stolen.

In the letter I said that I would be willing to stay on the O2 network pay for my phone calls over a couple of months while they would provide me with a phone at arount €40. I.e. you get a phone from o2 for €149 and get €120 in return over 12 months. At the time I had no money and thought that this was a good Idea.

They said no as they did not provide the phone to me and that they were my network provider.

But I am sure I bought it of the at below price so that they would have me as a customer.

Now i swap between o2 and meteor. When My Meteor phone is dear at 60c per sec I use the o2 sim card at 19c. I don't see why I should have to be tied to a phone company after that.


Also while I do pay my TV licence I don't remember RTE suplementing my TV. O2 Voda and Meteor all Suplement their phones

jesus_thats_gre

I personally am thinking of swapping to Meteor at the moment. I am not the wealthiest fella in the world so the cheap sms is way too tempting. The annoying thing, as Meteor become more popular, the price will rise... Just cant win

Webmonkey

Originally posted by Elmo
I wrote a letter to O2 to get a phone because mine had been stolen.

In the letter I said that I would be willing to stay on the O2 network pay for my phone calls over a couple of months while they would provide me with a phone at arount €40. I.e. you get a phone from o2 for €149 and get €120 in return over 12 months. At the time I had no money and thought that this was a good Idea.

They said no as they did not provide the phone to me and that they were my network provider.

But I am sure I bought it of the at below price so that they would have me as a customer.

Now i swap between o2 and meteor. When My Meteor phone is dear at 60c per sec I use the o2 sim card at 19c. I don't see why I should have to be tied to a phone company after that.


Also while I do pay my TV licence I don't remember RTE suplementing my TV. O2 Voda and Meteor all Suplement their phones

I don't really understand what u mean here. could you explain better or is it me - I'm a little sleepy 2day

Elmo

O2, Vodaphone and Meteor all provide you with a mobile phone with their services. They do this by reducing the price of the phone considerably. For example Vodaphone can sell a 3310 for €9 to a bill pay phone subscribe, thus they have subsidised the price of the phone. Basically the phone companies make money on phone calls not on the phone.

The do the same with no contract phones Speakeasy, Ready To Go and Pay as you Go. But they sell the phones at €149 and refund you most of the cost of the phone over several months.

My phone was stolen (I was Mugged) one night. Now I didn't want to change my phone number but I also had no money to buy a new phone up front for €149 with free credit every month for 12 months = €120 total.

I then wrote to O2 pointing out how much I had spent with them, they have that all on file you just have to ask them for it. And said that since I am a good cust that I should be able to get a locked phone of them for €50 which is more then they would get anyway since they subsidises their phones with call credit. I would be spending money on my phone anyway so it did matter to me weather or not I got free credit. Because at the end of the day it’s not all that free.

And RTE don’t sell me a subsidised television and then charge me every min for watch the television thus unlike O2 Voda and Meteor they are not responsible for the Television. They all give the TV story, which is crap.

Webmonkey

Originally posted by Elmo

And RTE don’t sell me a subsidised television and then charge me every min for watch the television thus unlike O2 Voda and Meteor they are not responsible for the Television. They all give the TV story, which is crap.

I agree the tv story is stupid

Villain

I think the whole mobile industry here is stupid we are getting ripped off every day.

I think number portabilty will make things a little interesting, the phone companies will lose a lot of the hold they have on customers.

I was just wondering (have to be careful here) say I go to O2 or Meteor and close my bank account that the direct debit for vodafone comes out of. How far will vodafone go to get the remainder of my contract €20*7=€140.

How much would there legal expenses be if they were to file a law suit against me to get the money??

Who do you think would lose out more me or vodafone??

jesus_thats_gre

To be honest, they will go to the same extent as any other company to recover the debt. Personally I dont think it is worth the effort for such a small amount.

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by irish1
I think the whole mobile industry here is stupid we are getting ripped off every day.

I think number portabilty will make things a little interesting, the phone companies will lose a lot of the hold they have on customers.

I was just wondering (have to be careful here) say I go to O2 or Meteor and close my bank account that the direct debit for vodafone comes out of. How far will vodafone go to get the remainder of my contract €20*7=€140.

How much would there legal expenses be if they were to file a law suit against me to get the money??

Who do you think would lose out more me or vodafone??

You!
They will add their expenses to the debt and obtain a judgement in that amount so no real cost to them. You pay their costs.

Villain

Originally posted by Bond-James Bond
You!
They will add their expenses to the debt and obtain a judgement in that amount so no real cost to them. You pay their costs.

doubt they would go that far for €140 and 2 of my mates graduated as lawyers this year so could give them there first case

jesus_thats_gre

What the **** are they gonna do, you are wrong. You have signed a legal contract and in order to escape that contract you must pay termination charges. If you are foolish enough to not pay the 140 euro, then good luck. What happens if they refer the debt to a debt collection agency..... just ignore that too or set your lawyer mates on it?

Just pay the money :rolleyes:

Ste.phen

Isnt there usually a get out clause for when they increase their costs?
Which is pretty regular these days...

De Rebel

Originally posted by jesus_thats_gre
I can assure you that the majority of customer care staff in Vodafone are extrememly prefessional. Unfortunately you probably got some crabby ould cow who has given you a very bad impression of the whole company. Vodafone are putting in alot of effort to create an impression that is opposite to the one you have been given.

I met her, I met her, I met that self same crabby old cow. A few weeks ago I called vodafone looking for an update on an onging problem and the courteous support person said I would get a call back. Boy did I what!!!. From the nastiest piece of goods I've had the displeasure of dealing with in a long long time. And she's a manager or something. And to top it all I had a personalised piece of snail mail spam from the Marketing Director of Vodafone Ireland a few days later telling me that I was "one of our most valued customers"

Anyway she steeled my resolve.... walk the moment full mobile number portability becomes available. I'm counting the hours. And I'm going to get GREAT pleasure from this, where technology is concerned I'd be what’s known as a key influencer - i made a list of about 100 people i'm going to take with me and started my "full mobile number portability awarness campaign" almost immediatly, and hopefully they in turn will bring another swathe with them. And we are talking €200+ per month business users here.

bye bye vodafuxkers.

Villain

Originally posted by De Rebel


Anyway she steeled my resolve.... walk the moment full mobile number portability becomes available. I'm counting the hours. And I'm going to get GREAT pleasure from this, where technology is concerned I'd be what’s known as a key influencer - i made a list of about 100 people i'm going to take with me and started my "full mobile number portability awarness campaign" almost immediatly, and hopefully they in turn will bring another swathe with them. And we are talking €200+ per month business users here.

bye bye vodafuxkers.

Add me to that list please!!

Ya and I actually might have a few to add to it my family are moving from Vodafone too, they turned my brother down when he asked for a upgrade and it's over 12 months since his last upgrade. My Da and Ma and other brother are also moving, then theres all my mates and then theres all the people that ask me for advice on phones computers etc well I spent a year managing a bar so you have to talk about something. Maybe we should start a new thread and try and get as many people as possible to move???

jesus_thats_gre

Irish1, I sent you a PM again, have a look.

The Corinthian

Following both a request to close this thread from irish1 and the fact that it's begining to degenerate, I suspect that this discussion should best be ended or continued via PM.