How NOT to Treat Customers

(As demonstrated by Vodafone UK)

After being a Sony Ericcson user for years, I finally decided to make the leap across to an iPhone 4, and popped into my local Vodafone store before the launch to discuss the plans and costs. The Vodafone Retailer sales rep quickly went through the tariffs and purchase price, and then suggested I open an account there and then. I was confused, as the release date was still five days away, but he told me that as I was after a 32gb iPhone – unlike most people, who wanted the 16gb iPhone – if I opened the account then, he would allocate a 32gb model for me within their first stock delivery. I was surprised, as too often I had heard stories of people missing out and waiting weeks for their Apple iPhone to be delivered after a release date, but he assured me three times, that definitely 100% no problems I would receive a shiney new iPhone 4 32gb on the release date of Thursday 24 June – “Just come in after 9.30am, and it will be here waiting for you”. I was still cautious, and said that if there was any possibility of it going wrong, I’d rather he said now, so I could take my chances on the day and possibly go to a third party agent, such as Carphone Warehouse or Phones 4U, but again he told me not to worry, this was the easiest guaranteed way to get an iPhone 4 32gb on release. So I followed his suggestion, handed over my details and opened the account – ready to collect my new iPhone 4 on Thursday morning. The Vodafone Retail sales rep then gave me my Vodafone account number, then produced a handwritten order list; he showed me that I was the 4^th person ordering a 32gb iPhone 4, saying this was why I wouldn’t have any problems getting my new mobile compared to those wanting a 16gb, and I wrote my details down on the list.

On Wednesday 23 June, I saw some news reports saying some iPhone 4 purchasers had already received their iPhone 4s thanks to speedy courier delivery, and checked with my Vodafone Retail store to see if I could collect mine early – I was keen to get my hands on it, and also I had friends in town, so didn’t want to waste time on Thursday morning. Unfortunately the store said I couldn’t collect it then, but I could definitely pick it up Thursday morning.

Thursday morning, and I was excited! I walked down the High Street, feeling slightly smug as I walked past a queue of around a hundred people outside the O2 store. Then I reached the Vodafone store, and there was no queue outside and the door was already open at 20 past nine. This was going to be easier than I thought! And here’s where it all goes wrong… The Vodafone Retail store manager informs me that there isn’t a 32gb Iphone 4 waiting for me, and that they never bothered to keep one aside for me in the first place. I spoke with the Vodafone Retail store manager, explained what I had been promised, and that I was not happy as I felt my details had been taken deceitfully by the sales rep, who helpfully wasn’t at work that day! He didn’t apologise, just shrugged his shoulders and said “I can order you an iPhone, but its anyone’s guess when we’ll get more in”.

I understand that the iPhone 4 was going to be popular, but that’s why I was so cautious about opening an account – but I only handed over my details once it was confirmed that they definitely, 100% would supply it on 24 June. If the Vodafone Retail rep had been honest on the 20^th and told me I would be put on a backorder list on the 24^th, then I wouldn’t have given him permission to open an account in my name. Instead I’m left believing that the Vodafone Retail sales rep made the promise purely to extract my information to complete an account opening – which other Vodafone Retail staff have told me forms part of a retail sales rep’s monthly sales targets – and so I feel deceived and misled.

To make things worse, despite being told if I could find a Vodafone registered iPhone 4, then I could get it connected to my account, I then wasted nearly an hour of both mine and the Carphone Warehouse sales rep’s time, as the Vodafone connection operator refused to connect an iPhone 4 for me via Carphone Warehouse until I had connected one directly through Vodafone – despite Vodafone Retail and Online not having any stock. Finally Vodafone’s own order system will not allow the Vodafone Online team to process a backorder for me, as I don’t have an active connection. So ultimately I’m stuck in no man’s land, with an account Vodafone opened under which I feel are false pretences yet – to sum it up, I’ve got a mark on my credit record to open an account I cannot use.

The Vodafone Retail store manager, after a second visit to the Vodafone Retail store, gave me the impression that there is nothing wrong with the methods used by his sales rep, and was only interested in putting me on a backorder list, not actually solving my concerns relating to the Vodafone Retail sales rep. When I spoke with Vodafone Customer Service and explained that I was unhappy about their sales reps methods, I was told there was little point in complaining to Otelo as the only response I would receive is a recommendation that the sale rep undergo further training. This is why I've put this website up - £5.98 for two years is a cheap way to tell others of the experience I had with Vodafone Retail.

I chose Vodafone based on its slogan ‘the dependable network’; given that the definition of dependable is ‘…reliability [of a person to others] because of his/her integrity, truthfulness, and trustfulness, traits that can encourage someone to depend on him/her’. Too bad Vodafone haven’t lived up to their slogan.