Vodafone "customer service"
So I did my research for looking for a new phone and a new contract and I rang Vodafone in order to see if they could match the other prices I was being offered. I'd got them all from comparison websites.
The difference in total cost of ownership over 24 months is £734 compared to other networks (Vodafone £71 a month whereas Three £40/m as well as O2). He told me the following:
"It's a rented name and a rented, cheaper service" - I asked how it was a worse service if it's connecting to their infrastructure and was told "it's a weaker signal". I asked how this works to have two signals being sent out from the mast, one lower strength than the other. He just replied with how Vodafone are the best and this is a worse signal.
"You'd not actually be a three customer, you'd be with the third party company" - I asked how this was a problem and was told "if you have a problem with the phone, it's on the third party, not three" I asked how this was a problem with a phone sold over UK consumer law and he couldn't answer.
"You'd not be with three, it wasn't their website". I explained the third party site redirected me to three's website with the phone and contract in the basket. He said this was still not a genuine three contract.
He said repeatedly I'd be paying for a worse service and a rented service but was hostile when I asked for the technical name for the system he describes so I can do my research. I googled the "rented service" after he (sounding like a scam call or two I've heard) invited me to and got no results.
I kept asking how it works and was just told "I'm telling you, it's a cheaper, rented service and it's worse".
Is there any truth to any of this? I'm on the verge of making a formal complaint as he was just an outright knob and sounded like he was just lying to me and also mis-selling.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
It's not really worth worrying about what they were saying. Either they'll match or they won't.
If data speed is important, I'd check what speeds you'll get using a prepay SIM before switching network. Some networks can get overloaded in some areas.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jonatron
It's not really worth worrying about what they were saying. Either they'll match or they won't.
If data speed is important, I'd check what speeds you'll get using a prepay SIM before switching network. Some networks can get overloaded in some areas.
I have a viceral aversion to being lied to. I spoke to two other people who were far more representative of the vodafone I am used to and were pretty up front.
It sounds like they'll be having a word in his ear as to talk to someone like that who is trying to spend over a grand with you is to make them immediately ring up someone else and ask to do anything but.
No one could explain how it works but I think they were confused about the difference between a virtual network like Utility Warehouse who piggybacks on the existing infrastructure, not owning any, and a comparison website providing people with Vodafone contracts.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Sounds like he is talking about a virtual network provider(MVNO) but hasn't worded it very well.
If he was saying what I am thinking he is trying to, this might help :
https://www.androidcentral.com/downs...native-carrier
Unless your talking about comparison sites? I have used simplans.co.uk for sim only in the past with good success. However there is no difference through a phone and contract bought through a third party and buying direct. Unless as I said they thought you were talking about virtual networks perhaps?
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
He will have been trying to tell you about what are known as MVNO. The thing is though 3 and O2 are not MVNO's they are full first party native providers. Now BT & Virgin are MVNO's as they get their airtime (or rent it if you like) by using a network that isn't theirs in both these cases EE, GiffGaff use O2, Voxi use Vodafone and Sky I believe use O2.
So it sounds like he was pushing the hard sell on you by scaring you into thinking you will be worse off on a different network.
Personal experience is that 3 weren't the best, they have got way better though over the past 10 year or so and now a decent competitor. O2 are also decent but I found them to be more expensive when I was still working for them. O2 (aka telefonica (Spanish) much like Orange was Hutchinson Telecom (Dutch)) suddenly appeared overnight as BT used to have their own dedicated mobile network late 90's early 00's with all the infrastructure setup, they sold it of to telefonica and O2 had a huge ready to go network there and then for them to launch well. Mad to think BT now have to get their airtime from another provider!
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ferral
He will have been trying to tell you about what are known as MVNO. The thing is though 3 and O2 are not MVNO's they are full first party native providers. Now BT & Virgin are MVNO's as they get their airtime (or rent it if you like) by using a network that isn't theirs in both these cases EE, GiffGaff use O2, Voxi use Vodafone and Sky I believe use O2.
So it sounds like he was pushing the hard sell on you by scaring you into thinking you will be worse off on a different network.
Personal experience is that 3 weren't the best, they have got way better though over the past 10 year or so and now a decent competitor. O2 are also decent but I found them to be more expensive when I was still working for them. O2 (aka telefonica (Spanish) much like Orange was Hutchinson Telecom (Dutch)) suddenly appeared overnight as BT used to have their own dedicated mobile network late 90's early 00's with all the infrastructure setup, they sold it of to telefonica and O2 had a huge ready to go network there and then for them to launch well. Mad to think BT now have to get their airtime from another provider!
Aye that's what I thought. They seem to either not understand it or be actively stretching the definition. My concern is that the entire sales team were a little... vague on the details and the first guy was actively mis-selling. Here's hoping that gets back to them because that, combined with their silly prices, is going to ruin them.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
philehidiot
Is there any truth to any of this? I'm on the verge of making a formal complaint as he was just an outright knob and sounded like he was just lying to me and also mis-selling.
He may have been referring to deals through third party dealers - smaller versions of carphone warehouse etc who buy deals in bulk and sell online that way.. but a weaker signal than those on the same network? That is either a barefaced lie or he simply doesn't know what he's talking about and was trying to wing a sale. He most likely was lying to you by the sound of his attitude. Sales(Joining customers) and retentions(leaving customers) services are actually the same dept and had a terrible reputation for promising deals and features which were simply lies sometimes leaving no notes to back the customer up or false info on the technical/network front etc at least when I worked at VF in the 2000s after I left Uni.
I would consider buying a phone separately or keeping your current phone and just going for a one month rolling or 12 month max sim only contract to avoid complications if you want to go with VF or any other network. All networks have their horror stories but I saw plenty first hand at VF.
Edit:
Good post by Ferral too there on MVNOs just saw it. I personally didn't come across an ASDA customer on the VF network who had problems or considered lower priority on the network or service wise and it wasn't policy at least at the time. 4G might be a different story as VF's 4G is actually O2's 4G network and VF simply did a deal with them so hard to say now (or that was the story in 2010).
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
The only thing I have heard about MVNOs, no idea if its accurate or not, is that they have lower priority/slots on cell towers.
If true, it would be less a weaker signal and more no signal at very busy times.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
more like Vodafone joke service but still is bettern than o2, my god everytime i have to contact them i feel 10 years older
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
There's every chance the guy was just making stuff up but as it happens, being on an MVNO doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the same spectrum, coverage or speeds as being on the host network. Details vary between the four networks, and details aren't widely publicised, but for example some networks may restrict access to the likes of the valuable 800MHz band which offers better coverage, including inside buildings. In addition, there may be restrictions on speed, possibly depending on congestion as others have mentioned.
However if it was a comparison site that redirected you to Three, then you'd be a Three customer so I don't know what he was going on about there. Maybe just dug his heels in?
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BobF64
The only thing I have heard about MVNOs, no idea if its accurate or not, is that they have lower priority/slots on cell towers.
If true, it would be less a weaker signal and more no signal at very busy times.
I think that's a rumor, not been shown to be true in my experience. I know that networks can provision different profiles though for their MVNOs and that may limit speed - e.g. you can be capped at 40mb through the MVNO and get full uncapped speed through the network directly.
I don't know if that is still a "thing" or not, or actually if it was ever even the networks or the actual MVNO providers that added it.
Personally I avoid all of the MVNOs like the plague. I have been direct wtih EE for years (since they were "created" I guess) and consistently have better speeds and signals than my friends on O2 or worse, three.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
It's not a rumour about services being potentially different, but it's not constant across networks or MVNOs. The example I used earlier: https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/ex...0mhz-switch-on
It's not always a case of MVNOs getting 'slowed down' per se, rather they may not have access to some of the more advanced features of the host network like carrier aggregation, etc. And nor is it a case of a 'signal' being weaker in radio terms; the spectrum is still shared with the host network but QoS may be applied differently especially if the network is busy. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO_tNR_aj94
As for networks being 'better' - it's often largely anecdotal and can vary hugely depending on area. Everyone has a friend who claims Vodafone/O2/Three/EE is best for them, or has had a horrid experience with another network (phone itself can make a big difference too, something many people fail to consider). Even many of the comparison tests, including those using crowdsourced data, are deeply flawed and also give drastically different results. It's why you always seem to get adverts with each network claiming to be 'the best' - because there's some independent test 'proving' it.
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
watercooled
It's not a rumour about services being potentially different, but it's not constant across networks or MVNOs. The example I used earlier:
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/ex...0mhz-switch-on
It's not always a case of MVNOs getting 'slowed down' per se, rather they may not have access to some of the more advanced features of the host network like carrier aggregation, etc. And nor is it a case of a 'signal' being weaker in radio terms; the spectrum is still shared with the host network but QoS may be applied differently especially if the network is busy. Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO_tNR_aj94
Thank you. that is a better way of saying what i wanted to say, with the bonus of using the correct technology names etc and actually being correct :)
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
I can well imagine that there are tiers of service and native customers get tier 1, whilst virtual networks get tier 2 and people get dropped onto lower speeds, etc. From a high level, I can see a customer on tier 2 being dropped to 3G whilst tier 1s remain on 4G to ease congestion and maintain service quality for the native customers. He insisted that the signal was weaker and I kept asking how this was so. He just told me it just was because it was a "rented line". He also kept insisting he was explaining it to me, when he was just repeating the same thing again and again.
This made me angry. He could have just done what the second guy I spoke to did, which was say "I've just spoken to someone else and apparently it's true but I don't understand it. I can't explain it to you but I can certainly pass you on to the guy who can if that would help?"
A lack of knowledge isn't a problem. Refusal to admit that lack of knowledge and to tell me to google it without giving me even search terms is infuriating.
Now, does anyone need to borrow a phone or two? I think I need to get round to a purge...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WoHrgwBBwLJo7Vjn6
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
It's shocking how many older phones become practically unusable for even basic functions due to bloated Play Services updates - I've known phones to have their onboard storage almost entirely filled by it!
Re: Vodafone "customer service"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
watercooled
It's shocking how many older phones become practically unusable for even basic functions due to bloated Play Services updates - I've known phones to have their onboard storage almost entirely filled by it!
Yeh a woman at work has a phone with a relatively tiny onboard NAND storage and it's now just packed full of OS bloat and useless.
My only two phones I was sad to see go were the Palm Pre (the power button broke and after two repairs it was beyond fixing, I couldn't risk upgrading to the newer one as HP were looking like the might ditch the project, which they did just after launch of a new model) and the P990i which worked brilliantly until (I'd guess) some server was shut down and the internet browser stopped working. I think I went back to that phone twice after other models weren't good enough.