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[SheilaB]

Hi,

I'm really, really hoping that someone here can help me -- have called the Vodafone support line already but I don't think they understood what I was asking. Hopefully it's clearer in writing.

Several months ago, I upgraded from 3 to Vodafone. It took 20 minutes -- on a lunch break, I wandered into a Vodafone store, showed them my last 3 bill, and said that I wanted a similar plan (I had been with 3 for two years and had completed a 24-month contract, and was just on month-to-month).  The very nice sales guy printed up some papers, told me to pick a phone, and had me sign at the bottom. No mess, no fuss, I was thrilled!! So much easier than 3 had been!

But.

Now, something's come up with my job and I have to move overseas.

I called Vodafone today to see if I could set up my cancellation ahead of time, or at least find out what the fee was (because there's always a fee, right? was expecting $50-$100) and found out that my 3-to-Vodafone 'upgrade' was actually a whole new 24-month contract.  Admittedly, my bad for not reading the fine print at the time, but good grief -- sometime in that 20 minutes, someone might have mentioned that I wasn't actually rolling my month-to-month from one service to the next, but was actually signing up for another two year commitment!!!!!

Anyway, it's upwards of $1000 to cancel the contract. Please please tell me that someone has a suggestion about how to get around this? Any help would be appreciated. I admit I screwed up when I upgraded :-/ but I think that the store should bear *some* responsibility for telling their customers what they're signing up for? I hope?

Thanks so much,

Sheila

[Bree]

Hey Sheila, 

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SheilaB wrote:

I'm really, really hoping that someone here can help me -- have called the Vodafone support line already but I don't think they understood what I was asking. Hopefully it's clearer in writing.

You've come to the right place here, and I can certainly help you out with your current issue. 

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SheilaB wrote:

Several months ago, I upgraded from 3 to Vodafone. It took 20 minutes -- on a lunch break, I wandered into a Vodafone store, showed them my last 3 bill, and said that I wanted a similar plan (I had been with 3 for two years and had completed a 24-month contract, and was just on month-to-month).  The very nice sales guy printed up some papers, told me to pick a phone, and had me sign at the bottom. No mess, no fuss, I was thrilled!! So much easier than 3 had been!

But.

Now, something's come up with my job and I have to move overseas.

I called Vodafone today to see if I could set up my cancellation ahead of time, or at least find out what the fee was (because there's always a fee, right? was expecting $50-$100) and found out that my 3-to-Vodafone 'upgrade' was actually a whole new 24-month contract.  Admittedly, my bad for not reading the fine print at the time, but good grief -- sometime in that 20 minutes, someone might have mentioned that I wasn't actually rolling my month-to-month from one service to the next, but was actually signing up for another two year commitment!!!!!

Anyway, it's upwards of $1000 to cancel the contract. Please please tell me that someone has a suggestion about how to get around this? Any help would be appreciated. I admit I screwed up when I upgraded :-/ but I think that the store should bear *some* responsibility for telling their customers what they're signing up for? I hope?

Thanks so much,

Sheila

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It certainly sounds as though you have been upgraded. What you have signed is a commitment to a 24 month contract. 

I can understand that this is frustrating for you and you are wanting to go overseas without leaving any commitment behind. However we can certainly take a look at some alternatives for you.

How long are you going overseas for? We could look at suspending your service for 3 months (this is the maximum time) and all you will need to pay is a $11 fee per month. Please note that as we are putting your service on hold for three months this three months would then be added to the end of your contract moving your Contract End Date further out. 

Please let me know your thoughts on the suspension and we can also look at other alternatives. 

Thank you,

Bree 

[SheilaB]

Hi Bree,

Thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately, my overseas move is not temporary. I'm not sure how long I'll be out of Australia but it will definitely be at least 2 years. So suspending the contract won't work.

Is there anything else I can do? I realise now that by 'upgrade,' they actually meant 'sign up for a new 2-year contract.' And I should have taken the time to check things out more carefully, but I was on my lunch break and the guy at the store just made it seem so easy! I was really thrilled with how simple it was to switch from 3 to Vodafone, and now I'm just disappointed that it wasn't the great deal I thought it was. If I'd realised I was actually signing up for a 2-year contract, rather than simply changing my current contract from 3 to Vodafone, I would never have done it. :-(

Can you think of any way to help me? It would really make my day if I didn't have to pay for over a year of a service that I won't be able to use at all.

Many thanks,

Sheila

[Caitlin]

Hi Sheila,

I appreciate how much of a shock this must be for you. Do you know someone who is looking for a new plan? I ask as you can certainly complete a transfer of title. 

A transfer of title is essentially moving your mobile number, plan and commitment into another name, of course, this person must agree to take over the plan. Any mobile payment plans that you have on your service (this may have come with your contract), can not be transferred and will be required to be paid out if a transfer of title is completed. The transfer can be completed in a store or over the phone with customer care by calling 1555, a free call from your Vodafone number or on 1300 650 410 from any other number. You will need to authorise the transfer and your friend or family member, will then need have a credit assessment completed before taking over the plan.

I hope this helps 

Thanks,

Cait

[SheilaB]

Hi Cait,

Thanks for your message. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite solve my problem, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask again... you see, before I called the customer service line and before I started posting here, I did check to see whether anyone I knew needed a phone. No such luck. Obviously I'm not going to stop asking around, but it's not really a solution from Vodafone -- it's more of a creative way of me getting out of a committment that I didn't realise I'd made. If I can solve it that way, I will, but it's looking unlikely and I was really hoping for some help from Vodafone.

So, back to the original quesion.  I won't say that I was tricked or anything, because that wouldn't be true, but I feel like I was misled a bit when I 'upgraded' from 3 to Vodafone. I had finished my contract with 3 and was going month-to-month. I got an email saying that 3 customers could upgrade to Vodafone, which had this spiffy new network rolling out, and I thought that maybe I'd get better service with Vodafone. I went into a shop on a lunch break and spent maybe 20 minutes total on the whole process -- it was so easy, I just told the guy I was with 3 and wanted to upgrade, he asked me to pick a handset, told me how much it would cost per month, printed some papers, and I signed.

At no point did anyone -- either the email notification or the sales guy -- mention that 'upgrade' actually meant 'sign up for another two year committment.' If that had been made clear, I would not have done it.

I absolutely accept a large chunk of the blame for not reading the fine print and not being more careful with what I was signing. I've also been absolutely happy with Vodafone, and if my job wasn't dictating that I move overseas, I would have continued blissfully unaware of what I'd signed up for. However, I am moving, and while I realise that I screwed up that day, I'm really hoping that I don't have to end things on such a sour note. I should have read more carefully, yes, but he should have told me that I wasn't getting a better version of what I already had, but in fact was signing up for a completely new deal. That's an important distinction.

Anyway, you've heard the story at least twice now. The reason I'm spending all this time writing lengthy posts about a simple issue is that I'm really really hoping that the Help and Support team can offer, well, some Help and Support for this issue.  I'm not asking you to completely waive all my responsibility, but I am asking Vodafone to step outside the box and help out a disappointed customer. 

My worst-case outcome is that I downgrade my plan, remove the insurance payment, and pay out the contract. That's not help, that's just logic. Is that really the best solution that Vodafone can allow?

Please let me know what you can do.

Thanks :-)

[Kirsty]

Hi SheilaB

SheilaB wrote:

Please let me know what you can do.

I'm really glad to hear your transition to Vodafone was so smooth and quick, and that if you weren't moving overseas you would continue happily with your service. "Upgrading" is the term we use for resigning another 24 month contract, but we still should have definitely confirmed with you that you understood the terms you were signing up for.

I can have a chat with you about your options for your specific situation - I will need to access your account to do this, so I've sent you a Private Message with my email address and the info I'll need to help, so we can move our conversation private.

You're able to access your PMs using the envelope icon in the top right of your screen, or by clicking here.

Where are you going overseas? Were you planning to take your handset with you? If you are, it may need to be unlocked from the Vodafone Australia network before you go - so your new overseas SIM card will work! You're able to unlock your phone online here. 

We have a great article about unlocking on our website here, but if f you have any questions or concerns about the unlock process that it doesn't cover, let me know - I can answer any questions your might have!

Thanks,

Kirsty.