Welcome to Vodafone

[JonathanO'Brien]

Well do I feel like an idiot. I was with Vodafone for years, and then changed to 3 early on on their Hot for 3 plan. I'd set up a Business Plan and brought 8 x services over to 3, icluding sticking by them through their initial 3G start-up problems. With their wind-up I have stayed loyal to VHG and been migrating my services over to Vodafone. Even tho I had almost no service for 3 months and after 2 months Vodafone offered to me to cancel my contract with no penalty to move to another provider but also said they are upgrading my tower next month, so I said "no, I can forward calls and will stick it out with you because I want to stay with Vodafone", and so I did, and I was gradually bringing all 8 of my services over to Vodafone.

As an IT Contractor, I was also instrumental in migrating a company with 50 x Optus Blackberries to migrate over to new 24 month Vodafone Blackberry Enterprise contracts. I also have brought about 25 other Small Business and personal accounts over to Vodafone and I have heavily defended their network failure explaining how they've fixed their networks etc.

Last year 2 of my Three Mobile Broadband contracts expired, and Three suggested I migrate them to Vodafone and they transferred my call to their 3-Vodafone Migration Specialst. I said how I was on Vodafone Infinite Plans and what about that data, and the specialst told me that you could not tether that data for laptops. (Which I later found out was a complete lie because that was originally the case, but you could tether data for about 6 months before I went to migrate). So on that information I agreed to migrate my Three services to 2 x Vodafone Portable Wifi Mobile Broadband services. I also asked him what the special Vodafone plans for original Three customers on the old Hot for 3 plans. He checked and told me in writing by email that there are NO special plans, the only plans he can sign me up to are the ordinary $19 plans that any new customer can get. I later checked in a store and found out that was another complete lie as all Vodafone consultants (ESPECIALLY the migration specialists) have the Hot for Vodafone plans for migrating old Three customers over to.

Well, when my Mobile Broadband devices arrived, firstly I saw they were USB sticks, NOT portable wifi MBB devices. He sent the wrong devices! In trying to call Vodafone to sort it out I kept being sent on a wild goose chase as no-one could find my account details. I eventually needed to use one of them so opened it, but kept the second one unopened to be exchanged. After a little while the first one stopped working. At that time I also found that that I didn't need the stick anyway as the Infinite plan covered tethering. After many more dozens of hours on the phone I went into the Chatswood store and eventually worked out the service stopped working because the bills were not paid. They were not paid because although my billing address and direct debit details (and my correct name spelling) were both on my old Three account and my existing Vodafone account, the migration "specialist" apparantly did not migrate me over at all, instead he just created a NEW account and NEW MBB services, and could not copy my name or address from either of my existing accounts so my name was spelt wrong and the billing address was set up wrong.

I explained to the lady in the store how I want the services cancelled in any case as the account was set up based on FALSE information, which can be confirmed by the electronic voice contract recording, but in the meantime, I want to ensure I have no VEDA or other issues, should I pay the bill and then they can credit me back? She specifically told me "No, I will raise this with escalations, the poilcy is that you do NOT have to pay the bill while it is being disputed, when they sort it out they will send you a reply-paid envelope to return the USB sticks and SIMs back in". I told her although I was paying for the data with the Infinite plan anyway, I am happy as a sign of good-faith towards Vodafone to pay for the usage on the one device that I used. She sent all that information off, including a copy of my Three account number and other Vodafone account number and my contact details and correct Billing Address.

So all well and good I thought. It seemed like they just cancelled my whole account with 0 to pay beacause I never heard another thing from Vodafone. At all. But then some months later I receive a letter of demand from an unnamed person from NRG Global Solutions Debt Collectors demanding payment of not only the past months bills but for all 24 months payout x 2 devices!! But they did not send the letter to my billing address, so it took a long time after they sent it for it to find its way to me. The letter gave an email address to use for communications. The day I received the letter I wrote a polite email to them outlining the error, that I do not owe Vodafone any money, that the account should have been cancelled, and that Vodafone Escalations is dealling with the matter. I received email receipts showing Eugevar Iglesias, Marvin De Luna, Mary Ramos, and S Pollock all opened my email for reading. I did not hear anything back so assumed everything was ok. Then some time later I received another letter, dated AFTER they read my email, that was again sent to my non-address, but their again-unnamed letter ignored my email completely, and made OPEN THREATS against me and my family to pay the debt immediately. The letter also stated that they had already listed my debt with VEDA?!?!

I again immedietely replied to them and addressed soecifically the 4 names above, and I pointed out again that I have no debt with Vodafone, and I requested that they not make open threats against me and my family, and I pointed out that they have no legal avenue to list me with VEDA as per VEDA's terms and conditions, only Vodafone can, and I pointed out that Vodafone have no right to list me as Vodafone Escalations specifically told me I need not make any payment while this case is open, and no one from Vodafone has come back to me saying there is any problem whatsoever. I pointed out to them that if they did list me falsely (as I have no debt) it would be an illegal act and I would sue them. This second letter was opened for reading by the above 4 named persons plus also Anthony Esguerra in addition. This second email was also totally ignored in regards to any response by them.

So, I signed up to Veda's My Alert service so I would know just in case they did do anything, knowing that they would not be so stupid as to list me without any sort of communication about the development with Vodafone's Escalations department.

But lo and behold - I received last week a Veda Alert notfying me that Vodafone had listed me as a defaulting payer!!!

I am of course having VEDA reverse this listing with documented proof, but I am yet to find out if the incorrect listing will just be removed or if it will stay on my record for 5 years as a disputed listing. Either way, I am of course:

migrating ALL my other half dozen services away from Vodafone to Telstra, and I am of course at IT Manager immediately organising for those 75 other Vodafone services that I manage to be migrating to other networks, and I am engaging a lawyer to sue for libel. The fact is, they knew I owed no debt when they made the listing, so it was not an accident, so it is a clear case of libel.

That I will be extremely vocal backflipping on my previous recommendations to go with Vodafone to several hundred other account-holders that I do not directly manage but who listen to my advice, is simply a matter of course, I just so ashamed that I was so vocal and instrumental in getting so many customers to stick with Vodafone, and then they go and do that to me.

[Bree]

Hey Jonathan,

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JonathanO'Brien wrote:

Well do I feel like an idiot. I was with Vodafone for years, and then changed to 3 early on on their Hot for 3 plan. I'd set up a Business Plan and brought 8 x services over to 3, icluding sticking by them through their initial 3G start-up problems. With their wind-up I have stayed loyal to VHG and been migrating my services over to Vodafone. Even tho I had almost no service for 3 months and after 2 months Vodafone offered to me to cancel my contract with no penalty to move to another provider but also said they are upgrading my tower next month, so I said "no, I can forward calls and will stick it out with you because I want to stay with Vodafone", and so I did, and I was gradually bringing all 8 of my services over to Vodafone.

As an IT Contractor, I was also instrumental in migrating a company with 50 x Optus Blackberries to migrate over to new 24 month Vodafone Blackberry Enterprise contracts. I also have brought about 25 other Small Business and personal accounts over to Vodafone and I have heavily defended their network failure explaining how they've fixed their networks etc.

Last year 2 of my Three Mobile Broadband contracts expired, and Three suggested I migrate them to Vodafone and they transferred my call to their 3-Vodafone Migration Specialst. I said how I was on Vodafone Infinite Plans and what about that data, and the specialst told me that you could not tether that data for laptops. (Which I later found out was a complete lie because that was originally the case, but you could tether data for about 6 months before I went to migrate). So on that information I agreed to migrate my Three services to 2 x Vodafone Portable Wifi Mobile Broadband services. I also asked him what the special Vodafone plans for original Three customers on the old Hot for 3 plans. He checked and told me in writing by email that there are NO special plans, the only plans he can sign me up to are the ordinary $19 plans that any new customer can get. I later checked in a store and found out that was another complete lie as all Vodafone consultants (ESPECIALLY the migration specialists) have the Hot for Vodafone plans for migrating old Three customers over to.

Well, when my Mobile Broadband devices arrived, firstly I saw they were USB sticks, NOT portable wifi MBB devices. He sent the wrong devices! In trying to call Vodafone to sort it out I kept being sent on a wild goose chase as no-one could find my account details. I eventually needed to use one of them so opened it, but kept the second one unopened to be exchanged. After a little while the first one stopped working. At that time I also found that that I didn't need the stick anyway as the Infinite plan covered tethering. After many more dozens of hours on the phone I went into the Chatswood store and eventually worked out the service stopped working because the bills were not paid. They were not paid because although my billing address and direct debit details (and my correct name spelling) were both on my old Three account and my existing Vodafone account, the migration "specialist" apparantly did not migrate me over at all, instead he just created a NEW account and NEW MBB services, and could not copy my name or address from either of my existing accounts so my name was spelt wrong and the billing address was set up wrong.

I explained to the lady in the store how I want the services cancelled in any case as the account was set up based on FALSE information, which can be confirmed by the electronic voice contract recording, but in the meantime, I want to ensure I have no VEDA or other issues, should I pay the bill and then they can credit me back? She specifically told me "No, I will raise this with escalations, the poilcy is that you do NOT have to pay the bill while it is being disputed, when they sort it out they will send you a reply-paid envelope to return the USB sticks and SIMs back in". I told her although I was paying for the data with the Infinite plan anyway, I am happy as a sign of good-faith towards Vodafone to pay for the usage on the one device that I used. She sent all that information off, including a copy of my Three account number and other Vodafone account number and my contact details and correct Billing Address.

So all well and good I thought. It seemed like they just cancelled my whole account with 0 to pay beacause I never heard another thing from Vodafone. At all. But then some months later I receive a letter of demand from an unnamed person from NRG Global Solutions Debt Collectors demanding payment of not only the past months bills but for all 24 months payout x 2 devices!! But they did not send the letter to my billing address, so it took a long time after they sent it for it to find its way to me. The letter gave an email address to use for communications. The day I received the letter I wrote a polite email to them outlining the error, that I do not owe Vodafone any money, that the account should have been cancelled, and that Vodafone Escalations is dealling with the matter. I received email receipts showing Eugevar Iglesias, Marvin De Luna, Mary Ramos, and S Pollock all opened my email for reading. I did not hear anything back so assumed everything was ok. Then some time later I received another letter, dated AFTER they read my email, that was again sent to my non-address, but their again-unnamed letter ignored my email completely, and made OPEN THREATS against me and my family to pay the debt immediately. The letter also stated that they had already listed my debt with VEDA?!?!

I again immedietely replied to them and addressed soecifically the 4 names above, and I pointed out again that I have no debt with Vodafone, and I requested that they not make open threats against me and my family, and I pointed out that they have no legal avenue to list me with VEDA as per VEDA's terms and conditions, only Vodafone can, and I pointed out that Vodafone have no right to list me as Vodafone Escalations specifically told me I need not make any payment while this case is open, and no one from Vodafone has come back to me saying there is any problem whatsoever. I pointed out to them that if they did list me falsely (as I have no debt) it would be an illegal act and I would sue them. This second letter was opened for reading by the above 4 named persons plus also Anthony Esguerra in addition. This second email was also totally ignored in regards to any response by them.

So, I signed up to Veda's My Alert service so I would know just in case they did do anything, knowing that they would not be so stupid as to list me without any sort of communication about the development with Vodafone's Escalations department.

But lo and behold - I received last week a Veda Alert notfying me that Vodafone had listed me as a defaulting payer!!!

I am of course having VEDA reverse this listing with documented proof, but I am yet to find out if the incorrect listing will just be removed or if it will stay on my record for 5 years as a disputed listing. Either way, I am of course:

migrating ALL my other half dozen services away from Vodafone to Telstra, and I am of course at IT Manager immediately organising for those 75 other Vodafone services that I manage to be migrating to other networks, and I am engaging a lawyer to sue for libel. The fact is, they knew I owed no debt when they made the listing, so it was not an accident, so it is a clear case of libel.

That I will be extremely vocal backflipping on my previous recommendations to go with Vodafone to several hundred other account-holders that I do not directly manage but who listen to my advice, is simply a matter of course, I just so ashamed that I was so vocal and instrumental in getting so many customers to stick with Vodafone, and then they go and do that to me.

---

It is definitely wrong what has happened here and I will certainly get this resolved for you as soon as possible.

This should have been taken care of the first time you bought this up. I apologise that it wasn't and I will take a look into this further for you.

Any listing that have been made will be removed for you once I can gain access to your account.

If you would please email me at online.help@vodafone.com.au with code C001CBPGI in the subject with this information here  I will be able to take a look into this for you.

What I will also do is give you a call, so if you could please provide me with your contact number that would be great. I will work closely along side my business team down here in Hobart, Tas to get your issue resolved.

Thank you,

Bree 

[JonathanO'Brien]

Thankyou Bree,

I will email you that information.

The original problem starting of course because of the outsourced contractor, understandable that Vodafone had to contract many many people to assist with migrations, but inexcusable that they were simply put on commission with no proper training, and no checks or claw-backs or accounatability for mishandling transfers and outright lying to make a commission.

In my case it was Desha Joseph that screwed my port and lied to me, but from reading on here and whirlpool, every contractor seemed to be doing the same to hundreds or thousands of Three ports.

Secondly I assume the new problem was a matter of Vodafone simply being too overloaded and my escalation got missed and so got sent to NRG and Vodafone relied on NRG from behaving in a legal professional manner. So am hoping you can assist clear up my VEDA record, but I am still taking legal action against NRG, because I had clear communication with them and they deliberately and maliciously caused my VEDA listing.

Will Vodafone be able to give me a copy of the communication from NRG to Vodafone regarding my account or will I need to get a court order for it? Being a member of the COSL I have already reported NRG to the Credit Ombudsman Service Limited but am still pursuing legal option to take action against the specific malicious individuals Eugevar Iglesias, Marvin De Luna, Mary Ramos, S Pollock and Anthony Esguerra.

Regards,

Jonathan.

[Maddie]

 I will email you that information.

Hi Jonathan, 

I've just spoken to Bree and she has advised me that she has passed your information onto our business team, here In Tasmania. I'm confident that we will have this resolved for you and if you have any questions or concerns, please forward them onto Bree. 

Thank you, 

Maddie 

[JonathanO'Brien]

Well, it has been over three weeks and I have not heard a single word back from Vodafone's Business Team in Tasmania. Regardless even of nothing regarding the outcome of the account itself, the Veda listing is still in place and Veda reports today that Vodafone still have not yet provided them with any information since I lodged the dispute with Veda.

Regardless of what outcome is decided on the account, the Veda listing was improper, I am requesting Vodafone remove that listing immediately, and then we move forwards on the account. I believe I owe $0. Even if Vodafone, the TIO, a Small Claims Court, whatever, determines that I owe money, fine, THEN a debt will be incurred, THEN it will either be paid or a Veda listing will be valid to be made. But there is no valid debt currently, so the current Veda listing must be removed.

To pressure someone to pay money that they do not legally owe with a threat (in this case the threat was carried out), is nothing short of extortion. I have played nice for many months on this stupid matter. I want the matter resolved, so I can move on, and whether I move on with Vodafone or with porting all my other services away, I just want to know and do it.

[Bree · Accepted solution]

Hi Jonathan, 

I apologise sincerely for the delay in which this has taken to get underway.

I can reassure you that I have now got the ball rolling and together with a resolutions manager we have been working really hard on getting this resolved for you over the last two days.

I have sent you an email with an update on where we are at with this and as I am not in over the weekend, this will be the first thing I attend to Monday Morning. Please email me with any further questions you have regarding the information I have provided in the email. 

I would like to thank you Jonathan for your ongoing patience, and I'm looking forward to getting this completely resolved for you early next week.

Thank you,

Bree.

[JonathanO'Brien]

Thanks so much Bree,

OK, so to summarise for anyone following this: this matter seemed to have slipped through the cracks with Vodafone Business (again). So, overall from the beginning (last year) to the end, was a torturous journey, but it has finally been resolved now with the best outcome possible.

So thankyou to Vodafone for providing this community site and for empowering your social staff to be able to actually deal effectually with the matters raised, and thus a huge thankyou to Bree for pushing my issue through with a resolutions manager and they have closed the account that ought never have been opened and have removed the default listing from the Veda database (I have received confirmation from Veda that the listing has been completely removed and they sent me my new current file which is now clear again. 

I am glad that has all been resolved because I really did not want to port away, Optus, Virgin, Amaysim, TPG, Boost, etc, etc's network is so overloaded with all those Virtual providers that not one single person I know on those networks is happy with it, or gets all their texts through, and Telstra is just so expensive for the same call and data volume and handsets.

So a huge thanks and I hope to continue with Vodafone well into the future!

PS. Hoping Vodafone Australia gets a Samsung Galaxy S3 agreement in the near future :-)

Ta, Jono.