Compensation for Network issues

[GinaKou]

I joined Vodafone in Jun.2023, and from the onset, I have been experiencing continuous network issues. Most of the time, no internet or very poor quality on my mobile phone, outdoor coverage. I visited multiple times the Vodafone stores and had multiple communications with the customer service. In Nov.2023 they sent to me new SIM card which solved the issue.

I asked for compensation of the months I have been paying for a service I did not receive and the response was that the Network department investigation responded that they see no issue.

The investigation happened twice after I asked for a second one, and the response was the exact same "copy paste" text (you can see in the attached screenshot) that they keep replying to me until today. I do have a screen-shot from on of my visits in the Vodafone store, where the employees documented the network issue in my client account. I also have a whole file of speed internet tests I was sending asking for a resolution. Now, Jan.24 the agent in the Messenger customer support, responds to me explicitly “This is the answer whether you like it or not”. There is no other link to issue a customer complain so I am trying here in the forum for help.

 

 

[Cecilia]

Hi @GinaKou, welcome here. 

I'm sorry to read that you experienced issues with our connection. I understand that you received a new simcard on 13 November and you mentioned this solved the issues. Is that correct? 

I also see that there have been created 2 cases to our department complaints. The last one was on 7 December. This is the reason why I ask if it's been resolved or not, because I'm wondering why there is been created a new case to investigate our network if it was already solved on 13 November. However, the network issue has been investigated (twice) by them and there was no problem with the network in your zip code. The outdoor coverage is well present. Based on this they say there is no reason to terminate your contract or a credit, because the problem wasn't caused through our network. 

[GinaKou]

Hello Cecilia,

After the new SIM card the network issue was resolved, so the problem had to be the SIM card Vodafone gave me when I join in June. This is what they also confirmed from the local Vodafone Store I visited all these times for my issue.

I requested a second investigation as in the 1st one the Network team responded that they dont find any issue. The response as you see in the screenshot was not relevant with my request, it is an automated response to all claims probably. My claim was that I have very bad network quality in general, not indoors/outdoors or in a specific location.

The same automated response, that "the Network Department is not finding any issue", while every time I visited the store the employees there saw the issue with their own eyes and documented in my customer's page, is not sufficient. 

[Cecilia]

@GinaKou Thankyou for your message. First of all I'm happy to read that the issues have been solved by the new simcard. However, I understand why you did get the same message on your second request. This department checks the outdoor network. In your case the outdoor network was well present but the problem was caused by your simcard. If it was caused by your simcard, then they can't find any issues in the outdoor network/masts. This is confirmed by the fact that you have no longer experienced any problems since the new simcard. Only if the research shows that the network is insufficient, you have the choice to terminate your contract or receive a discount. That is not the issue here and that is also what my colleague indicated yesterday. Unfortunately, I cannot do anything else for you through the Community.

[GinaKou]

Hello good day. 

Since both SIMcards are from Vodafone shouldnt the company compensate for the defective SIM Card? All these months I still had to pay for a service I didnt have (Internet in my mobile phone) and I spend hours with customer service support trying to solve this. Not until November was the problem solved, while for several months I kept visiting the store or asked for help online. As you see in my previous screenshot, the agent is telling me that,to request a compensation an investigation from the Network department has to be performed. I do not know which department is responsible for these issues but it was witnessed and documented in my client account every time I visited the local Vodafone stores

 

[Cecilia]

I get your point @GinaKou 🙂 However, in this case the simcard caused the issues. Like mentioned before, this is confirmed by the fact that you have no longer experienced any problems since the new simcard. The network department only checks if there's a problem with the mast/outdoor network. If there's a problem with the outdoor coverage, then you get the option to terminate your contract or a discount. In this case there's no problem with the outdoor coverage, so a new case to the network department (when the problem is already solved by the new simcard) will give the same result regarding the outdoor coverage and isn't the way to do a request for a compensation. So I'm sorry that there was miscommunication about this. 

In my opinion it's quite strange that a new simcard has not been tested before. Carrying out a cross-test is the first thing we recommend testing and is also mentioned in our step-by-step plans for connection problems. In your message you also said that you have visited the local Vodafone store a few times. We often refer you to the store when exchanging the simcard, so I find it unusual that this has not been tested with you in the store. If this was tested with you, the problem could have been solved earlier in my opinion. 

Summarized. The case to our network department don't give the right for a discount or termination of your contract because there wasn't a problem with the ourdoor coverage. The problem is solved by a new simcard. However, in my opinion is this something what should be tested before the case to our network department also regarding our step-by-step plans for connection problems. If this was done, the problem was solved earlier. I can't give you a compensation for the network issues, because it wasn't caused by the network. However, I would like to accommodate you because the problem could have been solved earlier. I want to give you a credit of 1 month subscription costs. I round the amount up to € 35. Let me know if this is okay, so I can process this. 

[GinaKou]

Hello Cecilia. For this issue, the lack of internet in my phone, I asked for help to both online customer support and the local store. I followed their instructions on how to solve this, so as you do, I find it strange that none of the above knew the correct procedure even though I described the problem.

• As you see in the screenshot, from the online support they advise me to start a Network investigation, I can provide all the communication if needed.
• In Messenger customer support, the response I took when asking for compensation was "the network department sees no issue so this is the response whether you like it or not".
• For the exchange of the SIM card, I went in the Vodafone store. All my visits and the reasons of them, are all documented in my client's page. No one advised me of a cross-test or initiated one.

I appreciate the offer of 1 month credit but compensation I ask for is for the months that I paid without receiving the service and for the time I wasted with all these communications.   

[Cecilia]

@GinaKou I can not give you a compensation based on the results of the networkcase because there was no issue with the outdoor coverage. However, like mentioned before I want to accomodate you, because in my opinion a simswap should have been done earlier. The compensation I can give you is € 35,-. This is what I can offer you and unfortunately I cannot make more of it

[GinaKou]

Hello Cecilia. Who is responsible to advise for a simswap in a customer complaint for network issues?

[Cecilia]

@GinaKou Like mentioned before. A so called crosstest is one of the first steps in our step-by-step plan for connection problems on the website if you experience issues with your network everywhere. If your simcard give the same problem in another device, and another simcard in your own device not, then a simswap is the next step. If you follow the step-by-step plan the last step is a case to our network department. However, in the screenshot your shared is also noted that the problem is only available on 2 locations instead of everywhere. So I get why these locations have been investigated for you. Like I also said before, I think miscommuncation has played a role by solving the problem. 

I only can offer you a credit of € 35,-. And that is actually more than I can offer, as you know from previous conversations with my colleagues. This offer will therefore not change. We can go on about this for a long time, but the answer will not change.

[GinaKou]

Hello, Cecilia, good day. If you check the whole conversation, and the documentation done from the local store, I communicated that the issue occurs everywhere. I used my work and home as the 2 most frequent locations I was, to showcase that even in these very central areas of Amsterdam I had very poor internet connection.

So, on my end, I provided detailed explanations, in person show my phone, sent internet speed tests to Vodafone agents, and none suggested a simswap test. I followed all the suggestions in order to solve my issue, however, given the apparent fault in advising the correct steps by your agents, it seems only fair for the company to consider reimbursement for the duration during which the problem persisted, not a month of subscription.

[Cecilia]

I'm going to repeat myself. As I already indicated, I believe that this solution could have been found more quickly. I think we both agree on that 😉  For this reason I would like to accommodate you and reimburse you €35. This is actually more then I can offer, as you know from previous conversations with my colleagues. This offer will therefore not change. There will be no compensation for the entire period. We can go on about this for a long time, but the answer will not change. The amount of € 35,- (2x € 17,50) will be reimbursed on your next invoice. 

[GinaKou]

I totally agree that the solution should have been found from Vodafone's customer support more quickly 🙂.

For that reason I am requesting a reimbursment for the period affected € 150,- (6x € 25 May-Oct).