Vodafone at home Customers - Change to T&Cs from Oct 1st

Vodafone: Darren

EoghanConway wrote: »

I'm astonished that this could be considered legal (at least by vodafone). The "posted in a national newspaper" argument only works for the government - they also provide access to information through the many state organs.

What if the situation was reversed? A customer posts on their personal website that they are changing the terms of their contract with vodafone so that all calls after one month will be free. Is the onus on vodafone to visit that site and contact the customer to request termination of the contract?

I'm not sure a personal website would be enough, you'd likely need to take out ads in national press in order to do so, and there's no obligation for Vodafone to accept such a change.
I'm not a lawyer, so there may be much more to it than this.

dub45

Vodafone: Darren wrote: »

I'm not sure a personal website would be enough, you'd likely need to take out ads in national press in order to do so, and there's no obligation for Vodafone to accept such a change.
I'm not a lawyer, so there may be much more to it than this.

So if this form of communication is not acceptable to a company why should customers have to put up with it?

rebel girl 15

gambiaman wrote: »

FYI

http://www.vodafone.ie/terms/customernotices/?ts=1276776717356

I believe if you are unhappy with them, you can cancel your contract without penalty.

EDIT: Wrong Date

What way to you have to be unhappy with them - prices or service, or just generally unhappy about speed etc?

Sir Oxman

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

What way to you have to be unhappy with them - prices or service, or just generally unhappy about speed etc?

If you are unhappy with the change in their T&Cs you can use this as an excuse to terminate your contract with them without penalty.
Some companies, I believe, require you to write to them others accept it over the phone (not without a load of baloney being thrown at you first though)
If phoning, I would get the persons name and make sure you say you are unhappy with the change of these particular T&C's and you are invoking your right to ternminate without penalty as stated in tehir notice.
Don't take no for an answer.

You could be hugely unhappy with VF's BB service for instance but are stuck in a contract with them - this allows you to get away from them without charge.

There is a huge thread about O2's recent TCs change which allowed loads of people to escape 18mth iPhone contracts.

Vodafone: Darren

dub45 wrote: »

So if this form of communication is not acceptable to a company why should customers have to put up with it?

We did put up notices in the national press, so it's likely a customer would need to do the same.
Again, I'm not versed in this, so it's likely there are certain criteria to be met before this can be considered reasonable notification. If a website on its own doesn't meet these criteria, then it would likely have no legal standing as a notification method.

rebel girl 15

gambiaman wrote: »

If you are unhappy with the change in their T&Cs you can use this as an excuse to terminate your contract with them without penalty.
Some companies, I believe, require you to write to them others accept it over the phone (not without a load of baloney being thrown at you first though)
If phoning, I would get the persons name and make sure you say you are unhappy with the change of these particular T&C's and you are invoking your right to ternminate without penalty as stated in tehir notice.
Don't take no for an answer.

You could be hugely unhappy with VF's BB service for instance but are stuck in a contract with them - this allows you to get away from them without charge.

There is a huge thread about O2's recent TCs change which allowed loads of people to escape 18mth iPhone contracts.

Thanks for that - the piece I have in bold is why, on a 3MB home package, getting .21MB download speed on a 12 month contract, absolute disaster at home. Told that our line is the problem and nothing that they can do about it!

dub45

Vodafone: Darren wrote: »

We did put up notices in the national press, so it's likely a customer would need to do the same.
Again, I'm not versed in this, so it's likely there are certain criteria to be met before this can be considered reasonable notification. If a website on its own doesn't meet these criteria, then it would likely have no legal standing as a notification method.

You are not answering my basic question "why should a customer have to put up with a form of communication which is not acceptable to the company involved"

Also is a customer supposed to pore over the newspapers on a daily basis on the off chance of a change in terms and conditions?

With the ever declining sales of newspapers shouting into a megaphone would be just as "effective" to inform people.

And again I emphasise this is not just a vodsfone issue.

Sir Oxman

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

Thanks for that - the piece I have in bold is why, on a 3MB home package, getting .21MB download speed on a 12 month contract, absolute disaster at home. Told that our line is the problem and nothing that they can do about it!

No problem.
I understand the frustration, this is why these TC changes are handy for the customer who is stuck with crap services - I wouldn't mention the shyte speeds you're enduring, just say you are not accepting their new TCs set out on their website.

Best of luck

VenomIreland

So, I would be able to claim I am unhappy with the changes and swap to UPC without fee?

Sponge Bob

You can use the T&C change to terminate a VF contract in September and they have to let you go. You basically tell them you will not accept their new terms and conditions and your contract will end september 30th and of course you want written confirmation form them that they will terminate....by post

This applies to their landline product not their mobile products.

VenomIreland

Pretty sweet then, am checking now if I can actually get UPC, should be able to as we had NTL telly before.

dub45

Sponge Bob wrote: »

You can use the T&C change to terminate a VF contract in September and they have to let you go. You basically tell them you will not accept their new terms and conditions and your contract will end september 30th and of course you want written confirmation form them that they will terminate....by post

This applies to their landline product not their mobile products.

Thats of course if you happen to know about them!:rolleyes:

It really is outrageous that Comreg consider newspapers/obscure web pages as an acceptable way of notifying customers of a change in the basic relationship between business and customer.

bealtine

dub45 wrote: »

It really is outrageous that Comreg consider newspapers/obscure web pages as an acceptable way of notifying customers of a change in the basic relationship between business and customer.

Comreg are a pointless organization anyway.

Hype1014

There seems to be a common trend among the multinational telcos. Despite the fact that they make higher profits in Ireland than most other European countries, they continue to tax the customer for a basic service like receiving a paper bill.

In it a coincidence that at a time when they are increasing their charges the are attempting to discontinue paper billing.

Studies have shown that in the absence of paper billing consumers are less aware of tariffs and changes to prices ( normally increases)

Badgermonkey

Hi Darren,

Your previous post reads "The paper billing charge is only for new connections, if a decision is made to start applying this to existing customers, individual contact will be made first"

I've just spoken with V'fone cust services, who advised me to move to online billing, saving me €2. I'm not a new connection??

Can you advise definitively on this?

Regards,

BM

ceejay

Is this bit new? Seems a bit broad to me.

The service may not be used for peer to peer data usage.

This is the last sentence on this page (http://www.vodafone.ie/homebroadband/otherathomecharges/btcharges)

VenomIreland

ceejay wrote: »

Is this bit new? Seems a bit broad to me.



This is the last sentence on this page (http://www.vodafone.ie/homebroadband/otherathomecharges/btcharges)

Jeez, I hope not, I use a lot of linux distros on my laptop and torrents are my preferred way to get them (among other things ).

balabas

Im not happy with these changes. Just to be clear can I cancel now without any penalty?

Sir Oxman

balabas wrote: »

Im not happy with these changes. Just to be clear can I cancel now without any penalty?

Yes.
Say you are not happy with TC changes and quote EU Reg 17.
Don't take no for an answer.
good luck.

writhen

If I was to ring Vodafone today could I still have my contract cancelled?

writhen

Just contacted them - got it cancelled.

michael999999

im wondering what kind of refund or discount us customers will get because the vodafone broadband was down throughout munster all day yesterday?

hellboy99

Vodafone: Darren wrote: »

Hiya,

The paper billing charge is only for new connections, if a decision is made to start applying this to existing customers, individual contact will be made first.

That's a bit of a contradiction, you won't contact customers about changes to T&C but you will if you change how billing works.