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"Sorry, it's company policy"

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    #62
    3rdDegree
    Registered Users Posts: 1,261 ✭✭✭3rdDegree


    zagmund wrote: »
    Looks like consumer issues to me, but it seems we're in agreement in general terms.

    z

    I'm actually sitting in Specsavers as I read this. I kid you not! I'm quite obviously in the right place! :)

    I could tell a good story for consumer issues about my experiences here, but I'd be hijacking the OP's thread!


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    #63
    FamousBelgian
    Registered Users Posts: 296 ✭✭FamousBelgian


    I've spent some more time on the phone to the company in question. When the issued is resolved, as they've promised to do following their own escalation procedure, I'll post an update.
    I'll address my original question about terms and conditions, changes hereto, policy, procedure and notifications.


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    #64
    FamousBelgian
    Registered Users Posts: 296 ✭✭FamousBelgian


    An update if anyone is interested:

    My original question was just how far a company can go in terms of what they can do and say in their terms and conditions. I didn't get an answer because like everything in Ireland, it seems to me, things are decided on a case-by-case basis because that's just the easiest option. So if you are being cheated by a company you just have to spend time fighting them or cut your losses and go somewhere else.

    In my case perseverance paid off, I guess, since I got my missing payment to Vodafone refunded. All 30 euro of it. They even gave me a second goodwill gesture of 30 euro credit despite my insisting I didn't want it. I wasn't going to bother with a Comreg complaint but I tried to follow the Vodafone complaint procedure which involves submitting three complaints (what they call escalation; shouldn't they do the escalating?). I got to speak to some call center manager who kept trying to shout me down as he shouted out the terms and conditions at me. When I pointed out the problems with these (and when he finally listened) he suddenly changed and became very cooperative. Although he never called back as promised and I still had to call back twice, nor sent any sort of communication about the refund for the missing payment apart from a cryptic SMS sent to the number in question, he was forced to take the matter seriously. To wit:

    - absolutely nowhere in the Vodafone T+C's does it say that a prepaid subscriber will have their service restricted after 180 days
    - notification of changes in T+C's were never sent to me
    - a response to a question in a FAQ section on the Vodafone website does not constitute valid notification of changes in T+C's
    - the cancellation of prepaid accounts with outstanding paid-for credit is covered by the terms and conditions for post-paid accounts in arrears which is conceptually a totally different situation

    Right now I have to pursue a matter for a much larger amount of money with a life insurance company and a bank. While there's no apparent issue with breach of T+C's the level of service and followup is just astoundingly poor and on a similar level to this case. I think I'm just deluding myself if I think Ireland will ever meet European standards of service and business.


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