| Name of Complainant | |
| Date of Complaint | January 9, 2019 |
| Name(s) of companies complained against | Vodafone |
| Category of complaint | Mobile Phone |
| Permanent link of complaint | Right click to copy link |
| Share your complaint on social media for wider reach | |
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This is what I tried to email Vodafone on [email protected] more than 10 times which bounced every time:
This mail is regarding irrational/ BIZARRE charges on my Vodafone no # 9870040087 and the dispute for its December 2018 bill.
I recently travelled to Thailand from 3rd December to 7th December (4 days) on a work trip. I went to the My Vodafone app a day prior and activated my international roaming services. As I was going through the international tariff plans and their rates, I decided to opt for the Rs. 599 for 24 hours for unlimited data, sms & calls. My plan was to reach there and get a local sim card for my data usage, which I did within 2 hours of landing, and turned my Vodafone Data services off and started using the local sim. I must have accepted and/or rejected maximum 4-5 calls on my Vodafone number in those 4 days.
However, when I landed back in Mumbai on 7th December, I got an sms & email from Vodafone saying that my usage had crossed Rs. 5,000. I kept wondering why! I called the Customer Care helpline on 198 and was told that my billing date was 18th and hence will get a full and final bill amount after the bill is generated, and I can call after that for any queries. So I called them on 19th December after I checked that my bill was now for Rs. 8041!!! There were some data charges for Rs. 4000+!!!
I explained my query/ curiosity to the customer service rep and he told me that the 24 hours plan gets automatically renewed after 24 hours, which mine did (without any sms/ intimation to ask if I wished to renew or unsubscribe it!) I said if I had intentions to use Vodafone services for my entire stay, why would I activate a 24 hours plan! He told me that the plan was getting renewed every 24 hours that I was staying there, and was STILL active on my phone!! I told him I refuse to pay those charges, as I did not intend to/ neither did use the Vodafone data during my stay there. He told me the concerned team will call me within 48 hours and the issue will be resolved. The concerned team did call me the next day and spoke to me for less than a minute and told me not to worry and it was an error on their side and a revised bill will be sent to me soon. I kept waiting for the revised bill mail. I then called them around 25th December and a couple of times after that. I was always told they are working on it and the issue would be resolved soon. In the meanwhile, I kept getting messages and calls from Vodafone to pay my bill as I was coming close to exceeding the credit limit. I went to the gallery once and was told that it will be resolved. Last week I called twice. I was told by Shubhangi, Rochelle that the charges are being reversed and I should get my revised amount soon. But I never got any acknowledgement messages/ calls about my calls, as they almost do every time after every call for the feedback. I kept myself hopeful and positive all this while.
My due date was the 5th of January. I now started getting messages that if I don’t pay, my call/ data services would be interrupted. I called them again. The last person I spoke to told me that the charges are valid hence they wont be able to help and I had to pay the full amount! IMAGINE my HORROR!!!! I called once more and asked the rep to check my call history properly. He told me that I have to pay the full bill and nothing can be done.
Exhausted and hopeful, I went to the Vodafone gallery yesterday 8th January and once again for a millionth time explained my BIZARRE situation. The customer service rep Saud told me that the charges were valid and he could not do anything about it! Then another rep Shailesh came to talk to me to explain the same thing. I once again asked them to please explain the bill breakup to me. After more than a month of trying to resolve my situation, it takes a TWIST. The whole drama now unravels:
I was told that when I activated my Rs. 599 for 24 hours unlimited plan, it had gotten activated in Indian Standard Time, but when I landed in Thailand, due to the time difference, it got activated half an hour late, and hence I was charged Rs. 4000 for the data I used in HALF an hour as per the standard international roaming rates! I told him that it is Vodafone’s mistake and why would I be liable for the plan I had already activated and gotten a confirmation message from Vodafone and then getting charged for something that got delayed due to the freaking Time Difference!!!
Shailesh told me that my only option was to mail Vodafone and there is nothing else CUSTOMER Service can do about it!
So APPARENTLY, my excess billing breakup amounts to:
Rs.4,000 for the data used in half an hour of landing, EVEN THOUGH my free 24 hour plan was activated in India and did not apparently get activated in Thailand due to the TIME DIFFERENCE!
Rs. 599 x 4 days = Rs. 2396, EVEN THOUGH, I had activated the plan for only 1 day.
My actual bill should be less than Rs.2,000 (My average monthly bill is around Rs. 700 with the Vodafone red plan)
I have stuck with this number and been a loyal timely bill paying customer with Vodafone since more than 10 years now. And if this is how they treat genuine issues and play with a customer’s emotions and time, I will be very happy to leave the network and go somewhere else.
Awaiting a hopefully positive response, without which I shall be forced to approach social media and the Consumer Complaints forum to get my issue resolved!
Best,
A VERY Unhappy Vodafone Customer
Keta Shroff
+91 9870040087
And guess what? My Email bounces and I try to chat with them on the website and I keep asking for a valid email id and they keep asking my issue and my chat gets transferred to a Supervisor Nisha who tells me this:
Nisha: I am sorry to inform you that the issue with bill for international roaming charges.
Nisha: The complaint has been closed as the charges are valid since it is done for usage before pack activation.
Keta: MADAM
Keta: That is why I was asking for a VALID Email ID
Keta: I DID NOT WANT TO CHAT
Keta: I want to EMAIL
Keta: [email protected]
is not working
Keta: That was my query for chat: a VALID Email
Keta: I KNOW YOU CANT SOLVE IT
Keta: If my email doesnt go today, I am going to the Consumer Court and Social Media
Image Uploaded by Keta Shroff:
