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Dear Katie
I am writing this email to complain about Vodafone, with whom I had a phone contract many years ago.
Last year, I learned that phone insurance payments had been deducted from my bank account for three years since I was no longer a customer.
When I was a customer, there was a time when I used cell phone credit to pay for insurance, so I didn’t realize it at first.
I asked for a refund of my insurance premiums and after weeks of banging with Vodafone they finally refunded me £444 last October with a profuse apology.
Six months later I received a threatening letter stating that I owed Vodafone £29 and had hired a debt collection agency to collect the money. i’m furious
The “computer says no” customer service setting makes it impossible to contact anyone by phone unless they are an existing customer, so I emailed the complaints department.
Most infuriating is the suggestion that this alleged “non-payment” may have impacted my credit rating.
– GR, Hertfordshire
Dear Reader,
No wonder you were furious after this kind of treatment from a cell phone provider that you haven’t been a customer for nearly four years.
You sent me the letter you received out of the blue.
Despite being faced with the reality of having a bailiff on your doorstep for a meager amount of £29, you couldn’t get it over with talking to a human.
I am happy to say that when I got involved, the situation was rectified within hours.
A Vodafone spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for the bad experience Mr. R had with us and are looking into how this happened. and refunded him.While there is no trace on his credit file, we apologize for any concerns this may have caused.”
