How not to treat a new customer

I just switched to Vodafone from T-Mobile. I didn’t really want to switch that badly, as T-Mobile’s service had been generally quite good, but my phone had features that only could be used if I was on the Vodafone network. I did a little research, and the price difference was negligible so I decide to switch. And so began my bad customer experience voyage…

To switch to Vodafone I needed a PAC (Porting Authorization Code) from T-mobile. I received the PAC quickly after calling T-mobile. The same day I called Vodafone and told them I was a T-Mobile customer who wanted to switch to Vodafone pay as you talk. After giving them my mobile number and address, they said they were going to send me a new SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card.

A week later, I still hadn’t received my new SIM card so I called Vodafone and explained the situation. Apparently, there was a problem processing my account, and the SIM card was only sent out that morning. Meanwhile, because Vodafone expected my mobile to be connected by now, they disconnected me from T-Mobile, leaving me with no mobile service.

A few days later, I finally received my new SIM card. I expected a welcome letter with information about Vodafone’s services, so I was disappointed when I only received a short letter along with the SIM card. It said that my new SIM card was enclosed, and I needed to call Vodafone on a helpline before using it, to confirm it’s [sic] safe receipt.

After brushing off the disappointment of the letter, I eagerly inserted the SIM into my phone. “Unregistered SIM,” my phone said. Upset, I called Vodafone, who said that it was probably a problem with the SIM card. So they sent me another SIM card.

A few days later, I received my second new SIM card. Again, I was anxious to insert it into my phone and finally have mobile service again. Again, it didn’t work.

Now I was pissed. I called Vodafone the next morning, explaining the whole situation. The first customer service representative was intent on not listening to me and transferring my call to a recorded message, which would provide additional information. After failing to convince her that the recorded message wouldn’t help me at all, I hung up on her and immediately called back. Thankfully, I didn’t get the same representative.

I explained my situation to the second representative, who must have sensed my extreme frustration because she was very patient and sympathetic. Apparently, the problem wasn’t with my SIM card this time, and it might not have been with the SIM card last time either. The problem, she said, was with the Vodafone network. They have had problems transferring several numbers over the past few days and mine was one of them. At least the woman was friendly and helpful because at this point I was extremely upset.

About an hour later, the same customer service representative called me back on our house line. She asked me if my phone was connected. Connected? Really?! I raced around the flat to find my phone. I quickly flipped it open to find “Unregistered SIM” replaced by “Vodafone UK.” I was finally connected! I had mobile service! Ring the bells! Before hanging up, the woman tested my line by ringing the mobile. A few seconds later, I heard the familiar ring that I hadn’t heard in over a week. It works! It works! I thanked the representative and smiled. All I had to do now was put credit on my mobile. The hard part was over. Or so I thought.

Since the letter that accompanied my SIM card didn’t provide any information about how to use Vodafone’s service, I turned to the Vodafone website. Upon arriving at the Vodafone website, I was happy to find that I could topup my phone (add credit to my phone) online. But first, I had to register. I entered my mobile number, and a security code that was sent to me shortly afterwards. I was then told that Vodafone already had information on my account and that I should enter my password. Password? I don’t remember giving Vodafone a password. I tried several passwords that I would have given Vodafone with no luck.

My first attempt to topup had failed, but by this time I was used to failure and determined to make a call by the end of the day. Elsewhere on the website, I read that I could top up over the phone by using my debit card, but I first had to register it by calling a registration helpline. After I was connected, the first question I was asked was if my debit card was from the UK. It wasn’t from the UK; it was from my home bank in the States. Unfortunately, that meant that I couldn’t use my debit card to top up. The representative told me that my only option was to topup using topup vouchers or an electronic topup card. It was late in the day so I conceded to visiting a Vodafone shop the next morning.

The next day I visited a Vodafone shop and finally topped up with £20. Eight days, seven phone calls, two SIM cards and twenty pounds after leaving T-Mobile, I was connected to Vodafone. And I hated them.

In a perfect world, I would have given Vodafone my PAC, they would have sent me a new SIM card, which I would have received a few days later, and my phone would have worked immediately upon inserting the SIM card into my phone. In fact, this is exactly what happened with my partner’s phone. She has the same exact phone and switched from T-Mobile to Vodafone at the exact same time as me. Why the huge difference in experience? Who knows? All I know is that my experience was an instruction book on how not to treat a new customer. Mobile service providers: take notes.

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