Mobile Misadventures

Here's an email I have just sent to the complaints department at Vodafone.............


On Tuesday 23rd January, I placed an order with yourselves for an equipment upgrade on my account. I spoke with Michael in your upgrade/ termination department. He was courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. I had been unsure whether to upgrade with yourselves as many of the deals offered to me by other companies had very attractive incentives. In the past. I had also received unsatisfactory levels of customer service when I had taken an upgrade.
Michael was able to offer me a newly launched phone for free on a twelve month contract. I was happy with the deal and I was told that the equipment would be dispatched and would be delivered the next day. I requested that it not be delivered before 12 noon and this was duly noted. Yesterday, I waited in from twelve in anticipation of the delivery. At around 9am this morning, I called to check on the order. I was told that delivery would be made today. At the time, I requested a note of the consignment number so that I may track the delivery myself. I rushed home to be here from twelve and at around 3:30pm used the consignment note number to track the package on the Parceline website. It was only showing as having reached a “security check” in Aberdeen and did not show as being “out on delivery” as I would have expected. I also noted that the phone did not even leave Vodafone’s premises until late on the 24th so there is no way it could have been delivered “next day” I have pasted the tracking information from the Parceline website for your information.


Consignment Details
ConsignmentNumber
Date Sent
SendersReference
Service
No ofParcels
Post Code
Status
2217 399 063
24 Jan 2007
CN32676865
Before 12
1
AB11
Security check


Tracking History
Date
Time
Location
No of Parcels
Status
25 Jan 2007
10:01
Aberdeen
1
Security check
25 Jan 2007
00:08
Birmingham Hub
1
Confirmed On Trailer
24 Jan 2007
23:45
Birmingham Hub
1
Forwarded to Aberdeen
24 Jan 2007

Leicester
1
Collected from sender
I called the most appropriate looking number listed on the Parceline website in order that Imay find out the whereabouts of the package and when it would be delivered. The number was an 0871 national call number (While named NationalCall rate numbers, they’re more akin to premium rates, costing up to 8p/min, massively more than a normal call.) where I was initially told that I was in a queue and was likely to be connected to an advisor in “4 minutes 36 seconds, around a minute and a half later I received the same estimated time, after roughly four minutes, was told I would now have to wait 5 minutes 20 seconds! I referred back to the Parceline website and found an 0845 number which related to another query altogether. This was instantly answered by a very helpful operator who was able to access the records and confirm that delivery would take place to my home address of ** ******** **** Aberdeen. I was shocked. I advised Vodafone when I moved house in October of 2005 and my last upgrade was delivered to my current home address last year.
The Parceline operator told me that I would need to contact Vodafone in order that the address be changed.
Initially, I spoke with David, who was very keen to help. Unfortunately, something happened where he was unable to hear me but I could hear him. I must extend my appreciation of the time he spent trying to speak to me before I realised that the easiest option was to terminate the call and try again.
I was told on my subsequent call to yourselves that my old address still appears on your system although the new address has been used for billing since the date of my moving house. The assistant told me that an error must have been made when the order was placed. She confirmed that an email had now been sent to Parceline advising them of the correct address that it is to be sent to.
It is more than a mere inconvenience, that I must now plan a third day, around the expected delivery of my new equipment. Whilst I would understand if the time taken from the despatch on Tuesday, to it’s arrival in Aberdeen, meant that delivery was not possible yesterday. The catalogue of errors I have described are completely unacceptable for an organisation of your size. I expect a full, written apology and some form of recompense in light of the time I have wasted, waiting in vain for a package that wouldn’t have even come to the right address had it been on time. In addition, there has been the extra time and effort I have had to expend trying to resolve this issue. None of my actions can be described as contributing to the delays or wrong information.
I have been a loyal customer of Vodafone for over thirteen years - eleven unbroken years with my current contract.
Incidentally, my partner recently upgraded her phone with her servive provider, Orange. The phone arrived the following day.

I look forward to hearing from you soon. Let's play a game, will my phone arrive, or will you reply first?
Regards

John W. Emslie