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3GScottishUser
1st February 2006, 08:55 PM
What a day!!!

I lost my Samsung Z500!!!

No sign of it since Monday evening (and it's now Wednesday morning).

Thought it was on it's charger - but not there when checked!!

Called work, no sign of it. Looked all over 3GSU Towers (extensive to serach), nothing.

Called Vodafone and the friendly chap agreed to block the handset just in case it had been lost or stolen. I asked what the options were for a replacement and was told a new Z500 would be £250 but as I am half way through the contract I was not interested in paying that. I looked around and found I could get a SonyEricsson V600i for £79 (with £10 trade-in) from The Link on Vodafone PAYG as a replacement. Called into my local Vodafone store to see one and it looked OK, quite a bargain for £80 really. The saleslady was very helpful and suggested that at £80 on-line it was a good deal and I could simply request a new SIM if my Z500 was'nt found and get a V600i PAYG as a replacement.

Good News.

Came home and just before I decided to go on-line and order a V600i and get my Z500 totally barred it turned up in my lower ground floor cloakroom underneath the small wash basin.

Absolute delight.... called Vodafone and got the temporary call bar removed.

Back to normal!!!

Moral of this story is the excellent speedy service provided by Vodafone UK and the utterly brilliant advice about buying a PAYG handset as a replacement. No requirement to take the phone model they suggested as a replacement and hold me to their contract or insist on contract settlement, which they are entitled to. Nice to have UK staff explain the options from the customer benefit perspective.

I am not happy that I mislaid the phone and had to go through this process but I'm releived that the pain that 1000's experience was dealt with in a sympathetic and cost concious manner by Vodafone staff. I am now convinced they value customers more than short term gain and that bodes well for my future custom as far as they are concerned. There might be some offers around that are a little cheaper when it comes to upgarde time but the service aspect will definately play heavily in the decision making process bearing in mind the honesty and customer focus at a time when I was really in need of assistance and reassurance.

Hands0n
1st February 2006, 10:56 PM
Great story, glad you got the little Zed back safe and sound too.

The CS experience is that which defines the mobile operator, in my opinion. If everything is working fine then the operator and essentially invisible to the Customer who is able to live an untroubled life, and rightly so.

It is only when things go wrong that the efficacy of the CS operation becomes paramount in the Customer's eyes. Screw this up and you've not only got an upset Customer but the best part of ten of their pals (bad news travels quicker than good).

Your experience related above make for excellent reading, and is a salutary tale that the other mobile operators would ignore foolishly!