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3g-g
26th September 2007, 11:32 PM
I suppose this is what happens when you ask a 3rd party to manage, quite possibly your most important system, if it goes wrong, it goes wrong big style! Not particularly reassuring for Vodafone subs I must say.

Has anyone here had any issues with their Vodafone bills?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/26/vodafone_billing_again/


Vodafone's billing system continues to throw out random invoices, while denying customers access to their online billing.

What is more, even the simple matter of issuing paper-based bills has become impossible as the firm's contractor, Amdocs, continues to struggle to implement a working billing system.

Voda coughed to billing problems earlier this month, though it was coy on where responsibility for the problems lay. The company has three major outsourcing partners, IBM, EDS and Amdocs.

It now appears that Amdocs is responsible for a much-heralded replacement billing system for the UK, originally intended for launch over the May bank holiday earlier this year. While the problem seems to lie with Amdocs, the exact nature of the problem - or problems - is not clear.

Meanwhile, the word from Vodafone's headquarters in Newbury is that since becoming IT director in July Phil Jordan has been busy winding up IT projects in an attempt to impose some coherence on the telco's IT contract strategy.

The cull has seen fellow contractor EDS left with no projects at all. Despite signing up to run 60 per cent of Vodafone's projects in the UK, the company has had little more than housekeeping to do, leaving its engineers sitting around doing nothing all day.

All large telecommunications companies are taking a long, hard look at their billing systems, which generally resemble a Salvador Dalí rendition of spaghetti junction, if they are documented well enough to allow visualisation.

Amdocs was unavailable to comment. Vodafone wasn't available to update us on its progress, but the message is loud and clear. If you're a Vodafone customer, read your bills carefully.

Ben
27th September 2007, 12:00 AM
Oh gawd, here we go again.

I love Vodafone, there's no secret about that, but their billing has always left a lot to be desired. It looked like most of their repetitive billing problems were long gone, but then this surfaced.

I don't really understand why Vodafone seem to have so little control over their billing. I mean, one would imagine billing/accounts would be at Vodafone's core. And the problem with phone bills is that, by the very nature of numeric phone numbers, they're almost impossible to make any sense of.

I hope the press exposure forces a prompt resolution.

Hands0n
27th September 2007, 12:04 AM
Their system has been out for seven weeks and no prospect of a return to service any time soon. Online billing is nonexistent. I had to check the bill today and ended up speaking with them to get it read out to me from their screen. It really is quite pathetic - billing is at the core. I have asked for a paper bill - but they are not doing this as a matter of course. I think that they should until they get their system back and working - unprompted by calls from irate customers (me) or complaints to OFTEL (next).

Ben
27th September 2007, 12:15 AM
Oh you should definitely take it further. Somehow, I get online bills and paper bills... that wasn't the intention, but it's no bad thing given recent events! FWIW my online bills have also still been working recently, though other sections of the Vodafone online accounts system haven't been. It has all been a bit on and off for a while.

whatleydude
27th September 2007, 07:18 AM
Vodafone sodded up my bill for July. FACT.
They didn't tell me. FACT.
They tried to charge me for all my data when I'd signed up for the £7.50 data bundle. FACT.

They sorted out the problem, applied the necessary credits etc... and all is hunky dory now.
But, can't help but think that there's people out there who may not have noticed their bills were a bit awry and got charged full whack...

*shrug*

Come on Voda - sort it out! Your online billing really does suck.


@Handson - and don't you love it when they say to you as well: "Oh, do you know you can sign up for online billing...."

faza20
27th September 2007, 01:33 PM
Their system has been out for seven weeks and no prospect of a return to service any time soon. Online billing is nonexistent. I had to check the bill today and ended up speaking with them to get it read out to me from their screen. It really is quite pathetic - billing is at the core. I have asked for a paper bill - but they are not doing this as a matter of course. I think that they should until they get their system back and working - unprompted by calls from irate customers (me) or complaints to OFTEL (next).

If you use the Online Contact Form (https://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Page_Help_ContactUs&pageID=PCU_0002) on the Vodafone website to send us an email with the FIT135 code anywhere in it, we can print the bill out here and post you a copy personally.

Hands0n
27th September 2007, 09:20 PM
@Faza20 - thanks for the advice mate, I already got on to the CSR (an as usual for Vodafone very nice and helpful person) and he will send me a paper copy of the current month. It turns out that, while in Turkey, Daughter in a fit of silliness made a few lengthy calls back to Boyfriend. She is now £116.00 poorer, which is unfortunate for a 17-year old :D That'll learn 'er

@Whatleydude - Yus, mate. Online billing is great for as long as it works. It seems that Voda have had a couple of serious problems. The other is with their Voicemail. They've got it working for their corporate customers, but I still do not have it working on my personal mobile. I used Faza20's advice and sent the good folk at Voda an email 'cos I couldn't get through on the CS number. But that last bit was my fault, when I got my new Voda Nokia N95 I transferred all my Contacts over from my T-Mobile N93 ... and the CS number 150 was in that lot. So I was dialling the wrong number for Voda's CS :confused: :rolleyes:

Hands0n
27th September 2007, 09:44 PM
El Reg has an article on the Vodafone Billing issue



Vodafone's billing system continues to throw out random invoices, while denying customers access to their online billing.


Full article here --> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/26/vodafone_billing_again/

miffed
27th September 2007, 09:50 PM
Can't say I'm surprised after my experience with them TBH

For me it's not so much that the messed things up , more their total dis-interest in sorting things out :(

Left a nasty, nasty taste in my mouth !

faza20
28th September 2007, 10:15 AM
But that last bit was my fault, when I got my new Voda Nokia N95 I transferred all my Contacts over from my T-Mobile N93 ... and the CS number 150 was in that lot. So I was dialling the wrong number for Voda's CS :confused: :rolleyes:


I had to get someone to proof read the reply as everytime I wrote it it sounded sarcastic! :p

Hands0n
28th September 2007, 02:27 PM
You? Never :D ;)