'Vodafone set debt collectors on us when we tried to leave our contract'

Pamela and John Robinson were hounded for money when they changed phones - Chris Watt Photography

We have wasted much time and incurred much stress trying to extricate ourselves from Vodafone’s clutches after our phone went out of contract.

The story started when Vodafone notified me that my monthly charge was to increase significantly. I had a long conversation and an offer of a new contract from Vodafone, but no confirmatory email arrived.

I rang Vodafone and its representative said he could not match the first offer but made a second one with a cash inducement. This time I did get an email confirming the offer, but the cash incentive was not mentioned.

I decided to leave Vodafone and got a porting authority code in order to transfer to another provider.

Dealing with Vodafone had proved so difficult that I downloaded a cancellation form from its website and posted it to the Newbury office as instructed on the form. I had no acknowledgement.

Pamela Robinson, Cumbria

You started your contract with the new provider but were still getting emails from Vodafone stating that you owed it money. Then you realised that your direct debit had been cancelled too early.

You posted, recorded delivery, a cheque for £15, along with a second copy of the cancellation form. This was received and the cheque duly cashed.

Despite this a cancellation charge was now added to the arrears. You spent 48 minutes on the phone to Vodafone in which time you were told the cancellation charge should not have been applied and the arrears would be written off.

Even so, two to three months later you were emailed by a debt recovery agency about a Vodafone debt. Bizarrely, it quoted a phone number that had never been yours.

My involvement led to Vodafone apologising for failing to sort this out. It agreed that the account for your old phone should have been terminated when you asked for it to be. It said it had removed all charges and recalled the debt from the collections agency.

Despite this, you then received a letter from the debt collectors sent to an address you had moved from four years ago. Then, three days after I contacted Vodafone, it called you saying your credit rating would be affected and the matter was in the hands of debt collectors.

Now I am assured that all charges are waived and you will hear nothing more. 

I asked for an ex gratia payment but this was refused, in part as you no longer had a Vodafone account that could be credited. I pressed for an alternative gesture of goodwill and it now sent chocolates and flowers, which you were delighted with.

You say you were even happier to be ceasing all contact with Vodafone.