Monday, February 14, 2011

VodaFail? Letter to Vodafone.

To Whomsoever This May Concern

I have been using my number for more than the past 10 years now. I have seen the change from Orange to Hutch and now Vodafone. One of the main reasons I chose Orange in the first place was because of the presence Max Touch had in the market since 1995 and also the quality of service provided by the Essar company in general in comparison with the other telecom companies at the time. 

My problems with Vodafone have mainly been with your customer service. While there have been many small issues over the past years, there is one issue that has occurred over the past few months that has made me really upset. The problems started with a payment I made on the 1st of December 2010. I made 2 payments that day each of Rs.1200/- amounting to Rs. 2400/- which was reflected on the Vodafone Bill dated 04.12.10. 

However, when I received the Vodafone Bill dated 04.01.11, I find that there has been an "adjustment" of Rs. 1200/- added in the bill. Since I didn't understand the amount and I was getting calls from your collection department asking me on one occasion to pay an amount of Rs. 3447.51/- , on a second occassion to pay an amount of Rs. 1200/- and a third occasion to pay an amount of Rs 947/- And no one from the collection department seemed to know why I needed to pay that amount when my Bill for the month of December came to Rs, 2414/- (plus an adjustment of Rs. 1200)

I called up your Vodafone Helpline to find out what exactly the Rs 1200/- adjustment was since I was getting an automated message telling me I had an outstanding amount that needed to be paid so that my outgoing calls are not barred, only to be rudely spoken to by a customer service executive (I don't remember his name unfortunately) that  "you will have to deal with that message since you haven't paid your bill" and hung up on me right after I asked him what exactly he meant by such a statement. 

I call up a second time only to be told that there was a mistake and that Rs. 1200/- should not have been added and that the Customer Service Executive shall sort out the issue immediately. However, I kept getting calls from your collection department regarding a pending payment. 

After calling up your Vodafone Helpline the third time on the 9th of February, I finally was explained that one of my payments of Rs 1200/- that was made on the 1st of December 2010 had bounced and was reflected on the the Vodafone system on the 15th of December and due to which, after all the dedeuctions based on the amounts I had paid so far, the balance amount to be paid was Rs. 947. I immediately made the Balance Payment of Rs 947 on the 9th of February 2011, at 17:15:58 by an ICICI credit Card. The Payment ID is MCIT1025502874. 

Today (15th February, 2011) at 12:15 am, I find that my outgoing services have been barred without any intimation because the payment of Rs. 947 "apparently" have not been paid. I call up the Vodafone Helpline only to have the Customer Service Executive ask me to make the payment or wait till morning to sort out the issue. I have had to call up a second time where someone else was able to address the issue and has checked up on the payment. He has now put in a request to start my outgoing calls again. 

While hopefully, this particular issue has been sorted with, I can't help but wonder if Vodafone Essar is really "Happy to Help" me. From my experience with this issue I have come to the conclusion that:

1. Your collection department has absolutely no connection with your Vodafone Helpline and have no awareness regarding issues pertaining to Bill Payments which are at times sorted out with the Customer Service Executives at the Vodafone Helpline. As a customer it is really annoying to have someone call you and ask you for a "pending bill" especially since there has been an issue with the payment and a complaint has been lodged with your Customer Service Executives. The disconnection between your departments and lack of awareness about why an amount has been added to a bill is just plain appalling. 

2. Payments made on your website www.vodafone.in are not reflected immediately which results in your customer suffering and being harassed

3. My outgoing calls were barred without any sort of intimation whatsoever even after the payments have been made. 

4. Your employees at the Vodafone Helpline range from being extremely bad and rude to being polite, well informed and able to help me. This dichotomy is appalling since I do not when I will be rudely told off and hung up upon. Are your Customer Service Executives really Happy to Help?

The reason this all this upsets me so much is mainly because I have believed in the brand and its slogan of "Happy to Help You". Unfortunately, I have found this to be untrue over the past few months. I can say honestly, that I have seriously given thought to use the service of  Mobile Number Portability and change my service provider, but at this point I would like to have faith in your company and all the promises you make through your advertisements on Television and Print. 

It shall be a shame that a small issue such as mine would my faith in Vodafone to come crashing to its knees and leaving much to be desired in a patron's eyes that has stuck with Essar Communications throughout the years. 

Shweta Kaushik
Interior and Product Designer

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