# Trying to cancel a Vodafone contract!!! AHHHH!



## DROOBY (Aug 5, 2008)

Alright Guys,

We (stupidly) signed up for a 18 month contract with Vodafone internet dongle. I worked well for the first six months but now it just does'nt work. Maybe 1o mins at a time before being cut off or sometimes nothing at all.
We've been to the shop and they've changed the modem and then the sim but to no avail beengoing on now for six weeks or so.
So i've now got a landline and want to cancel the Dongle but hey ho same old story €150 cancelation fee. 
Tried explaining that it DOES NOT WORK and that the people in the shop have tried but not interested.

Has anyone else had a similar problem and managed not to pay the penalty or should i just pay it and forget about it? GRRRRR!!

D


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## JeanP (Sep 11, 2010)

Sounds like a network related problem, not the modem itself. Honestly I have tried these portable dongle gizmos and they have always been a waste of money in my opinion.

Have a look on speedtest.net to see what your connectivity is like, if you hardly get a response save the summary take it to Vodafone as proof to why you would want to cancel. I would do exhaust all my options for them to cancel rather than not paying.


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## DROOBY (Aug 5, 2008)

JeanP said:


> Sounds like a network related problem, not the modem itself. Honestly I have tried these portable dongle gizmos and they have always been a waste of money in my opinion.
> 
> Have a look on speedtest.net to see what your connectivity is like, if you hardly get a response save the summary take it to Vodafone as proof to why you would want to cancel. I would do exhaust all my options for them to cancel rather than not paying.


Cheers Jean,

Yep tried all that. I've gone ahead and got a telefonica line and have to say its brill so far!

There still insisting i pay the €150 which just goes against the grain for something that does'nt work. You pay for something that is supposed to do what it says, This does'nt.

D


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

my father-in-law had a year long court case with them re something similar - he won in the end but it was HARD WORK

We also bought VF dongles and they do not work up where we live so went back within 7 days and are just waiting a response from them as we went via a 3rd party phone shop.

VF are notoriously bad in Spain for not playing fair and you may well find yourself paying that £150


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

What would be interesting is to see what your contract says about service. Does the dongle work in some areas and not others? I can´t get a landline here and did consider the vodofone "mobile" landline service. I asked if they have coverage in my area and they said "ish". They advised me to try it and if it didnt work to return it within the colling off period.

Ultimately it comes down to the contract. Does it state that they cannot guarantee service or that service is not guaranteed in certain areas. Obviously from the sounds of it, it did work and now it has stopped. If this is the case then a good lawyer could argue that you bought it in good faith, in the period you were able to change your mind it worked, and now it doesnt. Having said all of that, it wil cost you best part of 150€ just to go and have an initial meeting with a lawyer!

If it is not working anywhere then I would follow their official complaints procedure because if you are paying for something then it should work. If it is a localised problem (ie in your house) then they will probably dig their heels in saying that it is a mobile service and coverage can difffer from place to place.

I took the advice of a Spanish friend when taking out a phone contract ... I went through a 3rd party store (the phone house). If I do have any problems then I can go back to them. As an independant business who obviousy wan to keep my business (whichever network i am with) they are more likely to take up such issues on my behalf, and of course a big company like that have a lot of clout with the networks.

Check your contract, but definately start a formal complaint in writing documenting when the problem started, what ou have tried to do to resolve it (trips to the store etc) and why you feel you should be able to cancel the contract. Give them a period (say 30 days) to respond, and make it clear what your plan of progression will be if they don´t provide a suitable response. Include things like printouts showing your bad connection, and as much information as you can, and send it registered post. Good luck!


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

Drooby we went through a process with these animals and in the end they gave up and ran away to the filthy sewer in which they live. But they will create maximum stress and strain on you as they can. In our case for 6 months. We got most of the money back including the premium line fees for a service which started before my mother-in-law had ordered anything. And yes they even tried to tell her it was her problem  The money was one thing but the stress for her who knows the toll.

I luckily had a company contract with vodafone UK and had the great pleasure of canceling it and explaining to their UK staff exactly what type of organisation they work for. Of course the UK denied having any influence over the spanish organisation. 

We did eventually get some help from the consumers association so worth giving them a try.

ps I have a movistar dongle I use in Madrid, Asturias and on the train between. It works fine.


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