Vodafone (Vodafone Network)

Member Name: TwistedPsycho

Product:	Vodafone Network
Date:	09/12/08 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sometimes their customer services are very good

Disadvantages: Sometimes their customer services are lousy

I have been with Vodafone now since 1997/8ish when I was still at college and my handset was a Telital PV-100 blue brick with a bendy plastic extendable aerial! I have seen many good and bad sides to Vodafone yet I still use the same number as I did all the way back then, albeit with the 03xx "areacode" being replaced with 077.

Vodafone are much better than they used to be. I worked part time in the centre of town and still had trouble getting a signal, something which is actually still possbile today as I wander around London. The quality of the digital signal now though is somewhat better and call clarity is obviously much better.

I have found that the company can blow hot and cold with me as a long-standing customer. I have had to write and threaten legal action when they started double billing me for no apparent reason and I have had them "reward me" with a free upgrade to a Nokia handset on the first day of its release (the 6230 - many moons ago). They do now try and err away from pushing the handsets for contract renewals in my opinion, where if you want a new handset you sacrifice almost any chance of a tariff discount, but when I renewed recently, I stuck with my faithful Nokia E65 and got 600 minutes a month, unlimited texts and mobile internet for £25.

That is a bugbear though. Unlimited Texts, subject to a fair use policy of 3000 a month - although I never actually use that many. Unlimited Internet, subject to a fair use policy of 500Mb - which I do actually get close to, especially when I have to update a computer located in a Landline Internet-free zone at short notice!

Customer Services can also blow hot and cold. Once when I asked for the Internet Settings for my new Nokia 6680 and I was sent them as a text message, but when I asked for help about setting my Nokia E65 to send e-mails they just told me to check the website! (Note: To send email out through your phone, you have to use the Vodafone server to do it.... I never realised!)

I can not really comment about costs these days though as most of my costs are included in the line rental. I will mention though that data charges abroad are extortionate! I checked my e-mail over 4 days in Portugal and it cost me £40!!

But overall... Its Vodafone, useful, does the job, relatively inexpensive for contracts.

Summary: Vodafone... Hot or Cold... I wonder if it depends on the day of the week,