I’ve been a Vodafone customer for about seven years now, and – having previously experienced most of the major mobile networks – I reckon Vodafone is the best.

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted a new phone – the Blackberry Storm. However Stephen Fry opines on the subject, I still believe it is an excellent Blackberry, and I’m a bona fide member of the ‘love-it’ club when it comes to the Marmite-like SurePress screen.

The snag was that I still had five months to run on my previous contract, which had supplied me with the great-for-its-time Nokia Navigator.

My old contract was relatively cheap, and so I decided in my own mind that I was happy to buy myself out of it for the immediacy of a new phone, and I marched into my local Vodafone store all ready to pay – but was told this wasn’t possible.

Apparently, it’s against Vodafone policy to allow people to buy out of their contracts – presumably as it potentially loses them revenue from the calls and texts that people would’ve made in the bought-out period.

Yet on my walk home, I realised this was an utterly flawed policy, for there was nothing to stop me sticking my Vodafone device in a drawer unused, and signing up to O2 and getting a shiny new phone. There is no price differential from my point of view, but Vodafone would lose a customer.

As soon as I got home, I sent Vodafone an email pointing out this absurdity.

Within the hour, I had a phone call back telling me that the policy was indeed absurd in my case. They apologised for messing me – a loyal customer – about, apologised for my tariff (“It’s like something from the 80s!”), and apologised for not treating me more like royalty.

They then offered to do me a free upgrade five months early, with no need to buy myself out of my contract. They gave me a premium tariff, better than that available in the shop or online, a free Blackberry Storm with free delivery, and – for the first time in recent memory from a big company – the assistant gave me her name and direct number for if I had any further problem with either the handset, my tariff, or anything Vodafone related.

And all this for an increase in my monthly outgoing of about a fiver for eighteen months.

A couple of weeks in, and I’m still a very happy bunny. The phone is great, the tariff is liberating, and I have a level of smug satisfaction beyond compare.

This is the kind of service I’ve come to expect from JLP or First Direct, but to unexpectedly receive that level of service from Vodafone is – without doubt – a joy. I just hope they keep up the excellent work.

Your Comments and Responses

Interesting.

In the past I’ve found Vodafone to be “average” at best so it’s good to hear them improving. Out of interest was the person UK based?

I left Orange as a network because their customer service was so bad; they simply didn’t care about me as a customer.

I’m currently with O2 who have very good UK based advisors but I wish they had the quality of Vodafone’s network.

More companies need to recognise the value of existing customers. Too many comapnies see customers as a cost and “off shore” their representatives and service teams.

Once a company sees their customers as a cost I think they have a fundamental problem.

Nice post – thanks.

David

» This comment was received at 11:17 on 30 March 09

The person who called me was indeed based in the UK – They did actually mention the city they were based in, but I’ve forgotten where it was.

Glad you enjoyed the post

» This comment was received at 20:17 on 31 March 09

This post has been referenced by another on this site:
sjhoward.co.uk » Why I switched from BlackBerry to iPhone

[...] March 2009, as I blogged at the time, I upgraded. BlackBerry [...]

» This pingback was received at 15:57 on 07 February 12

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