Telecoms operator Vodafone appears to have reduced their 30 Day Service Guarantee to just 14 days, which means that new subscribers to their mobile and broadband services will have less time to consider cancelling their contract without penalty if they’re not totally satisfied.
The new 14 day period aligns with existing pro-consumer laws and the general returns policies used elsewhere in the UK market (details), although the loss of a longer 30 day window is clearly a negative change for new customers who may have enjoyed the extra protection it afforded. See here for details on Vodafone’s revised returns policy (still mentions 30 days in the URL).
We have contacted Vodafone in the hope of finding out why they’ve scrapped their 30 day policy and will update once a response arrives.
UPDATE:
We’ve had a response.
A Spokesperson for Vodafone said:
“Customers can cancel their service with us within 14 days of signing up if they are not completely satisfied … Last year, the vast majority of customers who used our service guarantee did so within the first 14 days. We also saw a drop in the number of customers leaving us during this period. This reflects the £2 billion investment we have made in the last few years.”
Wait don’t they tell you to wait 14 days for your broadband to adjust?
That’s only applicable when connection is working normally, if it’s unstable right from Day 1 (waiting 14 days won’t make it fix your phone line it self and you have same problems who ever switch to)
I wonder what prompts a change like this? Unless it was costing them dearly in terms of people changing their mind you would imagine that keeping it 30 days would be a USP and an extra feather in the cap of your offerings compared to the competition.
If people were not taking advantage of it then it would make sense to leave it as it was so is it that a significant number of customers were using it? And if so doesn’t that suggest really that there’s a problem with satisfaction that needs to be addressed? In such a case shortening this timeframe to the minimum would be relieving a symptom and not a cause.
Don’t the tell you to wait 14 days for your broadband to adjust?
Last I heard the calibration/settling period (or whatever it’s called) is around 10 days
*within 10 days for ISPs in general; normally much sooner I would’ve thought though (mine with Sky seemed to stabilise within 3-5 days if memory serves me right)
They are just con artists
That’s because they know their broadband infrastructure is rubbish. At peak times the broadband is virtually unusable, and all their “tech support” do is go over the same script over and over.
My advice, stay well away. Yes it’s cheap, because it’s crap!
The change was made because the company felt it has improved to such an extent it wasn’t needed any more. It acknowledges it didn’t have the best of reputations previously, however investment in the network and offering they feel it is comparable if not exceeds what other networks give.
Hunting through their current terms and conditions ( https://www.vodafone.co.uk/cs/groups/public/documents/document/final-airtime-agreement-charge.pdf )it doesn’t mention any the cooling-off period at all, though it is mentioned and changed in the Broadband and home phone agreement. You can only tell that it’s changed though if you have a copy of the previous T&Cs because it is no longer possible to access them directly preceding terms unless you have a direct link (hyperlinks on the site have been removed).
It’s 14 days from point of activation, not time of sale for Broadband. For mobile services it’s 14 days for customer returns, but 30days for an exchange if the device is faulty.