I don't think a company has ever made me this mad before. I've been with these guys for years and have turned a blind eye to numerous cock ups with my bills and tariff. Mainly them not adding Data packages or bundles I specifically phoned them about and getting ridiculously huge bills.

So, I was told when the iPhone 4 launched that I could upgrade in October, so don't pay for it now, just wait another few months.

I call this morning. Nice lady, 'oh yes, it shows here you can upgrade 3 months early from your 12 month contract, I'll put you through'

Next guy - err no, you're on a 24 month contract...!!

What!?? I have NEVER, nor would I ever, put myself on a 24 month contract. 18 months is a push for me.So, I question this, get put through to several other people before finally being told that's what i'm on - 24 months and I haven't even done half of that yet.

So, someone their end cocked up (yet again) put me on a contact that i NEVER agreed to and now I'm screwed for another 12 months and tied to their network

What an amazingly clever thing to do. Simply upgrade someone's phone, put the wrong contract length in and then you have that customer tied to you for a longer time. Their word against mine.

What the hell do i do?

Check you internet usage if you signed up for what was then 'unlimited internet', they have recently moved the goalposts to 500MB then a fiver per 500 if you go over.

That maybe an escape route, but it won't be easy, check this mobile phone forum, there is a link on one of them

Thanks.

Just checked my last invoice and it has 1gb iPhone mobile internet £0.00

I'll see what happens next month.

It's still staggering how they've screwed me over on this one. I can't believe it.

Did you get a letter when you last did your upgrade explaining in writing what type of contract you are on? What phone did you upgrade to last time?

I've had a look but can't find anything about my upgrade or new contract. I do have a bill for cost of the iphone 3g that I upgraded to from the HTC magic.

Ride it out and never have a contract again.

That's all you can do.

Contacts are dangerous.

Vodafone never releasd the iPhone on a 12m deal. So you must have signed up for longer than the 12m you are claiming.

Do networks even do 12 month deals anymore unless sim only. Pretty sure 12 month contracts died a death when networks started their big push towards lifetime contracts

Or when handsets went from things that were like a calculator and stored their texts on the sim card (a maximum of 10) lol to smartphones that now have the RAM that a desktop PC had a few years aho, gigabytes worth of RAM, 1 Ghz CPUs etc

Handsets these days cost 3 times as much, it's simple that's why contracts are 18 or 24 months instead of 12.

Are the likes of VF / 02 and the rest, bringing on the eventual demise of the 'smartphone' ?

If they keep on slapping severe restrictions on contracts, then surely everyone will go back to just having 'phones' !

OK with a few extras added, but dumping stuff like GPS/Maps/Internet/Iplayer and all that goes with that ?

No, I for one could go back to a phone that was for calls and texts only

They got you hook, line and sinker then! they can rack up the charges and you will be happy to pay? simply because you don't really want a phone to be used as a phone

Take it you've never heard of PAYG then?

Trading standards office, but you'll need some sort of proof that you were you agreed to a 12month deal when you signed up. Wont be easy.

Smartphones are so expensive its crazy. I find 24 month contracts way too long, i cant go for a 12 month contract because they are expensive as hell considering they need to make up the same or even more money in a shorter time so generally its 18 months for me.

Ask to see a copy of the contract you signed.

If they can't provide a copy, there's no legal obligation to pay.

Yes they did. I have an iphone 3gs on 12 month deal. The deal was only available for a couple of weeks though.

Hi BBTIME,

It's frustrating to here of the problems you have had here and we would really to take a look into this for you. Could you please email us here and we will get in touch?

Many Thanks,

Andy
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

Part of the probelm now is, that VF seem to have chnaged their T&C's so many times in the past few months, even they can't keep up!

Many who have unlimited internet access, are now being told they only in fact have 500MB, and that the T&C's were changed around June time, and that if you do not contact them by a date in October, you are deemed as having accepted them, (and people moan about Sky!)
A few twigged, and alerted those who frequent the e-forum, and all hell let loose, but VF are not allowing anyone out.

eg: Contract £35 inc unlimited internet access, now this unlimited is 500MB over that it's a fiver per 500.

But according to VF £5 on top of £35 (or even £40) equates to less than a 10% increase in your charge, and they will not be deflected from this view.

The other issues is, many bought smartphones basedon advice from the VF CS agent, who at that time recommened unlimited access, as such phones were quote.. "Data Heavy", they are now saying that they never actually said this!

Agreed.

However I was under the impression that the data changes would not affect existing agreements. So if you signed for 1gb of internet at the start of the year that is what you will get for the remainder of your agreement.

Think you better check that one, on the e-forums, I get the impression it's now 500MB, unless you have a really recent contract which ( and I maybe wrong) reading the threads June 2010 onwards

If you signed up for a stipulated 1gb, you will have that allowance as long as you stay on that tariff

Think some of the earlier contracts have been moved off that to 500

No they have not.

If you signed up for a stipulated 1gb, you will get 1gb allowance until you next move tariff

f you have it in written format you have 1GB that's OK, if you don't, it does not cost anyhting just to double check.

I know of at least 2 who were 'told' they had
1) Unlimited and the second 1.5GB, both have had warning texts saying they are nearing the 500MB FUP, and if they go over the the magic 500 it will trigger a £5 FUP charge for the next 500