Note: This review involves a story that covers 2 Vodafone locations, the first of which was in the Brunswick's location, and the second in the Oxford Circus location.
I'd heard good things about Vodafone, so I chose them as my carrier. I originally purchased a HTC Explorer phone in Vodafone's Brunswick store on the 31 May. I soon began having second thoughts, so I returned to the store the following Thursday 7 June, hoping to exchange for the identically priced Galaxy Mini. It was towards the end of the day when I arrived (about 5:55, & the store closes at 6- I know, cutting it close), and they said they were out of stock for the Mini, but I could come back the next day. I hesitated, and voiced my concerns that it had already been 7 days, and the manager (whose name, according to my receipt, states that I "have been served by Chi") assured me that it was based on 7 -WORK- days, not calendar days, so I was actually on day 3, rather than 7 due to the weekend and the jubilee bank holidays being cut out. I mentioned that I would be traveling outside the country over for the weekend and asked if I could come back the following week, and was told that I could. I got a sensation that I was being rushed (it was about 6:05 at this point), but had been assured that I could return the following week, so I left less-than satisfied.
I returned the following Wednesday 13 June to find the store under construction with a sign that said, "This store will be closed from 10 June and will reopen on 20 June". Irritated that I'd been assured that I could come back the following week, only to find the store inaccessible the following week, I searched for the nearest -open- Vodafone store and found the Oxford Circus store.
After walking a mile to Oxford Circus, I was told that it would be impossible to return my phone because it was the 13 June and the phone had been purchased the 31 May, so it was 6 calendar days overdue. I mentioned that the other store manager had told me that it was based on business days, not calendar days, and he told me, "I'm sorry, but he gave you the wrong information" and led me to use the phone in the corner of the store to contact customer services. After explaining the above and being rerouted twice, I was told that her department only covered online purchases, which IS 7 working days, so she could not do anything to help me, but advised me to ask to speak with the store manager, and if that didn't help, to contact the area manager and explain my situation. She was the most sympathetic out of anyone I have dealt with, though not much help. I thanked her for her help regardless, & got off the phone with her.
I returned to the store manager (who, as it turned out, was the original man I had spoken with in the store, who had brought me to the phone) and he said that the 7-business day situation only applies online. He then said, "look, I can scan it (to try to return it) if it'll make you happy, but it's going to come up and say that I can't return it because it's been over 7 days". After a few more minutes of frustrated-but-polite dialogue, he finally scanned it and showed me that it said that in order to override the block on returning it, he would have to call a number on the screen and "give them proof that it was purchased 7 days or less ago". He said he couldn't do that because it wasn't within 7 days of the purchase. I asked, "isn't that the whole issue here? What counts as 7 days? Calendar days or business days". However, he still didn't call and informed me that that he wished he could help, but felt he would be risking his job if he tried to do the exchange. I left, both of us (likely) frustrated (I know I was).
When I returned home, I did a bit of research on the Vodafone website. The website, linked below, stated the following:
" If you've changed your mind and:
You bought your product from the Vodafone online store, telesales OR RETAIL stores -
You have within 7 working days (counted from the day after you receive your product from us) to ask us to exchange your product or to cancel your agreement and have a refund. A working day is Monday to Friday and DOESN'T INCLUDE weekends or UK Bank and Public Holidays."
The Vodafone website therefore confirmed what the Original store manager from the Brunswick had said: it counts as 7 BUSINESS days, NOT CALENDAR days. That there could be such confusion and just plain wrong information given to customers boggles my mind. Also, the manager was resistant to even scan the HTC box ("I know it's going to refuse") because he knew that it would refuse it and would require a call, which would "require [his] proving that it was purchased 7 days ago." I mentioned that it WAS within 7 business days, that Wednesday 13 June being Business Day #7, he still refused to call, arguing that it was calendar days, not business days. A simple web check on his own company's website would have proven this manager's theory wrong, but this simply didn't happen. read more
