A guide to our services and what to do if you have a problem

The aim of publishing our Code of Practice is to give you a clear guide to our services and to explain our procedures for complaint handling and dispute resolution in the event you have a problem. It doesn’t affect your legal rights, or form part of a contract between you and us. This Code has been approved by Ofcom for the purposes of Section 52 of the Communications Act 2003.

To call us, simply dial 191 on your Vodafone mobile. Calls are free from a pay-monthly phone, or 25 pence per minute from a Pay as you go phone, but this charge only applies if you speak to an advisor (this price is correct at the time of going to print). Or, you can call us from a landline on 08700 700 191 for contract customers, 08700 776 655 for Pay As You Go customers – the call charge will be at the operator’s standard rate. You can also fax us on 01635 45713.

You can write to us at:

Vodafone Ltd
Correspondence Management
Post Room, Balliol House
Banbury
Oxon OX17 3NS

You’ll find more information about us on our website and, for our Vodafone At Home customers (fixed line and broadband services), at www.vodafoneathome.co.uk/

You can also e-mail us from the website at www.vodafone.co.uk/contact

If you’d like to talk to us face to face, you can visit any of our stores nationwide – we have over 300. To find your nearest store, go to our store locator.

If you would like receive this document in a different format, such as in large print or in Braille, e-mail us from the website at www.vodafone.co.uk/contact or phone 33222 from your Vodafone handset or 08700 733 222 from another phone.

The postal address for Vodafone’s major office is:

Vodafone House
The Connection
Newbury
Berkshire RG14 2F

Vodafone provides mobile voice and data communications services in the UK, and in other countries through roaming agreements with other mobile networks, as well as fixed line and broadband services. Vodafone’s services include voice calls, text and picture messaging, making and receiving video calls (if you have a 3G handset) and a range of games, ringtones, pictures and video clips that you can access on the Vodafone Live! portal, as well as line rental providing access to the public telecommunications network and network access to the internet. We also provide mobile email and data cards for mobile internet access.

You can obtain a handset and connect to the Vodafone network or find out more about access to our fixed or broadband services by visiting one of our stores. Our staff will be able to advise you on the services that we offer and will help to find the package that is best for you. Alternatively, you can buy from our online store shop.vodafone.co.uk. Vodafone connections are available through many independent retailers, who may also sell the services of other mobile and fixed operators.

Our pricing depends on the type of package you take up. You’ll find the most up-to-date information on our website (www.vodafone.co.uk) or from your local Vodafone shop. Literature on our prices is also available by calling 191 from your Vodafone mobile.

We offer a range of payment options to our contract mobile phone customers, including:

• direct debit – the most convenient way to pay (also, you don’t have to pay a monthly administration charge);
• credit card;
• cheque;
• bank giro credit;
• credit or debit card, when you need to pay a bill; and
• internet top-up cards.

If you’re late paying your bill, we’ll write to you or call you to discuss how you can pay. If you have difficulty paying, we may be able to agree a repayment plan with you. If we have to cancel your account, you’ll still have to pay a final bill to cover the monthly charges left on your contract.

Vodafone direct customers

If you are a contract customer, we send you a bill every calendar month, which you must pay within 7 days. You can check your account on-line if you register at www.vodafone.co.uk

If you’re a Pay as you go customer, you can buy top-up vouchers or use your swipe card in shops and supermarkets nationwide. You can also top up on-line using your credit/debit card, or you can call 2345 from your mobile or 08700 778 899 from a landline

Customers using a service provider

Your service provider will send you a bill each month, unless you have a different arrangement with them. Your bill covers line rental if you are a contract customer, as well as voice and data charges. Bills can be itemised, to give you details of all the numbers you’ve called, and include the cost, length, date and time of each call. They can also detail calls covered by free minute packages, and all international calls. You have to pay VAT on all your calls.

If you don’t understand any part of your bill or you disagree with it, get in touch with your service provider – there’s usually a contact number on the bill.

Vodafone At Home

For details of billing for your fixed line and broadband access, go to www.vodafoneathome.co.uk/.

We regularly carry out surveys to make sure we’re achieving customer satisfaction and network quality. Our quality management system is independently assessed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) and meets ISO 9001:2000 quality standard. Our customer satisfaction record is also independently assessed by outside organisations.

Our metering and billing systems is independently assessed by the British Approvals Board for Telecommunications (BABT) to meet Ofcom’s required standard. For more information, visit www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/groups/mandb/.

All handsets we distribute are under guarantee from their manufacturers and comply with health and safety standards. In Europe, this is shown by the CE mark.

You have the option of asking for an exchange or refund within 7 days if you brought it from our website or by phone direct from us, as long as you keep to the following conditions.

Mobile phones – contract and Pay as you go

• You must return the phone to us with all its accessories and manuals, in the original packaging and undamaged.
• You must provide a receipt.
• If you are a contract customer, we will charge you for line rental and calls you made during those 7 days.

Mobile phone accessories

• You must return the product to us undamaged, in the original packaging.
• You can’t return the product if you’ve used it.
• You must provide a receipt.

Pay as you go vouchers

Our 7 day exchange and refund policy doesn’t cover:

• top-up cards if the seal is broken, or the silver panel has been scratched; or
• partly-used internet top-up cards.

For handsets bought from a store we offer a 7 day no network coverage disconnection and refund. Any accessories purchased at point of sale can also be returned.

Vodafone At Home services – fixed line and broadband access

• if, for any reason, you change your mind about these services, you can cancel your order at any time up to 30 days from the date we accept your order
• If you want to cancel, call 191 from your Vodafone mobile or 08700 700 191 from a landline, or write to us at Vodafone Limited, PO Box 549, Adderbury, Banbury, OX17 3ZJ

Promotions

If you’re returning equipment you bought as part of a promotion, you must return all discounted items (under the same conditions we’ve just explained) for equipment that isn’t faulty. We’ll assess mobile phones and accessories and any other equipment to see if they’ve been damaged or used.

Faulty mobile phone equipment and accessories

If for any reason you find a fault with the equipment you’ve bought, you should do the following:

• Return it to the store where you bought it. If you bought it over the phone or the internet, contact the supplier as soon as possible. If you can’t contact them, call our customer service department for help on 191.
• Provide a receipt.

For phones bought from a store we offer a 28 day faulty handset exchange.

We have the right not to offer you an exchange if:

• You’ve damaged the product in any way (we’ll accept the normal wear and tear you get with a product that is 28 days old);
• The fault is due to something you’ve done; or
• We told you about the fault before you bought the equipment.

This applies to equipment you have bought from a Vodafone shop. For goods you have bought from other suppliers, please contact that supplier.

Faulty fixed line or broadband services and equipment

If you have any problems with your fixed line or broadband services or equipment, contact our customer support hotline on 191 from your Vodafone mobile or 08700 700 191 from a landline.

We offer a full repair service on all products you buy from us. However, if you bought your phone anywhere else, even if it’s on our network, you should return it to the supplier you bought it from for repair.

We offer a fast, efficient repair service to all our contract customers. We cover all repairs with a three-month guarantee, and the costs of repairs are at a fixed rate. In some cases, we offer a next-day replacement service. For more information, please call customer services from your mobile on 191, or from a landline 08700 700 191 (contract) or 08700 776 655 (Pay As You Go).

Or, you can take your phone to one of our stores, they’ll send it off for repair for you. They may also be able to lend you a phone while yours is being repaired.

If it’s going to cost more to repair your phone than to replace it, we’ll let you know. We’ll also tell you about your upgrade options.

Fixed line or broadband access equipment repairs

If the equipment we’ve supplied to allow fixed line or broadband access develops a fault, contact our customer support hotline on 191 from your Vodafone mobile or 08700 700 191 from a landline. If there is a fault with the equipment within the first 12 months, we will arrange to have it repaired or replaced. You will be responsible for repair and replacement after the first 12 months.

If you let us know your phone has been stolen, we will add it to the UK’s database of stolen phones. This will quickly stop it being used on any UK mobile phone network.

If you have a Pay as you go phone, you can simply stop using it. If you have a mobile phone or a Vodafone At Home contract, you must write to us giving 30 days’ notice, and pay a final bill covering the monthly charges for any minimum term that applies to your account.

This section of our Code of Practice sets out how to make a complaint and your rights to refer a dispute to an independent ombudsman.

If you’re not happy with our service and would like to make a complaint, please contact us first by calling 191 from your mobile, and one of our advisors will try to sort out the problem. Calls are free from a pay-monthly phone, or 25 pence per minute from a Pay as you go phone (this price is correct at the time of going to print). Or, you can call us from a landline on 08700 700 191 for contract customers, 08700 776 655 for Pay as you go customers – the call charge will be at the operator’s standard rate. You can write to us at:

Vodafone Ltd
Correspondence Management
Post Room, Balliol House
Banbury
Oxon OX17 3NS

You can also e-mail us from the website at www.vodafone.co.uk/contact.

If you’d like to talk to us face to face, you can visit any of our stores.

If you are still not satisfied, we’ll refer you to our team manager or customer services manager. Remember, if you use a service provider, you should contact them first.

If after eight weeks we still can’t sort the problem out for you, or if we have written to you explaining that we have reached deadlock, you can then refer the issue to Otelo (the ombudsman service) for independent resolution. They will provide a free, independent service to investigate your complaint, provided it falls within their terms of reference, though you must have gone through our own complaints procedure first before they can help you.

You can find out more on their website at www.otelo.org.uk or e-mail them at

enquiries@otelo.org.uk

or, you can write to them at:

Otelo

P O Box 730
Warrington WA4 6HL
Phone: 01925 430049 or 0845 050 1614
Fax: 01925 430059

Alternatively, your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau or trading standards office may be able to help – please contact them direct.

If you currently have a mobile phone on a different network and want to change to Vodafone, you can keep your mobile number when you transfer. This is known as ‘mobile number portability’. If you are a contract customer, you will need to take out a new 12 month minimum contract (a minimum contract does not apply to pre-pay customers).

To transfer your number, you have to contact your current network provider and ask for a porting authorisation code (PAC), this usually takes 48 hours. Your current network provider can explain the transfer process to you and they may charge you for this.

If you want to stop receiving unwanted premium rate text messages, simply send a reply to the service with the word STOP at the start of your text message. All services are now obliged to recognise the STOP command so that you can easily unsubscribe from the premium text service. If the service continues for whatever reason, please contact Customer Services by calling 191 from your Vodafone handset and inform them. There is a five digit shortcode which identifies the source of each message.

It is unlawful for any business to send marketing messages by text, mms or video to your mobile phone without your consent. If you receive an unwanted text marketing message on your Vodafone handset, please forward the message to VSPAM (shortcode 87726) the Vodafone text spam reporting mechanism. We use the information reported to us to assist the different regulatory authorities to take action against offending businesses.

If you are registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) it is illegal for any business to make marketing calls to your registered phone number unless you have previously agreed that a particular business may, in fact, call you. To find out more about the TPS, you can visit their website at www.tpsonline.org.uk, call them on 0845 070 0707, or write to them at:

Telephone Preference Service
70 Margaret Street
London SW1Y 4EE

If you receive an unwanted marketing or sales call to your Vodafone handset, and you are registered with the TPS, you should try to get as much information as possible from the person making the marketing call such as which company they are calling from, where they got your number, etc. and then make a formal complaint either to the TPS at the address above, or write to the Office of the Information Commissioner (address given below).

If you receive malicious calls or text messages, call 191 and report them to our customer services. If it happens three times and you let us know, we can give the caller’s details to the police so they can investigate for you.

For serious complaints, about offensive or malicious content or content that might be illegal, email the dedicated network abuse team at abuse@vodafoneemail.co.uk.

Child abuse images hosted worldwide and criminally obscene and incitement to racial hatred content hosted in the UK should also be reported to the Internet Watch Foundation - www.iwf.org.uk/.

We do not automatically include your personal contact information in any directory or directory assistance service. If you do want your personal contact information to appear in a directory, please call customer care and they will explain what we can arrange for you – ask for a BT Mobile Directory listing. Alternatively please visit our website www.vodafone.co.uk to find out more. If you choose to be included in such services, we will be legally obliged to provide your personal contact information to other non-Vodafone directory and directory assistance service providers. Although these organisations may be subject to the same data protection laws as Vodafone, we have no means of controlling how they might use or share your personal contact information.

We work within a strict legal framework that regulates the way companies process personal information. The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) oversees this framework. You can find more details on their website at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk or write to them at:

The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Ofcom (the Office of Communications) is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services. You can call them on 0845 456 3040 (local-rate number) or 020 7981 3040, Fax: 0845 456 3333. Or, you can write to them at:

Ofcom Contact Centre
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA

• www.ofcom.org.uk

• contact@ofcom.org.uk

The aim of PhonepayPlus is to make sure that you get appropriate protection when you use premium-rate information and entertainment services. PhonepayPlus provide a free service to check premium rate numbers on their website http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk, alternatively you can call them on 0800 500 212, or write to:

PhonepayPlus
Clove Building
4, Maguire Street
London SE1 2NQ

Our advertising follows the code of practice that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issues. The ASA deals with all advertising. You can visit their website at www.asa.org.uk, call them on 020 7492 2222, or write to them at:

Advertising Standards Authority
Mid City Place
High Holborn
London WC1V 6QT

We aim to achieve the highest standards of corporate responsibility (CR). You can find out about our policy and the projects we’re involved in from our website at www.vodafone.com/responsibility

Radio-frequency emission levels from our radio-base stations and the mobile phones operating on our network meet strict precautionary public-exposure guidelines set by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection. For more information visit www.vodafone.co.uk or call us and ask for our booklet ‘The facts about the Network: The Vodafone UK radio network and your community’. Leaflets published by the Department of Health are also available from our stores or

• www.vodafone.co.uk

If you have special needs, you can find out about services we have adapted by visiting our website, or calling us and asking for a copy of ‘We're connected: products and services for elderly customers and customers with special needs’. Vodafone offers a mobile textphone, with access to the TypeTalk text relay service, and speaking phones with special software that speaks the information shown on screen. For more information call 33222 from your Vodafone handset or 08700 733222 from any other phone.

Vodafone is a signatory to the UK industry Code of Practice on New Forms of Content and Experiences on Mobiles. You can obtain a copy of this Code of Practice from www.vodafone.co.uk.

Vodafone operates a handset take back scheme for those mobile phones and accessories that you no longer have a use for. You can return your phone via the collection bins in any Vodafone store, or pick up a FREEEPOST envelope from the store and return it in the post.

We regularly review all our codes of practice. For the most recent information on our services or prices, please call us or check our website.