Vodafone complaints surge after billing switch

More than three times as many pay-monthly Vodafone customers have complained about the service than those of any other UK mobile network, figures from industry regulator Ofcom reveal.

Latest claims data show a massive surge in the number of disgruntled subscribers taking their dispute to the watchdog. For the final three months of 2015, 32 out of every 100,000 Vodafone customers reported issues, which the BBC notes is double the rate of 12 months ago and Sky News adds is up from 20 per 100,000 for the previous three months.

The actual rate of complaints will be much higher, as many will have been reported directly to the company and resolved without the watchdog's help. In the Ofcom data, Vodafone was the only mobile network to see a complaints rate above the ten in 100,000 average across the sector.

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Vodafone itself says this is the result of customers being switched onto a new billing system, which has hit glitches and caused prices and charges to be incorrectly quoted. Some customers also complained the service provided when they reported problems was not up to scratch.

"The points highlighted in this report largely relate to a major programme we undertook last year to transfer customers on to a new billing system, aimed at simplifying the operation of their accounts and opening up a range of better services, such as 'click and collect'," said a spokeswoman.

"Unfortunately, there were some problems during the highly complex migration. Now that the migration exercise is essentially complete, we expect our £2bn investment in our network and services will start to deliver a step change in customer experience."

Other companies that featured highly in the Ofcom data were TalkTalk, which has continued to see a high volume of complaints over its landline telephone services, while EE was the most complained-about firm for broadband and BT continues to rank poorly among pay TV customers.