Not exactly Europe but....

jagmanx

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For Data and calls I like the Giff Gaff system.
So my vodaphone PAYG is used minimally
last summer in Switzerland this was a problem as Switzerland is not EEC (no Brexit comment)
.I knew this and had a prepaid Three sim card which gave me internet access.
I like Giff gaff as it is PAYG and their rates are better than most and free calls and if you run out of Data you can simply start a new "goody bag" as suits..

I had a Vodaphone PayG contract which was fine..THEN Stupid boy PIKE
I telephoned them with a view to roaming in Canada next summer and appeared to settle a deal with 4GB data and good calls/texts
The Vodaphone agent assured me the new simcard with a £9 a month contract would be available next day in Maidenhead at the shop
Not so I called in and was there for 1 hour whilst they verified Bank/House etc and gave me a new contract on my existing sim.
The vodaphone number is our "landline" ( Bank and HMRC) More cash and only 1GB data
NOW Here in Thailand I switched on the vodaphone sim and was alerted to the £6 a day charge irrespective of usage !!!!!!

NOT HAPPY
A long conversation with Mrs Vodaphone offerred me a £30 a month contract maybe all singing all dancing but not useful
No Thanks My PayG worked fine we have internet anyway and a Thai sim card for most calls both in Thailand and to UK

The bank and HMRC are the only important agencies which use my vodaphone number
These can easily be changed
Informing my friends will be a pain !

I await a call from vodaphone but have informed them
1 I need the simcard active every day for texts from UK (£6x 30 days equals a lot)
I am NOT prepared to pay this
They say that as I am over 2 weeks I cannot Cancel...Just watch me
I was ill advised so OFcom may be needed.
But if I do not get satisfaction (apologies to M Jagger)
I will simply cancel the direct Debit and they can try to sue me !
 
Have you thought about Voxi. Yes I know it is Vodaphone but it covers 48 countries for roaming. As for Canada can't you just buy a local sim?
 
Thanks Jenrai,
Yes for Canada a local SIM will do maybe expemsive but a one-off.
I have an EE simcard and a Giff-Gaff simcard with me.
They are both PayG so I await a phone call later today but I am expecting to choose to dump vodaphone.
I have checked and informing the Bank and HMRC is not a problem.
Most of my friends know my Giff-Gaff number .
Here in Thailand we use a local simcard and calls to UK (very very few) are cheap enough
Firstly I will checkout Giff-Gaff and EE rates in Thailand
Vodaphone's £6 a day roaming fee (just to have the simcard active) is simply extortionate.
When in UK/Europe the giif-gaff goodybags are great !
 
Thanks so much for this post! Going to Thailand next week and will ensure I have deactivated my Vodafone Sim! £6 a day soon adds up and I usually get a dtac sim card but then three covered me so didn't bother. Had forgotten to check what newish Vodafone contract allowed for this trip:cry: Will be in touch with them later but expect no joy! Certainly not going to pay more, as I got it for Portugal and it didn't work in the area we were in but Vodafone pt sim was excellent!
 
For Data and calls I like the Giff Gaff system.
So my vodaphone PAYG is used minimally
last summer in Switzerland this was a problem as Switzerland is not EEC (no Brexit comment)
.I knew this and had a prepaid Three sim card which gave me internet access.
I like Giff gaff as it is PAYG and their rates are better than most and free calls and if you run out of Data you can simply start a new "goody bag" as suits..

I had a Vodaphone PayG contract which was fine..THEN Stupid boy PIKE
I telephoned them with a view to roaming in Canada next summer and appeared to settle a deal with 4GB data and good calls/texts
The Vodaphone agent assured me the new simcard with a £9 a month contract would be available next day in Maidenhead at the shop
Not so I called in and was there for 1 hour whilst they verified Bank/House etc and gave me a new contract on my existing sim.
The vodaphone number is our "landline" ( Bank and HMRC) More cash and only 1GB data
NOW Here in Thailand I switched on the vodaphone sim and was alerted to the £6 a day charge irrespective of usage !!!!!!

NOT HAPPY
A long conversation with Mrs Vodaphone offerred me a £30 a month contract maybe all singing all dancing but not useful
No Thanks My PayG worked fine we have internet anyway and a Thai sim card for most calls both in Thailand and to UK

The bank and HMRC are the only important agencies which use my vodaphone number
These can easily be changed
Informing my friends will be a pain !

I await a call from vodaphone but have informed them
1 I need the simcard active every day for texts from UK (£6x 30 days equals a lot)
I am NOT prepared to pay this
They say that as I am over 2 weeks I cannot Cancel...Just watch me
I was ill advised so OFcom may be needed.
But if I do not get satisfaction (apologies to M Jagger)
I will simply cancel the direct Debit and they can try to sue me !
I recently had a similar problem with another phone company. I used Resolver, from the Money Saving Expert website. All sorted in days, after weeks of banging my head against a call centre brick wall. ‘Twas easy. I like easy
Might be worth a try
 
ok so I use a dual sim phone and you can have both sims active and divert calls to the sim you are using for calls and data. One is Giffgaff the other Voxi so when I go to Europe if I disable one in theory if I swap over the to the other sim I should get 6 months roaming.
 
Yes I have a similar strategy for Europe.
Giff-gaff in Thailand will do me fine.
Data and calls not needed.
Receiving Texts is free
Sending texts is cheap
Bye bye Vodaphone.
 
Yes I have a similar strategy for Europe.
Giff-gaff in Thailand will do me fine.
Data and calls not needed.
Receiving Texts is free
Sending texts is cheap
Bye bye Vodaphone.

I said goodbye to Vodafone sometime ago, after being with them from the start of their business.
I lost faith in their billing and customer complaints services and decided enough was enough.
I'm now with giff gaff which us serving me well and if it all goes wrong at least I'm on a monthly contract.
It will be interesting to see what happens when and if we leave the EU but only time will tell.
A friend of mine has just been to Canada I'll find out what she did and report back.
 
Thanks Lee,
Yes inertia kept me with Vodaphone mainly for bank and HMRC texts
I have now found how to change
Giff Gaff seems cheapest of most with calls costing £1 and receiving texts free in many countries..eg Thailand USA Canada
So I am expecting to dump Voadphone (which I call VodaPEST because of their incessant texts)
It is just a matter of how I cancel my current 18 month contract which became a downgrade fomPAYG
The contract only started 2 weeks ago and if they do not agree I may well cancel anyway and fight any claim should they pursue it.
In consider I was both misled and indeed misinformed in particular about roaming.
£6 a day for simply having the phone on is outrageous..should it go to court/oftel
 
I contacted my friend and she used a Lucky sim card which she bought in Canada.
She also uses WhatsApp to contact friends when she has internet.
Have a loo on line and see if it would work for you.
 
Just for interest
A webchat for 3 hours
A simultaneous phone call for 1 hour has still not resolved the contract cancelling
Despite a manager on webchat confir
 
OMG
A 4 hour webchat and a
2 hour telephone call
BUt is seems (await confirmation that I can BIN vodaphone at no cost.
despite being passed from pillar to post particularly on the phone
At one point a £77 fee was suggested for cancelling
Sorry No No No and again No
1pm 18 hre in Thailand but a result
Hot news.. A confirmation text from Vodaphone
Your contract will be cancelled (3-5 days) at no cost !
Sometimes it pays to be GRUMPY or should I say determined
 
Indeed not.
The first long call on Sunday convinced me that the best option was to ditch Vodaphone (several reasons).
I knew I would have work to do informing Bank HMRC etc but decided it was worth it
Sunday's performance with differing statements form the webchat and the telephone call simply confirmed.
Anyway they got the message eventually..My comments were
1 I will cancel the DD anyway and not pay the £77 as I am within the time limit and I was mis-sold
2 I will contact Ofcom
so after several escalations on the telephone they gave in..

I must have cost them a fortune in agents time etc
They shot themselves in the foot x 3 (clever as we only have 2 feet !)
 
Update (or should it be downdate)
I received (today)an email informing me I owed 1 months charge. and threatening legal action/cost recovery

I phoned and was promised a call back
No call back

So a formal online complaint to ensure

  • re confirm Account is cancelled
  • I owe nothing,
  • My credit rating will not be affect
  • An apology

Next step OFCOM
 

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