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Vodafone pleads guilty to Fair Trade breach

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Mon, 18 Jul 2011 4:25p.m.

The Commerce Commission claims Vodafone mislead customers about its online services (NZPA file)

The Commerce Commission claims Vodafone mislead customers about its online services (NZPA file)

By 3news.co.nz staff

Vodafone has pleaded guilty today to breaching the Fair Trading Act and could face a fine of $500,000.

Vodafone's lawyer Bruce Gray, QC, told the Auckland District Court today that Vodafone pleaded guilty to five breaches which include misleading customers about its online services.

The phone giant is being prosecuted by the Commerce Commission who claim Vodafone mislead customers into believing parts of its internet service, Vodafone Live, were free.  

The commission says customers faced bills of up to $1000 and found it difficult to complain through the company’s customer service line.

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Comments

19 Jul 2011 09:57a.m.

Adhi wrote:

i was one of the unlucky people who did pay the monthly balance of $800.00+, how do we know if we do get a refund or not?. a refund of my money would be greatly appreciated.

18 Jul 2011 07:31p.m.

Albert Chan wrote:

Finally!!! The telecommunication giant has been brought down!!! Vodafone sent me a 'so-called' demand letter claiming that I owed them $650; however, they had never managed to provide our household the services that we required, both landline & broadband. Therefore, they agreed to cancel the contract and I was instructed to return the internet modem back to them & no charges would be applied. Since I had worked for a debt collection agency before, I asked the agent from Vodafone to repeat this statement three times so they could have that on their taped record. The demand letter arrived out of the blue 12 months later threatening to send my file to a collection agency if I didn't pay the outstanding balance. I called Vodafone & spoke to an agent & asked her to read my file from the start. She apologised that Vodafone had made a mistake & no outstanding payment was required. So I thought that was the end of this mishap, but I was mistaken. One week later, I received a demand letter fro Collection House claiming that I owed their client, Vodafone, a total of $813.75 (unpaid balance $651 to Vodafone & a collection cost of $162.75)!!! I called Vodafone again, spoke to another agent & he sent me an email confirming that no money was owed to them by me & my file should not had been referred to Collection House. I forwarded that email onto Collection House requesting them to solve this & I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Now you can imagine how pleased I am to hear that Vodafone has eventually fallen from grace & I definitely have no sympathy to this bullying telecommunication giant.

18 Jul 2011 06:18p.m.

Chris wrote:

well, the bill will be passed on to us, the customers. Not long.