Vodafone customers can cancel early

Thousands of Vodafone customers will be able to cancel their contracts early without a charge, after Ofcom said the network hadn’t been clear enough about changes to terms and conditions.

Between April and May 2017, Vodafone told customers by text message that it was introducing a flat £5-a-day roaming fee for people travelling in 60 non-eu countries.

In the text Vodafone included a link to its site saying customers could cancel without a penalty. But following complaints, Ofcom questioned the “clarity” of that message, and whether it had been sent to all affected customers.

The regulator said that details about exiting a contract should appear “in the main body of the text or email”, rather than linking to a separate web page.

Vodafone said its ‘Roam-further’ deal prevents customers from being hit by unexpectedly high bills. But Ofcom ruled that light users would be more affected because “they could no longer send texts, make calls or use data on a ‘pay-per-use’ basis”.

In response to Ofcom’s enquiries, Vodafone sent another text to customers they’d initially contacted, and those who may have been affected. Ofcom said it “clearly informed customers of their rights”, giving them 30 days to cancel without charge.

The company also committed to refunding customers who said they were left out of pocket because of the Roam-further flat fee.

Ofcom encouraged customers who suspect “they have also been affected” to contact Vodafone: www. snipca.com/26563. Read Ofcom’s ruling at www. snipca.com/26562.