Hit by Vodafone’s £1 sneak charge? Demand £30 back
VODAFONE customers are being urged to demand at least £30 compensation from the mobile phone provider for sneaking extra charges on to their bills.
The telecoms giant has put a ‘Secure Net’ add-on charge of £1 a month for new contracts taken out since the start of 2017.
It lures customers in with a ‘free three-month trial’ but then starts taking this extra money every month thereafter – unless you explicitly tell Vodafone you wish to cancel the deal.
But some customers attempting to stop this extra charge have found their online request has been ignored – raising fears of a Vodafone IT glitch.
One reader told us: ‘I was incensed by this swizz charge and cancelled it eight months ago after they texted explaining my free trial was over. Deciding to stop it, I followed its online cancellation process and assumed it had all been done.’
He adds: ‘But then a couple of weeks ago I discovered the fee was still going out. After calling a member of staff I was offered £30 compensation straight away even though I was only £8 out of pocket.
‘I suspect something had gone wrong with the Vodafone IT system and staff were keen to pay compensation to cover up this mess.’
Details of the Secure Net software levy are tucked away in the company’s terms and conditions. But the Vodafone literature states: ‘We use a network security layer against threats from viruses or harmful files and websites, and block harmful content by redirecting you to a safe site.’
Security expert Colin Tankard, managing director of Digital Pathways, believes such software is unnecessary – although it is better than having no protection at all.
He says there is no substitute to being vigilant against unwanted spam and emails – for example by not opening email links and websites you are unsure about.
‘Software giants Microsoft and Google already include unwanted email filtering systems. There are also free security apps, as provided by companies such as Sophos and Avira, that can do a better job.’
Martyn James, of complaints website Resolver, believes taking money automatically for a service you do not want is ‘unethical and misleading’. He says: ‘This sneaky charge should not be taken without you being explicitly aware about it – and it is quite right people should demand compensation for a service that falls well short of expectation. You are also being charged for a hidden extra that should automatically be included as part of the standard service you are already having to pay for.’ It is not only new customers that are falling foul of the Secure Net trap. Existing Vodafone users who are simply renewing their contracts might also automatically get it added – so always check bills.
Vodafone has about 18 million customers in Britain with at least one million believed to use the Secure Net software – with 70 per cent continuing with the £1-a-month deal after a free trial period.
But even if just £1 a month is being syphoned off from one million customers, it still adds up to £12 million a year.
Vodafone says it sends an explanatory text message to every customer a day after taking out a contract – at which point they have the option to opt out.
A Vodafone spokesman says: ‘In total customers are notified six times during the trial period via text message.
‘This includes a link being provided that enables them to cancel the Secure Net trial.’
The service can also be cancelled at any point beyond this trial period. The spokesman adds: ‘With regards to compensation, we review each customer on a case-by-case basis.’