To the attention of:
Mr Stefan Langkamp
Customer Operations Director
Vodafone UK

Dear Sir,

In purchasing my wife a phone and plan (to be paid by myself) xxxxxxxxxxx, I attempted to set up a recurring credit card payment (also known as a subscription) to automatically pay for the charges each month.

On multiple occasions during a call to your 191 service center, I instructed the service rep that I did NOT want a direct debit against a bank account, and instead wanted a recurring credit card payment. After giving my credit card details, the service rep stated that the only way to handle recurring credit card payments was if I also provided my bank account number and sort code!

I went so far as to request the representative to lodge a request for your system to establish recurring credit card payments without setting them up as direct debits, which they they agreed to forward to management.

To my dismay, I find Vodafone have instead signed me up for a direct debit, despite me directly advising you to purge my banking details, and despite my repeated statements to the contrary. Service user yyyyyy, dd ref xxxxxxxxx.

In case you haven’t noticed, this is not 1990. In this modern day and age, every mom and pop shop on the internet is able to process payments via credit card, PayPal, Google Checkout, and more – ALL WITHOUT NEED FOR AN ACCOUNT NUMBER OR SORT CODE.

2 calls to the service center, nearly 60 minutes of my life gone that I’ll never get back, and Vodafone still haven’t sorted this situation.

I tried to again call the 191 service center and speak to a manager to settle this but:
1) Was told no manager was on duty – they were all in meetings
2) Was refused the manager’s name or contact number
3) Was refused the representative’s surname, operator number or other way of uniquely identifying them other than the name ROMY.

Why is your system not capable of processing recurring payments via credit card or paypal (like the other half million merchants within 100 miles of me) without a bank account number or sort code?

Why do you have an entire call center running without a manager being available and with no direct point of escalation?

As an aside, why are you holding over the air updates for Nexus One’s for months after Google’s release to you?

An unmanaged team not empowered to rectify, inform or take action is another name for an 3P-answering-service, NOT a customer service center! Frankly sir, your ‘service’ operation gives real service industries a bad name.

Regards,

Another Unhappy Vodafone Customer

Anyone else experiencing Vodafone complaints, issues, or problems and would like to contact Stefan Langkamp the Vodafone Customer Operations Director can contact him via http://campaigns.vodafone.co.uk/complaints/

Having been busy with many other projects as of late, this site hasn’t been updated.  Now that I’ve got 5 minutes to spare, I wanted to drop a quick kudos to a new service provider I’ve engaged with….

VPSLatch Review

1)  I’m not being paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form, to write this review.  It’s purely a case of me sharing an opinion based on first hand experience.

2)  VPSLatch Reviews are something you might search for when considering VPSLatch as your managed VPS hosting provider.  They’re easy to find, thanks to an aggressively priced campaign on common sites like Webhostingtalk.

3)  I signed up for, then paid for, their cheapest package and was greeted with a series of instantaneous emails informing me of everything I need to know about getting started with my new server account.

4)  Wanting a control panel installed, I put in a request ticket asking them to do the installation for me, and moments later was informed that the engineer was on it.  Shortly thereafter, cPanel was installed without me even needing to login.  No ssh terminal sessions, linux console commands… it was great!

5)  Since that time I’ve asked for a half-dozen things to be installed or configured, like increased hardening (security).  Every single time I get the same quick reply, thorough service, and an offer from them asking if there’s anything else they can do for me.

Conclusion

Frankly, I have no idea how VPSLatch can offer managed VPS packages at these low prices, but I am certainly enjoying the phenomenal service and pricing.  Be sure to check out any hosting company before you make a purchase, particularly if your business depends on it!

I found a couple of VPSLatch reviews (both pro and con), and then dug a bit deeper.  As a result, I came up with one simple rule for deciding whether or not I trust that site’s opinion about anything…

Golden Rule on Trusting Reviews

If you are on SITE 1 (which is covered in affiliate ads) and they are posting a bad review about COMPANY B, then odds are good that SITE 1 is motivated by greed more than honesty and should not be trusted.

It’s similarly true that if you are on SITE 1 (which has one or more affiliate ads – COMPANY A) and they are posting good reviews about COMPANY A, then odds are good that SITE 1 is in it for the money and should not be trusted.

Author’s Notes

• I have not put advertisements or affiliate ads on this site.
• I guarantee that I am not being compensated for what I have said today.
• Finally, I hope that regardless of whether you trust my opinion, I hope you at least will use a little judgment before blindly believing those ad-filled review sites which have sold out any trust they may have had to the highest bidder.  Email support at a vendor you are considering, before you buy.  See how they handle your query.

The proof is in the pudding!!!

I’ve stumbled across another excellent choice in accommodation for Fort William Scotland recently.  Fort William Bed and Breakfast, also known as Kildonan is an immaculate property in Corpach, just on the outskirts of Fort William.  It is a 3 Star rated bed and breakfast, which means that in addition to being clean, it is also comfortable.

There are a few things that make this property special in my eyes.  First of all is the location.  Being just a three minute walk from the Corpach train station, along the popular bus routes, and yet off the main roads, is a unique combination.  There is nothing worse than having constant road noise to disturb ones relaxing holiday.  This is no worry when staying at Kildonan.

The views are lovely, and the proximity to all the popular tourist sites make this a central location, which is ideal for spending a few days exploring the West Highlands of Scotland.  It’s awesome having a view of Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor, and Loch Linnhe, all from the same spot.  One can truly appreciate the beauty of Scotland with these views!

I found the owners, Kathleen and Tom Sutherland, to be warm and friendly, which of course one expects from native Scots.  It’s refreshing to find locals owning accommodation, instead of the usual transplants from much further south who have decided to semi-retire up in beautiful Scotland.  They offered a few sightseeing tips that we hadn’t thought of, and when asked, had a wealth of information to share.

Being big fans of Harry Potter, and particularly the Hogwart’s Express, I was tickled to find that the lovely old steam train passes through the Corpach railroad station, making a trip on it to Mallaig a synch.

Check out the website for Fort William Bed and Breakfast to get even more information or book a room.  The prices are wonderfully inexpensive regardless of what time of year.

Due to the June 2006 fire which destroyed McTavish’s, West Coast Leisure, and the Gift Box, a new development has sprung to life in Fort William.

A 10 million pound redevelopment has been planned at the old site, comprised of 20,000 square feet of retail shopping on the ground floor, and a new Travelodge Hotel on the two upper floors.  Travelodge is the UK’s quickest growing hotel chain, having over 300 hotels in the UK.

The new development is a joint project between Kilmartin and Ashford Property Group, and has been submitted to the Highland Council for approval.  If everything goes according to plan, construction will begin in the summer of 2008 and be completed some time in 2009.

The site was acquired in February 2008 at a cost of 2.4 million Pounds and is said to be an important part of Travelodge expansion in Scotland.

Let’s just hope this development gets through the process better than the Waterfront Project!

It looks like the much needed improvement on the West Highland Line is set to move forward, finally.  The rail line has needed some maintenance, and the works have finally been put on the calendar by Network Rail

Works are to include refurbishing three important viaducts, laying some new track, and other assorted tasks such as clearing vegetation.  The viaducts being refurbed included Manse viaduct, Glen Falloch viaduct, and Glen Fillan viaduct.

What do all these closures mean to tourists planning a trip to the Highlands of Scotland this spring?  Think alternate bus services.  Yes, suddenly you are awoken from your lovely trip on the sleeper train, hauled off the train, and put on the bus, then an hour or so later, pulled off the bus, and put on another train.  It’s guaranteed to be a fun time!!

Admittedly the work is required, but the timing is just impeccable – right in the busy season for Highlands tourism.

Closures are expected to take place on the West Highland line as follows:

29/03/08 til 13/04/08 – between Fort William and Mallaig

19/04/08 til 27/04/08 – between Crianlarich and Oban

19/04/08 til 23/04/08 – between Craigendoran and Crianlarich

26/04/08 til 30/04/08  – between Craigendoran and Crianlarich

26/04/08 til 27/04/08 – between Crianlarich and Courrour

03/05/08 til 04/05/08 – between Glen Douglas and Crianlarich

I’m sure it will be 8 million pounds well spent, as keeping the rail lines safe are a very legitimate concern.  However, one can only wonder as to why this work is being carried out during the peak season for Fort William, and other Scottish Highlands destinations.

I recently had the good fortune of finding a Bed and Breakfast right at the foot of Ben Nevis, in Fort William.  Constantly on the lookout for great rooms at a great price, I was a bit skeptical when I saw how close this accommodation was to literally ‘everything’!

Less than 100 metres from Inverlochy Villas is the walking path for Ben Nevis, which was perfect.  The Jacobite Steam Train passes by, just a couple of hundred metres away.  Plus Inverlochy Castle (the old castle ruins, not the modern hotel of the same name) is close by as well.

Inverlochy Villas has a number of different rooms, en-suite of course, facing various directions, each with great views and a charm of their own.  I had the chance to wander about the house with the owners John and Adrian, who let me inspect the place from top to bottom.  At 25 pounds per night, the price was a steal of a deal.

Had I been so inclined, there was a large library of dvd’s which can be viewed in the room, but being more than a bit weary, I had to pass on that.  However, the offer a free dram from the local distillery was too good to pass up.  Ben Nevis 10 year old whisky hit the spot, and made a perfect nightcap.

Being a Bed and Breakfast, one expects a bed and a breakfast, of course.  What I didn’t expect was the offer to have breakfast IN bed, which was a welcome treat.  It was like staying at a luxury hotel, complete with concierge service.  Yes, before setting out for the day, I did manage to quiz John and Adrian about all the things to see and do near their property.  The list was longer than I could manage, but I must admit to giving it a good go!

If you’re ever in Fort William, looking for a good place to stay at a reasonable price, I highly recommend Inverlochy Villas.