The
FTSE 100 giant was penalised by communications watchdog
Ofcom for its treatment of 10,452 customers after it failed to credit their pay-as-you-go accounts with £150,000 of payments over a 17-month period. It has also made a £100,000 charity donation on behalf of 30 customers it failed to track down and reimburse.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s consumer group director, said: “Vodafone’s failings were serious and unacceptable, and these fines send a clear warning to all telecoms companies. "Phone services are a vital part of people’s lives, and we expect all customers to be treated fairly.” The billing mistakes between December 2013 and April 2015 followed
Vodafone’s switch to a new IT system. The company was fined £3.7 million for the errors and an additional £925,000 for its complaint handling. This included failing to deal with customers in a fair and timely manner as well as failing to inform customers of their right to take unsatisfied complaints to an outside resolution scheme.
According to Ofcom data, Vodafone receives 23 complaints per 100,000 customers — more than three times the industry average.
