Vodafone sucks

Ok so this blog is a journal of events around possibly the world's slowest renovation, but hey, it's also a place for me to vent. And as I've been updating recent posts with the torture that is dealing with Vodafone I thought I'd better update with the very good news that I now have a working HTC One S phone.

This is unfortunately not the phone I was originally issued with (refer earlier post on an unsuccessful SIM removal for the full story). And it was far from easy to sort: after the 'repair' the phone was sent without a back and Vodafone couldn't source a replacement. After a couple of weeks they told me to find my own and send proof of purchase so they could credit my account. It took me all of 1 minute to find the part online and order it. It arrived a few days later. I took it into Vodafone in Westfield (where unsurprisingly the store manager recognised me) and I got my nano-SIM fitted about 15 minutes after arriving.

At this point, I should have been happy to finally have a phone that worked after five long weeks but no, I'm a sucker for punishment and asked that they 'red box' the contents of my old HTC onto the new one. I thought that apps, contacts, messages and photos would be transferred in about 30 minutes.

Long story short: they don't move apps... (wish they'd told me that before starting the red box treatment) and four hours and fifteen minutes later (with numerous visits to Vodafone to see how they were getting on....) the chap handed me a phone with 2,200 contacts. No wonder it was taking so long: these people are clearly idiots.

I had to pay for the carpark (grrr) and take my two fractious children home where I did a factory reset on the phone.

It took me FIFTEEN MINUTES to sync my contacts book with Google. And was very easy once logged into the Play store to re-download all the apps I'd had before under the useful tab heading 'My Apps'. This is why Android is such a great platform - it's easy to transfer between phones. This whole ordeal has strained my relationship with Vodafone. I don't think I'd respect myself if I stuck with them when my contract's up for renewal. Any recommendations for alternative companies are welcome!

Leaky loo

The top floor bathroom knows I hate it. I'm just letting it hang on until we get the funds together to rip it out and start again. It's not doing itself any favours by developing a leaking cistern. Rob noticed the floor around the loo was wet and after a couple of days of strategically placed kitchen roll to soak up the moisture, he called up our ever reliable Polish builders.

The only way they could look at the cistern was to smash open the tiles which had boxed it in. (On what planet does someone think that's a good idea? Who on earth would imagine they'd never want to access their cistern at some point?). Sure enough, the inspection revealed corrosion and after repeated trips to the plumbing supply shop around the corner, we had a new cistern fitted, the tiles temporarily stuck back, and the toilet resealed.

Everything in our house that goes wrong (the leaky ceiling, the blocked sinks, the temperamental dishwasher...) all seem to be related to water. Is there an exorcism for such matters?


Vodafone HTC S update

Five days after submitting my HTC S for 'repair' I hadn't heard from Vodafone so tweeted about it. Which got their social media support team involved. Whether it was a co-incidence or not, the phone showed up at the Vodafone shop the very next day. I left work a little early to collect it, thinking it would be a good idea to get the Micro SIM installed and migrate the contents of my current HTC phone over.

This would have been a good plan had the phone arrived in one piece. Actually, it wasn't the phone I'd sent away at all. This one was a newer, less battered version in a nice shade of silver, so I guess all that poking really did screw it up (take note SIM-removal amateurs!). Anyway, they'd sent it without the back.

Apparently I should have been given the back in the first place. My back was a different colour but whatever, they hadn't given it to me. They've ordered me a replacement so I'm waiting for that to show up, so I can then take the phone to a Vodafone store and get a Micro SIM fitted... let's see if this happens any time soon...

They're baaaaackkk!

I just had an unusually healthy weekend of very little booze (not counting Friday night), lots of sleep and two art exhibitions. I should be feeling well-rested and sedate, but after wasting my evening heading to Vodafone in Stratford to be told that they couldn't sort out the problem I saw them about yesterday, I feel exasperated and exhausted.

Long story short: I need to use an HTC One S for work. My regular SIM from my current HTC phone won't fit it. I rang Vodafone and ordered a Micro SIM. They sent me a Nano. Which I dropped into the SIM slot. Of course it promptly disappeared as a Nano is smaller than a Micro. I rang Vodafone customer care who said to try a pin. A pin wedged the SIM in further. They couldn't send me a Micro SIM as their 'systems were down.' They told me to go to a store. Only there are no Vodafone stores open in central London on a weekend (I KNOW!).

After a Tweet exchange with Vodafone I discovered that there was a store open in Westfield Stratford on a Sunday - so I put the kids in the car and went there. To be told that the tech guy doesn't work Sundays. So I made an appointment for tonight. I hastily gobbled dinner and drove back to Westfield. But the tech guy couldn't get the SIM out - he doesn't have 'HTC tools'. He took it out the back for a fiddle but said 'the prongs are holding the SIM in there.' He was clueless about what to do next as the phone didn't come from Vodafone, but said I have to talk to Customer Care. I lay the blame firmly with Vodafone: if they'd sent the SIM I'd ordered in the first place, this wouldn't be an issue. (Also - when I ordered the Micro I was super clear that it was for an HTC One S as the person assumed I had an iPhone 5 which is the only phone that actually uses a nano - obviously they don't listen!)

I'll phone customer care tomorrow and let you know what they suggest.
In other news: there is a slow, intermittent leak from the glass roof extension. Rob is going to email Sunfold Systems (again). I was hoping that the leaks we saw after the last visit were an anomaly, and it was pretty dry for the last few months, but the frame is slowly filling up with liquid (it hasn't rained here for over a week) as the drops started today. Happy happy joy joy.

PS: Vodafone update

I rang Vodafone's Customer Care this morning and ran through the story so far, and was then put on hold... and then cut off. So I rang back. Got another chap, ran through the story so far, again. And was then put on hold. His advice after double checking with someone was to take the phone to a Vodafone store for them to post back to get repaired by people who have the tools. SERIOUSLY. I was actually in a Vodafone store last night (and the day before that...) - why couldn't they have thought of that at the time?!

So on the way to work I stopped by a Vodafone store and had to run through the story so far THREE TIMES TO THREE IN-STORE BLOKES. I reiterated the bit about Customer Care saying it has to be sent away for repair but two of the blokes chose to ignore me, took the back off and started to get out a paper clip! I nearly lost the plot at this point. Fortunately a paper clip wouldn't fit into the SIM card space. Nevertheless, one of the blokes took the phone out the back (away from my prying eyes no doubt to shove something smaller than a paper clip in, just in case...) I have no idea why these people choose to ignore the request to just send the thing off for repair, maybe they think they're being helpful, personally, I find it disrespectful - as if I'm so stupid I can't possibly know what I'm talking about.
Anyway - the phone is now in transit. Will let you know what happens next!