I cancelled a contract at a store, but Vodafone still keeps billing me.

[Ash_Chopra]

Hello,

I took a Vodafone cube on contract in May 2023 from a VodaFone shop in Gauting, Bavaria. I returned the cube and my contract to the same shop before the review period, as I was not provided correct information and guidance by the shop owner. I was told by the shop owner that it was cancelled. However, I keep getting billed for this cube. The Vodafone shop owner has been trying constantly to get the contract cancelled, he is even paying the bills that keep coming every month! But Vodafone will not cancel the contract and it keeps sending me requests to pay. Strangely, it does not send me any bills, but an email after a month asking me to pay the bill. 

He has filled up contract cancellation forms, giving me a copy of them but Vodafone does not seem to cancel the contract. I have a cancellation confirmation from the shop but it seems that Vodafone does not want to honour the cancellation. 

At this point, I don't know what to do. From my perspective, I don't have the cube since June. I returned it to a Vodafone store and was told it is cancelled. I have tried to call customer support, but my German is not very good and I cannot get anywhere with them. 

What can I do? 

[Peter_Co]

There is *no* trial period in a local store - only online purchases and contracts come with the right to revocate within 14 days. Vodafone will accept the termination only at the end of the 24 months of minimum contract term. If you think that the store (most of them are *not* operated by Vodafone but by independent agencies) did not provide correct information you will have to work it out with them - but keep in mind that you signed the contract, and only what is written there has legal standing, whatever was only talked about does not count.

[rtrnrgn]

Uh, yeah with the GigaCube there is the 30 day "Zufriedenheitsgarantie" or whatever it's called, even in stores. Or did they do away with that?

[Peter_Co]

If that is the case and he has it in writing, he needs to contact support, and not via phone (external call centers with low knowledge and powers) but for example via WhatsApp (can try in English there). As I wrote above, the stores are usually not operated by Vodafone and therefore are not part of the support system (and because of that are limited in what they can do).

https://forum.vodafone.de/t5/Vodafone-News/Dein-Kontakt-zu-Vodafone/td-p/1912292

[Ash_Chopra]

@Peter_Co I have tried the WhatsApp option but it does not support English as a language. I have tried the assistant but it is bot only, and it puts a callback that just sends me to a very unhelpful call center. I did not find an option to text chat with a human anywhere.

When I cancelled the contract, the store took the original contract back from me. The store owner has been helpful so I can go and try to get him to give me a copy tomorrow. The store owner did very clearly mention a 30 day return period when I signed the contract, and I returned the contract and device to him well within that period. My assumption is that he forgot to fill  that cancellation out to vodafone in time, and now we are stuck in this mess.  

[Peter_Co]

Only hint I can give now: find someone who speaks German to do the WhatsApp chat for you. VF offered support in English via Facebook or Twitter, but these channels are not available anymore. In the end, as hard as it sounds, the contractual language in Germany is German.

[Ash_Chopra]

I noticed some threads here being handled by Vodafone employees so I thought this may be worth a shot 😞 I will leave this open in the hope that a Vodafone employee stumbles on this topic and decides it's worth helping out a new settler in Germany who hoped a multi-national giant like Vodafone would probably support English in all its geographies.

[Peter_Co]

Sadly this option was terminated in August 22 - the Vodafone employees that read here are not allowed anymore to offer individual support - they only can point to the already mentioned official support channels.