Vodafone was the first network in UK and has seen been the market leader. I had my first mobile phone as a One2One phone but was very disappointed with their customer service and have since switched to Vodafone and stick with them for a long time.
Service Provider ================= Many people do not aware that when they buy a contract mobile phones, they actually deal with the network (Vodafone) and the Billing Company (e.g. Vodafone Retail, Singlepoint). Why Vodafone provides the network service and is responsible for quality of service and general customer service assitance, the billing company is the one who decides the price of the calls and handle the billing. When I first switched to Vodafone, I bought a phone with SinglePoint via Dial-A-Phone and was very annoyed by the billing company customer service which I could never get through. Also, when I tried to switch to Vodafone Retail (another billing company) but still on Vodafone, then Singlepoint started to bug me with sales call. Since then, I have sticked with Vodafone Retail who usually answer Customer Service calls within 30 seconds.
International Call ================== While Orange and Virgin offer cheaper International Call, I have recently found a way round it and get very very cheap international call with Vodafone. The service is called http://www.0870-dial.co.uk. Since call to 0870 number is considered as a standard voice call by Vodafone (but not by One2One - another reason I like Vodafone), I simply dial into the 0870 number and dial out and pay just 2p/min to ring my friends abroad. So - yes - ultimately, Vodafone gives me cheap international call too !
Coverage ========= From my own and friends experiences, it is easiest to get through on the first attempt on Vodafone and they also provide excellent coverage.
Tariff ======= I like Vodafone tariff over one2one as they regard most calls including 0845/0870 etc as a standard call while One2One charge them at higher price which makes everything very confusing. The only downside is Vodafone charge for 0800 call while Orange allows that to be called for free. But for Vodafone good customer service (and Orange's horror story), I would rather stick with Vodafone.
Choice Of Phone =============== Newest phone also seems to be available to Vodafone network several weeks before it is available for Orange and One2One. I guess this is because Orange/One2one needs to take more time to "lock" their handset.
As a conclusion - Vodafone is still the best network for me...and I will stick with it !
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Good op. With Vodafone myself and would never change.
SimonP 15.06.2003 21:57
Good, honest opinion. I think you're correct by saying Vodafone are ahead of the game, but as you say, I feel they aren't the cheapest network. I'm on T-Mobile at present. Cheers, ~Si.
Aquarian 20.09.2002 09:35
Iv,e always been an Orange customer, but my contract is up next month and I,m going to shop around, so thanks for the information.
Advantages: Good range, able to offer you good customer care and change talk plans top up e.t.c because they are part of Vodafone. Disadvantages: Slightly more expensive for Accesories.
eep362 12.07.2000 ·
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