Tuesday 19 July 2011

giffgaff... too good to be true?

After MANY issues with Vodafone UK (dropped calls, calls going to answer machine, poor internet speed etc...) I've decided to evaluate some alternatives until my contract expires in 9 months or so. After checking Quidco for offers I found giffgaff which uses the O2 network. I had already looked into O2 to find their coverage was much better where I work and live. So here's the deal:

Top up £10 a month and get:

  • 250 minutes to any network any time
  • Unlimited text messages
  • Unlimited internet use
Plus for each person I refer that joins I get £5 credit and so do they! After checking the speed out (Vodafone ~0.2Mbps, giffgaff/O2 >2.5Mbps) I'm seriously thinking about asking for my PAC number from Vodafone. Just a real shame that Vodafone won't let me leave without the rather large (>£300) termination fee. They have given me one month free which was a show of good will while they investigated the problem. It turns out the network is congested at the cell that covers my work post code and it maybe sometime before an upgrade can be actioned. So if you want a free giffgaff SIM with £5 free credit then click the link on the right of my blog.

6 comments:

Rob said...

I did see, and have ordered, a GiffGaff sim via the QuidCo offer since it's a £1 cashback just for doing so and £4 if you actually activate and use it.

Interested to see that it's on the O2 network. Sadly, where I live and work O2 are awful coverage. There's zero reception at home and no 3G at work (bearing in mind I work very close to a town centre!).

The thing is, you have to go with what's right for you as an individual. In your case, because Voda can't offer you a proper service I think you'd be within your rights to have that termination fee waived. One month free doesn't mean the rest of your serviceable period is going to suddenly improve unless they intend to increase your cell capacity in the next 30 days!

Unknown said...

You make some very valid points there Rob. Vodafone customer service was appalling until I eventually got through to the head of the Twitter team (@VodafoneUK). He looked further into the problem, credited my account and promised to get back to me... which he did within a few weeks.

The service won't change until they upgrade the cell which I'm told was knocked back on planning permission originally so could be some time before it is sorted.

I am hoping that Vodafone will at least give me a £10 monthly discount on my contract to offset my giffgaff cost so this way I will still consider Vodafone when my contract is due for renewal. If they don't then I won't even look at them.

Now waiting to see the £4 activation cash back in my Quidco!

Debs said...

I've been with GiffGaff since April and back then internet was free and unlimited (due to problems) so topping up with the £5 hokeycokey goody bag was the best thing since sliced bread. 60 mins, 300 txt, free giffgaffer to giffgaffer calls and txt + (back then) free internet AND for every min someone calls your from a different network you got and extra min free. I think Its especially good and economical for families, with the free giffgaff to giffgaff txt and calls, I have my daughter and mum on the same network so far and I've already saved a small fortune :D

GIFFGAFF FTW

Rob said...

I like that - it's an interesting proposition that says to Voda, you've put me in this situation by over selling a product i.e. not in line with your provisions. I therefore have to do x in order to be able to have service at that location and I expect you to compensate me for it.

With how prepared people are to jump ship and move about it makes perfect sense to concentrate on customer loyalty schemes since I'm sure you're happy otherwise (other than the usually rubbish customer service from the call centres but then they all appear to be the same).

Unknown said...

Indeed Rob, I was very happy with Vodafone. Even had my wife change to them and a few colleagues at work on my recommendation. But in the past 7/8 months it has been diabolical. Calls going straight to Voicemail even though I have FULL signal showing is unacceptable. Eliminated the phone (used a different one), the SIM (Vodafone sent a new one), location (works fine at home)... Vodafone eventually admit to congestion.

I'll be contacting them after a few days testing with giffgaff/O2 and requesting my PAC and looking for a discount. Keep an eye on the blog for updates!

person287 said...

I'm on giffgaff and have managed to get around 6Mbps sometimes, and also I use a massive amount of data so the unlimited is good. The abroad data pricing is a bit of a ripoff, but that doesn't matter too much. If anybody is interested you can also join via my referral link, https://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/ed33 and get £5 free when you first topup. You can also join via quidco and other stuff as you said.