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Islanders raise petition protest against Vodafone        1/10/14

 

Over 250 people from the Western Isles have complained to the telecommunications ombudsman regarding local Vodafone coverage.

 

Intermittent service and complete loss of service on a number of days has caused anger and frustration for island based customers.

 

A Facebook page called Unhappy Vodafone Customers Isle of Lewis has been established; and a petition for Better Service for Vodafone customers in the Western Isles has already attracted 252 signatures.

 

The petition states: “We pay the same for an intermittent, poor quality 2G service as someone on the other side of the Minch who has an uninterrupted 3G or 4G service.

 

“When there is a fault on the mast, it takes longer to fix and as such we are left without service for longer than someone on the mainland.

 

“Our money and service standard is just as valuable as someone in city centre Glasgow – and it is about time Vodafone recognised this or release unhappy customers from contracts which they have been unable to fulfil.”

 

Petition organiser Sophie Davies has written to the telecommunications ombudsman on behalf of all signatures to demand change.

 

She said: “The ombudsman can make request fault records from Vodafone and make a ruling which must be stuck too; they are the police of the mobile world.

 

“If they rule that people can get out of their contracts without a charge, then Vodafone can’t argue with that.”

 

Complaints have also been sent to Offcom, Trading Standards and BBC Watchdog; and the campaign for better Vodafone service in the Western Isles is being supported by isles MSP Alasdair Allan.

 

Sophie Davies added: “The network we have here is border-line Neolithic. Vodafone is the only service provider with no 3G here, which is incredible considering they are the second oldest mobile provider after O2.

 

“This is all really in an effort to have the problem recognised and something done about it.”

 

The petition is available at: www.thepetitionsite.com