As much as we love Almuñécar, and Spain, there are times when it can be frustrating trying to figure out how to get things done. There’s the obvious Spanish language issue where we’re not fluent, but we’ve adapted pretty well on handling it. The real problem is when the government or companies put up a lot of roadblocks. Case in point…trying to Cancel Vodafone in Spain.
Flashback to 2014: Since we’re moving to Southeast Asia, we’re trying to cancel all of those monthly bills. You know, phones, internet, etc. Obviously those companies don’t want to lose us as valued customers, so they do their very best to make it difficult to cancel. Vodafone has been fairly slippery in this regard. Going to their website wasn’t a lot of help other than writing, “Dial 123 from your mobile.”
Another part of the puzzle is that we do not want our service to end now, we need it to end in the future, so I don’t want to talk with some representative, and accidently cancel the service early. And to add yet another spin to this whole thing is that we have not met our 2-year contract commitment. We’ve seen various forums where there’s a €100 early termination fee, or you have to pay out the number of months left.
Very confusing. I kicked off this whole process, by calling Customer Service (snort), and talked to a guy who spoke crazy fast. Understanding about every tenth word, I conceded defeat, and asked for someone who could speak English.
A few minutes later, Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez got on the line, and explained that his department didn’t handle cancellations, but that I had to dial 123, say, “Bajas”, and then they would provide me a fax number and instructions on the documents I needed to fax.
I asked him what the fax number was, but he said he didn’t know it. Figures. I have no doubt that he didn’t know. He was a nice guy who did his best to explain his understanding of the process, but I’m sure the guy who flunked his Process Optimization class in college doesn’t really care that this process is very convoluted. Who knows, maybe he doesn’t know how to Cancel Vodafone in Spain
Luckily, we have an awesome neighbor in Josina, and she called the special number, said the magic “Bajas”, and was transferred into one of those awful voice response systems. Once she got an actual live human being on the other end, we had the complete instructions for cancelling Vodafone.
So before I post these super valuable instructions, I want to remind all of those people who’ve found this page by searching on Google, and are raptly reading this page in the hopes of finding out the Super Secret of cancelling Vodafone service. Consider donating to the Wagoners Abroad cause.
It was worth a shot.
How to Cancel Vodafone in Spain
The instructions to cancel Vodafone service are:
- Copy both sides of your NIE / Passport (they need a photo ID);
- Write a letter requesting the cancellation of service. Include your name, number, date to end service, and a contact number/e-mail if you have one. Here is a sample:
Estimados Señores,
Por favor, cancelar mi contrato:
<<Your full name as it is listed on the account>>
<<Your mobile number>>
como de <<date you want service terminated>>.
Mi número de teléfono y correo electrónico son las siguientes:
<<A different contact number if you have one>>
<<Email address>>
Entiendo que hay un cargo de 100 euros.
Saludos,
<< Sign your name >> << Today’s date >>
- Fax the ID document and Cancellation Letter to 607131863.
Note that I copied my both sides of my NIE on one page, and then printed the Cancellation Letter on the same page. The fax number may change, and your cancellation fee may be different.
Also, we were informed that the turnaround/acceptance of the cancellation happens immediately (within a day), so I’m not sure if you could specify a cancellation date a month out, or if it’s just better to wait to cancel closer to your desired date. If you know any further specifics, chime in below.
I hope this helps. Remember…I’m sharing the knowledge gained through a lot of pain and trouble, so think twice about donating.