Vodafone 'left store managers suicidal'
The Guardian|December 11, 2024
Vodafone "unjustly enriched" itself at the expense of scores of vulnerable small business owners by slashing commissions to franchisees running the mobile phone group's high street stores, according to allegations filed yesterday in the high court.
Simon Goodley

A group of 62 of about 150 Vodafone franchise operators - some of whom said they had had suicidal thoughts because of the pressure exerted by the telecoms group - say the resulting personal debts have prompted them to join a £120m-plus legal claim against the company.

Vodafone is valued at more than £18bn on the London Stock Exchange and has just been granted regulatory approval to create the UK's largest mobile phone operator by merging with its rival Three.

The court papers allege Vodafone acted in "bad faith" by unilaterally cutting fees to franchisees, imposed swingeing fines on them totalling thousands of pounds for seemingly minor administrative errors, and then cajoled them into taking out loans and government grants to keep their businesses afloat.

Many said they feared losing livelihoods, homes or life savings after running up personal debts of more than £100,000. Some franchisees claimed regional managers had told them that only their stores were in difficulty, in messaging that some complainants allege echoes a theme in the Post Office scandal.

Rikki Lear, a claimant who ran three franchise stores in Kent, broke down as he told the Guardian: "They left me thinking about whether I wanted to continue on this earth. The only thing that kept me going was my family and my daughter." The Guardian has spoken to other franchisees who have relayed similar stories.

Vodafone, which had not seen the legal claim when it was approached by the Guardian for comment, said: "We are sorry to any franchisee that has had a difficult experience." It "strongly refutes" that the company "unjustly enriched" itself and said it has conducted "a number of investigations" into the allegations, which resulted in the company making "a number of improvements to our franchise partner programme".

この記事は The Guardian の December 11, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は The Guardian の December 11, 2024 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

THE GUARDIANのその他の記事すべて表示
Trump picks son's fiancee as ambassador to Greece
The Guardian

Trump picks son's fiancee as ambassador to Greece

Donald Trump has named Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who has been engaged to his eldest son, as US ambassador to Greece.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

US executives warned about online 'hitlist' after killing of healthcare CEO

The New York police department (NYPD) has warned US healthcare executives of a heightened risk to their lives after identifying an online \"hitlist\" posted in the wake of last week's assassination of the United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

Girl, 11, is sole survivor of migrant boat sinking that left dozens dead

An 11-year-old girl has been rescued off the Italian island of Lampedusa after spending days alone at sea.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
Whale's record 8,000-mile journey no fluke, say researchers
The Guardian

Whale's record 8,000-mile journey no fluke, say researchers

A humpback whale has travelled more than 8,000 miles from South America to east Africa, the longest distance recorded for an individual whale.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
Māori tribes ask king to intervene in New Zealand treaty row
The Guardian

Māori tribes ask king to intervene in New Zealand treaty row

Representatives of more than 80 Māori tribes have issued a rare plea to King Charles requesting his intervention in New Zealand politics, amid growing tension over the government's policies for Māori and a souring of the relationship between Indigenous people and authorities.

time-read
2 分  |
December 12, 2024
Claims Hamas present in Gaza's hospitals 'grossly exaggerated' says top ICC lawyer
The Guardian

Claims Hamas present in Gaza's hospitals 'grossly exaggerated' says top ICC lawyer

Claims about the presence of Hamas fighters in hospitals in Gaza under siege by Israel's military have been \"grossly exaggerated\", a top prosecutor at the international criminal court (ICC) has said.

time-read
2 分  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

Study shows 96% of children in Gaza feel their death is close

A study of children in Gaza has found that 96% of them feel that their death is imminent and almost half want to die as a result of trauma from the war.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
Call for two-year jail term over Amsterdam football violence
The Guardian

Call for two-year jail term over Amsterdam football violence

Prosecutors have called for a man suspected of punching and kicking Israeli football fans in Amsterdam during a night of violence to serve two years in jail.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024
South Korean police raid President Yoon's office amid crisis over martial law decree
The Guardian

South Korean police raid President Yoon's office amid crisis over martial law decree

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the search yesterday was part of an attempt to establish whether Yoon's actions, supported by other senior figures in his administration, amounted to insurrection – a crime that does not carry presidential immunity and can carry the death penalty.

time-read
2 分  |
December 12, 2024
'Someone has to stay' The power plant workers keeping Ukraine's lights on
The Guardian

'Someone has to stay' The power plant workers keeping Ukraine's lights on

In the cavernous turbine hall of a coal-fired thermal power plant, deputy chief engineer Oleksandr runs through the extensive damage, pointing out various consequences of numerous Russian strikes over the past two years.

time-read
3 分  |
December 12, 2024