Have you received an SMS alerting you of the activation of subscription services on your Vodafone SIM? Don't worry: you can deactivate them and set the block
If in the last few days your remaining credit on the Vodafone SIM has mysteriously decreased, if there are some items in the last Vodafone bill that you don't understand or if you have received an SMS confirming the activation of a subscription service, it is very likely that you have accidentally clicked on some advertising banner that has activated one or more paid services.
Also known as VAS (Value Added Services) these services are usually online games, gossip news sites, viral videos, ringtones etc etc. In the vast majority of cases no one wants them and can't wait to deactivate them before they take credit away from the phone card in the form of a weekly subscription. But how to deactivate paid services on Vodafone SIM? There are several ways to do it, and there is also one to block them altogether and prevent other VAS services from being activated in the future. Finally, there's also a way to claim compensation if unwanted services are activated and have already taken away credit. Here is a short guide that explains how to do it.
Disable Vodafone paid services
The first attempt to block VAS paid services on Vodafone card is to call the Agcom toll-free number 800.44.22.99. This number is valid for any phone operator, so it also applies to Vodafone cards and subscriptions. After dialing the toll-free number, the paid services deactivation procedure managed through a pre-recorded voice will start: follow the instructions and, within a few minutes you will know which services are active on your card and you will also be able to deactivate them.
The second attempt to make, if the first one does not work, is to deactivate VAS through the MyVodafone app, through the Do-It-Yourself Area of the Vodafone website or through Vodafone customer care. If you're using the app, open the menu with the three horizontal bars at the top right. Search and tap on "Digital Services", then on "Manage" next to the paid service you want to deactivate. Then confirm that you want to deactivate it. Repeat the procedure for each service that you want to delete, if you have more than one active.
If you do not find the paid service, it is very likely that it is "hidden" within the tab "Music, Cinema and V by Vodafone": look for it among "Your active offers" and, when you have found it, tap on "Manage" and confirm the deactivation.
If you prefer to use the Vodafone website, access the Do It Yourself area (you will be asked to log in to continue). If you have more than one Vodafone SIM, you will first need to choose which number to manage and then click on "Vodafone Services". Here choose "Digital Services" from the menu and you'll be able to see the list of services active on your phone number. As soon as you find the one you want to deactivate, click on "Verify" and then "Deactivate".
If you don't want to use either the app or the website, call 190 to speak to customer service and, from the various options available to you, select the one that best suits your needs. At this point you may have to wait a few minutes before the operator answers, but when you can talk to him you only have to ask him to deactivate the paid services and he will do it remotely.
Whichever method you choose, in any case you should receive SMS messages confirming the deactivation of the various services. But, be careful: deactivation is often not immediate, it can take a few minutes or even a few hours. If at the end of the day you still have not received the SMS confirmation of deactivation, try another of the methods we have described.
How to block Vodafone paid services
The instructions we have given so far are useful to deactivate a VAS service that had already been activated. But you can also preemptively block the activation of these services and put yourself on the safe side.
This procedure is called "Barring" and the easiest way to implement it is to call customer service. You'll need to speak to an operator (following the steps explained above) and explicitly ask for all VAS paid services to be blocked.
Refund unsolicited Vodafone paid services
If it's too late and you've already had your phone credit taken away, you can try asking Vodafone for a refund. There are two alternative ways to do this.
The first is to contact the Agcom toll-free number 800.44.22.99 again and follow the menu, the second is to use the MyVodafone app, open the menu and select "Satisfied or refunded" and then "Digital services".
At this point go to "Verify active digital services" to see which service has already charged charges to your account. Select the service in question and then tap on "Chat with an expert". At this point the chat support service will be launched and, on the other hand, an operator will already know which service is the subject of the support request. All you have to do is write to them that you want a refund for the charges related to that service, but you can ask for a maximum of one refund per day.