Vodafone faces backlash over £120m franchise row

EX-VODAFONE franchisees disrupted the telecoms giant’s annual meeting, accusing the company of driving small business owners to the brink.

- By Saskia Koopman

Several claimants involved in a £120million lawsuit against the firm demanded accountability from CEO Margherita Della Valle and chairman Jean-Francois van Boxmeer.

They claim Vodafone has imposed arbitrary contract changes, slashed commissions and levied fines for minor infractions. This, they say, has led to store closures, bankruptcies, and caused some people severe mental health problems.

Sonna Watton, from Lincolnshire, told the AGM in Newbury, Berks: "How do you sleep at night knowing that Vodafone's actions have left franchisees suicidal, losing their homes and drowning in debt?"