VAT Invoices

[Anonymous]

Why is it such a struggle to get a VAT invoice for a personal account?  I've just spent over an hour with a LiveChat, referencing this community and two different calls to 202 to finally get resolution (I hope)...

I've just switched from Vodafone where issuing a VAT invoice was the default position and took about 30 seconds per month.  Why do you issue a non-VAT invoice anyway - it states the VAT rate and amount on it - you've only got to add the Telefonica VAT details and you are done!

Since posting the above I've checked the UK Govt website and the requirement in relation to non-business customers is stated as below - no requirement to issue a VAT invoice but two options if asked to do so - although one would think that good customer service might imply making it easier to ask!!

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-70021-keeping-vat-records/vat-notice-70021-kee...

5.4 VAT Invoices issued by retailers

There is no requirement to issue a VAT invoice for retail supplies to unregistered businesses. As a retailer, you may assume that no VAT invoice is required unless your customer asks for one. If you’re asked for an invoice then you have the following options:

If the charge you make for the individual supply… Then you…

is £250 or less (including VAT)	can issue an invoice showing: your name, address and VAT registration number , the time of supply (tax point), a description which identifies the goods or services supplied, and for each VAT rate applicable, the total amount payable, including VAT shown in sterling and the VAT rate charged. Exempt supplies must not be included in this type of VAT invoice.
is more than £250 and you’re asked for a VAT invoice	must issue either a: full VAT invoice, or modified VAT invoice showing VAT inclusive rather than VAT exclusive values.

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

Calling customer services is the only way, we are told.

Previously given info from O2

We don’t issue a VAT invoice on the device plans every month, the Refresh agreement is a credit agreement and unless it’s a business account we are not obliged to produce monthly VAT invoices. Customer services can complete a form to send out a device plan VAT invoice for a specific month but this needs to be requested by the customer each time they need it and will be sent via post.

A regular VAT invoice can be turned on by calling customer services for the airtime only, once the service is on the account the customer should then get the VAT invoice sent to them via post monthly.

[pgn]

O2 have never seen why people with personal accounts should need a VAT invoice - such people should have a business account, they seem to think.  Typically shortsighted, but... @Anonymous

There are other accounts in the Community forum of people's struggles in this respect, and whilst you can always call each month and request a paper VAT invoice be sent to you, getting it enabled in your MyO2 online account will be nigh on impossible of you are a new O2 Personal customer on O2 Refresh (Airtime does not count for VAT as it is a "credit agreement").

Them's the breaks, as @MI5's response shows.

Good luck, it took me 10months to get them to re-instate VAT invoices on my account after my move to O2 Refresh just over a year ago, having been an O2 customer with VAT invoicing enabled since the days of BT CellNet. The story's here on the Community somewhere, if you really want to know about it.

[jonsie]

I've no idea why vat invoices cannot just be switched on for everyone. They said they were going to do it two or three years ago and they actually did it for a number of older accounts. I have vat invoices even though I have never requested them so it can be done.

[Anonymous]

So... apparently this is solved!!

As the person who posted the original message I can assure you it isn't solved.

I was told that the settings on my account had been changed and that if I went back in 24 hours I would be able to download VAT invoices for my latest 2 bills (which is all of them since I switched from Vodafone).

Turns out this advice was wrong - I still get a download that says "This is not a VAT invoice"... and you've added another of my pet hates - helpdesks that say something is resolved based on having given advice rather than fixing the problem.

For the record, Vodafone supplied a VAT invoice / receipt as standard - as does virtually every other supplier of goods and services that I use - provided they are registered for VAT.

I reiterate my original question - why does O2/Telefonica have such a problem with such a simple request?

[MI5]

The solution tells you how to get a vat invoice and it is info directly from O2 themselves, not something someone has imagined.
It also says something completely different to what you have posted regarding what you were told.
The vat invoices cannot be downloaded unless you previously had vat invoicing enabled on an older system.
Your invoices will be posted to you - why, I don't know. I just know how it is!

[Anonymous]

So the solution is to accept that O2 can't provide a PDF version of an invoice - although they can provide a non-VAT version...

If you re-define the problem to be getting a paper invoice up to a week after requesting it and having to request it every month, then the problem is solved.

Trouble is that wasn't the problem that needed solving...

Seems like people have been asking for electronic versions of VAT invoices for a long time - real question might be whether anyone in O2 / Telefonica is interested in improving customer service and/or dragging themselves into the digital age in a small way...

[MI5]

I don't believe they feel they need to for consumer accounts.
If you had a business account it would be a different answer.