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Who Are We?
Click the photos to hear their individual stories
GARETH
JACKIE
DAN
LIAM
DONNA
ANDREW
BRETT
SCOTT
RIKKI
Fairer Franchise brings together 61 current and former Vodafone franchisees from across the UK who are standing up against what they believe to be a pattern of irrational, arbitrary and harmful decisions by one of the country’s largest telecom giants.​
These individuals were once proud partners, many with long histories at Vodafone, who invested their time, money, and belief in a business model marketed as a true partnership. Instead, they claim they were subjected to actions that left them financially ruined, emotionally shattered, and, in many cases, physically unwell.
ANDREW KERR
Andrew Kerr, 42 from Bangor, Northern Ireland, who is married with 10- and 21-year-old daughters, became a franchisee in 2019. He claims that, with just 14 days’ notice, almost of a third of his revenue was wiped out by Vodafone’s decision to cut his commission. Andrew had three stores and eventually lost his business in March 2023. To this day, he is still dealing with the repercussions of Vodafone’s actions.​​​​
“It started off as a dream – and it’s ended up as a nightmare that haunts me every day. I felt I became Vodafone’s piggy bank. They pushed me to the point of financial ruin, and then took away my stores leaving me in crippling debt,” he said. ​​​​​​​​​​​​
Andrew secured loans based on a Vodafone approved business plan, including from his family, because he believed in the strength of the Vodafone brand and the way the whole franchise programme was promoted as a partnership. However, when this all started to change for Andrew, he says that Vodafone did not listen to him or other franchisees who were facing similar issues.
The stress caused by this whole experience led to serious physical and mental health issues for Andrew, he says. In November 2022, he collapsed in his kitchen and had to spend eight days on a heart monitor. His family was so concerned about the mental and financial strain he was under that they feared he might take his own life, and insisted he see a counsellor.
Andrew continued: “Despite trying to raise issues and find solutions with Vodafone, I often felt silenced. I was let down by Vodafone on all the elements of the partnership that were important to me – trust, cooperation, good faith. My mental and physical health, as well as my financial security, have all taken a battering as result of the way I have been treated. I haven’t been able to think about anything else for the last four years and the last hope I have of holding Vodafone accountable is in bringing this claim. I want to be a dad again, a partner to my wife – I just want my life back.”
DONNA WATTON
Donna Watton, 43, from Lincolnshire who is a mother to a 19-month-old daughter and stepmother to two boys aged 15 and 10, says that her revenue was cut by over 40% as a result of Vodafone’s arbitrary and irrational business decisions. For Donna, this turned her only profit-making store into a loss making one almost overnight.
“I no longer trust Vodafone. Their actions, to me, felt deliberate and systematic. Despite putting all my energy into making my business work – even while heavily pregnant – trying to find solutions in the spirit of our partnership felt like banging my head against a brick wall. The whole experience was a nightmare and has put tremendous strain on my relationship with my partner, and I feel awful for my children whose lives this has significantly impacted too.
Donna was formerly a successful Vodafone store manager for 10 years. After exiting the programme, she has been left with debts of almost £100,000 and is facing the prospect of having to sell her house. She says that this has impacted her desire and ability to have more children.
“I felt empowered to join the programme and to be an entrepreneur - something I knew I was good at as I had done it before. Vodafone seemed to reflect my values and support women in business and once asked me to promote their initiatives, which I did because I believed they were going to champion me. Instead, I found myself in a situation where Vodafone took away my only profitable store – and therefore my livelihood, leaving me with mounting debt – while I was caring for my five-month-old daughter. In fact, they delivered the news over video call while she was sat on my knee.”
“I used to be a happy and ambitious person. Now, I struggle to see the point and feel it was all for nothing.”
RIKKI LEAR
Rikki Lear, 44, husband and father of a 9-year-old daughter, and a former franchisee based in Kent, said: “I joined the programme with the best intentions, to grow and learn as a businessman coming from a working-class background and with the opportunity to change my family’s life for the better.The experience I ultimately had as a Vodafone franchise partner almost broke me. I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the sense of purpose the group has given me to fight on behalf of people who have been collectively wronged. Vodafone needs to embrace accountability, integrity and kindness to build a culture that aligns with their pronounced ethical values based on trust.”