26 Mar 2012 - Update Highest Rated Pain Stories Highest Rated Gain Stories Vodafail Local Facebook Page
Dear visitor,

Since its inception Vodafail.com has made a significant contribution towards raising awareness of the problems and issues faced by Vodafone customers.

Vodafone Australia customers have had the opportunity to voice their concerns, their fears and their troubles from every corner of Australia and beyond our borders. You have gathered the courage to stand up for your rights as consumers and to make your voice heard.

Each and every person who shared their story should have a sense of pride in this achievement and the changes that have occurred since the start of Vodafail.com.

More recently, traffic to Vodafail.com has declined significantly. Having achieved the goal of raising awareness and promoting concrete action in early 2011, we have now reached the point of closing Vodafail to new complaints. The site will remain online for as long as possible as a reminder and an example of what is possible when we share our experiences.

It has been a privilege to run this initiative and I'm am forever grateful for the help and support I've received. In particular I would like to thank Melissa, David and Travis for their continued efforts over the past 15 months. I'm also thankful and humbled by the support of ACCAN, Choice magazine and a wide range of media outlets, blogs and websites.

You can still browse existing stories and find out how to file a complaint if you are experiencing problems.

Until next time,

Adam Brimo

Share Your Pain


Vodafail.com is no longer accepting complaints.
Over the past 6 months traffic to Vodafail has declined significantly. Therefore we have closed off Vodafail to new complaints. We think you will find more joy in posting on any one of these fine product / brand review sites.

You can also post directly on the Vodafone community forums.

Other People's Pain


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17719 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Frusratingly mammoth at 5 May 2011 12:39:57 PM
In the past 2 years they have deleted my on-line account for no reason and I cannot create a new one, they have cancelled my Voicemail 4 times (again without reason) and diverted my calls (without my consent!) to some random guys number. WTF, Vodafone?! FAIL!

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17705 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Failed at 5 May 2011 10:37:52 AM
I have a USB internet connection that isnt working properly. I complained and after working through the workaround options with a staff member received an incident number and told that they investigate the problem and then would respond to me within 3 days.

I received a text with the incident number on it. After 3 days I called and was told to wait another 2 business days. This time I was told that it would take 5 business days for the investigation to be completed.

When I told the staff member that I was recording this on the Vodafail website for a complaint they then ask me for my particular details again so that they could look at my particular account. I complained that I didnt want to keep giving my access details to different staff as I didnt trust their security. I was also worried that now that I had told them that I was complaining I might have more problems.

The staff member insisted and so I gave him my access details. He then just repeated that I needed to wait another 2 business days. He did not give me any further information that was relevant to my particular details so I am even more concerned that he did not need my details but wanted them when I told him that I was complaining.

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17689 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is SO FAIL at 4 May 2011 10:30:50 PM
Just got a bill saying I have an overdue payment yet it says payment is due on May 13th! Also got a debt collection letter on their behalf. In addition they have billed me for a period which they said they were going to give to me for FREE because of their awful service which I complained about in the first place. Wow, Vodafone. I complain about your terrible service, you agree to give me 3 free months, I receive an OVERDUE BILL which says the payment isn't due for another 9 days PLUS a debt collection letter- THANK YOU... not!
5 May 2011 07:14:28 PM: And i thought i was hard done by when i received a $10.00 late payment fee for my account which has been $0.00 for the last 3 months

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17680 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Sad at 4 May 2011 04:06:46 PM
This is sad. I am leaving the business in a few weeks. They really had such an opportunity to be the best for deals, service and innovation with the merge.
I am sad to be leaving but can not take the abuse anymore from customers. I know all of you are frustrated and all I would say is try and have some patience when you talk to anybody in Australia as it seems as soon as you speak to an australian after speaking to someone in Mumbai you take out your anger on the person that actually understands and wants to help.
Good luck all and well done on a website that will hold these GM's accountable!

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17655 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is ultimate at 3 May 2011 10:39:48 PM
4 May 2011 09:47:44 AM: Mate, some advice, you need to make a complaint to the TIO.

This whole episode is going to get even messier, the TIO contact details are found in the How To Complain tab.

Suggest you do not delay on this one as fairly soon you will have a black mark against your credit rating.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
4 May 2011 03:57:06 PM: Similar problems. I found that expressing anger whilst staying calm, and politely refusing to speak to anyone other than a supervisor got me there in the end.

Many many hours on hold. Calls to them cutting off (surprise!) and them not calling me back, resulting in call centre and on hold again. Lots of frustrations and friends/family not interested in my storries of woe (come to this site to cry over a virtual beer with fellow sufferers).

I read these comments with a smile - now that I have a fleet of iPhone4's on Telstra that were working and configured as I walked out the store (George St upstairs team are helpfull).

Last week, finally agreed that they will not deduct $2,000 from my bank - let's see if the saga has actually ended!

Good Luck.
5 May 2011 08:40:07 PM: @17655 Straight off the bat at the end of the day somebody accepted the delivery of the alleged phone that has caused a lot of issues. Seems as though if you were out or if that was the process given would you not advise people in the office of your business to follow through with what was needed, that was to reject the delivery of the phone.

No a dig but defaintely your responsibility. Anyway all of that seems obvious I mean in their records they will have instantces of closing/canceling/rejecting the service and it seems to be that this has not been processed.

With out getting anrgy (very important if you get anrgy they will probably focus on the anger like any other human and panic) you should check if they #1 have the record of cancel/closing/rejection. If so then your worries should be minimal. #2 did you ask to close off any auto payments/direct debits/auto credits etc? If so then again you have no worries this will be refunded you just need to ask simply a long the line of............

"hey guys, I asked for this cancellation (or whatever) on.............
Can you please check to see if you guys have received the phone as I have returned this using the bags sent to me on..............
When will I expect to see the refund in my account and when should I call if I have not recieved this?"

If you asked this in a long drawn out story or on anger be expected to not get a result asap most people struggle to get the point if you have not asked simple questions that anyone can understand.


My point to this story is, it's not always the companies fault just make sure you complete the process given and ask questions like timeframes/their processes/expectations. Remember it's easier to work with a person rather than against them.

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17653 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Big Time at 3 May 2011 09:10:58 PM
My Iphone gone faulty on Sunday morning, couldn't hear anything from the headset.
Called the customer service, under 28 days warranty I could go back to the store and swap with new one.
Not knowing that the store that I purchased from is 'dealer' store which unable to swap the phone on the same day (required 2-3 days to check and swap the phone), then I called the customer service back, and he advised to go to the Top Ryde retail store instead and he also mentioned that he will put notes on my account explaining the issue.
When I arrived in the Top Ryde retail store, met with 'not so enthusiast' rep, I told them about the iphone issue, without even hade my iphone checked he barely refused to do the swap as I did not purchase the phone in his store. I asked him nicely to check the note in my account, and I even had to make another phonecall to customer service and again explain the situation. I even asked the customer service to talk to the store rep which did not seem interested helping out 'vodafail' customer.
Then the customer service told me that he had put 'authorised note by the manager' to do the swap, but the 'retail' store still refused with reason that that did not comply with the store's policy (How come they have dual conflicting policy in the Vodafail?). Wondering what the point the customer service putting that 'authorised note' in the system if the store didn't even comply with it??? ... really that Top Ryde Vodafail store sucks big time!
Spent 2.5 hours running back forth between 2 stores and on the phone with 4 differents cust services, I gone home empty handed still with the faulty iphone.
At home again I contacted the customer service, told him everything happpened that day, about rejection and poor customer service on Top Ryde store. He promised me to escalate the problem and get his manager to call me back the next day.
Next day I got the manager called me, he told me that he was going to call the Top Ryde store to let me swap the phone. Wait for 5 mins he said okay to do the swap on that store, but I had to do it today.
I told him that was impossible where I just finished work at 6, as would the store. He tried to convince me if I didnt get there today that 29 days warranty would be void which dont make any sense as I was still under the warranty until the next week, and even more I had tried to swap the phone the day before, so I told him back that your threat was irrelevant and weak.
AT the end he said ok for me to go to the store until the end of this week.

It's been just too much bullsh1t with Vodafail!
ps: TIO will contact you soon :)
5 May 2011 08:45:50 PM: This is a legitamate good story that actually makes sense. You did eveything that was asked and were given false promises it seems. I hope things do work out for you mate as this is a painful experience to go through especially dealing with loads of people. A good tip is to try and speak with one person if possible and if the first time it fails ask to speak with managment earlier but hey you defaintely got treated badly here.
5 May 2011 10:12:45 PM: As promised on 1/5/11, someone called me from Vodafone. He asked me about the store details and rang the store. After being held for 15mins, he got back to me and said that the store now has agreed to swap the phone, he asked me to come back to the store today (store closed at 6pm). I told him that didnt make any sense, as I finished work at 6, but I told him that I'd come on Thursday (store closed at 9pm and he said okay.
I also had press him to make sure I wouldnt face any more refusal from the store to swap the phone, and he'd agreed with that.

Today 5/05/11, I come back to the store and met the manager, and still have the same refusal, they refuse to swap the phone with the same awesome reason. I told him I wouldn't come back to the store to be refused if the customer care didnt say that I could come back.

And this is the best part, ... I asked him to call the customer care to put his argument with them, and after 2 mins waiting on the phone he told me "it's gonna be 20 mins mate" ( ha ha ha, now you know how awful waiting to speak to your own customer care).

They had their own argument, but again as the store is the side who can decide, they decide not to swap the phone....

I have no other choice, .. TIO will receive my 2nd complaint....

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17635 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is enough at 2 May 2011 08:31:27 PM
I paid my bill 2 weeks late due to being over seas and not being able to get on the Vodafone page.. i was told when i called them that was because they had been having trouble but is now fixed.. then i was told i would be hit with a late fee.. HELLO!!! he just finished telling me that they had been having trouble.. now if this isnt bad enough.. after paying by credit card on the phone.. i was billed twice.. once from strathfield NSW and one from Chatswood NSW..and the second ammount didnt even make sence.. now do you think i can get any one to remove this payment.. NO..would be nice if i could understand some one from there.. and apparently they cant understand my perfect english either.. as they have NOT fixed the problem. damn vodafone...im about ready to scream
3 May 2011 01:58:28 PM: Inform your credit card bank that a fraudulent charge has been made with your credit card (it is fraudulent if you haven't authorised it). The bank will investigate and dispute the charge if you ask them to. You should never be charged anything you have not specifically authorised.

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17633 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Very at 2 May 2011 05:29:07 PM
a $375 bill after not being able to see my account balance during the whole duration of January to February. and they hit me with big number's when clearly i joined a $49 cap for a reason.

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17632 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Damned fail! at 2 May 2011 05:10:34 PM
When can I get someone whom I can understand? Every time I ring I can never understand what they're saying.Sounds like bloody gibberish - probably is come to think of it!Never had the problem when Vodafail had account their services in Egypt. And I don't recall any privacy breach issues when they were there either.
5 May 2011 03:08:59 AM: The 'privacy breach' issues were in relation to an Australian retail employee giving out passwords, although it was later revealed that no customer's details were accessed fraudulently.

If you can't understand someone's accent then either ask to speak to somebody else or for the adviser to speak a little clearer. They speak perfect English.
5 May 2011 07:59:52 AM: @ 5 May 2011 03:08:59 AM You obviously have not contacted Customer Care recently.

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17629 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Shocking at 2 May 2011 02:54:09 PM
Just before easter on my way to work the car broke down, and I was out of credit (prepay) on vodafail, I attempted to recharge using my credit card option, twice (which took forever before I gave up) only getting a "sorry we're having a technical difficulty processing your transaction..." forcing me to have to walk to a gas station to purchase a recharge. All's well so I thought making my needed calls until I got home and checked my bank account details to find that Vodafail have also put in a "Pending transaction" for the attempted Credit card recharge that didn't work. Well its just gone through and I'm obviously not happy about being charged for something that I didn't get. Have just had the bank send a dispute to vodafail to get my money back, and I'm wondering if I'll have any credit left, I wouldn't surprise me if I have all my credit taken. The only thing stopping me from changing carriers is that I'm going through all my numbers and putting them on the phone from the sim card, then a long call to my sis in nz to use up what I've paid for, and then I'm off to Amaysim... I'm going to enjoy smashing that sim card up.

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17628 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Extreme at 2 May 2011 01:42:15 PM
I live in Cairns where Vodafail barely exists.
After many agonising months of calls and emails, I finally was able to end my contract with no exit fees and return my handset. So I thought, all good, right. Wrong!!!
I have since discovered that Vodafail have taken over $1000 out of my account because they havent recieved the iphone. To be completely honoest here, I had forgot all about it and its been sitting in a drawer.
Now since this has happened, it has put my account into the red, all my direct debits are now being dishonoured (not my banks fault, for once) and its really stuffing up my credit rating.
When I have contacted them, they tell me that it will take some time to work this out and that they sent the bag over a month ago. I doubt this very much.
After I tell them that I find it unacceptable, they then want a bank statement to prove that they took my money in the first place.
I have contacted the TIO who are now getting involved.
If anyone ever thinks that Vodafails deals are too good to be true. Well, its because they are. They give you something, but take sooooo much more.
2 May 2011 04:58:43 PM: good on you mate for going straight to the TIO. =) it's what everybody should do.
3 May 2011 02:03:23 PM: Inform your bank that an unauthorised transaction has occurred on your account. It's their job to secure your money. Unless you've signed something authorising Vodafail to automatically withdraw money from your account in this situation.

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17625 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Very at 2 May 2011 12:30:51 PM

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17621 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Super fail. at 2 May 2011 02:46:28 AM
My partner was with them about 4 years ago, and ended up having his bill go through to a debt collection agency after a disagreement over plans. He ended up paying too much and was left with a credit of $400. They're now saying, after a year of trying to get his money back, that they can't find his account. They're so quick to cut your service and send menacing letters if you're a few days overdue, but as soon as they owe you money, it's impossible. I myself left 3 because of a similar thing and am still receiving phone calls from them asking if I'd like to return to them. It's ridiculous that they're even still able to operate as a business. Vodafail indeed.

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17616 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is horrible! at 1 May 2011 10:09:19 PM
i get little to no reception where my family gets reception everywhere. my sms messages are delayed. along with photos being sent, i was told that i would get reception everywhere 3 does. I DONT!
they charged me around $20 for starting with vodafail to put me into a "billing cycle"

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17566 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Billing at 29 Apr 2011 05:52:07 PM
Vodafone is still charging me a bill even though my mobile service is no longer with vodafone. These people have to be stopped with what they are doing. Even though I have moved my services they still keep your bank details in their system. I have had to call them and tell them to stop sending me SMS for a bill when I have not even used their services for over a month. I also told them to remove my bank details from their computer. If they dont I will be taking them to court and to all the TV stations.
They are theives.
29 Apr 2011 06:46:52 PM: this isn't just a vodafone/3 problem, similar issue with Telstra here, in December I moved from Burleigh Waters to Robina, terminated my telstra account, as I no longer needed a landline, in mid-January I received a bill of $158-something from Telstra, paid it, and that was the end of that, or so I thought.
Today I received a Final Demand from "Specialised Recoveries" demanding a Telstra debt of $66.37, with the account number of my burleigh waters telstra account. I rang the 1-800-285-773 number, and that connected me to Telstra. A person with an Indian accent, very polite and helpful chat, and quite easy to understand too, which is a welcome change, said there was an outstanding amount from the past bill. I said there was a bill of $158-something, and that had been paid. I asked him to look up billing details and payment details, and he confirmed there was a payment of $158-something and the balance then was zero, but in February and March there was additional billing data, which had been unpaid. WTF? Don't they have to send a statement or an invoice for that? He said here was no billing data available for these, only that there was an outstanding amount of $66.37 in that account.

The "Final Demand" asserts that "we may provide your payment default to a credit reporting agency, blah blah blah" and that this will become part of my credit history file for 5 years and will be available to authorised parties such as credit providers.

I asked him whether he was able to provide me the particulars of the outstanding amount. What was it? Line rental charges? Calls? The account was closed at the end of december, no more calls, no more activity on the account...

OK, I know that most Aussies are stupid morons (look at the politicians this pathetic excuse of a nation elects into power and how they manage things - just like ordinary aussie scum live their lives, no idea...) - I mean how can a company send out a final demand without sending out a statement of account, and upon non-payment of same, a reminder ???

One thing is for certain, they will NOT BE PAID if the numbers don't add up - how can you terminate a service, and then some months later suddenly accrue other charges? Why the fuck to I pay taxes to this loser nation when there are no government laws and regulations to prevent big businesses from attempting to extract money from people like this? If I did this to my clients they would report me to the Fair Trading office, or attempt to have me charged for attempting to gain financial advantage through deception. I'm eagerly awaiting my telstra account detailing how this $66.37 outstanding account was calculated from a final bill that had a $158- something amount, and proof of payment that was acknowledged by this telephone operator, who could not extract particulars of how they came to the $66.37 outstanding amount ???

Sorry for being so pedantic, most of you would just say hey screw this, I don't want my credit rating tarnished, I better pay it, so stupid aussie moron pays it without much more than a whinge or two..

THIS IS PRECISELY THE REASON why we have the woes that so many people are whingeing about, rising electricity prices, high cost of living, and such, when you have a nation consisting of mostly braindead, stupid people who have no idea how things work in the real world. Can't wait to see the last of your stupid country, love the beaches, love the surf, the climate, but the way of life in this place, eeeech, no honesty, no integrity. Sting 'em for what they're worth, it's the aussie way. No thanks, FK off, not for me thank you very much. Mum and Dad went back 8 years ago citing that "if we stayed here, we'd become like them" . Bingo ! Stupid me thought differently, I considered myself as a proud immigrant Aussie, how sadly wrong I was, was thinking of wiping my ass with the aussie passport, but my ass is not worthy of being wiped with something as disgustingly pathetic as an Australian passport.
29 Apr 2011 07:36:11 PM: lol. I'm as despondent about things as you are. Just look how long the ACMA takes to act. I actually called the ACCC to see if they were doing anything about Vodafone. They said "you'll have to write to a minister because it's beyond our control cause Vodafone haven't actually broken any laws".

Sorry our country let you down, it's regulators are letting us all down.

PS my friend from another country (to whom I actually recommended Vodafone - agghh) had exactly the same experience as you did. He knew Vodafone from overseas and thought it to be a very good company, but then, welcome to Australia, where our regulators are half asleep.....
29 Apr 2011 07:41:18 PM: PS the regulators (ACCC, ACMA) will say "the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman" is there to help you (which is true). But why TF should we have to spend all day complaining to them to get anything done. And besides, no-one has even heard of the TIO! (11% awareness according to their website! - imagine if only 11% of people knew of the police, crims would have a field day, it's the same thing but companies are having a field day!)Cash bonanza screwing chilled out Aussies and tourists - it's complete BS! ACCC and ACMA have to step up.
29 Apr 2011 11:03:13 PM: and you stupid people just don't stand up and say NO - can't wait till I'm cashed up a little bit more and leave your loser country behind once and for all. Parents left 8 years ago, I thought this was a great country, yes it is, but unfortunately it's the people here.... Everything here is a result of the people. Dumb people = ineffective Government = poor service. I admire the guy who punched out a shop assistant over the missing chicko roll - he deserves a medal, because the dweeb who served him should have done his job properly, what he is being paid to do, but this stupid backwater pathetic excuse of a nation makes the shop assistant look like the victim and the person whom he was meant to serve look like the crim. This is so pathetic. If I'm a pizza store owner, and you ordered a ham and cheese pizza, and I charged you normal price, say $19, yet you get only ham and next to no cheese on your pizza, and I argue the point and demand payment of $19, but you get upset, refuse to pay, then me goes to the authorities to help extract the full $19 out of you... Yep Australia = loser country full of losers. I am so grateful for dual citizenship. I wasn't born here, and I have travelled extensively, yes I've been spoilt, but I could never stoop so low as to call myself an aussie. Google 'the swiss way' - I rest my case, RAISE the bar peoples. If your phone company's NOT giving you service, and you're getting constant drop-outs, poor network speed and such, DON'T pay your bill, write to them and tell them so, and complain to the T.I.O. - at least if it's a valid complaint with substance, your credit rating is unlikely to be shot, and you'll probably be let out of your contract, telcos tend to listen to the TIO, they cut and paste their response to the telco to release Joe Bloggs out of their contracts, guess what, they usually do, because most aussies are morons and pay their bills as they are told, and keep on complaining. It's a tiny minority who take the initiative to stand up for their rights, and then complain to the T.I.O., so if you're taking your grievances to the T.I.O., you will get results because so few people in this country have a brain between their ears, the telco's status quo remains unchanged, yeah release him, won't affect our bottom line or shareholder returns, keep the peace because most people here wouldn't know whether they're coming or going, they're too dumb. Right on the button. ACCC and ACMA won't step up, because they're part of the game.
29 Apr 2011 11:15:16 PM: 07:36:11 PM: the regulators are a govenment department, they are the direct result of democracy, stupid people vote for stupid governments. This country is inhabited by mostly stupid people. You, me and a whole bunch of others here are a tiny minority. Civil disobedience is the answer, as another poster said, why TF do we need to waste our time spending all day complaining to them to get anything done. I'm from Switzerland, consumer sensitivity over there is very high, telcos know this, because even when there are problems normally beyond their immediate control, such as bad weather, or some dick cutting through a cable affecting services, the delinquency rate in blling shoots through the roof. D2 and Swisscom spend considerable resources monitoring network performance and building redundancy into their networks because they know if they don't provide effective and acceptable service, the numbers of people who then refuse to pay their bills, or just say FK you and change carriers, goes though the roof. Cousin works as Ascom who does a lot of their basestation work, and my niece works at D2 accounts and concurs. Network outages and congestion problems are SERIOUS problems as their credit and collections departments go into overdrive. And over there, people don't put up with spending their time waiting on the phone, pressing buttons and getting frustrated, the average hang-up time is 2'30 (two minutes and thirty seconds), you keep your customer waiting on the phone for more than that, and the likelihood of you having to chase that debt through the collection process and then on to small claims through the courts, skyrockets. Telcos usually won't take things that far because the delinquency rate with court ordered demands are almost as high as they are pre-court. People there don't take shit like aussie do, that's why network performance is better, that's why governments listen, people say no to the bureaucratic process and the law almost as much as they do to private enterprise. So government and business keeps that bar (of quality of service and customer service so much higher than here), as my parents said before they left Australia and went back home. Love the climate, love the beaches, love the diversity of nature and Australia's awesome beauty, but if we stayed there, we'll become like them. Bingo!
30 Apr 2011 12:32:39 AM: I couldn't agree more with every single thing you've said!

Aussies, by nature, don't complain - it's built into our psyche. What really needs to happen is for the people we pay our taxes to (ACCC, ACMA) to ACTUALLY pull these telcos into line. They need to be rigorous, and if they want to bother with a TIO (which they should), it needs to be widely advertised so that every man and his dog knows that they can go there immediately if they have a problem.

Initially there'll be heaps of complaints, but 1-3 years after making these changes, complaint levels will settle back to pleasingly low levels, as shitty telcos (like Vodafail) are pushed the f*ck out of the marketplace, and only decent ones remain.

Trust me, we Australians don't "complain" a lot by nature, but we sure as chips pay taxes, and expect those departments receiving them to damn well do their job!! And that is, to regulate the bloody market so we don't have more Vodafails!
30 Apr 2011 12:42:26 AM: you know another way to look at it, is just that Vodafone could just turn around and say get f*cked Australia - you make these laws, we obey them, then you arc up at us - WTF??

Vodafone hasn't broken any laws, not as far as the ACCC or ACMA are concerned, so what's Australia complaining about?
30 Apr 2011 11:19:23 AM: I agree that we whinge but dont complain appropriatley. The issue with govt departments like the TIO is that we look at the govt as useless as any one else if not more so, so we think what the hell is a govt dept going to be able to do for us.
Also, telcos or anyone else should have to apply to courts to have our credit rating affected. I had an argument with a bill with telstra over 10 years ago. They then cancelled my contract on me and sent me a 1300 bill which i refused to pay. So they put me on the credit report as owing money. I couldnt get a single loan for 5years!!!! I wanted to take them to court but didnt have the money to fight them.

The TIO at the time was usesless.
1 May 2011 12:11:36 AM: I agree, mostly. I hostestly don't think the TIO is the problem, but the problem is that people need to know about it.

Making a complaint takes 5 minutes, and telcos are fined every time we complain. This hurts them so they don't want us to complain.

The issue arises when people don't know about the Ombudsman, and don't bother to use it, which is an absulutely huge issue. Official stats (have a look on the ombudsman reports) state that awareness of the ombudsman service is 12%. Let me repeat that: 12%. Meaning, that at least 88% of people DON"T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT.

Now that we've established that, let's go on...

If 9/10 people don't even know about it, how many are actually complaining? 1/25, 1/50??? Who knows, but it can't be very many.

IF it's 1/40, for instance, that means Vodafone can mistreat 40 customers before they get one of them actually getting off their bum to complain to the ombudsman. The ombudsman will then issue a fine of *shock/horror* $62 to Vodafone.

In essence, Vodafone get fined $62 for pissing of 40 customers!!!!!! I know for a fact that they made about $400 off me before I finally called it quits with their sh*thouse service, so I effectively paid their costs for another 250 unhappy customers!!

How is that ever going to discourage them???? Vodafone have no incentive to treat customers properly.

The solution, let's take an example. Red light cameras are a good disincentive to running red lights because those who brake the law know they'll likely get caught and face a fine. But what would happen if only 1/40 people who ran a red light got caught??? People would be far more willing to run red lights cause the chance of getting caught is so slim. And how does this apply to Vodafone? Because vodafone know the chances of getting caught when they treat customers appaulingly is so slim, simply because not very many people can report them (because noone knows about the TIO).

I don't know how the TIO hasn't been blasted through our airwaves, put on TV ads, peppered across banner ads on web pages and plonked right into the major newspapers with half page ads! If ACMA did this, I wonder how long it would take the telcos to pull up their socks!!


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17555 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Vodafone disconnected their service. at 29 Apr 2011 01:08:20 PM
My mother had a Vodafone 365 Day Prepaid Account but was disconnected before the 365 days was up, and lost $30 worth of credit.
Also experienced missing and late messages, call dropouts, and messages along the lines of 'The network is currently busy. Your call cannot be connected.' when trying to call overseas.

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17541 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is This Is Failure Bigtime at 28 Apr 2011 07:36:38 PM
My internet started dropping out last Easter Sunday, i rang on Monday and was told it was my computer, I reformatted the computer and installed the wifi back into the computer, same problem, no internet, i rang again, they stepped me setting the wifi to 3G only, pushed connect, still no internet, it seems the 3G internet network is not working, they asked me tobe patient and the issue will be resolved, it's been 5 days now and still no internet and still no answer as to when the network will be fixed, I was offered tonight a $10 credit for the trouble and out of that $10 I have spent $4 of it ringing Vodafone. i was told i could go with another provider for 3 months while they try to get the problem fixed and then come back to vodafone or i could have 25% taken off the next 3 bills but then i still don't have the internet but was going to be charged 75% of the bill, figure that one out.

One representative when i called laughed at me, I asked him what his problem was, he laughed again so i ripped into him and asked to be put through to the billing dept, he laughed again, another representative i was talking with had a bunch of other workers standing near him and they were joking around and laughing and clapping their hands and talking in their language and I could not hear the person i was talking with.....another representative i spoke with i could not understand a word they were saying and thought that it was just pointless and hung up the phone.

Im sick and tired of them saying "Were sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you"....that does not give me back my internet...I have told them I refuse to pay anymore money to them, I have put a complaint into the telecommunications ombudsman but it has to go to level two now as this has become more than a joke and way past failure.
29 Apr 2011 09:38:04 AM: I left Vodafu.. months ago and went to Optus. Everything ok for a while but then network seems to be getting worse and worse. Unable to connect at all yesterday and day before. Finally connected today. I suspect ALL ISP's are having network problems going by forums on www.whirlpool.net.au. None are explaining or even acknowledging the problems on their 'status' network pages.

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17538 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Complete fail at 28 Apr 2011 07:23:31 PM
Vodafone used to send me email bills which I could pay online. When my credit card details changed their website never let me change the card details, when I logged on and filled out the information it would not go past the save details page. Then, when I tried to pay on their website it would do the same thing. This made it difficult to pay my bill as I had to do each one by Bpay instead of direct debit. When I got my final bill and tried to pay it via Bpay the payment was repeatedly rejected beacause I apparently no longer had an account with vodafone. I tried many times to pay the bill and in many different ways (credit, bpay etc). Whenever I called to get help I was put on hold for ever and when I went into the shops they were unable to help. In the end I managed to sort it out, but it took forever and I was never offered any help from vodafone to solve the problem. Now that that contract is finished I will never, ever, under any circumstances use vodafone again. They are a complete nightmare to deal with.
29 Apr 2011 09:40:39 AM: It was their accounting system that did my head in, refusal to update balance to reflect payments. Left them months ago, no problem as TIO very good

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17531 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is FAILURE at 28 Apr 2011 05:38:46 PM
Dear Vodafone/3,
I would like to say I hate you and your staff at the 3 fountain gate stores which served me today. The first store told me the second had one on hold for me, the second had no idea what I was on about when I told them what the first said, and the third was downright rude. I also do love waiting in lines for 30 minutes and when visiting the third store I was told this store doesn't have that and then turning their back on me.
Then customer care releases my call twice! Third time I ring back, he offers me that I can buy the cheapest handset available and they will credit the amount to my account. I then said that does not make use of what I am paying for does it, and he had nothing to say. Fair to say Im angry.
29 Apr 2011 09:43:44 AM: TIO is the way to go!

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17489 Someone from SA thinks vodafone is Im not allowed to swear that much at 28 Apr 2011 12:52:22 AM
vodafail. For weeks, i had issues with their billing dept, they cut me off for a week and claimed I was behind on my bill - BS - since they have reconnected me i am having constant problems with call cut outs, wasted internet bandwidth due to technical error, and the inability to make calls for hours at a time. Thanks. Thanks so much.

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17477 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Very fail at 27 Apr 2011 08:50:24 PM
I was on the 29$ plan paying an extra 15$ for unlimited txt to any phone in australia. I was over my phone so my partner gave me his new Samsung, the Samsung phone I was using is exclusive to Optus therefore if I had put my Vodafone sim card in it it could not connect to the internet, which I was fine with because that was making my bills go through the roof. Got a txt from Voda stating that my monthly spend on this number was $529.89, thought to myself, this isnt right. So I logged into myvodafone internet account and it stated that my next bill is $603.46 which was a big woah! I rang the customer care line and they said that i was charged for data usage. I could not connect to the internet, therefore I wasnt using any data. My partner rang up the TIO because I was not happy with the reception I had plus the bill didnt make me any happier. They said they'll get back to me in 10 business days to talk to me about it and get my 4 digit enquiry pin. They rang me back the next day and asked me what was going on and I told them about my bill plus the fact I wasnt happy about the reception I was receiving. The TIO representative asked me if I wanted to cancel my contract and without hesitation I said yes. They let me walk out with no extra payments and now been with Optus for 3 weeks and I'm loving it. Get unlimited access to FB and I also have unlimited txt to anyone in Australia and 700$ call credit and unlimited calls to any Optus number in Australia.

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17475 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is Huge vodaFail Billing Shame! at 27 Apr 2011 08:47:00 PM
I upgraded my contract, only to have them cancel my monthly repayment plan when I was told they would not, they now are trying to charge me $800 for their stuff up! mean while I have spent countless hours being put from person to per and nobody seems to be able to correct it!!!

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17456 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Fail at 27 Apr 2011 04:23:43 PM
I updated my email address when I left my previous job to receive my bills on my personal address. Continued receiving messages from them that they could not send my latest bill to my email address and they were going to charge $2.20 to send a paper bill. I double checked my account details online, email address is still the personal one I had updated with no spelling errors. Decided to call them and was quite surprised I was actually able to speak with a real person (even though they were probably from an overseas call centre) within 5 minutes of my call. I had left my previous job 6 months ago and the email they had on their system was the old one. What is the point of me updating my account details online if it's not going to be updated on theirs?? Grrr

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17449 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is at 27 Apr 2011 03:44:26 PM
Relieved that my contract has finally come to an end. Problems the minute I got the mobile broadband home. Called the tech support who were abrupt and extremely unhelpful. One guy from flat out refused to even return my calls or provide any assistance saying that the account number, sim number and mobile number was not correct?? Eventually rang back in frustration as I am not internet savvy and somebody else agreed to help me. It turned out the woman who sold the broadband had slotted the sim card into the device incorrectly - I had no idea. The first time i used the internet it worked fine. The second time it was slow and kept dropping out. A problem that I have persevered with all year. I have never once had full signal. The best is two bars and I agreed to this contract as I was told that I would get good signal. Even when it is supposedly connected and shows it is downloading a page it comes up repeatedly that internet explorer is not working, refresh page and it happens again and again. Or in the Vodafone Mobile Connect Screen data transfer becomes zero and even though it is connected, it is doing absolutely nothing. Many times I disconnect and reconnect again for the same thing to happen. For a year I have put up with this rubbish, paid my monthly account for crap reception in return. It's not right and clearly I am not alone. Wish I had the foresight to dispute this long ago and get out of the contract. Good riddance to Vodafone. I will be turning to Telstra. You get what you pay for.

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17425 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Seriously. at 27 Apr 2011 12:37:42 PM
What a debacle. I've been using Vodafone for ~8 years, and have weathered a few storms with them, however nothing as seriously bad as the last 6 months. Dropped calls, fluctuating reception, poor SMS performance. 3G internet performance is a joke; its so flaky regardless of how many bars are displayed on the phone. Being disgruntled, and then running into a non-functioning billing service is pretty much the last straw. I can't even pay my (quite excessive, given the lack of actual service) bill due to 1555 and their website both refusing to accept payment after long wait times and filling out tedious forms.

I will be moving over to Telstra. They might be more expensive, however at least I will be getting what I pay for.

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17409 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is broadband not working at 27 Apr 2011 10:14:10 AM
I'm so glad thhis website is up and Vodaphone issues on TV last night. I thought I was only one. Many times I cannot even use the internet modem, signal coverage is either not at all or very poor. I've used vodaphone broadband for 3-4 months and have had continuous problems, over billed, being cut off when I thought an issue was resolved, long waits, everything little thing I say is repeated back parrot fashion from India, when all I want is the situation resolved.

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17407 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is negligent and should face consequences for same at 27 Apr 2011 09:46:47 AM
27 Apr 2011 02:38:23 PM: You're an idiot
21 Jul 2011 01:35:54 AM: Wow your negotiating skills are so good wish I had those ideas! Tard..

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17394 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is epic at 27 Apr 2011 07:43:30 AM
Where do I begin...
When I got my phone upgraded I turned it on only to have photo's of someone posing in front of a mirror and text messages and call log and it was sold to me as a new phone, I took it back and they only replaced the phone, I asked about how do I know that the head phones havent been used and was told that they will only replace the phone with out an appolgy and more like tough **** now go away, then the next saga was about billing... I was getting charged for something that I had no idea what it was, after calling a few times and being on hold for over 1 hour I was advised the best they could do was reimburse me $50 the amount that they have charged me for is over $300 I could go on with so many other complaints but it would take up to many pages....

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17388 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is total fail at 27 Apr 2011 12:16:19 AM
I'd been a Vodafone customer for 8 years. When I wanted to switch to an iPhone 3g I actually asked when I signed up if I would be able to send and receive emails - YES, OF COURSE they lied, knowing full well the troubles I, at that time, knew nothing about. I was able to finally cancel the contract and return the iphone after days of being lied to by those lying idiots in India, and yet they still keep sending me bills for this now non existent account. Total arrogance from the fools in India. I am now with Telstra, much happier.

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17386 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is I'm pretty unhappy with my home reception at 26 Apr 2011 11:25:21 PM
I have resorted to using my home wireless account when I'm at home because I have very poor 3G, G & H reception where I live. I only signed up with vodafone because I really wanted the HTC Desire HD, which was exclusive on a plan with either VHA or 3. My home locality is not covered by the recent or proposed upgrades and that is unfair. Sure, they're giving me a discount on my monthly bill for three months, but then what? The problem hasn't been fixed yet. I'm not happy!

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17378 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is In every sense of the word at 26 Apr 2011 10:40:23 PM
Have had 3 months of "free" usage billed at full rate so have $1200.00 bill. Was told to get user under control and take responsibility for daughters use. Many of the txts are when I have the phone or she is at school and the phone at home. Can't explain, won't try.
Phone got barred and got told unless I paid $680 on the spot it wouldn't be lifted eventhough there was a billing error. I did that and now won't get that back because I've paid it. Can't wait to get onto another carrier.

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17370 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is ABSOLUTE FAIL at 26 Apr 2011 10:10:48 PM
The worst is the drop outs!!! No reception in South Morang 3752 none at work in Bundoora 3082. Got my phone cut of while overseas because my bill was at $1,000 (which I was happy to pay) but they wanted me to pay 70% to reconnect BUT my billing cycle hadn't ended. Sunday the best day of my life got proposed too and couldn't call or text family members of the great news!!! Did tell my sister b4 te cut off and unfortunately everyone found out through Facebook
Could go on forever but I think I'm ready to sweet talk my way out my remanding 18 months!!!!

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17364 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is very at 26 Apr 2011 09:57:45 PM
dropped calls all the time (sometimes connection isnt even made), can't send messages, wrong advice by staff members, billing info not being send to email address, waiting on the line to talk to a staff member and the phone drops out after i had been waiting for 30 minutes.

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17356 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is internet at 26 Apr 2011 09:25:29 PM
Since before xmas 2010 i have endured hundreds of mobile broadband drop-outs. many calls to vodafone and they have credited my account. I was promised by end March 11 the system failures would be fixed in 3170. Not so!! More calls to vodafone and then they stated i should wait another 7 days...which i did. Still NOT fixed. I was then given 3 months free usage and it's now 26/4 and at least the drop-outs have reduced now, but it's still not up to the standard I would expect to receive.

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17346 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Big Fail at 26 Apr 2011 09:01:20 PM
were to begin...
i have been with vodafone for almost 8 years now and i have never had a problem with my pre-paid account which i just top up every 3 or so months. but it was late last year when one of the 'brain dead idiots' at vodafone thought hmm we aren't making enough money so we will merge with 3 change everything on the computers make LARA 250% more annoying make all calls to customer care go to some indian guy who doesn't understand a thing make you wait on hold for at least an hour then hang up on you (yes hang up, i am one of the lucky ones in geelong who actually has reception 90% of the time) transfer you 101 times only to be transfered to the nokia support centre and finally back to lara who says "we are unable to help you with your call today please try calling your local vodafone store" *calls local vodafone store* sorry we don't have anyone here in store to help you at the moment call 1555 where lara can help you.
do i need to keep going.... ??? vodafone stop being gready and go back to the way you were 3/4 years ago where everything worked.

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17345 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is no coverage at 26 Apr 2011 09:00:53 PM
live in metro area of perth - can't get coverage, sms never get sent I always have to try and resend - constantly checking the bars on my phone so i can go right send now. My calls always drop out. I am on a 24 month contract

We complained to vodafone of course they have given us the next three months of the contact at half price. Very generous considering I am paying for an account that I can't use. Fortunately for us our contact ends in August for which we will move on to the next provider and hope we are provided with "service". I use this word very loosely

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17328 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is Extremely!!!!!! at 26 Apr 2011 08:40:34 PM
i cancelled my account with vodafone, $700 cancellation fee later - i went to telstra - after having them investigate why i had no coverage, i was told i had no issue. my call dropped out while talking to them. they still did nothing. they then demanded payment for cancelled acount with in 48 hours.

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17303 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Poor Service, PERIOD! at 26 Apr 2011 07:52:21 PM
As well as what everyone else has experienced, on my unfortunate car breakdown last thursday night, attempted to recharge using my Credit card yelded only a "technical difficulty" twice, I then had to walk to the gas station, purchase a recharge to call for help. Everything seemed to work ok except when I got home to check my bank account to find a "Pending transaction" for the attempt credit card top up. How rude, we all know that that would cancel out the remaining credit that I had to walk to the gas station to get, and we all know what their customer service is like... NOT INTERESTED !

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17297 Someone from SA thinks vodafone is the worst ever at 26 Apr 2011 07:35:34 PM
We use 2 vodafail phones for or business (HTC) the service is the worst. Continually dropping out signal strength does not exist in the Adelaide hills area and rural is a joke. Spend wasted hours talking to some one in India, always insisting that Vodafone coverage is exceptional, I refuse to allow them to correct my billing names or business association, I actually have a folder for Vodafone stuff ups at work now. The local store will not answer incoming calls and refuses to direct them to answering machine (Vodafone Marion). Will NEVER DO ANY CONTRACT AGAIN Liar's and cheats. This has cost our business dearly.

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17270 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Epic Fail at 26 Apr 2011 07:10:04 PM
I recently complained about my service levels... Now I used to live in Bacchus Marsh and used to get OK 3G reception... I moved to Southbank 3 months ago and I have no more than 1 bar of reception in my apartment or at my work on Flinders Lane, Melbourne... Frustrating!!! When I spoke to customer care and was informed the following... That A - My last bill was going to be credited onto my account and B - I would receive 25% off my next 3 months bills... I was feeling good again.. Now a month later I received my bill and well firstly i was still being charged for the previous month, secondly the 25% had not been applied and thirdly I had been charged for international calls... Ummm as far as i know to make international calls you need to know people international... I was really annoyed so I called them back to speak to them... All they said to me was that because the notes on the system did not state the A option I was not entitled to this.. I said that I do not think that it was fair that I was paying for a service that I was not getting... The customer service team then said to me that because it was the technical team that I spoke to on the first call that they would need to call me back in 20 minutes after speaking to the tech team..... 7.5 hours later they called me back and said the same thing that because the notes did not state that I was having a bill waivered that i was not entitled to it... I also asked about the international calls and was advised that i would still have to pay for them... I asked to speak to the team leader and was told that was pointless as i would be told the same thing.. She also stated that the team leader was in a meeting.. I said i was willing to wait for them... She can back after 20 minutes on hold and said that the 25% discount was being applied and that the last months bill was being waivered but would still have to pay for international calls... I said fine I will call the TIC

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17263 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Colonoscopic at 26 Apr 2011 07:02:04 PM
I signed up to a 24 month Vodafone contract in Nov 2009. At the time I was upsold to include a monthly insurance premium at approx $10 per month. It is nice to have the peace of mind she tells me at the store. Two months later my brand new IPHONE stops working, no coverage picked up at all anywhere.

So I take it back to the store and they tell me they have to send it in. 2 weeks later I receive an SMS with a quote for $276 to repair the phone. WTF I say. It is still under warranty and I also have friggin insurance. We have found that it has water damage and that is covered by neither.

I can assure you the phone looked fine from the outside and I didn't go for a dip in the bay with the bloody thing in my pocket. No budging from the lady at the Vodafone store - COME AND GET YOUR PHONE she says.

So I have worn it like a d#mbc*nt for the last 18 months until some dooshbag came into my place of business 3 weeks ago assuring me I could receive a free upgrade to a new phone on one of their new deals. I tell him that I am still under contract for 6 months and he assures me he can take care of that so we make an appointment to meet the next day.

I prepare for the meeting by looking up and printing old bills and having my account number etc etc etc all ready to go. He tells me the next day that he can't do anything for me regarding the current contract but can offer me a free accessory pack on the new phone. So do you want me to start the paper work he says?

I nearly buried my fist in his head and told him to pierce auff.

Last Thursday he came back....
26 Apr 2011 09:58:43 PM:

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17255 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is overcharging at 26 Apr 2011 06:58:08 PM
my illiterate father signed a $49 a month 2 year contract with vodashit he has never used all of the monthly credit yet he has an apparent bill for $700 even though he has never missed his monthly payments once from his bank account, I have spend numerous hours on the phone to vodafone and after going through everything with one customer support and them pretending to sort out the bill they put me through to another section to have the phone unbarred it starts all over again and this is after being on hold with them for hours only to have to start all over again with another section and on top of that the reception is pathetic.
I have forwarded my complaint to the ombudsman they are a bad phone company

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17250 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Fail!!! at 26 Apr 2011 06:56:10 PM
'3' Mobile is now owned but Hutchison Australia (Vodafone) and they have the same issues!

I once had $800+ taken out of my account (I had direct debit set up) incorrectly and never got it back. I had absolute rude pr**ks on the other end of the phone basically telling me where to go.

If we are a day late with a bill for either Vodafone or '3' they disconnect the service. But they constantly are in breach of their contract and we can't even end the contract for that reason? Stupid!

Finally, I used to work for a local debt collection company (in Wollongong) who exclusivley handle the contracts for both Vodafone and '3' and both companies advise all debt collectors to advise 'debtors' that it is not Vodafone or '3' resposibility if you have no reception, your phone doesn't work, basically any of the problems that happen.

We need to fight back against this!

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17248 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is coverage at 26 Apr 2011 06:54:51 PM
I go on holidays to a place called Hat Head (near Kempsey). I am with a company called Just PrePaid (uses the vodafone network). I use to get coverage there on and off , usually at night. In the past three years , it got worse - no coverage at all. I tried to complain to vodafone, online. But when it asked what my account no. was, I couldn't answer because my server is just prepaid. Nothing has changed. The vodafone dealer in Port Macquarie told me --- vodafone had their towers worked on by contractors. These blokes pointed the towers out to sea -- if you were a boat you are right. He told me to make a complaint --- to who???? Also I was told they don't use the 3G network there causing more coverage problems

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17246 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is 3G unconnectivity at 26 Apr 2011 06:53:13 PM
Hi, I live about 1/2 hour north of Brisbane's CBD and cannot get 3G coverage from Vodafone at home. This means that I cannot use the internet on my smart phone. I also get frequent dropped calls. If it doesn't improve by December this year, I will switching mobile phone provider. To add my email address to my account took about 4 months. I rang, went to the store, updated my account online many times, but it still took 4 months.

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17241 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is disgraceful at 26 Apr 2011 06:51:55 PM
I currently have another few months left on my plan with crazy johns/vodafone and am getting very frustrated with service issues. The same messages are also getting sent countless times and I am getting billed for them. Vodafail alright..they are expecting yet another call from me tomorrow morning.

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17236 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Cannot bill properly at 26 Apr 2011 06:50:58 PM
Although I should be complaining how crap their reception and service is, I am not going to. I am yet to be billed for the services I have incurred since last August. Yes, I have not received one bill from them. I have logged on to my account and all of my correct details are there and even changed my address successfully and still, to this date, do not have a bill to pay. I haven't received any overdue letters, overdue texts nor overdue emails. My current charges always shows $0.00 so I ain't going to call and chase them up, they can stick it and their fault for their mistake.

So I aint sure if I should even consider myself lucky...

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17234 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is a hazard to mental health and stress. at 26 Apr 2011 06:50:16 PM
I contact Vodafone every single month in regards to our corporate account. Every month they continue to fail. There are billing errors after billing errors and every time credits are meant to be applied or issues resolved THEY ARE NOT. Customer service reps lie, to contact them it is a nightmare especially when trying to navigate their call centres and I am spending hours on managing my phone service.

The reception is so bad I have suffered lost business and disgruntled customers.
I have not even begun resolving the poor service as I am still trying to resolve billing issues. If I decide to ignore there mistakes my service will be disconnected and false debts transferred to collectors.

I am being harassed and bullied by Vodafone and their incompetence.

FAIL

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17209 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is at 26 Apr 2011 06:46:48 PM
Poor service, when paying a bill, the amount was taken out of my account twice, and when i called asking for the second payment to be refunded, vodafone refused!!!!
terrible reception, i have to turn my phone on and off 5 times a day as the reception is so bad, and my phone constantly cuts out.

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17179 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is a joke that is getting worse by the day at 26 Apr 2011 06:43:01 PM
I have been with Voda since 2000 and have experienced pretty much all of the issues suggested - dropped calls (often 3-4 times in the one conversation), wrong bills, on hold for an hour, hopeless customer service (I am meant to have an account manager - they keep quitting !) and don't get me started about Lara (who they don;t program to recognise "shut the F up").

How do I get out of the contract that is due to expire in Sept ? I think 11 years is enough loyalty to get an exit bonus (or is that bonus exit ?)! If I have to keep a log of all the issues from now on it will only make me worse.

Cheers

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17173 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Completely! at 26 Apr 2011 06:26:24 PM
Terrible customer service by ESL Indians. Don't understand what I'm talking about. Poor reception in INNER SYDNEY. Free calls not added to my account when I recharged. SHIT HOUSE

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17172 Someone from SA thinks vodafone is Pathetic online store at 26 Apr 2011 06:23:06 PM
*************
Following is the email I sent to customer support regarding their crappy online store that just would not work - I tried 3 different computers and 5 times and a colleague also had no luck:
*************

I have tried a couple of times to sign up for mobile broadband today and have been let down by your online store. I was looking at the $29pm 8gb plan with wifi modem.

I get to the page where you select credit card / bank account. I put my bank details in with the correct information and it repeatedly asks me to put the account number in..which is already in place. The only way to progress is to put in my debit card details.

Fine, so I do that and the next page asks for ID. So I try to change the primary ID to australian driver licence and the drop down box does not respond.

Fine, so I put in my passport details instead. I select that it is a British passport and try to put in the expiry date - August 2018 - but no, the latest date I can put is 2015. British passports have a 10 year validity. So I put in 2015.

Ok, so I want to use a rates notice or utility bill for the next box. So I put the reference number in and click ok. Nothing happens. So I click again. Nothing happens. I tried this for both types. Fine, I'll use Medicare card instead. That goes in. I try to proceed but it says I must use something with an address on it, like a utility bill or a rates notice...

During the process I am also asked twice with radio buttons whether I am permanent or temporary resident and it lets me proceed through but when I get to the end of filling in my life story, there is a 'I am a permanent resident' check box. It forces you to tick this to proceed. If I am not entitled to spend my money in your store as a temporary resident (the contract term was less than my visa duration and my credit rating is platinum) then it should not let me proceed past the very first time it asks me if I am temporary or permanent. To make me go through the whole process and then tell me that I have to be a permanent resident (even a for month to month plan) is just a waste of my time.

To be brutally honest, I never liked Vodafone as a company but I thought that I would give you guys a go to prove my perception wrong. I thought maybe you were better here but with all the hassle I have experienced trying to sign up for your product - to give you my hard-earned money - I don't think I will make that mistake

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Their response was that they have 'no known faults' and that I should go to a shop - something I cannot do and defeats the whole point of having an online store.

Pathetic.

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17167 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Not Happy at 26 Apr 2011 05:56:20 PM
On multiple occasions i haven't been able to access voicemail. I am in the real estate game and cannot afford Vodafone to shut down my business! A few months back i had my service turned off for 24 hours due to a "technical glitch" in their billing service. They have been great in terms of making up for their "glitches" however i am fed up with the service. Simply cant afford the mistakes anymore.

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17141 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is TERRIBLY at 26 Apr 2011 11:19:48 AM
Had a problem in that Vodafone was repeatedly emailing to advise that the attempt to auto recharge my account failed. Twice a day, nearly every day for many months. They were trying to bill me for someone elses account on an old credit card number of mine that had been expired for nearly 2 years.

I rang them over a six month period at least twice a month. ON HOLD TIME was never less than 45 minutes.

Every time I spoke to them in their Malaysian call centre after getting on to someone whos accent was capabale of being understood, was promised that the problem was fixed.

So finally after MORE THAN 14 HOURS on hold and talking to people with a poor understanding of English, I got to speak to one of their supervisors, a lady named Magna, who helped finally fix it.

Yea!

Curiously enough I have never had a coverage problem with Vodafone, but vodafones customer service is pure crap.

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17131 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is possibly fraudulent ? at 26 Apr 2011 12:05:17 AM
Anybody know whether the data usage displayed on the Vodafone pocket Wi-Fi is accurate? On the first day of the billing cycle, I reset the device, on the last day of last months' billing cycle, I supposedly used 3.2Gb of Data, but got lumped with a $138 bill (almost $100 of excess usage). This is a serious anomaly, as I'm on the $39 / 8Gb plan, and my own calculations seem to conclude that I'm using around 3-4Gb of data per month. Anybody else having similar issues? I can't help but feel I'm being ripped off. Previously I got by quite nicely with a 6Gb plan on Optus and never, ever exceeded my monthly data quota, always around 3Gb, except for last Xmas, I chewed through 5Gb in one month. My internet usage pattern is precisely the same as before with Optus - running my online business, primarily yahoo email, ebay browsing, internet banking and using sendoutcards.
26 Apr 2011 11:17:11 AM: I was overcharged for data a few months ago too. When I finally got through to the customer service, I was fobbed off with the most ridiculous excuses (apparently I'd used over 1GB of data at 4am some Tuesday, and when I told them it was impossible as I was sleeping at the time, they tried telling me it could be from some app working in the middle of the night....). Got straight onto the Ombudsman and lodged a complaint as I knew I wasn't getting anywhere with Vodafone. Within a week I had a call from VF (shock horror - an Australian!), she apologised and offered me a reimbursement and sen some credit. Moral of the story, looks like the only thing VF is afraid of and pays attention to is the Telecoms Ombudsman. Good luck!
26 Apr 2011 07:28:45 PM: i think there may be anomalies across (all) major carriers when it comes to "measuring" data usage, in Burleigh Waters, I had a Telstra Velocity FTTP broadband service, returned home from an o/s wake-up-call holiday to face a $1500 excess usage bill, despite the fact that there was NOBODY AT HOME for SIX WEEKS, a whole billing period with ZERO USAGE. i had to waste a lot of my (valuable) time proving my innocence. WTF? Passport stamps on my passport weren't good enough (your kids might have been using your service - interesting because I never disclosed to Telstra that I was either married, seperated, or had kids living with me, but they pointed out to me several blog posts from me stating that I "had the kids for a weekend out of every two" - so Telcos and their legal eagles do research on google.. Ummm fair enough, but this pathetic episode wasted so much of my time and resources, I could have spent building my goals and dreams, to get out of this loser country and join my parents in re-joining civilization and get out of that overpriced downunder.

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17110 Someone from Somewhere else thinks vodafone is People Fail Not Vodafail at 25 Apr 2011 05:36:41 PM
Quite simple really,



Like ANY company you will get the good, the bad, the ugly and sadly like all call centers there will be customers falling through the cracks. This is a disgusting display of human hatred and lack of understanding. I am not going to say 'toughen up' I am going to instead say the simple logical process.


1. If it doesn't work investigate and DON'T expect to get an answer if YOU created the problem (e.g. installed harmful progs/applications on your system/experienced a power outage etc) They are NOT technicians for PC hardware in that sense.

2. If you haven't paid your bill THIS IS YOUR FAULT you signed the contract to pay so much and YOU asked for the service. Getting anrgy and upset it has been restricted or rarely CUT OFF will get you nowhere! Please accept responsibility.

3. If you can't speak english GET HELP or ASK AROUND. Simple if you live in New Zealand and Australia WHAT DO YOU EXPECT an international language center just for you NO this does not even apply in your own country

4. If you have a bad experience place feedback believe me it will get to the right person if you explain this LIKE A HUMAN

5. LISTEN to advice and try YOURSELF to create a contructive call flow simple aye ;/

6. To add above work WITH the agent not AGAINST think about how you would like to be treated and spoken to.

7. Understand things take time and like all business not every system is perfect hence some years are great and others are bad.

8. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE PREPARE YOUR INFORMATION!!! If it doesn't work why doesn't it work, what can you see, what did you do before the issue it's simple people. If you made a payment and it has NOT shown up then find out where you paid it to. If the service for broadband work but then stops suddenly what are the lights doing? What happened to you're computer? What did you do differently? THIS HELPS!

9. IS IT THE PROVIDERS FAULT YOU WILL LOOSE MONEY ON THE BUSINESS NO!!! Unless this is a BUSINESS account then you will not get any sympathy nor will this speed up ANY process. The only time something can be speed up is when their is a LEGIT MEDICAL REASON AND YES provide evidence! PEOPLE LIE to get what they want thats why they need it!!! Plus most Terms and Conditions will say it is NOT ALLOWED to have a business account on a residential account.


10. DO NOT call through and expect credit for something like an ENTIRE MONTH that is unfair especially if you have only had 1 issue that took a day to resolve. Any compensation is good compensation people.


11. Lastly posting experience that you have on this website is horrible to read and terrible to discuss. It great voice an opinion on a forum/chat blog but to go as far as coverage/how to guides/alternative/what you got/how long you were on hold is disgusting. Please take a look youself to see if you helped or made the situation WORSE in most cases because YOU were impatient you rushed a process that needed time to complete like MOST things in life.

If you have a good experience with someone please call through and ask for them again have you tried this?


I know I am going to get the hate speech after this post but hey I too have had terrible customer service but I don't make a website about it. I simply brush it off but also provide CONSTRUCTIVE feedback to the company providing the services.
25 Apr 2011 05:49:33 PM: Thanks for the commentary. This site was created because Vodafone was denying that any customer service or network problems existed and refused to provide information on when customers' problems would be resolved. As stated previously, creating this website was a last resort as Vodafone didn't want to listen to any standard complaints.

Vodafone finally apologised and announced serious plans on Feb 23rd:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/we-are-truly-sorry-vodafone-20110222-1b334.html

If you are looking for constructive feedback you can see the 27 page, 6000 word report ( http://vodafail.com/report.php ) that I wrote on Vodafone's problems and how they could have reacted better to those problems. It also contains suggestions that Vodafone is now largely trying to follow in their plan announced on Feb 23rd.

When products and services are significantly failing for so many people, customers should not ignore it or brush it off. You should try and get the problem resolved (See our how to complain page) but when that becomes difficult you don't just give up. And if it takes national media coverage and a website to make them fix the problem then someone will make an effort and get it done. This time it was me but I'm sure for the next company it will be someone else.

Adam

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
25 Apr 2011 06:06:36 PM: OP: You are wrong on so many levels.
25 Apr 2011 09:23:53 PM: If you have time to write 6000 words and create a website promoting negativity because you had a poor experience for a few weeks, you have too much time on your hands.
25 Apr 2011 09:40:22 PM: OP: you are a complete dickhead
25 Apr 2011 11:12:29 PM: Seriously, why come here to criticize the purpose of this site when you are in the minority.....I don't think that the person with too much time on their hands is the moderator or site owner!

As for working with call centres....the frustrating thing about the Indian call centre is the people who tell you with great authority what the issue is and what's done to fix it, only to find out that nothing happened, there's no record of your call and the next person you speak to doesn't believe anything you say. I work in a call centre here in Australia....if we did that, our business would be investigated quicksmart.
26 Apr 2011 07:28:08 AM: English is my second language, and that might explain why I have difficulties understanding your message : I am still trying to decipher "What happened to you're computer? ", I can not find the word "LEGIT" in the Oxford dictionary , and the fact that you did not use one single 'comma' in the whole document , led me astray. Obviously, you have plenty of time in your hands to become a writer, but it is a real pity that you are dickhead . Don't misunderstand me : I still give you some credit for been able to put a few sentences together, some almost coherent . Please , don't give up !
Eduardo
26 Apr 2011 05:24:06 PM: So, basically you're saying it is OUR fault our emails bills don't arrive in our inbox, even though we have rang them numerous times and triple checked the email address (which is right). I think someone actually works for Vodafone here...
30 Apr 2011 04:56:47 PM: When you ring Vodafone to tell them there's a problem, they won't believe and insist on going through the idotic script of checking all your settings no matter how many times you tell them the problem IS at their end. When they finally realise "enough" people are complaining so the problem is their end, then they are incredibly slow at fixing it (if they even bother at all!), it rarely ever appears on the "Network Status" page, and often simply fails again a few hours / days / weeks later because they didn't fix it, they simply patched it or rebooted the server. :-(

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17079 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is ripping me off at 25 Apr 2011 07:59:43 AM
Been trying to contact them about the overbilling. I am suppose to be on a special $19 a month deal (reverting to $29 after a year). They have been charging me up to $79 a month. I would text 1-2 times a day (maximum) and lucky to make 3 (less than one minute) phone call a week. I never go over my allowance. I cannot ever get through to them to sort it out. I will never never never sign up with them again when my contrct runs out. And I tell all my friends the same.

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17076 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Huge at 25 Apr 2011 07:35:46 AM
Says I "dont yet have any credit on my account" this morning when I had $140 yesterday afternoon, I havent used my phone since.

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17067 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Prodigiously Fail at 24 Apr 2011 11:47:20 PM
Really tired of Vodafone... calls constantly drop out, had to make 7 calls for one 15 minute conversation just the other day. Consistently get about 8kbps sec 3G speeds and today no SMS messages.

I don't even think they value their customers! More than 2 hours between updates on SMS issues on their web site and they call it "user difficulties" to boot, not "Customers suffering due to our poorly maintained network". The people manning the @VodafoneAU_Help account on Twitter left at 5, poor considering the extent of the SMS issues and I'm guessing running the call centre gauntlet would be totally useless.

Disappointed Vodafone, very disappointed.
25 Apr 2011 12:44:46 PM: Too bad, if I could paste a graphic here i would upload my data usage from my Samsung Galaxy S on Vodafone. No problem with connectivity, able to chew through my 3GB a month! no fixed location as I travel alot, maybe that helps!

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17059 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is Biggest fail ever!! at 24 Apr 2011 10:02:18 PM
Happy Easter to my family! Pitty I can't text to tell them, or call for
More thAn 30 seconds without a drop out. I live away from all of my family and this has just ruined my day. Not to mention to regular drop outs, crap customer service, bull crap reception and the big arguments I've had over billing! I've tried to get out of my contract but I have to call to argue my
Point, however they don't realize I CAN'T CALL because of
Dropouts!! And I don't have a landline... They never call me back! MASSIVE FAIL I reckon!!!!! SO SICK OF THIS CRAP


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17057 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Extremely bad at 24 Apr 2011 09:47:59 PM
After recent issues with vodafone involving billing, coverage and service complaints I recently was persuaded to stay with vodafone due to a new contract and handset mistakenly I accepted. Since then I have spoken to vodafone on eight days out of the last thirteen from 1 hr 40 min a day to 4hrs 56 min trying to resolve billing issues. During this time I have been told that I owe various amounts of money have been severely charged for services that I have not used and been denied the ability to check my current usage. As I write this I have been on hold for 1 hr 31 mins.

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16899 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is PATHETIC at 22 Apr 2011 11:02:40 AM
I have been dramtically overcharged on my bill (overcharged in excess of $100 in all cases), 3 times over a 7 month period. Every time the bill arrives I have to review it, and then spend at least an hour trying to get through to customer service (while continually hearing some cheery recorded voice tell me they will be with me really soon!) and convince someone in India that there actually is an issue with my bill. Three times Vodafone have been unable to explain the billing issue, and after many hours of my time spent to convince them, credits have been applied each time. The most recent time this occured, it has taken me 2 weeks to get Vodafone to understand the issue and admit the bill is not correct. I have now received my latest bill, and discovered they are charging me a $10 charge for late payment on my last bill, all which was due to me trying to chase them and get someone to understand and then correct their issue in the first place.
Vodafone's service is an absolute disgrace. You have to ask what the management team is actually doing in the organisation to allow it to get this bad! The incompetence is staggering!
I've wasted enough of my time dealing with this incompetence, and now moving my mobile and my wife's mobile over to Optus! Well done Vodafone - another good customer you have thrown away!
25 Apr 2011 09:30:23 PM: Hate to tell you,but optus has just as bad shit reception, they have heaps of issues lately, i know heaps of people wanting out of optus, for bit extra $$$ go with telstra......
25 Apr 2011 09:37:03 PM: It would have been an automated charge, so it's not really anybodies fault and they could credit it straight away. But I agree with the above poster. Optus have massive issues with both service and support. Telstra is expensive but the way to go.
30 Apr 2011 10:12:11 PM: If you went in to a store and had them walk you through your bill then they would most likely be able to explain why you were being overcharged, or rather, why you were being correctly charged. If it was incorrect, they would be able to call and have it correct. If you didn't pay your bill on time they have every right to charge you a late payment and, as the above user stated, any incorrect charges can simply be credited back to you.
2 May 2011 01:53:46 PM: Your joking right. Another Vodafail person trying to make things sound all nice and rosey. You are a tool. Have you ever tried walking into a Vodafone store? If your not there to get a new contract or to purchase an accessory, then they dont want to know and tell you to call 1555 to get it sort.
30 Aug 2011 06:24:57 AM: That is absolutely correct. The stores will not assist you unless you're getting a new phone & new contract or purchasing accessories. They tell you to call 1555 to get it sorted. Absoluletly pathethic.

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16887 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is not as bad as some at 21 Apr 2011 03:17:01 PM
I was aware of all the stories so when my coverage went from patchy to nil I was not surprised. I filled in the support form to ask what had changed. The reply email included the standard text about coverage and closed my call. I then phoned to complain as my question had not been answered and was advised my account was overdue. A simple banking error which was camoflaged by all the current issues and over zealous closure of my call.

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16869 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Beyond FAIL on every level at 20 Apr 2011 08:30:43 PM
After the usual shit service from Vodafone and mahy attempts to contact them wiht no luck, I sent an email to customer service requesting my phone was cut off given the consistent call drop-outs, lack of service etc etc. The usual right. My intent was end of contract given I had 2 months left.

They cut my phone off straight away. No warning, my phone just went dead on the first day I started my new job. This is also my business phone number for the business I run on the side, and the number I have had for many many years. They cut it off so it was not portable to another carrier.

Naturally I was furios and they confirmed given the situaion there would be no further charges on the account. I come home today to a debtor's notice for 2 months outstanding payments. For a phone they have cut off.

I have lost business, had friends and family emailing me concerned I was not contactable and they want to charge me? After emailing to say there would be no more charge. I am FUMING.

FUCK YOU VODAFAIL
20 Apr 2011 10:16:16 PM: Could not agree more with you buddy, they have given me way more grey hairs than I deserved as an unsuspecting customer. There are ways to make them pay. Firstly, cancel your contract, and involve the TIO so they get fined. Secondly, help me make them lose business. Want a Vodafone Sucks sticker? I am mad enough to bankroll a bunch of them so that the message gets out. Need advice on breaking your contract? email me at vodafone.bad@gmail.com Don't get mad, get even!

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16865 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is so slow... at 20 Apr 2011 05:32:47 PM
Great news! Vodafone accepted to terminate my contract at no fee but the handset "If you are a looking at closing your account the early termination fee would be $1421.84. But due to the coverage issues you have been experiencing I am able to reduce this to $499 to cover the costs of the handset."

I switched to Telstra yesterday, and wow, it's so much better now, day and night!!!!

Just glad Vodafone made it easy for me to switch to Telstra despite having a 2y contract expiring in November 2012.

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16837 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Decent coverage, worse with the new phone at 18 Apr 2011 03:56:08 PM
I recently requested a new fone and to be upgraded to a nokia C7 without charge. They have now billed me a not even a month into the contract with a due date 6 days before the month ends??? Requesting $81 for a $45 unlimited plan. I rang them up and requested them ; to change this ; to talk to an Australian vodafone rep ; why the hell Im being billed before the month is even over ; why I am being charged a $9 freight fee and $0.72 for paying my bill last month ; why I was told I would not be charged any extra and now am before I have even gotten through the first month. I told them to fix it or im not paying the bill, so they can carry on as long as they like, looks like free mobile service for me, as Im not paying till they recitify the situation. Im over their ridiclious crap.

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16832 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is DOUBLENEGATIVE FAIL at 18 Apr 2011 09:59:12 AM
Called Vodafone a month ago. They formally agreed over the phone to my demand that 2 bills be waived and a 50% discount for 3 months of bills due to all of the issues..........NOW.....got a phone call saying that my account is overdue!

Called Vodafone to find out why, and they seem to have no record of it!!!!

Guess I'm going on hold for another hour.......

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16821 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is No Better at 17 Apr 2011 01:15:15 PM
Have paid my bill via the internet, credit card has been charged but no receipt number has been forthcoming. Spoke to Lara who told me to call back tomorrow. Managed to get through to the call centre who put me on hold before informing me that they were unable to tell me if the bill had been paid and advised me to wait for 24 hours. Have now reached the point of no return.

Question - How do I get out of my mobile contract, billing problems and poor reception are a nightmare.
17 Apr 2011 05:41:43 PM: lodge a complain here: http://www.tio.com.au/ComplaintForm/ComplaintFormS1.asp

and English speaking person will contact you, and you can get out without any fees, plus get a partial/full refund on serivces rendered since September 2010 when problems began - be persistant and insist on a refund on what you paid and keep reassuring them that your service (that you paid for) was non-existant!
18 Apr 2011 01:46:35 AM: Thanks for the advice, I'll do this in the morning and let you know how I get on.

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16812 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is My Bill should be $49 at 16 Apr 2011 09:27:02 AM
I was walking passed Vodafone two months ago and noticed a new deal, $45 unlimited calls, 1g and international texts. I brought a data plan for $4 that gave me an extra 700mb. So my total bill should be $49. However I just checked my account and it said that I own $145. I have not call international and I know that 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers are not included. I have phoned and their accounts team and they were as useless as a ashtray on a motor bike. Telstra here I come...
17 Apr 2011 12:02:31 AM: Telstra is so much better. For $50 you can get 5g of internet and free weekends.

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16802 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is ugh! at 15 Apr 2011 03:47:11 PM
Send in to voda feedback ---> this afternoon at work, a colleague who's not as technical as I or has a firm of a grasp on the English language asked me to assist with this phone. After setting up internet access on his phone a few days before, he asked if I could assist once again because internet had stopped working.
As the correct APN was selected and a reboot did not resolve the issue, I contacted mobile customer care. All I asked for was the APN settings for mobile internet, I didn't request to discuss specific account information or anything else that would violate privacy act stipulations. However I was told that you needed to verify the account before these details could be given, dumbfounded by this ridiculousness I requested to speak with a supervisor who sang the same tune, however did advise that the information was available on Vodafone's website. I kindly asked that he read the details from the website, this request was refused.

I thought you as organisation were aiming to lift your customer service standards, not perpetuate the bad reputation that you already have. A customer who is on the phone, who cannot access the internet is told that we cannot provide the information that is not protected by law and is openly available to the world, and you won't help out a customer by giving that information over the phone.

Well I may not be able to move my colleague off your network, but I can and do request that my service be terminated at the end of the current billing cycle.
Account number 70xxxxxxx is to be disconnected at the end of the current billing cycle. You may call me on 0416xxxxxx to confirm this if you wish.

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16797 Someone from WA thinks vodafone is Epic, Epic Fail at 15 Apr 2011 12:03:18 AM
Long story is long.

I only switched to Vodaphone around a month ago. I had started having problems with Three (bad data coverage, late SMS delivery - or no SMS delivery at all, a monthly bill that seemed to be a rip off in comparison to the mobile contracts of my peers etc etc) and after two ranty calls to Three customer care, a nice man from Three called me at seven am on a Saturday, apropos of nothing, to offer me A DEAL.

And because I am a sucker, I took it - despite a chorus of my well informed friends screeching "NO! NO! VODAPHONE IS THE DEVIL!" at me. And despite the fact that I knew, in my heart of hearts, that the problems I was experiencing with three (excluding the rip-off plan I was on) were probably linked to the merge with vodaphone.

They lulled me with their siren song of opting out of my contract, a brand new handset, and zero cancellation fees. And now they have me right where they want me: on a 24 month $45 infinite plan, with $10 handset repayments every bill.

At first it wasn't so bad. I did notice some patchy connectivity, especially with data coverage, but it didn't really cause me any major inconvinience. I am not -terribly- bothered if I can't check into the train station, on foursquare, on my way to work in the morning. Sure, it's a service I am technically paying for - a reliable internet connection of my smartphone - but hey, what's the very occasional outage, right?

Only in the last two weeks, it hasn't been the occasional outage. It's been 'no internet for you!' at least 50% of the time, despite the fact that I live ten minutes from Perth city, work in the CBD, and rarely venture farther afield than the inner suburbs.

And then there are the calls that people apparently made to me, that...I never got. Strangely this seems to mostly happen when other vodaphone customers are trying to call me.

And then yesterday, I experienced exactly the same problem that I was having with three last year. I had arranged to meet a friend for coffee, but a work meeting ran late and I had to text her to cancel (couldn't call as I was in a meeting). I sent her a message and received no reply, but figured maybe she just hadn't seen the need of a response. Around forty minutes later, I got a message from her saying "I'm here...where are you?". I sent her another text reiterating my first message, and adding "...did you not get my first text?".

No reply for awhile, then another twenty minutes later "...um, ok, well I've waited nearly an hour now so I guess we'll catch up another time. Bye."

Vodaphone. This is bad. When I tell my friend, later, "Oh shit I am sorry, I did send you a text! I don't know why you didn't get it!" it is going to sound like a crappy excuse. In fact, it IS a crappy excuse, because I've just wasted forty minutes of my friend's time because of your fucking fail telecommunications. You know the irony? Yup, SHE TOO IS A VODAPHONE CUSTOMER. So, basically, you can't even send text messages between users on your own damn network? Seriously?

Now obviously in this case, no greater tragedy befell either of us due to this telecommunications glitch. She got forty minutes of her time wasted, and I feel like a dickhead because of it. Nobody got hurt. Nobody died. But what if I'd been trying to make a call to emergency services? Or organise something more pressing and important than a coffee with a university colleague?

I'm not naturally a 'complain-y' kind of person, but I called vodaphone customer care today to chase up these issues (my data coverage, and this issue texting this friend of mine). I made it very clear to 'LARA' that I was making a complaint, and was put swiftly through to a customer service rep (points to vodafail for this one - at least I wasn't on hold forever).

The lady I spoke to was a very good listener, but did not offer me anything in the way of empathy or support. There were lengthy pauses after I'd spoken, and at length, the best she could do was offer to put me through to tech support. Now, to be honest, having called vodafail with a legit complaint, and having made it clear that I don't feel this is a problem on 'my end', and that I am very dissatisfied, I kind of expect to be offered some form of compensation. Obviously I am deluded, in that regard, but anyway...

She put me through to tech support, which seemed a bit pointless since I was pretty damn sure none of this was my problem, but I went along with it anyway, thinking perhaps tech support might enlighten me as to what sort of network issues they were experiencing that would mean someone ON THE SAME NETWORK was unable to receive my messages.

I reiterated the same story to the tech guy, who gave me the knee-jerk response of "Have you tried turning it off then on again". To which I replied "Yes" and reiterated (again) that this was a problem I had previously had when I was on three, that I knew other vodaphone customers had had problems with data coverage and messaging, that I was pretty sure it was an issue on their end, and that I was very displeased with it.

He then proceeded to ask "...what do you want me to do about it?"

Yes.

The customer service/tech guy at vodaphone sullenly demanded WHAT I WANTED HIM TO DO about my problem.

I was pretty dumbfounded by this, to be honest. I replied that I had really only called up to register a complaint, that I was fairly certan he, personally, could not 'fix' my issue, but that I was hoping that by registering it as a problem he could tell me a) whether other people had been experiencing the same issue and b) what VODAPHONE were going to do about fixing it and/or compensating me for a service that I was paying for and not getting the full use of.

He proceeded to ask me for the number that I was calling from. I should note that he had already taken this number down when he first answered my call, so quite why he needed it a second time, I don't know. Then he asked me for the number I was having problems texting (this is after me having to explain, repeatedly, that I was able to successfully call and text SOME numbers, just not this particular one - that I knew of). I had to go into my phonebook to get the number, but I managed to read it out to him.

After he had taken it down, he talked to me for a few more minutes, then said "...so what was the number that you were having problems texting?"

Um. Really? The number I gave you a minute and a half ago? The number you JUST WROTE DOWN (presumably?). THAT number?

When I informed him that it was the number I'd just given him, he mumbled something that I didn't quite catch. I then asked "Sorry, what was that, I didn't quite hear you?"

The line was silent.

"...sorry?" I asked again "I didn't quite hear what you said?"

Nothing.

".....hello?"

At this point I checked to see if the call was still connected. It was, but Mr Vodaphone didn't feel like talking anymore, apparently. I was so sick of the whole 25 minute conversation, at this point, that I just hung up.

I should also note that my first bill, which should (I thought) have been $55 (45 infinite + 10 for handset repayment) was $86. When I called about that, they informed me that as it was my first bill I was charged from the moment I began using the service, and for the subsequent billing period, but honestly I am a bit lost here. Does this mean I'm now paid up for a subsequent month? How does this work? Looking at my bill online, I certainly don't see that I've gone over my data or anything, so it shouldn't be additional fees for going over my cap - they've charged me for a month + the one or two weeks I was using the service before the billing period kicked in? I want to see a itemised explanation of this, but I assume I'm not going to get one...
15 Apr 2011 12:28:33 PM: i have had this exact same problem with the coverage for text messages, except it only sends messages which are less than 1 part in data charges, otherwise the message seems to not get through. if i try and be smart to get around it by sending two separate 1 part messages, neither of them make it through. i don't know whats going on there, i'm not even going to waste my time calling customer service after reading your post, the only option seems to be to ditch this crappy service and go with someone more reliable.
15 Apr 2011 01:02:29 PM: you have to make a complaint here: http://www.tio.com.au/ComplaintForm/ComplaintFormS1.asp

it takes 5 minutes, you'll speak to an Australian (and usually a pretty smart one), and they will actually achknowledge your problems AND issue compensation. PLUS there's the added benefit that when you lodge your complaint, Vodafone actually get fined =)
30 Apr 2011 10:20:24 PM: If you read the contract when you connected with Vodaphone it says (paraphrased) that you will receive two charges in your first bill, the first is a pro-rated amount from the time you start using your new Vodaphone service until the time your billing period starts (appox. ten days from when you sign your contract), the second is your first bill in advance. The pro-rated amount is a case by case basis, however if it transpires that your are already at your first billing period i.e. through a migration or something to that effect, then they will simply charge you the first month as would normally have happened, then the second month in advance. It all works out in the end and you do not get overcharged.

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16791 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Useless at 14 Apr 2011 09:11:09 PM
Not really a mess, I recently moved my service from Three to Vodafone with one month left on my contract with the idea of seeing how service was in my area.

The reason I did this was I moved from Sydney to the Hunter Valley six months ago and could not use data on Three without paying rip-off roaming fees.

My final contract month is up, the service seems OK although calls can be a problem but data is good.

I thought I would upgrade my service with Vodafone and rang "upgrades" for what I thought would be a 20min call. Over 5 hours later still no joy!

After being cut off numerous times and talking to many third world idiots I finally received a call from a supervisor which took 4 hours to arrive and came through on another service number I have with Three because obviously they could not reach me on my Vodafone service number!

During this call I was informed that after transferring from Three to Vodafone you must wait three months to upgrade if you expect a new handset despite the fact that I was specifically told I could upgrade after my final contract month was up.

During the time I have wasted on the phone trying to deal with Vodafone today I have also attempted to contact them on their Twitter & Facebook accounts with no response, probably due to the fact that Australian based customers do not want to deal with Third World Call Centres and are flooding the presumably Australian staffed Facebook and Twitter accounts with their problems.

Vodafone needs to immediately kill off it's overseas call centres and bring them back to Australia if they are serious about keeping their Australian customers.

When I want to talk to Sales or Upgrades I should be able to do so quickly and with competent Australian staff. OK phone companies don't really want to provide support so maybe keeping those call centres overseas is a good way of scaring customers from calling them and of course scaring customers away as soon as they can get out of contract but Sales & Upgrades should always be Australian based.

If I wanted to buy from overseas then I could just order a cheaper better phone online from America or Europe and get a pre-paid SIM.

I will be upgrading my phone in the next few days but probably it will be with Telstra or Virgin now.


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16790 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is VERY FARKIN FAIL at 14 Apr 2011 01:49:37 PM
Where to start...Last year in September(2010) i was in Japan with some mates. I use pre-paid vodaphone on an unlocked phone. As you can imagine being overseas and with pre-paid your credit can run out pretty quick accepting and making calls + texts. I tried to access my vodafone live account, I used the correct password and login but it said it couldnt find me. I then tried to email vodafone about it, they got back to me at the END of my trip, and asking me for details which i had already provided! So in the end i asked my mum and partner to text me through vodafone recharges (because accepting text is free thankgod). The real clincher here YOU NEED CREDIT TO RECHARGE? What? Are you kidding me? YOU NEED CREDIT IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY TO Rechage! Pretty damn frustrating to say the least. In the end I actually managed to bug the system so I could recharge by calling the recharge line numerous times. Stupid vodafone. YOU SUCK!

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16775 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is They make one.tel look good at 12 Apr 2011 09:01:33 PM
I left Vodafone 6 months ago when things got bad. I paid a leaving fee after going to the TIO and settled my account. Today I get a letter telling me my direct debit was cancelled due to a 'system error', and I should re-enable it.

I don't even have an account or an service with them any more. It just goes to show what sort of mess they are in if they cant differentiate current customers from ex-customers.

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16760 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Billing at 11 Apr 2011 10:43:44 PM
Vodafone constantly gets my billing wrong. I have been unlucky enough to be with them since December. The first month was signed up on incorrect plan and given no plan credit. Result over charged 178 dollars. Second month over charged 1434 dollars third month over charged 576 dollars this month major improvement over charged 30 dollars. All this on infinite plan 45 dollars go figure that. I am at a loss at their billing system it is just pot luck. One major improvement is call wait times is low now.

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16753 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is History at 11 Apr 2011 04:31:14 PM
Following a complaint to the TIO, Vodafone end dated my contract 7 months early.
I ported my number to another provider on Saturday which took approximately 3 minutes. A call to Vodafone on Sunday to ensure my service had been cancelled confirmed that the act of porting my number closed my account. This was the quickest phone call I have ever experience with Vodafone and only took a couple of minutes.

Job done!

I feel so sorry for the people I see when I pass Vodafone stores, don't they read the press? They have no idea how much grief they are signing themselves up for.
13 Apr 2011 12:00:33 AM: A majority of customer's have no issues. Do you really think the press is 100% truth that accounts for every single person?
13 Apr 2011 11:44:44 AM: Somewhere in the region of 22,000 Vodafone customers do have issues, can this be considered satisfactory? The press has published the fact that this number of people have joined the class action which I am sure can be verified.
As a Vodafone customer of more than 10 years standing I am saddened by the degredation in service and service standards. Sadly Vodafone just don't appear to get it!
13 Apr 2011 11:53:25 AM: Rather than employing staff to trawl this website and insert comments, Vodafone's resources would be better directed to deploying staff where they could have a positive effect on their product offering. Further evidence of why a large number of their former loyal customers feel that they are treated with contempt.
21 Apr 2011 05:57:42 PM: I totally agree , i work for another phone company and i constantly get people coming up to me saying vodafones got this and that ... hello there coverage is shit house lol ! no-matter what you tell people these days they still go in and sign up its sad .... coz they will end up like everyone of these people on this site

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16750 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is at 11 Apr 2011 01:39:02 PM
I recently signed on a 79 dollar contract and have paid more than $150 each bill, because I apparently check my voicemail account 10 times a day. Little do vodaphone know, I do not check my voicemail account ever! yet somehow I get charged for checking it and now 2 years later and more than $2000 worth of bills later I am cancelling my vodaphone contract today. Vodaphone fail. Thank you for making this website. I am glad someone else is feeling my pain.

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16742 Someone from Somewhere else thinks vodafone is Pathetic at 10 Apr 2011 08:44:55 PM
*****Read this***
I have not received a satisfactory response at all. I have been following up for the past 3 months. All they do is keep making you running around stating that they need to look into it. They have not idea with regards to the seriousness on the situation. I have been a good customer for the past 5 years with Vodafone.


Sent: 08 March 2011 09:26
To: '(DETAILS REMOVED)'
Subject: RE: ***Escalated Issue - Complaint# 164367205***

Good Morning Ms. Mundkur,

Appended mail refers; (9833518***)

I am writing to you as I do not have any option. This mail is being written twelve (12) days post my e-mail to the nodal officer. I have still not received a reply when your company states that I should receive a reply within three (3) working days. I am currently being faced with two (2) issues;

1) My incoming and outgoing is barred
2) I have been charged for a service that I have not utilised

I could write the issue again but I would really appreciate it if you could read the chain of prior mails before continuing reading my e-mail.

Reference #169740711
Further to the issues mentioned, I went to the Vodafone centre at Hypercity and the Vodafone rep confirmed that he saw the response to cancel the idata plan on my phone dated 5th October 2010.

I would appreciate it if you could look into this and have the matter resolved at the earliest as I am currently not able to keep intouch with my clients due to the services being barred. Just an overview, I have visited the Vodafone store 4-5 times in the last two (2) months and this is my third email to have someone look into this. For which I have not had a satisfactory response.

Thanks and regards,



Sent: 25 February 2011 19:22
To: '(DETAILS REMOVED)'
Subject: RE: ***Escalated Issue - Complaint# 164367205***

Good Evening Mam,

I am writing to you because I am facing an inconvenience with my service provider. I have my Vodafone connection for the past five (5) years and term myself as a sincere and devout customer of Vodafone.

The issue I am facing is; On 3rd October 2010, as I was travelling outside the city, I requested for the idata200 plan to be activated. Post my return to Mumbai on 5th October, I cancelled the plan (for activation and de-activation I have sms messages to and from Vodafone). Additionally, I called Vodafone to confirm the cancellation and I was informed that it would be cancelled from the following billing cycle. I was OK with that.

My billing is generally very high on a month-to-month basis, and I generally pay more than what is required as I mostly make the payments late every month. So I continued making my payments and in the month of Jan 2011, I found out that my bill was extremely high, so I checked my bill and found out that I was charged for the idata200 plan from October till date.

I have had an iPhone for the past two (2) years and I frequently have been accessing the internet as I have a WIFI connection at home. The WIFI connection allows me to do everything I require as I have an unlimited package. The reason why I activated the idata200 plan is because I was travelling in October 2010 and got lost and needed directions. Outside home, I have no use for the internet.

I have gone to the Vodafone store in Hypercity a couple of time to make this complaint but they informed me that I require to send an e-mail to register a complaint. I have also called the helpline with the same result. However, post sending the e-mail I have not received a suitable response from them either.

My initial e-mail was sent on 15th Feb with a response received on 22nd Feb and my following e-mail was sent on 22nd Feb with a follow-up on 24th Feb and today is the 25th Feb and I am still awaiting a response. The customer service representatives and Managers have little or NO authority to review my case and provide a resolution.

I receive client calls daily and cannot afford to have my services de-activated as I may lose a lot of business. Mam, I am a genuine person and would not try to cheat anyone. The only reason I am writing to you I because I believe that you can do something about it and help me.

If you require any further details, you can call me on 9833518*** or e-mail me on

I appreciate your time in looking into this matter.


Thank you and regards,



Sent: 24 February 2011 18:10
To: 'Vodafonecare Mum'
Subject: RE: ***Escalated Issue - Complaint# 164367205***

Awaiting a response?


Sent: 22 February 2011 16:46
To: Vodafonecare Mum

Subject: Re: ***Escalated Issue - Complaint# 164367205***

Hi - This email does not answer any of my questions.

Please help me understand. I am available on 9833518*** if you have any further questions.



On 22-Feb-2011, at 4:20 PM, Vodafonecare Mum <Vodafonecare.Mum@vodafone.com> wrote:

<image003.jpg>

Dear Mr. Pereira,

Thank you for your email dated 16/02/11, regarding for your Vodafone number 9833518***.

We tried contacting you on your Vodafone number 9833518*** and your Alternate number 28643859 but were unable to speak with you.
Mr. Pereira, we wish to inform that Vodafone live and Vodafone mobile connect are the core services, same as the STD and the SMS services.
However this does not include usage of certain applications like YouTube, video/ music streaming (e.g. Music Junction), tickers on HTML sites, handset applications and MMS which uses Vodafone Live! as access point and will be charged @ 10/10KB. These charges are applicable over and above the data plan.
If the handset has applications which auto refresh /update by connecting through the WAP gateway (Wireless Application Protocol) i.e. VL, will be charged accordingly. The settings for these applications are pre defined on the handset by the manufacturer.
We confirm that we have checked your bill dated 18/10/10 to 18/01/11 and confirm to you that the Gprs usage charges charged are indeed accurate.

We will be unable to reverse the charges as they are charged correctly.

In case you need further assistance, please do call or email us. We‘ll do our best to help you.

Happy to help,

(DETAILS REMOVED)
Vodafone Care
Contact numbers
For Enquiries : 111 or +91-9820098200
For Complaints / Requests : 198 (toll free)
Fax number : +91-22-66661200
E-mail : vodafonecare.mum@vodafone.com
Website : www.vodafone.in

<image002.gif>

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 12:46 AM
To: Vodafonecare Mum (MUM)
Subject: ***Escalated Issue - Complaint# 164367205***

Hi,

I am writing to you as I am facing an issue with my billing.

From the month of October 2010 I am being charged with GPRS for the
idata200 plan that is activated on my number. I requested for this
plan to be activated on 3rd October 2010 and then requested for it to
be cancelled on 5th October 2010. From 5th October onwards this plan
was supposed to be cancelled and not active on my number.

However I recently found out that the plan is still active on my
number and I am being billed for it since October 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: I have a WIFI connection in my house and I check my mail
and surf the net on my iPhone. I have had this connection since
October 2009. I do not know why is Vodafone charging me with this plan
when I cancelled it in October 2010. If you like I can send you copies.

I also have the SMS I sent to Vodafone for the cancellation of the
idata plan on 5th October and the conformation SMS from Vodafone on
the same day stating that the plan was cancelled.

I request to validate my billing from November till date and have the
charges reversed as they have been incorrectly been billed to me.
Total charged is INR 8,265 after deducting the free mb.

I will escalate this to the highest level if I have too to have this
issue resolved.


Please call me on 9833518*** or email me on if
you have any questions.


Thanks and Regards,

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16741 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is VF is totally a FAIL! at 10 Apr 2011 08:37:52 PM
Last last year in 2010 VodaFone my bill displayed an outstanding amount of 600 dollars to which I was very perplexed as I was on a $49 dollar cap for nearly the past two years.

I immediately called up customer servie and after having patiently waiting for 20 mins i got to the accounts department where the international lady very calmly stated that the bill was changed in july 2010 and i was sent a text message of this... I stated that i never recall such a text message and if they wanted to change my cotnract and plan then they could have had the decency to call me. The international lady then replied " we cannot call everyone" and me stated "YES YOU CAN"

i stated i never consented to such a change and would like the bill changed to the orignal amount of no more than $49 a month.

I had to have "the manager" call me back and after looking at the fact that i had been a customer for over ten years that they would change one of the bills!

hence i still owed 300 dollars - which is when i stated that if they did not change both bills then i would go straight to consumer affairs!

I HOPE THEY DO NOT TREAT LITTLE OLD LADIES LIKE THIS!


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16733 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Total automated Vodafone billing system FAIL! at 9 Apr 2011 03:29:54 PM
I signed up for a 24 month contract ($79), added an extra handset and plan ($49)to my existing account just over month later, received the next bill and instead of being charged for the monthly fee, I was being billed for what should have been the CREDITED amount, eg 79 & 49 should have totalled $128/month - instead billed approx. $850. Every month, hundreds of dollars were accruing against my account while dozens of calls to Vodafone were placed, all the while being assured the problem would be resolved. I ended up having to pay out the two contracts in one lump sum. The whole experience has damaged my credit rating.

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16705 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Mobiles at 7 Apr 2011 01:05:17 PM
I will keep the company that I work for annonomous but we have been through so much pain last year with Vodafone. ( we are one of australia's leading companies in the auto sector ) We moved our entire mobile fleet of 60+ mobiles and 50+ wireless modems to vodafone in an attempt to save some dollars during the GFC. before we did this we spent months working with VF who assured us there coverage was upto speed and they had spent over 35 million in the last year upgarding there network. The biggest concern for us was coverage in rural area's as many of our staff travel into rural areas across the country.

As soon as we migrated to Vodafone the problems began. We went from recieveing maybe one or two related mobile helpdesk calls a week, to roughly 30 or 40 requests a day. Our staff after a few days were so fed up, that we had recieved some of the most abusive calls and emails from staff. The problems ranged from ridicously poor coverage. ( even all staff in our office in the CBD had limited coverage ), handsets breaking down, wireless modem software constantly crashing, billing errors, numbers churned incorrectly, Vodafone support having no expertise in mobile sector and so on. We even had some of our major events crippled when we had staff with no communications. We cannot put a price on how much that simply effected our events, canmpains and lines with customers.

As far as vodafone were aware they were meeting there SLA's but they had no idea of how to record when there devices had no coverage. After 1 year of abserloute pain we have finally moved our fleet back to telstra and our telco problems have disapeered.

basically we ended up loosing a lot of money to move back to Telstra but it was worth every cent. seeing the back of vodafone is the best news all year.

My advice. Stay away from Vodafone, Stay very far away.
If you are a home consumer looking for cheap rates and not to concerened about coverage then vodafone may be a good option, otherwise stay away.
7 Apr 2011 02:51:18 PM: Stay very far away...........wise words indeed.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
16 Apr 2011 09:25:39 PM: Extremely wise words

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16696 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Big fat FAIL at 6 Apr 2011 07:17:18 PM
This was the email I wrote.


To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to make a complaint of my disappointing experience with Vodafone Customer Care as well as the Vodafone Service Centre located at 47 Park Road, Milton, Qld.
I visited the service centre today, (6th April 2011) to get my Nokia N97 repaired. Upon arriving just after 9am, I was informed by a staff member Danielle, that my phones IMEO number was not on my account. She asked me to return with a receipt of my puchase as they were not able to look at my phone without proof that the mobile was linked to my acct. I returned to the service centre at about 1pm with a "confirmation of upgrade" letter received previously from vodafone with details of the start date on my 24 month contract on the same N97. This time I was attended by a male staff member who advised me to call customer care since I did not have my receipt. (Why didn't Danielle tell me that at 9am?)
I rung customer care and spoke with Selvin who advised he would ring me back as he had to contact another department to link my IMEO with my account.
When Selvin rung back to say it had been done, the male staff member I was speaking with had left and I was informed he was on lunch. I would have appreciated it if he had let me know before he left. Danielle from my first visit at 9am then came out and took over.

All in all, I am disappointed that Vodafone did not take ownership for not linking my IMEO number to my N97 and wasted my time and fuel driving back and forth to the service centre. The service centre staff all exhibited poor attitude with dealing with me. No one was expressly rude to me, but neither did any of them care or try to help. On my last visit at around 3pm to pick up my phone, both the male staff member who went to lunch as well as a female co-worker were busy looking at internet footage of a girl riding a show jumping cow. I know this because they were chatting about it as I was waiting for my number to be called, by the way, there were no other customers waiting while the discussion on the show jumping cow took place.
It is highly unfortunate that your vodafone service centre staff are so lacking in professionalism.

Up till today, I was one of the few customers defending vodafone as I have been a customer for a number of years and I had not experienced technical difficulties that have been reported.
I am writing to tell vodafone that I will not continue on as a vodafone customer once my contract is up in Dec 2011. Take ownership when you stuff up and try to employ people who have some semblance of customer service.
I work in a company that employs 15'000 people in Australia. I will be letting as many of my co-workers know how frustrated and disappointing vodafone's service has been.

Lastly, please take off the $20 credit to my bill. I am not interested in monetary gain and cannot be bought off with $20. I just want an apology for Vodafone staff dropping the ball especially when you guys are apparently trying to retain customers and 'do better'.

That computer generated letter sent from your CEO is laughable.
10 Apr 2011 05:28:53 PM: *IMEI

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16690 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Very at 6 Apr 2011 07:00:54 AM
I'm in the Geebung area of Brisbane and have both vodaphone mobile broadband and vodaphone prepaid mobile telephone accounts. Regrettably I recently renewed my broadband account for 12 months, as vodaphone appeared to be lifting its game. Unfortunately, and in hindsight predictably, this perceived improvement in service delivery was short lived. I'm tired of waiting several minutes for a webpage to connect, only to have the search time out. If vodaphone are going to continue to sell mobile broadband accounts in this area they have an obligation to customers to ensure their mobile towers have capacity to service the number of customers in the area. Presently I'm lucky to get 5bps upload and this figure regulary fluctuates down to 0bps, which is why I can never get access. I relation to the vodaphone mobile telephone service, its coverage is poor compared to other mobile services, with most call connections dropping in and out. Calls are regularly terminated mid sentence due to the poor coverage. Vodaphone if you're going to sell a service please first ensure there is a service to be sold!

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16680 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Epic at 5 Apr 2011 07:33:58 PM
Today is the last straw, my wife had to end up going to a nearby McDonalds for free wi-fi to be able to research for her Uni assigment.

3G is really bad here in Homebush West, constantly cuts out, slows down and recently practically unusable. Have called Vodafail and they promised a call back by the technical team within 3-5 days, well this is the fifth day, they most probably cannot/won't get in touch with me because mobile connection has been extremely bad today too.

Seriously thinking about cancelling my Postpaid contract. Accounts have stuffed me around with credits too. Have to constantly call them to get credits I'm entitled to, unfortunately a lot of customer service don't know of promotions unless it is written on my account, so if for some reason it isn't, I have to teach Vodafail about Vodafail promotions.

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16679 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Epic at 5 Apr 2011 07:33:29 PM
Today is the last straw, my wife had to end up going to a nearby McDonalds for free wi-fi to be able to research for her Uni assigment.

3G is really bad here in Homebush West, constantly cuts out, slows down and recently practically unusable. Have called Vodafail and they promised a call back by the technical team within 3-5 days, well this is the fifth day, they most probably cannot/won't get in touch with me because mobile connection has been extremely bad today too.

Seriously thinking about cancelling my Postpaid contract. Accounts have stuffed me around with credits too. Have to constantly call them to get credits I'm entitled to, unfortunately a lot of customer service don't know of promotions unless it is written on my account, so if for some reason it isn't, I have to teach Vodafail about Vodafail promotions.

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16672 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Irretrievably failed at 5 Apr 2011 02:48:54 PM
My corporate account Vodafone doesn't work at home, on the train and now isn't working in the office. Called Vodafone, they advise I need to switch off 3G as their 3G tower is full. Seriously, that's their 'resolution'.

I dream about the day I wake up to find my number ported to Telstra - imagine the communication possibilities a working mobile could give you..!
5 Apr 2011 05:35:34 PM: Sadly we read the above all too often, change from 3G to something else just to get the bloody thing to work!

Of course with Telstra and Optus you are very rarely given this advice..........

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

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16648 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is They never forget to bill me. at 4 Apr 2011 12:30:45 PM

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16616 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is Mobile Broadband at 2 Apr 2011 11:23:45 AM
At the end of February 2010, I went into a vodafone store in the ACT to investigate possible mobile broadband plans. I was assured that where I resided in the ACT had good coverage and so signed a 24 month contract.

The coverage since that date has never been up to scratch, sometimes taking over 40 minutes to download lecture recordings that I require for University. Throughout the second half of 2010 i spent much time on the phone to vodafone (costing me money every single time as I was not offered callback) and in one week alone spent at least 5 hours in the store troubleshooting. My sim was replaced AND the modem, however the bad service continued.

Recently, I went into the store again and spoke customer service on the phone, I was not able to convince them to terminate my contract without waiving the early exit fee despite the fact they have not upheld their side of the bargain.

I was assured coverage would improve in the next three months and was given three months credit on my account (which i was thankful for) and also a network enhancer was to be sent to home within 5-7 days. FOUR WEEKS later and I still have not recieved this network enhancer, even after another trip to the store and a further lengthy telephone call.

This is just part of what I have been through with vodafone and needless to say when I am either released from my contract or finish paying it off I will never go with vodafone again and will ensure that I do my best to ensure everyone knows just how much trouble they have caused and how much money i have wasted on a second rate service.
2 Apr 2011 04:51:55 PM: You shouldn't have to put up with a lack of service while Vodafone keep charging you every month. Fill out a complaint to the TIO (linked to from the how to complain page). They will make sure Vodafone can resolve the problem or let you out of your contract without paying.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

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16605 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is fail with a big fat capital F! at 1 Apr 2011 05:01:15 PM
I have never dealt with more incompetent, unhelpful, intellectually challenged people in my life!
My partner and i signed up for the exactly the same plan, with the exactly the same phone, we also both pay insurance. After comparing bills each month mine was at least $15 higher than hers. At first i just thought that i had been going over my cap, using the internet too much maybe, so i let it slide. But in the end i found out that Vodafone have been billing me incorrectly for several months now!!!!! This issue was extremely hard for me to dicover because when i go to actually view my bill online, it says that it is a 'broken link'!!!!
After several time wasting calls to the customer service call centre, and speaking to several people from a number of different countries (each with unclear and crackling phone connections) i finally spoke to someone who who appeared to have been able to figure out that i was being charged for 2 insurances and not 1 !!!! She was actually quite helpful and assured me that the problem had been rectified and that their would be an investigation into the problem and they would contact me in a week or so to follow up. They didnt! Surprise surprise! I made several more attempts to contact them again but due to 40min+ delays i had to choice but to give up!
Today i went into a vodafone shop (thinking that face-to-face contact might actually not only improve the customer service but also the waiting times....) It was there i found out that i had also been charged for another phone number that was somehow connected to my account! The girl then told me that she couldnt fix it for me i had to ring the customer service number AGAIN! Once my contract is up (which i cant wait for!) IM DONE WITH THEM!

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16598 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is a rip off at 1 Apr 2011 03:30:47 PM
they sent my bill out recently and it was $300 and i rang asking how, as the plans on my bill are a $45 infinite and a $69 with $10 a month extra for insurance, and because we dont call 13 numbers and i had only used $100 of my cap credit that it wasnt possible for my bill to be that high. At first she said well you must have made the 13 calls and i said NO i dont think so now look i have a level 2 complaint with the TIO against you and i want answers as to how my bill was so high, next thing i know she put me on hold comes back and says oh sorry there have been some wrong to charges on your account. Makes me think how many "wrong charges" have been on my account of the years and how much money ive potentially lost to their dodgy billing system.

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16574 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is at 1 Apr 2011 12:30:26 PM
Just absolutely sick and tired of constantly having connectivity issues around lower north shore with vodafone. Using 3G for iphone. Iphone constantly just chugs away waiting for network on email and apps etc despite showing full bars. Calls often fail (say 1 out of 5 at the moment) I have been patiently just putting up with this (perhaps the silent minority these days). When you pay over $180 a month for 2 phone accounts such a basic failure to deliver just basic connectivity has driven me to the point where I think I will just sign up with telstra (who I never thought I would use for mobile given there expense).

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16567 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Redundant information at 1 Apr 2011 11:52:42 AM
When seeking telephone support (1555) it is necessary to enter the mobile phone, account password and security information (DoB, address etc). Then, when you are transferred to another Vodafone person, you have to reenter all that information. Which is a pest when you're getting the run-around and end up talking to 3 or 4 different people.

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16554 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is Its the 'Charlie Sheen Winning' of all fails. at 1 Apr 2011 10:37:41 AM
(1) Cant seem to connect for about 70% of the time I try to call. There's no ring tone, I hear an awkward silence and then an abrubt disconnection. I was for a couple of months, immediately trying to redial and call again until I noticed in my bill that I was being charged a connection fee and an average 6 seconds of talk time (cleverly billed in 30 second blocks) for each of these failed connections. Thats around 60c per vodafail. I could tell it was for the failed connections as I found repeated instances in my bill where I had dialled the same number 4 or 5 times in a 20 second period each call for around 6 seconds. When I spoke to the guy in the Vodafone shop he told me that I shouldnt worry as even with these incurred costs I was no where near my cap. The fact that the reason I was no where near my cap was because I could never actually connect to anyone I was trying to call seemed lost on him.
(2) Cant get SMS's out. I keep getting a fail message and asking me to re-send. I also dont get new text messages unless someone calls me or miraculously I manage to get through to someone (this seems to wake up the network in regards to my phone).
(3) In the middle of Canberra's CBD I cant get bars....repeatedly.
(4) In remedying this Vodafone both in the stores and on the phone ask me to do really techincal things like .....wipe my sim card, or blow on it. Have had the sim replaced and still no joy.

Am now thinking of contacting the ombudsman.

Any thoughts?

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16550 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Brendon Fevola at 1 Apr 2011 10:19:01 AM
Went to the TIO great service, gave me an offer to get out of my contract or stay on half price till May when problems should be resolved, and if I still wanted out a note would be left on my account allowing me to.
Problems got worse and rang up vodafone, there apparently was no note and they did not know which phone I owned and they wanted me to pay the full contract.
Went back to the TIO, they re-opened my claim and put it up to level two, now vodafone has 21 days to respond. It's currentely day 12, and after 21 days the TIO will take further action.
PEOPLE IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS TRY CALLING VODA BUT DON'T WASTE TOO MUCH TIME AND GO TO THE TIO, THEY'RE FANTASTIC!

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16534 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Infinite fail at 1 Apr 2011 08:56:54 AM
Logged into their website to check my billing and guess what -
"We are unable to retrieve your plan details at this time.
Please try again in a little while "

Was like this last night and up till this morning, anyone else getting this.



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16526 Someone from ACT thinks vodafone is mega fail at 1 Apr 2011 08:00:38 AM
have been with vodafone since 2000. didn't have many issues until mid 2010 (which coincidentally seems to be when they took the reigns from 3). i get voicemail alerts from calls that i didn't receive the day before, delayed messages. was at the multicultural festival in the city and had no reception anywhere apart from a small area behind the canberra centre. internet coverage is extremely slow.

a few weeks back i got a letter from them appologising for the awful standard of service and how the problem had now been fixed. a few days later i get the same problems with long delays in receiving messages.

add to this trying to cancel my mobile broadband with three (now owned by vodafone) after stating that the service was slower than dial up during peak times the gimp on the other end of the line kept trying to give me special offers like creditting my account with $5 each month for three months like that would help. after 15 mins on the phone he finally said he would cancel it. after i got what was meant to be my final bill i kept getting monthly bills for a few months and had to keep calling them to get the account cancelled. it wasn't until i called, gave them my account number and said "i don't care what you do as long as you put a note on that file saying i had complained to the ombusman's office". screw you vodafone and three, and the crap service you provide. my current contract is almost up and i will be going to another provider when that happens.

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16507 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Very failed! at 1 Apr 2011 06:45:18 AM
I was offered an upgrade to an iphone4 - and I rang vodafone - and I was told to use the coupon/brochure I was mailed out online to upgrade to the iphone 4. I explained I wanted to keep my number - and I was assured that it would be fine.

I soon found that instead of being upgraded - I was assigned a new account - a new number - and was being charged for 2 accounts and two phones! I rang customer service who said that this was my fault... and that nothing could be done to rectify the situation. I asked if I could cancel my original account - transfer my old phone number to my new account - and was told that was not possible - but that I could keep both accounts or give my original account to a friend!!

In the end I finally got them to cancel the original account - but I was still liable for 2 months of bills - and I had to change my phone number.

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16500 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is Consistently billed incorrect amount for internet service. at 1 Apr 2011 01:06:35 AM
I am getting rid of Vodafone this month after 2 years of pain. (HIGH FIVES ALL ROUND) All I can say is that from the very first month I was billed incorrectly for my $39.00 monthly plan. The situation became ridiculous when I went overseas for 6 seeks and they sent me a $290.00 dollar bill for the month I didn't even use the service at all. I am on an 8Gb monthly plan and I should pay $20 every GB I go over that amount. Last months bill states that I used 9Gb and therefore I am being charged for $230.00. This means that I am being charged $191.00 for the additional 1 Gb. When I called vodafone to complain I was advised that the additional charges are because I receive a paper bill in the mail. I explained that the paper bill is an additional fee of only $4.00 but the Indian guy kept repeating to me that the maths where correct and I have been charged correctly. But this is just one of the many tales of woe I have been through with this hopeless company. At one stage last year they told me I owed them $1600.00 for 3 months use. But what really pissed me off is that in the past 2 years I would say I have spent overall 80-90 hours trying to resolve these issues - Thats more than 2 working weeks of my life wasted that I will not get back. And I don't even want to go into the stories about my coverage for both internet and mobile phones. So my advise is don't even bother calling their call centre if you have any issues. Call the ombudsman and then someone from the Vodafone NZ call centre will call you back and wipe away all your bullshit fees. Also please tell all you friends to stay the hell away from this company as you will end up with third world service in every way. In conclusion I would just like to say "GO TO HELL VODAFONE, YOU PISSED ME OFF FOR 2 YEARS YOU ROTTEN BASTARDS BUT NOW I AM FREEEEEEEEEE".

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16497 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is True indian company at 31 Mar 2011 11:46:28 PM
What a laugh this is. I have a shared business plan with 3 numbers connected. I also have my personal number hooked up to three. My three number came out of contract, so I decide to have one of my business numbers removed to allow my three number to migrate/port into my shared business plan, sounds simple? Yes...to an Australian. I phoned the vodafone business line, that where all the bright people are Right...Wrong, for your money's worth you get a Indian bloke who couldn't grasp what I wanted. So after explaining to him in simple slow English, he said I can help you with that. So here said it would take 48hrs for your three number to be ported to vodacrap. Within hours my three number stopped working.. Great no personal phone thanks. So I waited for 48hrs in the mean time I sent of an email writing to say just which or how will my number start to work since both my sims no longer work, the three sim and one off my vodadribble plan. Received a reply 48 hrs later, I was over the moon that they took the time to reply I mean rock gods never send replys so why would vodapoo. I was told to go to my local vodalost store and get a sim card, no explanation what to do then. So I lined up to get served 40 mins later, only to be served by a kid that was clueless, so he spoke to his supervisor who said for me to go into next door to the three shop and they would fix it up because it's three fault. So waited next door for 10mins until one of the smarter staff could look into the system to work out what's going on. They couldn't log into my account because my three number was gone out of the system, so she tried my vodapoision account and discovered the nice Indian bloke had removed 2 of the 3 shared business numbers off my account and attached my three number to my only working number, like why you can't attached 2 numbers together, but he did to the point no one was able to fix it, so after 2hrs trying to sort this mess out, they sent me on my merry way and told me they ring me when they could sort it out. Mean time your ported number will be off line for another 24hrs. Great I said. Now I was given a blank sim card earlier, and I said don't you have to copy the sim serial number to link it to my ported number when you sorted out the mess, oh yeah the staff member said, and wrote it down on a bit of scrap paper. I guess it means it won't be connected for awhile if at all. But wait there's more... I can't login to my vodaflop account, that doesn't work now. But wait there's more... After emailing the nice Indian man I'm now getting spam in my inbox from India for web designing.....so let this be a lesson no matter what they say about improvements on there propaganda website is all smoke and mirrors. No bang for your bucks from this Indian global company, just lies, thanks vodalost.
1 Apr 2011 08:36:50 AM: glad to see somebody speak there mind about vodaflop, vodafink, vodasmoda, i am on your side about there help and service, i would NEVER go to vodafone ever again once this $99 a month no service 99% of the time only 8 months left to go. i wish you well with this problem but dont hold your breath.
1 Apr 2011 02:40:27 PM: Ok here's part 2 of the above story. After half a day of no phone call from vodaempty I called there head office in downtown India, as it turns out they got all my numbers back online including my ported number, but wait there's more... Sorry sir it will be another 48hrs to connected your ported number from three to voda, grand predicted total 7 days offline with my ported number, I'm something will balls it up again considering that the call quality from India was in par with the moon landing in the 1960s good on you vodalost for showing your customers you can still ask for your money every month and give a sub Standard call quality to customer don't give a care line. 7 days with your number not working, who in there right mind would port from telstra or optus to vodadodge
1 Apr 2011 10:35:46 PM: vodajoke will be vodasmoke or vodakapoof and will be much like the joke they were in the mid 1990"s and after finally having it almost perfect in 2009 they decide to merge with 3 network and now it a complete vodashamble or vodaitsnotmyproblem but i will transfer you to my supervisor and after 30 to 50 minutes and no answer, someone asks if they can help you and its not the section that can help you and you are transfered again only to find out there closed and you have to ring back in business hours. vodacrumbles do you know how to run a business ?. apparently not according to the general vodafone customers leaving to get a network that can provide a service. vodashame its no use having the extra towers you have promised this year if you have nobody to use them. from the i cant wait for the last 7 months of contract to go so i can really tell vodaphoney where the tower should be stuck.
2 Apr 2011 07:34:10 AM: Agree on day 4 with porting issues still no number have now blog vodatwits on Facebook and vodacorpse at head office Hutchinson. Don't expect much to happen as everything is done at vodamumbai. So I've decided to take on board to help vodawasted with there new slogan for free. "vodafone, the network with no connection"
2 Apr 2011 08:28:29 AM: The above is such a good Vodaread, how many different Vodaconnotations can there be?

My favourite to date is Vodacorpse..............brilliant!

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
2 Apr 2011 09:31:51 PM: maybe vodaclosed will contact there vodaopen section on monday and get connected to the vodalimitedtimeopen section and talk to vodamysupervisor and get vodastuffedaround and you will have another vodaexcuse and the its not my vodafault and is there anything else i can help you vodawith. i just want this vodafixed.
3 Apr 2011 10:52:52 AM: Thanks for your support. Day 5 still nothing, just posted another complaint on vodadumbs Facebook page. Trying hard not to lose the plot with this porting issue. Keep you all posted if the staff from vodapurgatory get in touch. Cheers
3 Apr 2011 04:24:04 PM: vodastoned will have you connected very soon, i will just vodacheck for you, the vodasection has told me it will take only 48 hours for you. can i vodaupgrade your plan for you, and that will only take a vodaweek which is 1 to 3 months in normal english. ONLY NOKIA CONNECTS PEOPLE and vodafone disconnects.
3 Apr 2011 04:26:49 PM: VODAFONE DISCONNECTING PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD,
3 Apr 2011 04:31:41 PM: PLEASE RING VODAFONE CUSTOMER CARE NOW, THERE WAITING FOR YOUR CALL.
3 Apr 2011 06:15:45 PM: It's a Vodatragedy that this scenario is allowed to carry voda-on. Be very interested to see what Vodatranspires.

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
3 Apr 2011 07:39:55 PM: HELLO THIS IS VODAFONE CUSTOMER SERVICE WE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR 48 TO 86 HOURS AS OUR ONLY CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSISTANT HAS FALLEN OFF HIS BICYCLE ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK TO HIS HOME, SOOOOOOOOORY FOR THE INCONVENIANCE.
4 Apr 2011 08:19:32 PM: Well here I am again this time last wk I spoke to vodamumbai and ask them to port my 3 number to vodaconstipation, and was told the whole process would take 48hrs. Well now it's just about a week, and have vodablog them on Facebook and on there vodasite, and also been to vodapurgatory store, and even sent a dear John letter to hutchinson Australia. And yet not one vodazombie has had the compassion to give me some glimmer of hope, and contact me. Sure I haven't be nice to tell them on there pages, but I'm the the sort of soul if you tell me 48hrs to port them I expect that. So now I'm taking to heart to support the passion of all of us poor people ejected by vodapoision to do my bit and to blog there pages till they port my number or till my contract expires in august or until I get sued for been a pest which ever comes first.
5 Apr 2011 10:00:56 PM: ok as it couldnt get any worst it has after a week my 3 number ported over to vodasuck but it was ported straight over the top of my business number, so now my clients cant ring me and the number has gone to quarantine. at the moment waiting for numbers section to open 8am so vodaaussie can grab my number and return it to me at the start of trade in the morning. also suspect vodamumbai has disconnected my 1g date that i added to that number. So I'm hoping that its fix as the number they screwed with is on my ute, trailer business cards, call centre. So if its not fixed by morning then my life in business is over I'm ruined. Then i will go to TODAY SHOW, ACA, THE AUSTRALIA, what ever it takes to personal hold vodafone accountable for there vodamumbai affair.
5 Apr 2011 10:39:08 PM: was that vodanumbbye or vodagumby or vodamumbai is vodaaussie just a myth or some aussie on holidays in india doing part time job in mumbai, or could it also be a indian with a voice changing device to trick you into thinking he is a aussie, how much longer can this VODAFONE MAJOR PROBLEM EXECUTIVES WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE, because your job may be next to go. ps i am not racist but i think aussies could do all of the customer service in the australian area and indians do all of the indian customer service in india, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AUSTRALIAN MADE AUSTRALIAN OWNED.
6 Apr 2011 05:08:56 PM: Update problem resolved. It took and Aussie to sort out a vodamumbai stuff up. Let this be a lesson to the CEO of vodafone. Don't rely on cheap labour from overseas, it will always bite you in the butt, luckily I didn't go to the press, let's hope you haven't stuffed up my billing in this fine mess Nigel
6 Apr 2011 06:22:26 PM: Vodaresult!

Vodafail.com Moderation Team

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16495 Someone from VIC thinks vodafone is useless at 31 Mar 2011 10:59:57 PM
Signed up with vodafone just before new years 2011 and I regretted it after a month. Paid my bill using their credit card phone system. Apparently they never received any payment from me and I was still owing $68.00. Rang for weeks and kept getting told to FAX (not email, not mail)..FAX my bank statements stating that I paid the bill on the proclaimed date. It clearly showed on the statement that the money came out of my account and was sent to the vodafone company.

After receiving my faxes, they called me saying that "this does not tell me it came to us" which is bollocks because it has their company name on the statement. After continuous weeks of back and forth arguments with customer care, I ended up speaking to someone in the higher end department. She said that it was possible the money went to SOMEBODY ELSES account instead of my own. She said "For now, I will adjust your account so you owe nothing"... 2 weeks later they must of found my money and added it as credit to my account for the next month to be already paid.

IMO mistakes like this can happen but the way customer care handled this situation was pathetic and wasted more of my money on fuel to get to a fax machine, money to pay to use the fax machine, money to get proper bank statements (NAB charge $4.00 per statement), and last but not least, a waste of my time when i had more important things to do instead of trying to explain to some idiot over the phone for an hour nearly everyday that i paid the god damn bill.