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

Resolve Your Issues


There are three main ways of getting your Vodafone issues resolved. In order they are: contact Vodafone (may take some time), contact the TIO (takes a bit more time), contact the ACCC (last resort, will take a lot of time).


First check the Vodafone outage page to see if the problem you are experiencing has been reported and is under investigation. If not contact Vodafone customer care on one of the many numbers listed on their website (1555 from your Vodafone mobile or 1300 650410 from any other phone). We have received reports that wait times vary between 20 minutes and over 2 hours. When you call, you have the option of Vodafone calling you back when they get to your call.

Take this option otherwise you will be listening to hold music for a while.

Vodafone has a social media team that checks facebook, twitter and their own forum for people who have fallen through the cracks of their phone and email support. If you contact Vodafone through here they should be able to help you with your issues.

When you are contacting Vodafone, keep a note of how long you have waited and what the suggested resolutions are. This will be important if your problems persist.

Please keep in mind that the Vodafone employees may be handling a lot of complaints and to be courteous and respectful when you are visiting Vodafone stores.

"The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) aims to settle disputes quickly in a fair, objective and non-bureaucratic way, having regard not only to the law and to good industry practice, but also to what is fair and reasonable in all the circumstances."

The TIO is the place to go when you have contacted Vodafone and they haven't resolved your issues. It is important that you contact Vodafone first as the TIO will want to give Vodafone the chance to fix the problem first. If Vodafone fails to act, register your complaint with the TIO here.

I personally had my Vodafone issues resolved by Vodafone customer care after contacting the TIO with my concerns. I had previously contacted customer care many times before getting to this stage.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is a government sponsored organisation designed to protect the rights of the consumer and help them resolve issues with businesses. Information on how the ACCC can help and how to get that help is available here.

Piper Alderman is running a "class action against Vodafone to recover losses suffered by its customers over the last three years, plus interest. If you are one of these customers, register your interest in joining the class action. There will be nothing to pay unless you successfully recover compensation." Vodafail is not affiliated with the class action.


We wish you all the best in resolving your issues. Please make sure you try the above options in order and as they are relevant to you.



Privacy and Security Issues


There have been reports that unauthorised users have access to the personal information of Vodafone customers. If you feel that your privacy has been breached or are concerned about this situation, then you can file a complaint with the following organisations. These are listed in the order that they should be contacted.


Vodafone's privacy policy details the personal details they collect along with how they are used. The policy also states how your details will be stored "in a secure environment protected from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure." If this isn't the case for you then you can contact Vodafone's new dedicated privacy hotline on 1300 728 539.

The Privacy Commissioner of the Australian Government handles complaints from individuals who feel their privacy has been violated. Filing a complaint is free however a complaint must be filed by post and can take 12 months to resolve. Realistically this is an unacceptably long amount of time to wait.


If you have taken your complaint to the Privacy Commissioner and are not satisfied with the result. Then you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman and appeal the decision. They also require a complaint form to be downloaded and submitted by post.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has previously investigated a privacy breach by Telstra in October 2010. The ACMA has described it's role as to ensure "effective consumer protection to consumers" in the Australian communications industry. This latest series of events warrants a prompt investigation by the ACMA on behalf of all Vodafone customers who may be affected.

The ACMA cannot be contacted directly with specific complaints regarding privacy however you can inform them of the need for an investigation.


We wish you all the best in resolving your issues. Please make sure you try the above options in order and as they are relevant to you.