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

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ACT (1140)Everywhere (19206)NSW (7557)NT (170)QLD (3578)SA (987)Somewhere else (224)TAS (242)VIC (3573)WA (1735)
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12092 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Frustrating as f*** at 11 Jan 2011 03:22:09 PM
Issue 1: Poor customer service? Maybe not super poor, but less than ideal for sure.
Once my previous contract ended just midway through last year, I bought myself a handset from online (a Nexus One shipped from the States) and changed myself to a Sim-only cap which included 3G data allowance.
3G didn't work. The Vodafone dealer/reseller told me I needed a new sim (er... ok) so I go to the official brand store and wait in line forever (at least the chick who served me was polite enough) and I told them my problem and that I was told to get a new sim. No questions, suggestions, second opinions, just an "ah, ok" response and they gave me a new sim. Still no 3G. I thought my phone was faulty, but then I swapped sims with a friend with the same phone and that magically worked (although my sim f**ked his phone up momentarily). So I succumb to calling the call centre where the very helpful individual on the other end of the line informed me that data wasn't enabled on my account. They helped switch it on for me but they couldn't answer why it was disabled in the first place, despite my probing and cajoling. Although what I -really- enjoy is the fact that the staff in-store couldn't even take the initiative to solve the problem properly by checking my account options to see whether data was enabled in the first place.

Issue #2: Reception issues
I've had audio quality issues in the past (others not being able to hear me) and chalked it up to my handset (an original 1st gen iPhone). I changed my phone and plan, but since moving to my new place I've noticed a brand new set of reception issues. Nowadays, my phone calls often consist of the other person's voice cutting in and out such that I can't even follow what words they're saying, let alone piecing together a sentence, and eventually the call just drops out. The other person can hear everything I say, I just can't seem to hear them. In my unit this seems to happen 99.99% of the time. I play the walk-around-the-unit-repeating-"hello? hello? are you there?" game until I find a spot where I can start to hear them. It's not my handset, because it doesn't happen everywhere in the world/Sydney. It's not my unit, because everyone else who passes through my unit (including my housemates) are fine. I have to admit I was in denial at first, but now I'm pretty sure I'm a victim of sh*t poor service.
My family's mobile plans are all through the one Vodafone account which I manage. I can only hope that they aren't experiencing the same issues as I am because I loathe to think that our family is funding this freaking circus freak show that is Vodafone AU.

Issue #3: Security breach
Seriously. WTF. How stupid can you freaking be? Any and all breaches should be traceable because every single staff member should have a unique friggen login ID (amongst other authentication protocols). And high-turnover/low-level staffers should have the most limited access to personal information possible (if a mere dealer is responsible for such a serious breach, then it is most -definitely- the fault of Vodafone AU and its poor business/IT practices).
If there are indeed instances of "communal" login IDs in place at Vodafone branches/resellers/whatever, I don't see how changing the passwords every 24hrs is helping to track/isolate an offending employee/dealer who is using a login that is also used by n individuals (where n is > 1).

Issue #4: Lara
I hate automated phone menus which ask for verbal responses/cues. But my goodness, Lara is the ONLY one who makes me swear like a sailor within 20 seconds every freaking time I call. I feel very sorry for the individual behind Lara's voice. I just know that if I heard her on the street I'd instantly think of Lara and be like "F*ck f*ckity f*ck aarrrggghhhh!" and want to punch her in the face.
11 Jan 2011 04:28:37 PM: Check out the 'How To Complain' link at the top of the page. The TIO will no doubt be able to assist you
11 Jan 2011 05:28:57 PM: I think LARA is the same happy happy voiceover chick that does the voiceovers for ABC kids TV.
As with LARA for Vodafail, her voice drives me crazy with frustration when I try to lodge a call with VF customer service.