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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8175 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is unfair trade at 29 Dec 2010 09:18:35 AM
One friend of mine who is currently working in Vodafone/3 store told me that all iphone 4 handsets are now kept for new customers in order to achieve their "monthly target".Existing customers who want to upgrade to iphone 4 have no chance at all to get iphone 4 from Vodaphone stores. I have been waiting for upgrading my Nokia N95 8G to iphone 4 for more than 3 month but they still declare they have no stock. At the same time, in their back office of each store, new handsets of iphone 4 are in a pile for new connect. It is unfair for the loyal existing customer like me!
29 Dec 2010 09:20:11 AM: this is true, when i went to purchase a new mobile the other day and asked about the iphone, they would not tell me if it was available or not until i told them i was a new customer!
5 Jan 2011 06:04:15 PM: The story goes as following for me...

28/12/2009 - iphone 3G on a 24 month $79 cap.

Around 3 months before termination of the contract I go to a Vodafone store in order to find out how I could upgrade to an Iphone 4. I decide to wait for the last 3 months as it comes for free.
When I reach the last three month period, I go to Vodafone Crown Casino and ask for an Iphone 4 - they have run out of stock. No worries, I ask the guy in the store to put one on the side when new stocks turns up and to call me back so we can upgrade. This guy, takes a blank piece of paper and puts down my name and my telephone number - no more than this. Suspicious, I ask him to put a note in the system in my customer file. He does not and assures he will call back. I walk out of the store convinced I will not be called back.
A few weeks have passed, I am at work (I have not received a phone call from Crown), I receive a phone call from Vodafone Call centre and they start talking about an upgrade. I am busy at work and ask them to call me back after work (around 6PM).
One week goes by, No one called back, I decide to go to Crown Casino and find out why I am still 'on Hold' for an iphone. I ask the staff if they have any in stock - answer is no. Next question is naturally, when are you expecting a new batch? They don't know. A bit disappointed, I ask if they have recently received any in store, she replies shamelessly 'yes'. A bit angry, I then ask why they have not rung me. 'Sorry, we no longer call customers on a waiting list' is the answer I am given!
I go back home and decide to give a call to Lara who will be of some precious help!!! he he
After one hour on Hold, I get a lady to whom I expose the Crown Casino issue as well as the Telephone salesman that had not called me back. I ask her to have a look through the note in my file. The salesman had written that I told him I would call back for the upgrade... Hmmm, then I get p@^%ed off. I ask this lady to proceed right away to the upgrade. Answer is 'No, we cannot do any iphone upgrade over the telephone you need to go to a vodafone store'. Finding the situation ridiculous, I ask her to put me through to her manager. After a few minutes on Hold, she tells me someone will call back within the next 5 minutes as he is currently busy. No need to say that no one rang.
The following Saturday, I go to another Vodafone Store on Elisabeth Street in Melbourne CBD. They do have iphones in store!!! Woaw, I am eventually going to get the Iphone 4! Well, everything goes well, until the salesman tells me that as an existing customer, I cannot proceed to an Iphone upgrade as the product stock is currently low and a new Vodafone Policy (from that same Wednesday) only allows new customers to get the Iphone 4. I explain this guy everything I mentioned in this post, with sympathy he goes to have a chat to her manager who refuses. He offers me to ring Customer care, 1st to find out why the manager who was supposed to ring me back earlier during the week did not call me back and, 2nd to get the upgrade over the phone. After 30 minutes over the phone, the staff over the phone tells him a manager will call me back before the end of the afternoon. Knowing that the chances that no one calls me back, I tell the guy in store that I will pop in before the store closes. He agrees. Around 3PM, no calls whatsoever. I go to the store and have a chat to that same guy, who confessed that he was not surprised. He tried one more time with her manager who once again coldly says no. We call customer care once again and we ask to be put through to Priority care... another 30 minutes to wait - where is the priority? We are notified that within the next 15 minutes someone is going to call back. And so it happened.
We explain the issue once again and then, I am just asked to wait keep ringing until the iphone becomes available. I decide to cancel my plan when it comes to its end, she does not see any issue with this she even gives my my customer number so I can port my number to any carrier. Woaw, I am so shocked by this level of customer service.
I then went to Telstra and Optus where they had stock, but as temporary resident on a 457 visa, the plans were much more expensive and did not include international phone calls.

So here we are, lately I popped into a Vodafone store where a lady gave me a piece of paper. Vodafone has put a special number for existing customers who want to upgrade to an iphone or a HTC desire or a Samsung Galaxy. I gave a call, to place the order where the dodgy sales lady tried to sell me a $100 plan because the phone was free. Being now on a $69 plan, the 32GB cost $5 a month - Rough calculation, it is cheaper to stay on the plan I am at the moment - even if the phone costs me $5 per month. Are they also trained to take people for idiots? After 10 minutes battling with her - she was really insisting, I manage to get the pre-order. She tells me that I will be rung back before 10/01/11 in order to tell me when the iphone will be available, until then I am free to walk away.
If no answer from them by the 9/01, I will call to cancel and may buy it outright.

Also, my service is really poor too, I just thought, it was coming from my old iphone.

Good luck to you all and I feel sorry if there are some mistakes in this message - English is not my mother language.