after lots of dealing with an indian call centre, after hours of promises, was advised nothing could be done and exit would cost around $900.
Then spoke with supervisor of local crazy johns store who was quite helpful and managed to get contract terminated for me.
If you are in NURIOOTPA area do not use vodafone. poor coverage.

Called Vodafone to complain about the usual issue. Slow voicemail message, poor reception, drop outs, slow text messages. Got 3 months of free account. Usual charge is $69 a month so as long as I use phone as usual, should be free for 3 months. Next stop will be TIO so I can try and get out of contract which is up in Oct. Have already switched by two kids phones to Telstra as they were prepaid. No reception problems, internet loads just fine.

a lot of complaining - and expressing that i had contracted for a service that was not being supplied

sent them a email.
they let me out of my contract no questions asked and were genuinely kind about it.

originally coverage maps showed my area as fine, but the updated ones show no indoor reception.

I called up Vodafone and made a complaint about the consistently sub-standard Internet coverage and about yesterday's little SMS mishap. I was extremely polite and courteous and explained to them that I found it unacceptable to be paying $70 a month for a crippled service. They understood completely and offered to waive my bill for the last 3 months of my contract. After that, I'll be porting out to Telstra, since their network is really good. Just be courteous to them and they'll help you out. Rudeness does not help, I find, since it's not Customer Care's fault that the infrastructure design is so awful.

I've had Vodafone for 13 years and also an Optus work hone for 4 years. Generally people get rid of their own phone once they get a work phone... but actually you cant do that with Optus, you need another phone to ensure you always have coverage.

I honestly cannot understand why people are winging about coverage? 'Coverage' has always been fine, on either a Nokia or non Apple smartphone, in most places all over the country. Admittedly there are a couple of dead spots around the places i travel but you could not say that Optus is better than Vodafone.

This leads me to believe one thing... Australians are being brought up a breed of WINGERS!

I hear this website started over a dude who had bad service within 6 weeks of joining? What the hell! You guys need to toughen the hell up, or just shut your mouths and move to Telstra, you'll pay the price!

Made the original service complaint, went through all of the painful process. Spoke to MANY tech / sales team members being polite & courteous the whole time.
Refused their offers of 1/2 price etc...(even at 1/2 price the service is inadequate) made complaint to TIO with the stipulation that the only resolution I would accept was contract cancellation. For free. Received my get out of jail free SMS and ported my number to Telstra. Much happier.

It took approx 3 months and 1/2 a dozen phone calls, but finally got released from my contract at no charge. It was a long drawn out process - phone resets, new sim cards and then finally they looked into my signal and came to the conclusion they weren't providing the service they promised( no service all day @ my workplace even though it's on the coverage map). If you try and have some patience and follow everything they ask you to do to the letter , they don't have much choice. Also take names of everyone you speak with of each stage of the process, this helps! They don't make it easy for a reason- they want people to give up - perservere !! I an now blissfully happy with Telstra with excellent service and will never go back!

After failed first mediation with Vodafone after initial contacting on TIO, I got another called from Vodafone yesterday. Apparently, there is a VF-TIO Liaison dept and this guy could not be more helpful.
He cancelled my contract and proposed to refund four (4) months worth of billing into my account. Not only that, but also I get to keep the Hub the first VF represented said I must return for the agreement to stand.
It does make me wonder why my legal requests could not be honoured in the first place and it is frustrating the ACCC is not more proactive in enforcing the laws relating to products/services being sold not being of merchantable quality, services being sold under false pretences.

I've been a Vodafone customer for 8 years now and I have never had a problem. I have my mobile and Internet with them, while I experience some minor reception problems in Ellenbrook - so does Telstra & Optus.
Each to his own I guess.

I just got in-principle agreement to be released from my contracts with Vodafone and feel so relieved that I don't have to put up with the poor products and service for any longer...yet still frustrated as hell that I am paying for a product which simply doesn't work and has caused me soooo much inconvenience and grey hairs.

While this site is great, I would like to do more to stop others getting caught in the Vodafone net. We need something more tangible....a nationwide-sticker campaign...advertisements in newspapers, social media, viral videos...maybe all of the above. There is so much anger out there and if we can harness it then we have awesome power. I myself would happily put up a couple of hundred dollars of my own money just to know that I had stopped half a dozen other customers being sucked into this whole sham company.

Email me if you have ideas on how we could do this, or want to help such a campaign.

vodafone.bad@gmail.com

Rate this post highly if you agree with the idea, so that it will have greater exposure.

Went through the complaints process (writing to them, the TIO, etc.) and finally I am free, after nearly six months of awful service both on my phone and with my USB mobile. Still mad that they caused me so much frustration and time wasted and that they are actually allowed to market a product which is really only a shadow of what they present it to be.

Since they are allowed to operate so shabbily, the best possible thing would be that everyone who is unhappy with them cancels their contract so that the cash flow dries up and this horrid company goes down the tube!

If you are unhappy with Vodafone, don't get mad, get even, and break your contract. It's not hard, you just have to be slightly methodical and work through the process.

Go for it!

I wasn't really in a mess, got me a unlocked HTC Legend for $340 and went on The Month - Month $45 Infinite plan ( No Contract ) As far as I can see, TPG is the only other Telco with no contract, rates are good, but not unlimited?
Vodafone might have stuffed up, but what is this Bash Vodafone site about?
If you don't like cheap rates, go to Telstra and or Optus on a 24 month contract,
If your not happy with Vodafone? go to a diffferent Telco!
John

I rang them up and told them to give me a gobby for all the trauma they caused me, and the customer service operator caught the next plane from sri lanka to my place, and actually gave me a gobby! Stoked!

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO HOW I CANCELLED MY VODAFAIL CONTRACT

My Outcome:
I was 7months into a 24month IPhone $69/month Postpaid Contract.
After learning from other people's experiences I was able to cancel my contract immediately against great odds, and only pay out the remaining handset cost (not the unused service fee).

Conventional wisdom is you can't get out of a mobile contract, and they clearly have a process designed to delay and discourage people.
This is BS..Vodafail should just let people off immediately if they don't want to be with them anymore. So I've written this guide sharing my experience and some tips to navigate their process.
One thing I'll also add is that I was simply firm and direct, but not rude or aggressive. However I think they knew that if my reasonable demands weren't met, they were in for war.

Preparation:
In hindsight, the first thing I would do is work out of your total contract, how much is for the handset, and how much for the service, and where you are with that. i.e. how much of your fees so far has gone to the phone, and how much to the service. You could ask Accounts that as a first step as an enquiry, and confirm the amounts offline, before you go on your cancellation mission.

Hurdle #1 - "Troubleshooting"
You're speaking to accounts. I asked to be put through to cancellations. They asked why I wanted to cancel. I said complete failure of service and they say coverage?
Their process is to then put you through a BS troubleshooting process with a coverage team etc etc delay delay delay and hope you get sick of it and give up.
I refused to go through troubleshooting. I said that I live/work in the Sydney CBD, so coverage shouldn't be an issue. The service is unacceptable. There is a known issue with the network which the CEO has publicly apologised for. There is nothing wrong with my phone, you've wasted enough of my time, I am not going through troubleshooting, I want to be put through to cancellations. They put me through.

Hurdle #2 - Cancellations
They try all kinds of things to say first to stop you cancelling, especially if you haven't done troubleshooting. They said all the network problems were past tense, and it's all better now.
I said:-
That I consider Vodafone in breach of contract, in failing to provide an acceptable service. There is a failure to provide their side of the contract.
That they are costing me money and embarassment, that I am losing money on my business. Legally their breach of contract is causing me legal damages.

You need to be very firm and clear as to what you want. I said that I am absolutely clear that:
I wish to terminate my contract immediately.
I no longer wish to do business with them.
I am only paying for the outstanding amount on my handset, not for any unused "service" especially as I consider that they are in breach of contract for failure to provide service.
I will not accept any other response.

Hurdle #3 - Offer of waive fees
Their process seems to be to be that they are authorised to offer 2-3 months waiver on your contract where you can potentially use a prepaid sim with another provider.
In 2-3 months "the network will be better". I stuck to my guns, see above.

Hurdle #4 - Cancellation Fee
They will tell you your cancellation fee is to payout the remainder of your contract. i.e. pay for months of "service" that you never use.
This is complete BS..you always had the right to do this even if their network worked!
I stuck to my guns.
I am not paying any fees or for unused service, especially when I've already paid for service I didn't receive.
I am only paying for whatever amount is owing on my handset. (See above, you should probably work this out before you get to cancellations).

Hurdle #5 - If they refused:
As it turned out, I didn't need to pull this out as they agreed. However if they had declined my requests, based on everything else I've ready, I would have said:
I am only accepting an immediate termination of my account.
If you decline my request I need you to understand that I am filing a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
I will need your contact details and have you send me your response in writing for the purposes of the complaint, and as evidence in the PiperAlderman class action that I am joining.
At this stage, can you escalate this to a manager who can accept my request?

If they declined, then I would have:
Had them listen to a summary of the statements/requests above and had them verbally agree that they had heard these arguments.
Tell them that this had been noted in a file note for evidence, and that I needed their refusal emailed to me in writing for the complaint/lawsuit.
Asked them again to be escalated.

If they had refused:
Then I would have told them that was also noted, and asked again. Actually I probably would have kept asking like a broken record.
If they had still refused:
Then I would have gone to the TIO, and joined the lawsuit, and you need to be prepared to as well. Then I would have called them again after doing that with reference numbers and gone through the process again.

Hurdle #6 - Keep your number
It is important that you don't actually cancel your account on the spot, because you will lose your number. The guy explained that he should give me my account number, then I go and port my number to another carrier. When the next carrier ports, is when your account is technically automatically cancelled. At this stage, the agreement to cancel is noted on the account, and the fee for the amount on my handset will appear on my next bill.

AND I'M FREE! FREE AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After a skin full of 'network unavailable', and 'missed call notifications', text msg's being received 8hrs later, I decided this isn't good for my business.

I was asked to go to a store and swap the Sim card by support, which did nothing, then I documented a coupe of weeks of missed calls, network lost events, unable to access email etc.

Then after stating this is not acceptable to my business, I was :
(1st) offered free calls until it's rectified (I was on a $59/month plan 24 month contract). The tower upgrade was meant for July 2011. I declined this offer, the cost of a missed call far out weighs the cost per month of the service
(2nd) was advised of a cancellation of $1061, at which point I asked for this information in writing, so I can go to the Telecommunications Ombudsman with this information (at which point it was escalated to the supervisor)
(3rd) I was then advised the cancellation was now $0, and I had to return the iphone4

(I did hear of others that had been offered to pay $150, to keep the iphone4)
(2nd)

I am now going to a transparent carrier Amaysim! No flag fall, flat call/data/text rates! (which sits on top of the Optus network)

Did you know the UK and other countries DO NOT HAVE a FLAG FALL FEE, it's something concocted here, and surprised choice magazine hasn't picked up on this given the CEO is from the UK.

Called Three, didn't get any joy, open a ticket at TIO website, got a call from three saying that I was allowed to go free! However of course the last bill was a mess, had to call them again to rectify (they tried to charged me $83 more)
I am with TPG now (which uses Optus), it is good so far.
Bye VodaCrap!!

I called Customer Care yesterday and after about 45mins on the phone and several escalations got 6 months free service on my $99 unlimited plan with agreement that if the poor reception and 3G performance wasn't fixed in 2 months I'd be let out of contract free (based on claims that there are upgrades in the Melbourne CBD and Scoresby areas I was complaining about due at the end of April).

This site was fantastic in helping me set up a 'script' of my own - service not fit for purpose, refusing the first offers (first a discount, then 1 month, then 3 months, then 6 months) and demonstrating that I expect a quality service and that I understood I had the TIO as a recourse. I mentioned the letter from the Vodafone CEO acknowledging poor service, the class action, the many press reports and Vodafone's own press report about network upgrades due to over-subscription and congestion.

For me my ideal outcome is actually that Vodafone fix their service - I've been with them for a long time and have had great service and customer service up until the last 6 months. Would love them to fix it and am happy that they've dealt with my issues as best they can until they either fix the network or I leave in 2 months because they haven't done so.

First step - I took my phone to a vodafone shop - they replaced the SIM and waived a month's worth of call connect drop outs (about $50)- still had the usual problems that everyone has, consultant offered 3 months credit and reduced my monthly's from $49 to $45 per month till the end of the contract. After a month, the coverage was still flakey so they offered to put me back on "3" and give me 6 months credit. I refused the offer because i need a reliable phone connection so i said i wanted to cancel. The woman said "ma'am, if you cancel your contract and die on the side of the road you will have no phone anyway" (after i used the example for how useless their services were) - then she wanted to charge me $650 to cancel the contract and $205 for the phone and to return it. i submitted a complaint to the Ombo's refusing to pay these amounts and my contract will be cancelled with no fees due( the Vodafone woman was very pleasant) - and i have to return my phone after it gets fixed from Vodafone (it apparently zapped out after earth hour). It has taken 2 months but go figure. Have a log with times, date, location and errors so you know exactly what you're talking about. All the best to those pursuing their cases - be strong and determined.

spent an hour on the phone to them, told them politely that i had enough of their poor service, lack of reception, msg not coming thru, let them no i was out of service for 2 hours on Saturday, Sunday no one could contact me if they we not with vodafone.. got offered first the 3 months free i said No i want free of vodafone, then got offered 6 months free, told them i was not going to take that has they cannot guarantee me coverage. i was persistent and said i want out of the contract, finally after an hour they said yes, just got to send back my phone and they will cancel the contract free of charge. I did mention to them that in my view Vodafone was not abiding by there contract to me, and if I did not get the solution I was after that I would complain to the TIO. i must say the 2 gentleman i spoke to were very nice & polite. WINNER!!!

I called Vodafone and argued for over an hour demanding they let me out of the contract with no exit fee's, they refused. The offered to reduce the cost of my plan by $30 a month, i still wasn't happy. I told them to call back within 2 hours.
In that 2 hours i contacted the TIO and they forwarded my request and complaint onto Vodafone.
When the lady called by i told her i had contacted the TIO and she hung up (she sounded very annoyed).
I just received a text message from Customer Care telling me they are going to let me out of the contract with no early exit fees. This all happened within 4 days.

The TIO are amazing <3

PORTED OUT....I am now happier than ever now i have rid myself of the cancer that is vodafail. after 18 months stuck in a black hole of POOR customer service, LAZY staff at the store, HOURS and HOURS on hold (which has RUINED john mayer for me) reception that had me wanting to start communicating with family and friends through smoke signals, I called to ask how much it was to cancel, the person on the other end who i could barely understand then tried to tell me that it was only the upgrades team who could give this to me, i calmly explained that if he transferred me the next call would be from the TIO, which seemed to magically give him access to the figures.
I must admit since walking into the optus shop and cancelling with voda there has been a faint hint of a smile, JUST KNOWING i will never have to deal with them again. the BEST $300 ive ever spent to get rid anything.....I would strongly recommend anyone who is thinking of leaving to take the $$ hit $$, and feel the stress leave you almost instantly.

I was a new customer of Crazy John's and first reported problems with poor call quality, dropped calls and network errors back in December last year. CJs advised Voda were aware of the issues and they would be resolved by mid December.

Come January, still no improvement. CJs were very helpful, however after 3 instances of providing evidence of dropped calls, network errors and poor call quality (even whilst talking to CJs!), they advised there were no network issues in South Melbourne. I insisted they release me from my contract, CJs declined and offered a month's free line rental. I refused and told them I was contacting the TIO.

Just over a week after contacting the TIO, CJs contacted me and offered to release me from my contract conditional upon my paying 50% of the handset cost (I had been with them for less than 1 year). I accepted their offer, ported my number to Telstra and have had no problems since. Very happy!!!

I lodged a complaint via the Vodafone website as i could never get through the call centre. The rep from the correspondence team (Megan the idiot) just gave me the run around about what they're doing to improve services and basically refused to let me cancel without an early exit fee and my remaining installments on my handset plus my invoices! She stuck to that offer until i requested she provide her full name & employee number & contact for someone in senior management she ignored this request with her next response saying she has spoken to someone in senior management & could provide to LOWER my exit fee but the handset and invoices would still apply. I was furious by this stage as she blantantly ignored my request to seek advice from management in the 1st place which i asked. I stated vodafone were in breach of the contract & this was unacceptable i then again requested her employee no & contact for senior management. I never heard from her again, she just stopped replying!! what kind of service is that? Oh don't have an answer i'll just stop replying to the frustrated customer! I gave her a week to reply but she didn't so i went to TIO. A week later i got the txt from vodafone releasing me of my contract with no exit fee but would still need to pay out my handset. By this stage i thought whatever i need to get out! I ported to Telstra that day. 5 days after i did this i get a call from Vodafone's resolution team (lovely Daniel) asking if i was happy to close my TIO case & was happy with the result, i asked what was remaining on my account as i had not received the final bill for my handset & he said NO CHARGE!! He waived all my remaining bills and waived my remaining handset fees! So i got out with no fees at all with 12months to go!! I also complained about Megan to him. I was pleasantly surprised with how it all ended! Thanks again to Daniel in resolutions i am so happy on Telstra now :) Everyone it's possible to get out of Vodafail don't put up with it!!

I made a complaint back in december with the TIO and finally 2 weeks ago after 3 months of vodafones crap and arguements i got my way and am now with telstra (never on hold for longer then 3-5 minutes, 90% of people i can understand, Great reception) by the way i have found where all the good vodafone workers are.... They are in the Vodafone TIO complaints department and the insurance department, NOT anywhere near a customer care centre where they should be.

As a Personal Trainer, I need to have a mobile phone and a carrier that ensures that I get messages on time and phone calls that don't drop out. Vodafone has been dodgy with supplying both of these.
With this said, I have had excellent success with getting compensation from representatives when I have demanded it. I have explained why I want the compensation (usually citing loss of business or having my time wasted) and that if they fail to provide me with compensation, I will go elsewhere. They then try the whole "break contract will cost etc etc" to which I reply that under the trade practices act of Australia, they have failed to provide the products and services that were part of the contract I originally agreed to. So in effect, they have breached contract and I am free to do what I want. Given the reps lack of general understanding and knowledge of the Act, they cave and give me what I want.
On top of the phone issue, I had issues with mobile broadband with my iPad where they were taking more data from me than what I was using. I was able to prove that I was only using a certain amount yet they kept cutting me off saying I was using my quota. They ended up saying that if I connect to the net to check something on google (which may only use something like 100kb) I was charged for 1mb as it was rounded up. I stated they were falsely advertising the 250mb plan and that I wanted compensation. I got 6 months free but ended up canceling it anyway because of the horrid service.

Ultimately, if you know your rights as a consumer, you can play the trade practices act hand and come away successful.
I've helped 3 friends get out of contracts without TIO assistance so if anyone needs a hand, I'm happy to give it! I'm on twitter @jonokulicz if you want to contact me!
Power to you all! :)

I live 15km from Melbourne CBD and suffer horrible network coverage. What surprises me the most is i work in Melbourne CBD from mon - fri and the network is still hopeless. trying to load work emails while out of the office is a nightmare,let alone trying to surf the web.
Also, when i signed with Vodafone they assured me that my beach house in Rye, Victoria is in a full 3G area....guess what??? every time i go there i don't see the 3G symbol at all on my iPhone, i only see a couple of bars with the 2G / roaming circle!!!
Vodafone have offered me four months free usage. I accepted because my contract expires Oct 11 and i'll be moving to Telstra. Unless Vodafone work some magic!!!
Cheers

I've been a loyal coda one customer for 10 years... I recently moved approx 40 I'm from the main CBD in Darwin. I called to advise that I was not getting decent reception, and had to stand on the road outside my house to take a call... Coda one advised me that from their end the signal looked fine. I advised them that it wasn't and that my sister on Telstra had 3 bars of signal in e same spot where I had none. In the end after many 'are you sure it isn't your phone' questions, I got 3 months of free service ( at $59 a month) and I would not have to pay a cancellation fee at the end of the three months if the service doesn't improve... It's 12 days away from the end of my billing cycle, and my service still hasn't improved... At least I saved $177!

Went into the Vodafone store in Perth to get out of my contract, after finally spitting the dummy with poor coverage after I was in South Perth one night, in sight of the CBD with no coverage for 30 minutes. Talked to three different people over customer service: first one flat out REFUSED to cancel my contract, second and third both offered me three free months.

Lodged a complaint with the TIO and got a text five days later releasing me from my contract. 12 months early, kept the iPhone 3GS. 15 minutes later I walk out of the Telstra shop with a cheaper plan, an iPhone 4 and better coverage.

Citizens of Australia, vote with your feet! Don't put up with Vodafail any longer, you CAN get out of it.

Interestingly, the chick that served me at Telstra reckoned she'd been selling around 7 new plans to disgruntled ex-Vodafail customers per day for the past six months. Your loss...

I put my case to vodafone that my plan with them was next to useless without adequate coverage at my place of residence. I had 12 months of usage statistics to help justify my claim i.e. I very rarely made calls after 5 pm and before 9 am as that is when I was home and unable to make mobile calls. A visit to the vodafail site made me realise I had been accepting an unacceptable service for way too long. The coverage map for my area says my service is good but it clearly wasn't. There was some resistance from the company to let me go (not unexpected and not unreasonable), and several offers of free access while network upgrades occured were made as was switching to "3". None of these offers were of enough benefit to me as I need a reliable service at home which could not be guaranteed, and in any case I had since gotten a landline put on to compensate. Short and tall of it was I was released from my contract 6 months early without penalty. There was a mix up with the last bill (i.e. I got one) but I anticipated that and had good records of my preceeding conversation with vodafone. I was along term customer and I had otherwise enjoyed good customer service, the lack of coverage was my only complaint, albeit a big one.

After reading about the problems with Vodafone in 2010, I confronted the sales people about the problem when placing my new order (yes, I know I am taking a risk.) They guaranteed that if I could not solve possible future coverage and signal strength issues with the technical support department, I would be able to break contract and go back to Telstra.

After a TIO complaint Vodaphone Business support in Tassie was a real help.

They offered to let me out of my contract and were helpful.

I still have about 60% of my calls drop out and ongoing issues, but i am saving the $600 per month i though i would save on my fleet of mobiles.

Thats because they dont always work!! lol

After 2-3 months of thinking the data service on my iPhone 4 was becoming unusable I by chance ended up in a jb hifi store. We did a speed test comparison, telstra vs vodafone, both on the iPhone 4. The page on telstra loaded instantly, the page on vodafone failed to at all. And to be honest the data service on my iPhone via vodafone only worked 30% of the time and at a useless speed. Reminded me of the 90's dial up speed, only worse. Literally 2 min for a page to open, if it opened at all.

I called vodafone and asked them to sort it out. They asked me to reset this and that and toggle network setting etc, nothing worked. The had technical support team work on it and promised to call me back after 5 days. Of course no call came and of course the problem wasn't sorted. I lodged a complaint with the tio, stating my terms. I wanted to be released from the contract, pay no fees, and keep the handset. After 1 week I got a text from vodafone saying that it had been approved. Thanks a lot for this website, I didn't even know the tio existed before this.

After suffering bad service for months with both broadband and mobile coverage

I decided to stand my ground and just kept calling back when I did not hear back from Vodafone. Once the 5 to 8 working days had lapsed when they were suppossed to call me back, I complained to Vodafone and then lodged a complaint with the TIO. I was released from my contract went to Telstra and whilst I am paying more, I have no issues in getting calls and texts straight away, the web upload is much faster as well.

From my experience and what I can see here is Vodafone's escalation process is

1 - Deny coverage issues.
2 - Offer 1 month free access.
3 - Offer 3 months free access.
4 - Release from contract but return phone.
5 - Release from contract and keep phone.

I would have spent a good 8 to 12 hours on the phone overall to get my issues resolved so my advice is to be patient and not accept anything less than Vodafone releasing you from your contract.

Thanks to the advice and issues similar to mine that I read about here on Vodafail I made a complaint to the TIO after months of hassles with Vodafone and got my contract paid out and was ported across to Telstra within minutes.

I always thought a full 5 minutes to load any web page was just how mobile phones were. Now that I am with Telstra a web page loads in 3 seconds and ALL of my text messages get sent to the receiver and no calls drop out.

Thank you Vodafail and Vodafail contributors for making me realise that I didn't have to put up with Vodafone's massively flawed and substandard service. After 18 years of Vodafone I am now a very happy Telstra customer.

followed the hints on here, and was released without penalty and given my iphone.
Yay, now I can go get some decent coverage!

Just bought a blackberry because my iPhone was stolen. I needed to call Vodafone to activate my Blackberry services, I was on hold for less than 30 seconds!!
The customer service guy was amazing! ... I was shocked because last year I called and was on hold for an hour and a half!!!!!!

Got 6 months free access on the infinte $45.

I was released from my contract 12 months early, and after having issues unlocking my handset i was able to arrange for vodafone to pay me $200 to help purchase a new handset. they also let me keep my existing handset which i was able to sell for $140.00

the team on the phone when i called voda direct were horrible to me, and said there was no way that i could be released from my contract, and basically told me that i would never get vodafone to pay me money for my handset.

once i contacted the TIO it was clear that they and I had vodafone by the balls and that they would basically give me whatever I wanted. my only regret is not making HUGE demands.

Despite having severl months left on my mobile broadband USB stick contract, vodafone released me from my contract without penalty. This was after about 2 months of complaints of the system continually dropping out.

Until the problems started last November, I was very happy with the internet service.

Plenty of muck around. I emailed a list of issues, then called and went through the same list. Explained to tech support what troubleshooting steps I had taken (eg. latest phone updates, factory reset, sim in another make of phone - no improvements). The proposed/completed upgrades list had no work scheduled for Townsville so I lodged a complaint with the TIO and 4 days later Choadafone sms'd me releasing me from the 2 contracts on my account.

Thank you TIO, good riddance Choadafone.

I was just persistent in telling them none of the alternatives they were offering me weren't good enough until the alternative was to be offered out of the contract cost free with 18 months remaining. If you honestly just get your phone sent away it takes a week just so you can prove that it is their inept network and not your phones fault you don't have reception then you can get out of it.

After multiple complaints about having no service in the Perth metro area including the CBD, and arguements from Vodafone that because I moved 10 minutes closer to the CBD I had forfit any expectation of service (WTF!), I eventually took my complaint to the TIO. A day later Vodafone messaged me releasing me from my contract without charge, followed by an email specifying that no costs would be charged as a result of the early termination. Then I recieved a bill for $600 based on the early termination and handset costs. After two phone calls and forwarding the email to Vodafone they agreed to cancel the charges. Can't wait for the next bill to arrive which I'm sure will still include the termination fees, plus a late payment fee knowing Vodafone. Pathetic service, both in coverage and customer service.

I just had to call Vodafone customer care twice today, once to change a plan and then to get a password reset. I was able to key in my options using the keypad instead of speaking to lara - super handy when you're on a noisy train! I was then put straight through to a person both times who did what I wanted them to immediately. Last time I called through I had to wait for 40 minutes!!! Massive improvement.

I originally cancelled my Vodafone contract and ported to Optus as i was having issues, went to optus used their service for a week, telstra started screwing me around so i went back to Vodafone, and low and behold, im getting great service!

Good reception and fast speeds (data performance is still patchy but getting there)!

Emailed Vodafone (via this link http://vodafone.custhelp.com/app/ask) with specific locations where I lose service in Brisbane and my full account details. Got a reply within 24 hours advising that the locations are due to be upgraded by the end of April (checked their website, they are) and they've given me two months free to compensate. Will wait and see if anything improves, if not I'll be off to the TIO.

after being released from crapafone i ported to telstra. had all my fees waived which i was happy with. but now a month later vodafone have sent me a satchel to return the phone. the phone i um no longer have.. anyone know what happens if youve had all your fees waived and you dont send a phone back?

contacted voda, they offered three months free. i told them it wasnt good enough and i wanted OUT. so i contacted TIO and was contacted a week later telling me i can leave without any cancellation fees, though i have to return the phone. now im with optus :)

South coast- Ulladulla.

After having the iphone 3GS for a year now with pathetic reception, I finally caught a break- admittedly its not perfect, but i have 2 bars of reception instead of none!

iphone 3GS does not have the ability to connect with the available reception in ulladulla and surrounding areas. something about only being able to pick up a 60 frequency when we have a 30 frequency... anyway they are now admitting it is a fault with the phone, and allowing you to exit your plan without charges and an upgrade.

I have to admit when I was with vodafone, back in 04-05 they were fine, reception, sms, internet/wap was fine with minumal cut outs. even an added bonus I could send free sms to the premium numbers for ringtones, adult chat and wallpaper, probably a bad thing for a 14 year old. anyways I really wanted ot join there ew blackberry torch ultimate plan, but after hearing and seeing all the complaints I didnt i joined optus instead. which i love the most! Telstra on the other hand i hate, bad stuff with them guys, cutting my internet off twice, and cancelling my contract cause i was rude to the guy.. than said my bill was cleared and sent me a 300 bill 4 months later...........

Let me just say, in the exact same spot where vodafone ahd no reception at all, Telstra had full reception :) love telstra

I have been a vodafone customer for close to 10 years.

In the last two years, I have had problems with overcharges on my bill, connection and reception issues (I had no reception for three full days), messages never being sent (both text and picture) and endless hours talking to vodafone customer service with NO LUCK. I also was being charged full rates for my V2V calls, as well as being charged for my "best mate" call (vodafone number I allocated to make free calls to).

After many complaints and failed investigations on Vodafones end... I signed up to VODAFAIL and then lodged a complaint with the TIO. I basically wanted to be released from my two year contract a year early - with no early exit fee. I had done everything vodafone had asked (reviewed bills, purchased a new sim card, had my phone inspected, changed settings etc).


Within 10 days, Vodafone sent me a text message stating that I could be released from my contract with no early exit fee (which would have exceeded $700+). I called Vodafone, cancelled my contract and have never been happier! I am more than willing to pay high call rates with another service provider, so I can ensure I ALWAYS have reception, thus being able to send messages and make calls.

Complain the the TIO, have examples of failures, dates, times, experiences.
http://benelixir.tumblr.com/post/2742861138/vodafone-au-fail
http://benelixir.tumblr.com/post/2742820707/vodafone-au-not-so-much-3g-data

Port to Telstra
http://benelixir.tumblr.com/post/3324170811/ported-to-telstra

After 8 years using Vodafone to run my business in Brisbane I saw red when I could only receive data services for a few hours a day since mid January. After many hours on the phone an investigation was launched and I just got SMS'd to say I am now released from two new contracts.
I will now happily pay Telstra the premium to guarantee uptime.
I'd also like to thank the Vodafone support staff who were all professional and were clearly as annoyed by the bureaucracy involved as I was. They are forced to follow procedure, unfortunately for the individual customer we don't know the procedure and the process is stressful and makes you think it is just your device or computer.

After spending over three weeks trying to make contact, then trying to explain my issue (very poor coverage) finally after getting no where with Vodafail I went to the TIO. I filled out my claim last Wednesday, the TIO contacted me to say that my claim had been sent to vodafone on Friday... then vodafone sent me a text today to say I had been released from my contract over 12 months early! I'm calling tomorrow to confirm, then signing straight up with Telstra, as the rest of my family are with them and have no issues.

Called crazy johns on a nuber of occasions complaining about coverage, they kept stating that they only guaranteed coverage at my home address! So over them so contacted TIO - told 10 days and within 6 days including weekend had a call from someone call centre in Tasmania letting us know we could port to another carrier and we had contracts cancelled no fees! We do have to pay the final account but I had issues with that due to the account being for a time where there were numerous drop outs so she halved the account then applied a further $15 credit for late fees if I dont pay on time. Was also told that would receive $49 credit for each phone for month in advance paid. Have to send back phones and all accessories supplied however! Not sure if I am going to call them again because I have been paying handset repayments and the accessoris never fit our phones so I gave them away to the kids who have trashed some and lost some (paul frank lanyards and cases). How did others get to keep handsets and accessories - any input would be appreciated. We were more than half way through our contracts.

After my complaint to the TIO, Vodafone contacted me and gave me three (3) months FREE access from my post paid account (saving $130 per month) (2 mobiles) with a further reduction in plan monthly costs on my iPhone ($99 plan down to $79 plan) with no penalty. Have no major issue's with them now. And will stick by them. Cheers.

Alright
This is my story with vodafail.

2 days after signing up after being promised great 3G coverage in my location , Gippsland (country rural-vic). I get my sim & phone and whow I have NO coverage ANYWHERE. So after calling them up with the rage of god demanding an intimidate cancellation, and being offered everything to stay ( even like 5 months free billing). I pointed out to them that their coverage map is obviously lying, they said it was a problem with the network and so they transferred my call to technical help who spent a day checking the coverage and then called me back and confirmed this. Then he transferred me to some other Indian chap who said I can be released for no charge after porting my number to another network ( for no cost) ,all I had to do was return the handset. Once my number has been ported (which I did today) they would send me out a package to return the phone and all costs and everything will be waived, as of now I am awaiting arrival of my package.

Just wanted to say thanks to Vodafail for the great information here.
I switched to vodafone in October last year from Three and was told that I would have "better" coverage than before ... of course we all know how that ended.

I called Voda last Monday to request that my contact is canceled. I was advised that I needed to allow them the opportunity to investigate my issues for 5 days.

Today, I again spoke with Voda and was advised that no fault was found. I then requested that my contact is canceled and after some negotiation Voda has agreed.

In all I think I spent less than 2 hours on the phone and I am happy with the outcome.

Thanks again to Vodafail for the support and information.

had the service for 2 months cancelled my contract with no charge and was refunded the two months i had paid for

I live in the country. iPhones don't work out here. Internet maxes out at around 7kbps if I'm lucky. Calls drop out.
Rang them, they did investigation, found handset was useless, replaced it.
I now have a new handset, reliable service, internet that works, and I didn't have to leave.
Win for me :D

I was another fortunate one to get out of my vodashit contract and switch to Telstra - they also wiped an excess bill of $1000 I had, but now I have got my last bill two months later and it says I have $100 CR.

Does this mean vodacrap owe me $100 and will they pay it to me or do I have to ring the Indians to find out? I don't want to be on hold but I also don't want to get more junk email every month from vodafone telling me my old account is in credit.

Anyone else encounter this?

Data usage was excessive, along with call drop outs, texts received hours later. Excessive billed amounts 7 times what it usually is, for last month.
Contacted the TIO which will take 3 weeks due to back log.
Vodafone have wiped last months bill $350 and we are negotiating this months bill to be wiped $100, I am out of the 24 mth contact with 13 months to go on the contract. Lastly I am negotiating to keep the phone. They wanted $170 for Samsung Jet touch phone. But I need it as evidence in court.

With my iPhone, I have terrible Vodafone phone reception, intermittent call quality, regular call drop outs, experience painfully slow 3g data speeds, and to top things off, Vodafones' outgoing SMTP server has been down for the last few months.

I called them today and polity asked to speak with their retention team, and asked the service person to proceed with terminating the current contract with no early termination fee associated with the cancellation.

In a polite manner, I reminded the service person of Vodafone's obligation under NSW consumer law and I explained that their product is not fit for purpose.

I suspected that they would offer me a remedy to retain me as a customer, which they did. They have given me 60% off my $99 plan for 6 months. When the 6 months is up, if their service is not up to a acceptable standard, I can terminate the contract early.

They explained to me that they are well aware of the concerns with their network, and that there are major upgrades currently underway, including more "base stations".

Time will tell but for the next 6 months I'm $60 a month better off.

I initially put in a complaint about the coverage (or lack there of) and the constant dropouts on my iphone 4. They told me to call back after a couple of weeks and see if there was any change. No change of course and I called back. I got put through to the cancellations department. After 1hr of back and forth with an overseas call centre consultant I was finally provided with 2 options.

1. Pay $550 and keep my iphone 4 and contract cancelled. (18 months left in contract)
2. Pay $0 and send the phone back.

I chose option 2. I advised them that I would like to keep the handset if they could reduce the cost, they wouldn't budge so I stuck with 2.

Now I just need to find a cheap plan to get a new iphone 4 on, preferably with telstra but going to be expensive, will be looking at Optus.

Overall glad to be done with vodafone.

I started taking screenshots on my iPhone 3GS on the 20th December 2010 whenever I lost network coverage. By the time I logged a complaint with VF (via email on the 18th January) I had >60 images from all over metropolitan Perth.

I didn't get a response within the 5 days so rang them on the 27th January to follow up. Was told I would get a phone call back within 24-48 hours. I didn't.

I submitted a complaint to the TIO on the 31st January detailing above and stating that I wanted to be released from my contract (about 4-5 months to go), keep the handset and have it unlocked at no cost.

I got 3 text messages today from VF saying I was released, letter to follow and that I could unlock the phone on the website. I went straight to the website and the unlock instructions came up as soon as I put in my IMEI (ie: no fee to unlock).

Yes it took some time and energy but it was definitely worth it. I'm at my home and my phone - which previously would consistently lose network coverage - now has a pleasant looking 3 bar 3G signal from Telstra.

:DD

Rang and complained about there crap coverage on deaf ears to vodafone. Put in complaint to TIO online. Received email from TIO saying vodafone have 10 days to respond/resolve my issue. So waiting patiently to be released (fingers crossed) from contract.
Just wondering if anyone that has followed this process has been denied to be exited from their contract?
Any ideas generally how long the resolution process takes?
Thanks :)

After many and varied attempts at contacting Vodafail without success turned to TIO website and lodged complaint there.
Received TXT message from Vodafail earlier today:
"Hi Vodafone gas agreed to your request re TIO Complaint to waive your Voice Commitment due to coverage issues. Letter to follow with full details however you may port out/cancel as of today. Kind Regards Vodafone Resolutions."

Within 2 hours of that message needless to say I have a new Iphone with Telstra.

Got out of my contract today, may i say Lolly from the resolution team was fantastic... She was the best thing that Vodafone could offer me :)

got sick of 3's patchy coverage and terrible 3G network so I decided to swap over to Vodafone as I heard it was free.
the service was just as bad so I decided to do what other were doing and jump ship.
called up vodafone on 27th Jan to complain about the service.
they said 'oh, we'll lodge a network evaluation with our technicians and get back to you in 3 days'
reading what other fellow vodafailers had posted, I knew they weren't going to get back to me so I decided to email the TIO.
got a call from a lovely girl from Vodafone today (8th Feb)allowing me to exit the contract and port to another carrier with the option of paying for my iPhone 3GS 32GB for $100 which I accepted.
so now I am free of vodafone and im going to pop into a telstra store tomorrow morning and start enjoying a good connection :)

to ANYONE who is with vodafone and wishes to get out of there contract follow these simple steps.

1. Call vodafone, complain about recepion/coverage.
2. Email/Call TIO and tell them all the details.
3. Recieve call from Vodafone resolution center.
4. THATS IT.

you're welcome,

and thanks to all that have shared their gain, has made my experience much less stressful.

how long do satchels take to come to melbourne????????

Just posted 50 mins ago about the call dropping on the cancellation department.

One hour after being sent through customer care and talking to cancellation, I GOT OUT YAY! Thankgod, finally no more poor coverage HELLO TELSTRA WILL BE NICE SEEING YOU! <3. thanks for all the support from vodafail.com, and everyone else I am finally ridded of this teleco company thanks<3

Well... I had the network coverage issue, no coverage at home. Checked their coverage map on the site and my home well inside the full coverage area. They broke the contract with that. So Vodafone technician told me (after stay on the line for 1.5Hrs 4 times) they can't do anything as they only promise "street coverage" and I do have coverage out side my house. Then I ask him to show me where it says Vodafone only promise "street coverage" on their website. And he ask me to check terms and conditions (He talk to me from India), I did check and couldn't find it. I demanded not to pay for my bill as Vodafone didn't met their service promise. So they canceled my first month bill (I was with Vodafone only for 1 month, never again).

Then I lodged an online complaint on http://www.tio.com.au/. Very next day Vodafone (an oz guy from Sydney) rang me and ask me what I want to do, wot the hell I wanted Vodafone to terminate my contract. They simply did.

I had Nokia N8 best HD camera but lag with os. They sent me express post bag to send it back after one week. Hell with contracts I bought HUAWEI U8150 IDEOS Android for $200 and from Dick Smith and chucked Amaysim.com (use Optus network) pre paid sim card in. Pretty damn cheap call rates for the same price I paid to Vodafone and an amazing phone for just $200.

Hope this story helps someone here.

Called vodafone a while back to complain about poor reception, call dropouts, painfully slow internet etc etc. They told me that a 'team' of technicians would investigate the problem and get back to me in 4-5 days. 5 days later I lodged a complaint with the TIO. 9 days later the 'team' called me and said that yes, there is some congestion during busy times but they are upgrading the network and all should be sorted in about a month. I called vodafone the next day and told them that I had notified the TIO and I wanted out - free of charge. Strangely there were problems connecting me to the cancellation department and they would call me back in 48hours. 96 hours later I called them back and asked for cancellations.

Here are their offers in chronological order:

- free access for 3 months until network upgrades sorted out: declined
- termination fee of $801.00 and unlock the phone - declined
- $300 to keep handset and $501.00 waived - declined. I was also told that vodafone didn't want the handset back as it was no good to them. I was then put on hold

- final offer - return handset (which they didn't want) and termination of contract 18 months early with no exit fee and free to port my number to another network - ACCEPTED

Now I await the satchel to return the handset.
Thanks MIhir (call centre guy)

I'll be with Telstra this afternoon

Hooray, submitted the TIO complaint with many many scenarios.

i'm wondering if Vodafone has finally got it's act together in my area. After months of barely being able to get online, for the past 2 weeks, I have been able to get online and stay online for as long as I have wanted...

Called the TIO.
Within 10 days released from contract (only 2 months into 24month contract).
Have to return phone.
The Oz Vodafone rep commented when asked that anyone who complains to TIO about reception/coverage will be released from contract.

Hi, I contacted the TIO as suggested here and received a call from Vodafone within 10 days. I was only half way through my 24-month contract with an iPhone 3GS. I received the option to:

1) Pay $200, and keep the phone
2) Be released of my contract, and return the phone via a pre-paid return bag they will send me.

I chose option #2. But I am wondering, since they have already released me of any committment (they confirmed this), will they follow it up if I don't send the phone back? They're just going to throw the phone away anyway, it's not like they can use it?

Great result! Too easy! What made it even better was that we experienced a drop out while she was on the phone to me!

TIO - What more needs to be said? Seriously, it's probably been posted many times, but as soon as you've got an issue and can't get it solved immediately, just contact TIO. You'd think something like the TIO would take forever, this was resolved in 2 weeks whereas I had to deal with the Vodafone people for 3 months...! Just contact TIO :-)

i only deal with customer service twice.. then i go onto higher powers.. about 6 months ago i had a phone that packed up.. returned it , to which the replacement packed up.. so i called vodafail to complain and their inept customer service annoyed me so badly i called the tio.. within 7 days i had my contract released, but i resigned for a different phone... yeah i know my mistake.. but now i want releasing from the contract due to useless reception as does my wife...

I got an Iphone 4 with Vodafone in August 2009. Obviously I wanted to use the web with this smart phone, but speed was continuously less than dialup. In Jan 2011 I decided to try and get out of the contract as a smart phone is useless without a good 3g connection. It took about a week, aprrox 4 hours on the phone to Vodafone. They kept saying I hadn't set up my phone correctly, I am a Telstra tech, I know a bit about networks and how to operate my phone. I told them I tried my sim in various other phones and the reception and data problems were the same. Still they insisted nothing was wrong.

This was after 3 hours of calls and about to give up, I then contacted the TIO online...thinking that nothing would happen. Next day some woman liaising with Vodafone and the TIO gave me the option to get 4 months free on my contract, or release me from my contract and pay $380 for my iphone 4.

I was over the moon! I chose to exit the contract as that is what I wanted from the beginning. So with what I had already paid on the phone and the $380, I ended up getting an Iphone 4 for around $420, am now on a now contract plan with optus. They also waived the last 2 months bill that I hadn't paid.

It was a painful experience, and I am reluctant to ever go back on a locked in contract again.

15234 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is complete fail at 4 Feb 2011 10:13:49 PM
So voda is out in Merimbula, Pambula, Eden and surrounds. Has been since about 5PM this afternoon. We are talking an area of about 70km wide... Pathetic.
4 Feb 2011 10:31:12 PM: Yep, seems you are not alone:

"East Boyd
Timbillica Hill
Batemans Bay
Bega
Eden
Narooma
Bodalla
Cobargo
Quaama
Wolumla
Merimbula
Cullendulla
Bergalia
Kianga
Dignams Creek"

"From 04/02/2011 17:50pm AEDT customers in the South Eastern regions of NSW may experience problems accessing voice and data services. Vodafone Reference TT495549"

http://vodafone.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3730

Vodafail.com Moderation Team
5 Feb 2011 01:28:18 AM: That might be due to the storms down there,

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN65156.shtml

meanwhile as I drove from Brisbane to Campbelltown 1024 km 14 hours I:-

Checked into Foursquare 47 times uploaded 17 photo's

Checkeed into Facebook 18 times and uploaded 9 photo's

Videocalled on Skype for 27 mins

Talked on the phone for 2 hours 35 minutes

Sent 24 SMS and MMS messages

and generally had no issues whatsoever

My iPhone 4 has been IP blocked from posting here DUE TO THE EFFICIENCY OF THE VODAFONE NETWORK at posting from various locations AND I did speedtests which show that Vodafone is easily a match for Telstra , speedwise.

Stick your fingers in your ears like a two year old and yell "I'm not listening" as you no doubt delete this post too

29 Jan 2011 05:27:50 PM: Vodafone Brisbane:-

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132596912.png

30 Jan 2011 12:25:03 AM: NextG Network in Sydney

http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/67510772.png

14858 Someone from QLD thinks vodafone is Not at all at 28 Jan 2011 08:45:18 PM
I drove from Sydney to Brisbane expecting the worst after all the whining on this site, checked in on Foursquare and Facebook at over 22 locations, engaged in five hors of phone calls, sent MMS and SMS from my iPhone 4 and now I'm posting this using my Vodafone modem from Deception Bay.

No problems at all, I don't know what the fuss is all about.
28 Jan 2011 08:51:47 PM: Welcome to imaginary land. Population, 1.
28 Jan 2011 09:26:28 PM: I suspect a bit of deception, but not much bay
28 Jan 2011 09:34:20 PM: She's right, no problems between Sydney and Brisbane, 14857 Vodafail customers are mistaken
28 Jan 2011 10:37:03 PM: OP did not come via the Gold Coast, that is for sure!!!
28 Jan 2011 11:57:42 PM: Check this, Speedtest:-

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1131457468.png

4.47 Mbps Down, 1.51 Mbps up

Reality, Vodafone Australia Mobile Broadband.
29 Jan 2011 12:00:13 AM: Came up that motorway from Tweed Heads, talking all the way to Brisbane, iPhone 4 linked to Bluetooth, no problems mate, apart from the drivers here.
29 Jan 2011 12:05:20 AM: Have the Vodatrolls been asked by Vodafone to post this sort of stuff here?
http://208.65.21.102/~vodafail/single.php?p=14866
28 Jan 2011 11:40:04 PM: I'm at Deception Bay using my iPhone 4 and USB stick are working fine, see:-

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1131453609.png

29 Jan 2011 01:18:43 AM: It's funny how every bad experience is taken as fact without question or doubt yet whenever anyone claims to have no problems with their vodafone product/service then it has to be vodafone staff or their PR team.
29 Jan 2011 08:18:39 AM: @ 29 Jan 2011 01:18:43 AM

Simple really.............in all reality it normally is.
29 Jan 2011 08:29:21 AM: Nope I'm sick of this pack of whiners, so put up my experiences, as I said I was expecting issues and had none.

So how many posts are from Telstra and Optus employees trying to pick up a few customers?

Here's another speedtest, a bit slower but still good:-

2.70 Mbps Down 1.41 Mbps up.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132163703.png

Vodafone Australia mobile broadband.
29 Jan 2011 08:32:10 AM: Another one, the Brisbane test is a bit faster than the Sunshine Coast one:-

3.54 Mbps down, 1.6 Mbps up.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132168064.png
29 Jan 2011 01:41:03 PM: Spent a nice morning wandering around this area, uploaded a few photo's to Facebook, checked into Foursquare, made a couple of calls, from my iPhone 4, just dropped in to do another speedtest.

4.26 Mbps down, 1.43 Mbps up.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132446001.png

Vodafone works fine.
29 Jan 2011 05:27:50 PM: Here another speedtest:-

5.77 Mbps down, 1.62 Mbps up and a link to prove it

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132596912.png

Deception Bay Queensland
29 Jan 2011 06:57:17 PM: I'm a Vodafone employee AND a Vodafone customer.

As a customer I've honestly had very few issues. What few issues I've had have been in the last month or two but my service is still very usable.

As an employee I'm happy to see people go to another carrier. I get most of my commission from customers coming to vodafone, not from customers who are with vodafone already. I'm also privy to information about plans that will have the network close to if not equal to Telstra's network quality by the end of 2012, just when everyone who is leaving Vodafone now will be off their contracts. We'll see how long people's memories are when Vodafone not only has the best plans but a great network to back them up.
29 Jan 2011 07:49:43 PM: Bahahahahahahahahaha, Vodafone will never be good as Optus let alone as good as Telstra.

LOL Fail!
29 Jan 2011 08:04:47 PM: "Telstra's network quality by the end of 2012, just when everyone who is leaving Vodafone now will be off their contracts"

To late mate for a lot of people - jam tomorrow and tomorrow never comes - I'm outta here way before then.
29 Jan 2011 08:13:05 PM: Post your speedtest here then, put your money where your mouth is.

Now I'm the other side of Brisbane in Marsden, bit slower down here:-

1.12 Mbps down, 1.09 Mbps up

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1132729267.png

No problems with reception on the drive through Brisbane, iPhone 4, made a couple of calls here and there.

Last time I was with Optus their network used to die, right on the dot of 8 when 'Yes' time would kick in...

"All lines to the area you are calling are busy" it used to take five or six tries to get through, it improved a bit with the olympics but not enough to stop me switching to Vodafone, my bills used to run at $600 a month with Optus now I spend $59.
29 Jan 2011 10:47:56 PM: funny coz i live in Tweed Heads and have had nothing but problems.
29 Jan 2011 10:48:32 PM: how do you do this speed test?
30 Jan 2011 12:11:24 AM: Go here:-

http://speedtest.net/
30 Jan 2011 12:23:43 AM: Bit slow tonight on the NextG network:

http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/76653345.png
30 Jan 2011 12:25:03 AM: NextG Network in Sydney

http://www.speedtest.net/iphone/67510772.png
30 Jan 2011 02:34:18 AM: back to deception bay, prepaid $100 ($90 at Woolworths) 6GB over 6 months

3.47 Mbps Down, 1.54 Mbps up

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1133135648.pn

After multiple times calling Vodafone to get no answers i went through the Tio and 2 days later got a call from Vodafone releasing me from my contract 19 months early... Free of Charge! :)

After a number of calls to Vodafone, each time explaining the issues I was having with no service, delayed voicemails and generally poor customer service, I was yesterday released from my ontract 11 months early. I managed to stay calm on each and every phone call and ensured I did everything they asked of me. Yesterday, after VF failed to get back to me as promised, I was put through to the cancellations team. Initially they tried to offer me unlimited phone calls (great if I had service!) and free access for 4 months but I explained that I don't want a free service that I can't use, I want to pay for one that works. They then tried to tell me I had to pay for my phone and then they would release my contract.... even though my contract was $69/mth with a FREE phone.... politely told them this would not happen and that I would involve the TIO. Call got escalated to a manager and 10minutes later I was off contract. My advise.... patience and politeness!

I gave my friend a long-winded set of instructions and referred her to this site.
She experienced the same problems: call drop-outs, slow data etc.
She was with Optus. She called the local Optus call centre and was out of her contract with one phone call. Her's and her husband's.

After experiencing all of the usual issues with 3G including drop outs, delayed voice mail, unable to access 3G data and so on I complained via the online vodafone website indicating that I wanted to be released from my contract (6 months early) with the associated early termination fees. As expected no response whatsover within the specified 5 business days as promised on their website. Subsequently filed online complaint with TIO, within a day got a text from vodafone releasing me from my contract. Very happy to give them the flick :-)

1 year into my 2yr contract with iPhone 3gs. Service over the last 3 months was complete rubbish. Complained to Vodafone and they offered me 1 month free while the 'investigate' the matter.

I told them this was a 'no-go' and I wanted to disconnect without any fees. They put me through to cancellation department and insisted that I payout the rest of my contract - $750. I said this was unacceptable and I was going to complain to the TIO. They said "okay go ahead".

Lodged a complaint with the TIO on 17th Jan. By 2nd Feb Vodafone rang me and gave me the below:

- Released me from the contract without any fees
- Gave me the iPhone 3gs 16gb
- Unlocked the phone

So now I'm trialing Optus prepaid to see how the network is, if its good I'll stick. If not I'll be going to Telstra.

Just thought I'd share, cause it can be done. You just have to hold your ground and be persistent.

Good luck everyone!

I went through the TIO and was let out of my contracts totally $215 a month! And was able to keep my iPhone 3 GS and returned the iPhone 4. I had problems porting my number and not sure if it was VF or the incompetence of Telstra but it was never done. I then received a final bill from them which they waived for me. They treated me fairly. I will add that I went to Telstra and was with them for 12 days before pulling the plug on them as they are beyond incompetent and am now extremely happy with my Optus service.

Called Vodafone customer care Monday 24th Jan to request being released from our contracts 8 months early (both my husband & I had our phones with them) due to network issues including constant call dropouts, message sending failures etc. Calls dropped out 3 times whilst doing this! Was told they would investigate & get back to us by Friday 28th Jan. No word by 5.30pm Friday so completed online TIO complaint form, received a call from Vodafone Monday 31st Jan which dropped out again before they could speak to us, so they then sent us a text saying we were released from our contracts & free to go. Happy days!!
Very pleased with the speed of the process once TIO were contacted. Thoroughly recommend going along that pathway!

Rang Vodafone to find out about cancelling on the 17th of last month. Was told they'd get back to me in 72hrs to advise the result of their "tests." As you can guess, I didn't hear from them. So I rang the next day - oh no, it takes 4-5 days to hear back and I would definitely know by the end of the next day. Naturally, I didn't hear anything from them all day Saturday OR Sunday, so I lodged an online complaint with TIO. Tried ringing Vodafone again last Thursday, got some bloke with an accent wanting me to yet again explain why I wanted to cancel. I politely told him that, with all due respect, I've already explained that on no less than 4 occassions and I am just after a resolution, so he transferred me through to some other department. As you can imagine, I was left on hold for a considerable amount of time, both before and after I spoke to the first person. When I eventually got off hold, I spoke to a nice guy in Tassie - can you believe it?! He said that his supervisor wasn't there, but he would contact me the following day, gave me his name AND the times in which he would call back. He didn't call back, but I did get that lovely text saying that I would be released from my contract from then on. They also said something about a letter detailing how to do all this, however I am still waiting for that... anyone here know what I need to do?! I'm getting sick of waiting AGAIN! But overall, WIN for me! Yay!

Rang Vodafone to find out about cancelling on the 17th of last month. Was told they'd get back to me in 72hrs to advise the result of their "tests." As you can guess, I didn't hear from them. So I rang the next day - oh no, it takes 4-5 days to hear back and I would definitely know by the end of the next day. Naturally, I didn't hear anything from them all day Saturday OR Sunday, so I lodged an online complaint with TIO. Tried ringing Vodafone again last Thursday, got some bloke with an accent wanting me to yet again explain why I wanted to cancel. I politely told him that, with all due respect, I've already explained that on no less than 4 occassions and I am just after a resolution, so he transferred me through to some other department. As you can imagine, I was left on hold for a considerable amount of time, both before and after I spoke to the first person. When I eventually got off hold, I spoke to a nice guy in Tassie - can you believe it?! He said that his supervisor wasn't there, but he would contact me the following day, gave me his name AND the times in which he would call back. He didn't call back, but I did get that lovely text saying that I would be released from my contract from then on. They also said something about a letter detailing how to do all this, however I am still waiting for that... anyone here know what I need to do?! I'm getting sick of waiting AGAIN! But overall, WIN for me! Yay!

Filled in online TIO form. I only contacted vodafone once, on hold for 90 minutes then they hung up on me. Explained that I thought I had made a reasonable attempt to fix my problems. Got a message from Vodafone about a week later saying i am free to port/cancel my contract free of charge. WOO HOOOO hello telstra!!

Contacted the TIO!

Don't bother going to Vodafone directly as the Indian call centre and network team will spend weeks getting you to perform timely tests on their network.

Within 3 days of contacting the TIO, a lovely lady from Vodafone's consumer relations team called and offered to cancel my contract free of charge - with the option to purchase my phone or send it back.

She even told me if my husband wanted "out" as well, not to bother going through Vodafone channels - she recommended going straight to the TIO.

Bottom line? Lodge complaint with the TIO if you want to get out of your contract.

I have about 19months left on my Vodafone contract. After problems with coverage, internet and telephone calls dropping out I have decided it best to changer carriers as Vodafone is becoming too painful. I phoned Vodafone this morning and lucky for me I was only transferred three times and within 45 mins and the representative admitting there were coverage problems in my area I was offered to cancel my contract. I have been advised a parcel will be sent out for my handset to return to Vodafone, I can transfer my number from today onwards to another carrier and all cancellation fees will be credited.

My only concern is the representative did not give me a reference number or anything in regards to our conversation only her name and that she has made notes on my account. Lets hope it all works out ok and if so I am very glad they listened and have allowed me to opt out at no cost. I will be going to Telstra. As they say you pay for what you get and sometimes the more expensive option is definitely worth it.