I am with vodafone for the internet. Although my contract ran out about four months ago. When my contract ran out I rang them up. I was on hold for about 50 minutes, when I finally got through I told them that I wanted to cancel my internet service. The operator said they can not do it from there end they have to get the technicians to ring, which will be 24-48 hours. Guess what no phone call. I rang them back a week later told them the same thing and that I had already rang the previous week. The operator said the same thing technicians have to ring me. Guess what one week later still no phone call. I rang back and tried again, of course it was the same answer as the last to phone calls. So my husband said don't pay them. So we didn't pay them for four months they kept charging and now they have just cut my internet off. I have now gone prepaid with some one else. But as soon as that bill is paid they will connect me back up and its going to be the same story of trying to disconnect.

Unfortunately both my Grandfathers passed away (23rd Dec and 26th Dec)on both occasions family members who were trying to contact me were diverted directly to mine and my partners voicemail without even a missed call registering. It was only until I turned my phone on and off that I received the voicemail and several other text messages. This is simply not good enough, I have received a credit for December however they will not let us opt out of our ontract until they send a replacement sim card as this 'could' be the problem - load of rubbish.

This has been the most frustrating experience. After visiting my local vodafone service centre I was told that the CEO is aware of the problem and was told I to call 1555 or their 1300 to cancel my contract. After just over 30 mins on my mobile I hung up. I then used the shop one and waited a further 20 mins. During my time in the shop I witness vodafone selling another 3 mobiles and plans to people in the shop.Still with no luck and poor service from that end as well, I went home and called the 1300 from my landline while my mobile was charging. After waiting for 87 mins on one hand set and a further 54 mins ont he other yes they both wewent flat while waiting I was then told I was not speaking to the cancellation deapartment. I just couldnt beleive it. I said I have just been put through to cancellations." No mame what is your problem, so then I explained it again!I am unable to receieve phone calls the network says I am busy. I dont receive text messages until 8 hours or the next day after they have been sent. Someone was going to get back to me and they called me on my land line number when I was out ( How Convenient!) I have just called the 1300 back again and tried to cancellmy contract as they are in breach of their side of it. HOwever they wanted to charge me over 400 to pay out my contract I said no no. I politely explained to him that there is no cancellation policy as the company is in breach at their end and Im not going to pay for a service in which I dont receive professional coverage.I then expalined how Iwas with in my rights to go to the telecommunication ombudsman and make a formal complaint. Interesting enough the indian man on the other end said as long as I have a trail of evidence proving my claim I was with in my rights to do that. So it appears over in indias call centre they are more than aware of what has been happening but are full of excuses to offer me a free month while they fix my problem and they will get back to me.... You guessed it Im still waiting.

I have a Vodafoney internet connection. Usually late at night the data speed to my Vodafoney broadband internet slows to the stage where there is no data transfer or the data rate is so slow that it is unusable. Some days I am not even able to logon. Further I am in a major capital city, where you would expect the coverage to be good! They have not provided the service and must be in breach of their service provision contract. This week I intend to call the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman (TIO) and get out of my contract. I have a small internet business and it makes running my business very difficult. I thought that after the Casualties of Telecom (COT - so called COT cases) saga of about 20 years ago that phone companies in Australia would have got it!!

I always have between none to 1 bar of reception at my place of residence well within the coverage map and always get incurred roaming data charges - once I had a $400 phone bill in where $300 was roaming data usage. They sent someone out to check if it was a reception failure and called me back 3 days later and said there was adequate coverage.... Yehhh right - I had a go at them so they gave me a lifetime $10 credit every bill (to me this would seem they agree there is inadequate coverage)

Anyone that starts an important apology straight with " i would like to apologies" is a true wanker:

http://blog.vodafone.com.au/blog/news/an-apology-to-our-customers/

somebody get him a PR degree please.

had contract for two months had phone for one month [took four weeks to replace when it should off taken one minute] don't think i can hang for the remaining ten months with no or limited service lucky i still kept landline

I've been with Voda for 5 years, having purchased my handset and plan, prior to travel. Needless to say I found that it was a white elephant. Coverage seems only to work in major metro areas or the ski fields. Receiving bills by email when VF went paperless has also been a problem - perhaps clueless applies. When I tried to get in touch by phone, website or email they were uncontactable. I have given up and will soon port to another telco.

About 10 different 100% guaranteed drop-out areas within the center of the nations capital (even right outside my Company's building in the CBD). Total inability to get even one billing cycle correct (ever) and a customer support helpline that is too painful to endure.

No service at all in Ngunnawal since last night. Called this morning to initially be told that there are no network issues in the ACT. A few minutes later after resetting my iPhone I was asked for my postcode, only to be told that there *are* network issues in Ngunnawal (where I live), Amaroo and Casey and that they have no idea when they'll be fixed. I put my simcard in my old Nokia and am at least able to get/ make calls, but nothing with a phone which has a newer network usage.

Mobile phones
Signal is getting more variable with call dropouts in the ACT. Txt messages sometimes take days to arrive (record for us so far is a week).

Up until Dec 2010 I had Vodafail's prepaid mobile broadband for 12 months. I live in Richardson in the ACT. The service degraded over this period to the point where I could not get a reliable connection and when I did it was at less than dial up speed being prepaid I was able to walk. For the record I used this service in Blacktown, NSW during this time and the service went from poor to non existent. Just could not establish a connection even with Vodafail's support desk assistance

random drop outs in inner city areas
slow or no internet
constant call fails, most calls have to be made 2-3 times to get through
ridiculously high bills - why am i paying more for vodafone to vodafone calls than to other networks?
ridiculously high national call rates
major lag in credit balance enquiries - sometimes off by $50 or more
no reception at parklife festival in melbourne
no reception at falls festival in lorne

I POSTED THIS IN THE OTHER FORUM HERE IT IS AGAIN:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ANYONE CONTACTING VODAFONE:

1) BEFORE PICKING UP THE PHONE WRITE DOWN THE DETAILS OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AND PROBLEMS IN FULL, AND THINK OF A FAIR SOLUTION (I DEMANDED 12 GIG OF DATA FOR FREE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE TO MY BROADBAND SERVICE)
2) CALL VODAFAIL
3) ANSWER SECURITY QUESTIONS AND GIVE THEM YOUR DETAILS AS REQUIRED
4) ASK FOR CALL OPERATOR'S DETAILS: NAME, CALL CENTRE LOCATION, EMPLOYEE NUMBER (THIS ENSURES THAT THEY ARE ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT THEY WON'T "ACCIDENTALLY" HANG UP ON YOU IF THINGS GET TRICKY, LET THEM KNOW YOU'LL NOTIFY VODAFAIL SHOULD THE CALL DROP OUT)
5) STATE YOUR PROBLEM IN FULL. DO NOT LET OPERATOR INTERRUPT.
6) (OPERATOR WILL NOW COMMENCE MAKING EXCUSES OR DISMISSING YOUR COMPLAINT) AT THIS STAGE YOU CAN TELL THEM THAT THEIR EXCUSES ARE NOT NECESSARY, AND THAT THEY HAVE 2 CHOICES:
OPTION 1) THEY CAN GIVE YOU COMPENSATION (MAKE A SPECIFIC DEMAND AND STICK TO IT: E.G. 2 FREE MONTH'S PHONE USAGE, OR 12 FREE GIGS OF DATA - THINK OF THIS BEFORE CALLING)
OPTION 2) YOU WILL CONTACTING THE "TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN", "THE AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY", "TODAY TONIGHT" AND "YOUR LOCAL NEWS PAPER". YOU WILL JOIN THE CLASS ACTION WITH LAW FIRM "PIPER ALDEMAN" AND SUE VODAFAIL BECAUSE YOU ARE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION
7) TELL THE OPERATOR TO GO AND TALK TO HIS/HER MANAGER
8) THE OPERATOR WILL COME BACK SAYING THEY CAN GIVE YOU SOMETHING SMALL (E.G $20 OFF YOUR BILL OR 1 GIG FREE DATA). IF THAT IS NOT TO YOUR SATISFACTION TELL THEM THAT THEY ARE FORCING YOU TO TAKE OPTION 2 AND THAT YOU WON'T ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS THAN WHAT YOU STATED IN OPTION 1
9)THEY WILL GO AND TALK TO THEIR MANAGER AGAIN
10) THEY WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU ASKED FOR AND TELL YOU THEY JUST WANT TO RETAIN YOU AS A CUSTOMER
11) SAY THANK YOU AND THAT YOU APPRECIATE THEM NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT, AND THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE AN "ANGRY CUSTOMER" BUT THEIR APPAULING SERVICE CAUSED YOU TO HAVE TO CALL THEM. LET THE OPERATOR KNOW THAT YOU HOPE NOT TO HAVE TO MAKE THIS CALL AGAIN

IF THEY DON'T GIVE YOU WHAT YOU ASKED FOR IN OPTION BE PREPARED TO TAKE OPTION TWO AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH IT.

KEEP IN MIND EVERY SINGLE COMPLAINT TO THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS OMBUDSMAN RESULTS IN VODAFAIL BEING FINDED $190, SO THEY WILL BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU FREE STUFF TO STOP YOU FROM COMPLAINING. IF YOU RUN A BUSINESS YOUR COSTS COULD BE MUCH HIGHER THROUGH LOST BUSINESS REVENUE - IN THIS CASE DEMAND PROPORTIONAL COMPENSATION, AND IF THEY FAIL TO COMPENSATE YOU ACCORDING TO THE INVONVENIENCE CAUSED THEN JOIN THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT THROUGH LAW FIRM PIPER ALDEMAN

Useless. How can we accept this service

my last 7 bills for my $79 cap has been a minimum of $220 each month. I have to chase it up with vodafone, where they keep giving me 'credit' on my account. Seeing as it is continuous, happens every month, and they KEEP MAXING OUT MY CREDIT CARD by overcharging me, the least they can do is refund my bank account so i can afford to eat and pay rent, not just keep ending up with more and more credit with the worst phone company ever

I put in an optus sim in my iphone it is locked to vodafail. The http://www.vodafone.com.au/unlock site is down. Probanly getting over worked.

This page was funny http://vodafone.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2909

After calling the number it had a voice recording saying to write letter to vodafone location in kingston and a 10 day wait

Joined Vodafail in late 90s. Back in the day - fantastic company. Excellent Australian based tech support. Answered quickly and if you were waiting too long (i.e. 10 minutes) and hang up - you would receive a call back within an hour. Good coverage - although a little odd. e.g. didn't get strong coverage in centre of Brisbane but very good in the middle of whoop-whoop. I was on post-paid contract and every now and then they would send me magazine subscriptions, and even a new phone (no contract attached) as a "thanks for sticking with us". Even received "how happy are you" cold calls from friendly Aussie support centre.

Now - very bad. Angry and seemingly unbalanced support centre (although the increased abusive calls they are receiving may explain this). No real support on the phone.

Wireless internet a complete joke. Feel like I was ripped to the extreme. I paid for a wireless internet service that I can't even use! Any complaints to the support system suggest dropping from 3G to the lower level service because it is so slow it won't even load any sites in "high load" periods. Ok - so any time you want to use the internet that isn't 11:00am you can't. Absolutely enraging to be paying for a service that I don't receive. Stop stealing my money V/F! Actually recommended Vodafail to others based on my historical experience. Quick way to lose friends.

Also - you appear to go over caps very quickly without actually making very many calls. Calls appear to be working out at $10 a pop (overgeneralising as a joke - please no flaming about how this isn't possible).

Really sad how it went to shite. It actually did used to be pretty good. Now I wouldn't wish their service on my friends - I would on my worst enemy however. Just to piss them off.

This is really funny, network capacity issues are a genuine mobile technology based issue!

If too many people go to OPTUS they'll start having the same problems too, waiting around a year for upgrades to their network to be completed to handle all the extra users!

I CHALLENGE you all to go to your OPTUS store and your Telstra Store and ask them if they can guarantee that they never have network capacity issues or problems with coverage to you.

Of course they may have better or worse resolution processes, but it's really about just being connected and having it work!

Several weeks ago when we had all the rain and storms here in Canberra, it meant my Iinet connection got cut and TELSTRA had to fix the line, a week went by waiting for this to be done by them, then they confirmed that it was fixed via TXT, but it wasn't! After ringing again to point this out they sent out techs to my house, it was discovered that TELSTRA had got lines mixed up and connected me to someone else, and someone else to me, nothing worked cause none of it would sync, another 2 weeks went by and finally it was fixed!

In this entire time I used my Vodafone phone to tether, managed to use up 2gb which is the most I've used on my phone account so far! OoooH Yeaaah!

In this case voda-fail was truly a voda-fix for Telstras' woeful fix! And my Vodafone works fine only had a few issues here and there, had a few delayed txt on NYE but i though that always happened, used to with my OPTUS prepay, and i never thought anything really of it just would except the fact that surely the network would be congested.

My wife has had to revert to 2G on her iPhone 4 as 3G coverage at our home in Gungahlin ACT is just about zero (no it's not a fault with the iPhone 4 antenna as 2G reception is perfect). She is rarely able to make any calls from our area and if she is then the reception is just terrible. Also she signed up for the $49 cap with $5 handset repayment for a new 24 mth plan - now the first bill has arrive and she has to pay $10 p/m for the phone. Customer service didn't help her at all, hopefully the Vodafone shop people will be able to sort it out! Great work Vodafone.

Have you noticed how you keep dropping out of a 3g zone and it switches to Edge and back and Edge and back. And then your battery is dead before sunset when it usually lasts a day and a hald easy?

here's a first people....had major problems for over 2 years...today I got on and have been online all day.....miracles do happen

For about a month or so, sending and receiving text messages have been subject to a delay or lag. As this has started happening in the lead up to the festive season, this has been unacceptable service at what is naturally a busier time.

Furthermore, the 3G Internet stops working and then starts again. This seems completely random and is frustrating.

i am in Fraser ACT. i run a building/carpentry business from my mobile, i cant receive calls when i am at home inside or outside its a disgrace. apparently service is fine in my area. they are dreaming, i could have lost so much business but i will never know. optus here we come vodafone is shithouse

I have several issues:
1. Billing - I signed up for an NRMA deal and it took ages to get someone to actually listen to what the actual issue was. After several frustrating calls to the Indian call centre where they denied there was a problem and kept trying to tell me that I was being billed corectly. The 1555 number I think is designed to frustrate with excess wait times, call drop outs and that silly woman that keeps saying that they experiencing abnormally large call volumes (I would think that one call is an abnormally large call volume for them). I also tried to raise the issue through the Voda web site but the issue kept being classified as resolved -despite making it clear that I wanted the issue escalated. I finally lodged a TIO complaint and actually got an Australian to call me and supposedly it has now been rectified - I am waiting for my next bill to see (not holding my breath) and also should be getting one month free for my trouble - which is really only a token.

2. Coverage - woeful coverage across the ACT - the number of times I get no service is amazing. Currently working in Mitchell where I can get no coverage one moment when sitting at my desk and then limited coverage. Very poor really.

Also experienced really poor coverage in Brisbane.

3. Vodfone 3G USB internet access. I got a USB modem with 6GB of data and a 3 month expiry. I was careful to only activate it when I really needed it because the performance is that poor that I use a real internet connection - ADSL2. As it turns out it was activated at the time I purchased - not when I actually activated it in mid November. I tried to use it in Adelaide over Christmas but it had expired. After a call to Vodafail I was advised that it was activated in mid September when I purchased it - although I had to actually call Voda in mid November to get it activated in mid November to get connectivity. I have now been advised to get a recharge. Fat chance of that - I will take my #G internet business to a real provider with good coverage - as much as it pains me to say it - Telstra. I will limit the money I give to that crap company Vodafail.

I curse the day I thought I would change mobile providers from Telstra to Vodafail. Totally incompetent and poor coverage to boot. With a contact system designed to frustrate. I pity the poor call centre workers as they probably get hammered by irate customers of this crap company.

I am a solicitor in NSW and rely on my blackberry in rural and regional areas, as well as high data in the capital city. I have had bad dealings with other telco's (especially telstra). Vodafone have always been more than willing to help. I have only had one tech support issue, which was resolved within the hour with minimal disruption.

As with any business dealing, which is what a contract is, you have to be sure that you understand what you are getting into, i.e. have to activate this, or discount that.

Having been a customer for 10+ years, I am very disappointed with the reliability of the netowrk. Calling out does not work. This started yesterday where I was able to call one number, but then I am unable to call another. I would not get any tone or indication that the call would not work. Leaving the phone to "calling" all you hear is silence. Come on voda, fix up your network. This is unacceptable.

does anyone know which mobile providers don't use Indian call centers for their general customer service?

I have contacted vodafone several times about constant dropouts of phone calls and when trying to send a sms it taking a while for it to be received, I have tried different handsets same issue, only reason I chose vodafone was because of the google nexus one.

If you happen to live in Kambah, ACT, 2902, DO NOT EVEN THINK REMOTELY ABOUT STAYING WITH/MOVING TO VODAFAIL.

As my HTC sits there saying "Limited service", I decide to tell everyone to not even think about vodafail.

Sure, the phone is nice, only available on voda/3.. unfortunately, but it's only nice when you have a solid connection to the 3G service, otherwise you'll have next to no data connection and horrible call quality. To top it off, if you live in kambah you'll barely ever have reception... in a suburban area, c'mon vodafone.. please.

noobs

How is this for irony... I attempted to contact the VodaFail Complaint's Department and after waiting between 20-30 minutes for each of the three calls I attempted to make, they call was dropped shortly after being answered!!?!

For the past 30 hours my internet speed has been restricted to 53.6 kbps. Takes me up to 2 hours to load a page. Vodafone advertise their mobile internet connection at between 300 kbps to 3.0 mbps. What a f&*%ing joke. I waited 3 hours to talk to somebody in Mumbai yesterday and they wanted to transfer me!!!! - no thanks

I have been experiencing for a few months now, calls dropping out from others who ring me and when I dail someone, it drops out as well and takes me about four calls to get through. I am also having to recharge my phone every night as it is flat in one day even if not used

Vodafail is crap. Poor reception and poor service (can't even speak English). Then again, you have to be a little ignorant to have gone with them in the first place! Lesson learned this time around, huh?

i am a crazy johns customer that has has relentless problems that they are now saying are the problem is linked to vodaphones problems as they are connected with them. no one can ring me the phone goes directly to voice mail even though my phone is on and apparently have full service. i never get notified of any missed calls on my phone and my voicemail is always empty even though people have rung and left messages. This has been going on for at least 3 and 1/2 weeks. If i turn my phone off then back on it works for about an hour then nothing until i figure out it is not working and then i turn off then on just so my husband and kids daycare are able to call.

I randomly have not been able to receive calls quite frequently, normally I don't mind this however the other night my girlfriend who is new to Canberra was catching the bus back to her place and I was expecting a call from her. Nothing for over 2 hours, I decide to try ring her, it failed to do anything, I then got through to a guess what! an emotional wreck of a young girl who was lost in Canberra now in the dark crying as she got off the wrong bus stop. Since this time she has even told me on the internet, I am trying to call you now and can't get through hell she even thought I turned my phone off not to answer her!!

I guess living ACT Kambah (Southside) is bad enough but come on...

I have another 7 months to go on my contract with voda, i wish i never signed up in the first place, but with most of family with them thought good idea, big mistake. I have had a lot of the calls that people make to me drop out, which means I have then had to call them back, this puts my monthly bill up all the time. I have had people ask me why I have not been answering their call, but the phone never rang, never got missed call text. Some say that call went to voice mail, but I never received those either. With elderly unwell family I am finding this not at all acceptable as any of these calls could be concerning one of them that could have been admitted to hospital.
I am feeling that I should not be having to pay for this contract as far as i am concerned voda are not holing up their end of the contract.

vodafone is shit house i was so shit faced

I can't believe that Vodafone are pushing this Infinite cap crap when they know the data service on their network is already heavily overloaded, it really is incompetence at it's best... all the Infinite Cap is going to do is bring more heavy data users onto the already overloaded network.

As for general problems, my 3G has started getting really flakey and I just received a voicemail message 40 minutes late from someone who said I didn't pick up... phone never rang and no missed calls!

I have continually had problems with Vodafone since i signed up to a 24-month contract. I regret the day i made the decision to do so. I got a crap phone with a faulty battery. The process to put a complaint to their customer service centre was a debacle. I was on hold for over an hour and transfered from one department to the other. No one knew who would resolve it. The worst was that they activated two services under my name yet another phone number.

Now my family and friends always complain that my phone continues to go on voicemail, they never receive my messages. It is futile to have a phone from them since it acts as a dumby phone only. I am tired of all this. Why should i bear the cost of something i am not even using.

As an employee for network upgrading for one of the other guys, I can really feel for voda right now, mobile network technology is not black and white, they'll have it worked out soon enough

Trouble shooting
Thursday, December 30, 2010 in News

Dear customers,
We want to ensure that the network experience we provide meets your high expectations for service quality.
We have been working hard to improve the network and build in new capacity, but if you are still experiencing difficulties with your Vodafone service, we would encourage you to contact us on 1555. If you experience any wait time when you contact us, please select the call back option and we will return your call.
Our Technical Support Team in on hand to talk to you about your experiences, take note of your feedback, escalate the issue to our Network Team, when required, and we will consider cases where we may provide you with account credits, where appropriate, to compensate you for any recent inconvenience.
To investigate the issue, our Technical Support team, will ask you for a few quick questions:
How long have the issues been occurring?
What location / locations are you experiencing difficulties?
On what dates and times have the issues occurred?
What brand and model of handset are you using?
Once we have established this information, here are some of the trouble shooting steps that we will walk you through, which may help to improve your network experience:
Perform a Manual Network Selection on the handset to confirm we have access from the handset to the network
Switch the handset off and on to check if this then re-establishes the network connection
Check for any known network outages or planned work at the locations
Check the coverage at your reported locations
If the issue is not rectified through the initial troubleshooting it will be raised as a fault for our network team to investigate it further.
Following the investigation by our network team, there will be a number of possible outcomes such as:
Confirmation that there is an impacted site and a timeframe for when the site is due to be fixed
There is marginal coverage in the specific area and a timeframe as to when we expect the coverage to improve.
There is conjestion at the site, which we will seek to alleviate as part of our network capacity upgrades.
If the coverage is not due to improve in the short term, or we cannot suggest a device to improve network performance such as Pocket Wi-Fi or an alternative handset, we will consider a number of options such as the possibility of an account credit until the issue is resolved or releasing you from your contract when an appriopriate resolution cannot be achieved within a reasonable timeframe.
Each individual customer issue can have different symptoms, such as problems with making or receiving calls, dropped calls, delayed text or voicemail messages or slow data speeds, and this is why we need to look at each case individually and provide a suitable solution for that issue. Some issues are quickly solved and some may take slightly longer to resolve. We will do our best to indicate a time frame for resolution of your particular issue.
We have a major network upgrade program underway and the sites that will be upgraded to improve coverage in the first quarter of 2011 will soon be published on this website. We will keep this up to date so you get a better picture of coverage improvements that may be coming soon to your area.
Thank you for your patience as we work through these issues to improve your network experience.
Cormac Hodgkinson
Director of Customer Service & Experience
Vodafone

Hardly receive a constant 3G signal, renders my new expensive phone useless. Other providers phones have perfect reception.

How do I find a copy of my full contract without having to listen to "Hi, this is Lara..." (bitch)?!

All year I have been having problems with voice messages. Visual voicemail works on and off on my iphone 3gs, but mostly off! Any voice messages can take several days to arrive.
Also, Vodafones website says they have full coverage in Bywong NSW (just outside ACT) but there is little to no reception at all.
There customer support via the phone is extremely slow. They repeatedly ask for the same details during the one call, and transfer me (slowly) a lot, and no body seems to be able to help.
LARA is nothing but infuriating!!!!
James

I think I have received another persons text message. Perhaps more than once.

Every time I try call out it says pops phone is off swell as ppl not being able to contact me, what if school or childcare try to call because the child is unwell

Basically I dont receive some messages and when I text people...I find out later that they didn't get a message I had sent!
In fact I have a family member annoyed with me cos I didn't reply to a message.....that I never received!

I signed upto Vodaphone due to the great sound plans/caps (good value and low call rates).

I had excellent coverage boasted to me and it has been horrible. I live in Bray park outside of brisbane. I get horrible reception and multiple call drop outs ( The record has been about 4 drop outs in a half hour conversation) The data is painfully slow and my battery drains rapidly ( it's always going flight by the time I drive home from work).

I am on a 24 month contract and I want out badly. Why pay for 2 GB of data when it's too slow to bother using it??

Also my mobile is my only phone ( no land line) so reliability is important to me.

I have heard that Apple is getting mighty pissed off at Vodafone for bringing its products into disrepute.
Apple have acknowledged and rectified issues. Vodafone has shown nothing but contempt and is dragging the Apple brand through the mud.

Let the games begin!

My daughter has a prepaid vodaphone account. She keeps her phone on her at all times as she is my carer and I have serious medical problems. Today I had a fall and spent hours on the floor all because vodaphone refuse to do anything about their pitiful service. The main issue is that for some reason all calls to her phone are sent straight to voice mail and she receives no notification of any messages left. This has been going on for months. At first she thought it was her handset that was playing up so we tried a different handset - no change!! Despite numerous calls to vodaphone - and extended waiting times to speak to a consultant - nothing has changed and they dont even seem interested in investigating the problem. After today's incident my daughter again phoned vodaphone and the consultant told her there is nothing they can do!! More like there is nothing they want to do!

everyones acting like this is the first time in the world a mobile network has had a capacity problem, does everyone here think that nothing usually breaks down sometimes?

same as the person who made this site...only i been with vodafone for years...lately the service has become worse...tried to contact vodafone. had my phone re set from both ends...i just want out of this stupid contract which is not providing what was promised......
a 72 hr check was supposedly done on my number before christmas...and still have not heard from vodafone what so ever.....

I'm still on hold. Taking a screen shot every 30 odd minutes just to prove it. At just on 2 hours, it went from being on hold music to the phone ringing. Just waiting to be cut off any minute now >:( - I'm ringing to complain about the usual: poor or NO service in metro areas (Canberra and Sydney), poor data service and calls dropping out or not even being received at all. I applied for a job last week and am waiting on the call. May or may not have happened, I don't know. As I have naked DSL, I don't have a home phone for them to call me, so my mobile is my only means of communication. My plan expires in June 2011, but thats not soon enough. My new bill is due, but I wont be paying it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not getting the service I am paying for, so why should I pay?
2 hours 11 minutes now...

missed out on a job because i cannot get coverage in shopping centres.msg takes 1-2 days to deliver!

I've had a Vodafone mobile for a while now and I have no HUGE problems with it except when I try to contact customer service using LARA. BUT I HAVE HUGE problems with their internet and accessing good customer service from Mumbai in India.

Besides my mobile, I subscribe to mobile internet. It can take me 1 hour to connect only to get constantly booted - it's worse during bad weather - wind, cloud, rain. I have been trying to post a customer request via the internet for the past 3 hours - I keep getting booted. I am also trying to contact Vodafone via my mobile and have been on hold for over 1 hour with LARA telling me to hang in there.

I am quitting both my mobile and internet with Vodafone and I will be joining the class action.

I recently switched from 3 to vodafone and my coverage and reception are fantastic! I'm not a very technical person so if i need to know something about my phone or have a general question i go into the civic store inside the canberra centre and the staff are so friendly and always help me. No matter what problem i have they always fix it! THANKYOU VODAFONE CANBERRA CENTRE

I am writing my concern about my cell phone service curring having diffuclty with VODAPHONE. I beleive if I write in here then i might get some response to my issue. I called there customer service but had waited hours but no luck to speak with any one. Network droping is giving me a lot of pain and at the same time some people misunderstood me for not being able to contact to me. I would new mobile connetor not to connect with Vodaphone at least not for 3/6 months until this issue has been resolved. I would not be paying my monthly contract money for this poor service.

Vodafone Rules, Imo

Today the internets been working for 30 mins this morning then all of a sudden it has been working went it wantd to work down when it wants to be down at the point of almost throw my computer across the room because it has been that slower then normal, I WANT TO BE ON FACEBOOK BUT IT WONT LET ME, BUT I CAN GO & CHECK MY EMAILS, PLUS THIS WEB SITE, BUT I WANT FACEBOOK

Until the ACCC makes new recommendations, or the class action gets up, we still need to follow all the rules, yes it has been established and admitted by Vodafone that their is a problem but that doesn't give anyone the rights to stop paying or just port out and cancel, if you do this you will affect your credit file and you will be in the wrong.

Keep a diary of events, establishing the problem.

Figure out exactly what you would like to be done about it, be prepared to compromise!

Contact Vodafone tell them what the problem is and what you would like as a remedy.

If then they can't help you, then contact the TIO, or join the class action.

Wait times are crap at the moment of course because of all the problems, you will have to be patient and wait your turn, and yes it sucks, but until you have actually spoken to them and they have not agreed to help, they haven't done anything wrong!

And remember you'll catch way more flies with honey than vinegar, be polite, be reasonable, be patient, it always works best!

Customer care

1300 650 410

http://www.tio.com.au/contact.htm

http://www.piperalderman.com.au/vf/form.html

Another good tip, is put everything into an email and send it to them, of course as pointed out on this site you may not get an answer in a hurry, but it is still a log of information outlaying your problems, send a copy to yourself so you have a record, it will all add levity to your cause!

I have contacted Vodafone several times over the past few weeks regarding my reception and all they do is try tell me it might be my handset, I have explained numerous times that everyone I know on Vodafone is having the same problem, I get messages delayed by hours, messages I send delayed by hours and 99% of the time when someone tries to call me or I try to contact another person on Vodafone it says there phone is off...F@ck you Vodafone for trying to just sweep the problem under the carpet instead of working on a solution!

vodafone has gotta be the WORST carrier

Delayed SMS messages are my biggest issue along with poor coverage in NSW when I travel

will be joning the law suit

what can i say, the phone is useless to me!!

They have actually started on the network upgrades, you cant come up with approvals for that shit in 3 or 4 weeks, this issue was addressed ages ago by the head of Google and networks have been scrambling to meet the capacity issues that will be faced based on the demand for smart phones, Vodafone are simply running late! OPTUS just spent a stack on upgrading their network to deal with it and it's working beautifully, but it really is that Vodafone just aren't ready yet!

Whats the point of drawing attention to any kind of coverage map, Vodafone have admitted there is a problem that they are working on, if the system is broken of course the coverage map is wrong?

Goes for so many other things, of course it's wrong, it's broken!

Bought a New Xperia x10 mini pro.
Calls dropped out like crazy, and mms failed to function. Phone update to remedy some problems was not available from the carrier. Dropped in to store to see if it was the phone. Was told we have to call the help number. Spent an hour on hold to be told that at minimum the phone needs to be returned once for service.
2 weeks later, phone is returned, in the same condition, DESPITE an OS update being then available. Finally updated the phone's OS on our own, without help from Vodaphone.
MMS still doesn't work properly, and calls still drop out. Reception is abysmal, and we are about 2kms from the CBD. Walking from one room to another in the house cuts the signal. Messages routinely fail to appear until 6-12hrs late, by which time they are out of context.
A month's worth of credit was applied to the account, but piling MORE free rubbish on top of rubbish is hardly compensation.

In other hilarity, using voip on my ipod with microphone works better, and the in-app messaging from words-with-friends is more reliable and timely. Sure I can only use it from places with free wifi or wifi I have a key for, but it's more reliable than Vodafail.

My phone fails to receive messages on time, calls are not coming through but the callback service works. Their customer service takes forever to answer (and always has), they take money out of my account without permission and fail to take money out when I do authorise it. Their call centre (which seems to be based in India) is crap. They're polite but they don't seem to resolve issues but rely on people withering away on the end of the phone waiting for the line to be picked up after wasteful waiting times and repeated calls on the same issue. Vodafail is headed for the bin...only a week to go.

Vodafone's coverage map (http://www.vodafone.com.au/tools/checker/index.htm) shows full wireless internet coverage in my area (central Canberra) - in reality, we're lucky to get one bar out of five on signal strength and the modem constantly switches bands looking for a stronger signal which slows the service even further.
Now 4 months into a 12-month contract, we'll never use Vodafone again.

Can someone help me understand how Vodafone is allowed to continue to sign up customers using misleading and deceptive practice (by omission)?

At bare minimum, their coverage map is obviously overstated, or at minimum, outdated.

Would these breaches lead to jail time for some Vodafone executives, or simply hefty fines?

Please, please ACCC. HELP!

I signed up in October this year and was told by the Vodafone sales assistant I had 2.5Gb downloads free for two years with my Android purchase plus bonus download deal. Second bill = $498 worth of data. It seems nothing was free at all in contrast to the stated terms of their contract. These are the first TELCO pickpockets I've known to look you in the eyes while they rob you blind. Very poor service everywhere. Dropped out calls and 6 hour delays on SMS as well. No MMS working 'apparently'.

Every time you talk to a customer service agent at the phone company you really need to date and record everything you and them say...
When i upgraded my contract this year with three i was offered a iphone 3 on the $29 contract + an extra $18 per month for the I phone. I decided to upgrade, Than i got my first bill. Three had charged me $35 extra for the phone per month. I rang and complained and three told me they have no recorded message of the agree $18 per month for the Iphone and the phone should have been $35 and thats that i will have to pay $35 per month for the iphone. I complained 10+ times to three about this issue. I than lodged my complaint with the TIO. I gave them every bit of information i recorded down. Within the week, i had a call from a lady from the TIO saying three will have to honor the agreement of the $18 per month iphone charge, not the $35 which three wanted.

One small win for the little guy. Thanks TIO..

I moved to a new address in January 2010, and while I received ok coverage at the old address, at the new address (which is only 1.5km from the CBD), I seemed to have fallen into a black-hole. Reception varies wildly, from a maximum of 3 bars, to no bars at all (where you are receiving only an Emergency signal - meaning no calls/texts in OR out). Calls drop out as often as not, and if the call continues, you cannot hear to other person or be heard by them ("...seem...and....but....for....with..." - that's all you hear). After months of this crap, I ended up buying a new mobile with a different Telco, just to get reception again! When asked, Vodafone says that maybe its the phone I bought from them, maybe it doesn't have the best antenna inside, and that I should buy another one - what? fork out more money with no guarrantee of reception? Not a chance! Vodafone should re-imburse me for the money I spent to buy a new phone with a different Telco!

I cant believe the issues i have been having with Vodaphone for years let alone especially at the moment - with a family member on life support in sydney & living on the central coast i must rely on my mobile for updates - except i cant hold a connection long enough, & when i do finally get news, it drops out up to 4 times before i give up.. i receive txt msgs up to 6 or more hrs later - sometimes waking me at 2 & 3 in the morning & friends are always having a go at me for not answering my phone OR txt msgs.. & dont even start me on wait times when u have to actually talk to someone - up to 3 hrs!!!

when are we going to receive the service we paid for???

When I signed up in 1999, VODA was great, best coverage, beat telstra in my suburb and out along the coast on holidays. In 2010 I can't even get good reception inside my home with the carrier dropping out so many times in a day it is annoying. I'm starting to look elsewhere - what am I paying vodafone for? They haven't expanded nor maintained their services. 2010 has been a write-off for vodafone.

i bought a nokia n97 mini and plugged the charger into my cars cigarette lighter. smoke started billowing out! also i am supposed to pay 14.50 for the first 12 months of my plan, and my first bill is 41.00 despite NOT using anything outside of what my cap allows for. they said sorry you didnt activate the plan discount and transferred me to the "discount activation" centree, which by the way was closed!!! they now tell me i have been chargedf pro rata full price for the first month and a hal and thaT CMY DISCOUNT WILL START NEXT BILL.NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!! I WANT OUT VODAFONE!!!

im on the $99/month unlimited plan and have always since the first bill gone $100-$200 over the "$99"

Ive been with Vodafone for 18mths, First time ever on the internet and I have always had slow downloading, constant drop outs, freezing of screen, says its connected when its not. Takes me forever to connect then 3 minutes on and it drops out again. I go into the shopfront and ask for help and they just say its a network problem go onto 2G edge. That doesnt even work. Today I went back to the shop front and all they said was to call the help line. I did and was put on hold for 2 hours. 6.30pm til 8.27pm. Im desperate to do my Uni application which I have now been made late to submit and it will cost me nearly $200 for late entry. Come on Vodafone, I put my trust in you.

After signing our Business Contact and delivery of our 2 new iPhone 4...32gb mobile. We were promised, the porting of 1 of our numbers on the 23rd December.

Then after checking, on the 24th December, to see whether they were, going to successfully port the number.....on the 25th December.

The Business customer service representative , informed me that the porting team, do not work on Xmas day.

The first possible date, That i was promised ,that they could port the number was on the Tuesday the 28December.

After waiting, all day on the Tuesday, we decided to ring the customer service, on the Wednesday.

To be informed by the porting team, that the phone number, should of been ported, on the 23rd December on the sign up of the Business arrangement ,The porting team, Said that they would not be able, to port this number , because it was not ported on the activation, of the contract
It was only after, I said that I would cancel the contract, and send the 2 phones back to them.

They then, suggested, that they needed to talk to the supervisor, and put me on hold. When he came back he said yes I will do the port, it will take about 3 hours. 6th later the phone number has still not been ported. Every day losing several phone calls a day. I don't know how long we will have to wait for my number to be ported. May be I may have to send the phones back & cancel the contract

Have vodafone wirelss internet with the pissy 4Gb download or whatever it was.
Got a new computer so downloaded quite a few updates and virus software etc. About partway though an obviously important download the service got RIDICUOUSLY slow and I was told by a friend that if you go over your download 'limit' the service slows up.

So... if you go over...pay a hell of a lot more per Mb AND get frikken slow internet as well!! Two words, business ethics!

By the way, we got a bill for over $300 on a $49 plan that month. Which sporting event did I just personally donate to?

Wireless internet with Vodafone.

EVERY connection once connected displays Poor or Very Poor.

Every time without fail. Disheartening to say the least!

I miss calls, don't receive texts, can't send texts, it took 4 days for me to receive a picture message! I pay $79 per month and get bugger all service. I spent every night for a week on hold to the support area, only to get advice that my current issues have nothing to do with the current network issues, and they would call me back. That was meant to be last friday. No calls. I get texts and emails saying I haven't paid my bill and I had paid it a week before the text and email were sent. Vodafone have failed at providing any level of service and they are not even returning calls after making repeated assurances that they would. I will also be cancelling my contract without paying the fee.

Been with Vodafone wireless for a while... not sure why... Only just got internet access back about 20 minutes ago after roughly 30 hours of constant attempts to connect.
Why would Vodafone Mobile Connect continuously open and close itself?! And not even connect to the internet anyway??
The only solution was to physically unplug the USB modem. Plugging it in started the open and close fun and games again!!

Oh yeah, anyone else upgrade to a new 'wireless-wireless' modem?? We still have the older modem that requires a small USB cable and lucky we do because the new modem doesnt even work!!!! Didnt work from the first day we got it and get this... when we rang to complain we were told the software was not up to date. HOW CAN BRAND NEW SOFTWARE NOT BE UP TO DATE???

Same boat as others... Typing this during my 1 and a half hour wait on hold... Call start 6:02pm, current time 7:33pm, not expecting them to pick up any time soon. Atleast this is one of my first calls without drop outs...

I entered into a 24 month iPhone contract with Vodafone, 15 months ago. In that time, I have had 2 iPhones and an HTC Legend, all of which have failed me. I phoned Vodafone to tell them that my signal was cutting out completely every 60 seconds and I was losing phone calls, messages and emails. I was told by their customer support to troubleshoot my phone in all the areas I was receiving signal trouble to see if I was in a low signal area. I explained to them that I travel all over NSW and ACT and I am not willing to do that. Vodafone technical support (obviously based in a non-english speaking country) told me that unless I was willing to do this, they would not help me. I was understandably furious, as I relied quite heavily on my phone for business purposes. AFter 2 weeks, Vodafone technical support hanging up on me 3 times and getting nowhere, I finally resorted to legal action. It is quite funny how quickly they are willing to help you when you inform them that you have written to the Telecommunications Ombudsman and your lawyer explaining exactly what has happened, with transcripts of all my conversations with Vodafone. I was quite quickly contacted by an Australian Vodafone person, who sent me the HTC legend, hoping this would fix the issues. Unfortunately, this did nothing and I continue to have the same issues. I have since done a SIM replacement, with no prevail. I am back at square one, with poor quality signal/reception, no way to contact helpful support and a Vodafone Call centre who is not willing to help me even though I ahve been a loyal customer of theirs. I even asked to end the contract, telling them that I would not pay out the rest of the contract as I had been severely inconvenienced and was told that I could not do that and if I was to attempt it, it would take weeks to gain approval from their management team. ONTOP OF THIS, YOU CANT EVEN PAY YOUR DAMN PHONE BILL AT A VODAFONE STORE!!! I am more than happy to take this further legally, and its very obvious that other customers have been screwed over too. Poor form!

Photos sent by MMS (from a Telstra mobile) on Christmas afternoon to my VodaMobile arrived on Monday 28/12.
SMS sent from Rural NSW from Telstra mobile at 9pm 28/12 did not arrive until 0620 29/12.
SMS sent from Westpac Bank 24/12 (as part of funds transfer security) never arrived - at all. Requested replacement SMS security code - never arrived.
SMS sent from Car Dealer for info on my car never arrived.
Other SMS arrive multiple times (only "sent" once)
Examples of SMS being sent multiple times but I only pressed "send" once - although credit where credit due, when I rang 1555 they gave me and account credit.
Frustration with poor coverage outside main areas including dead spots in main suburban areas around ACT.
A recent holiday uncovered almost no coverage throughout Tasmania.

The deals and prices might be pretty good but the adage of "you get what you pay for" is proving quite true.

It is very simple - STAY away Vodafone until they have a functioning network and you get value for your hard earned dollars - they our advertising cheap plans and data .. and give you an even CHEAPER network, data connections and e-mail service.

My woes started about six months ago with outbound sent e-mails just disappearing into the WWW never to be seen again - but for some strange reasons you seem to get inbound e-mail ok.

Then MMS pictures were taking 8 hrs to arrive at the destination phone after sending them ... not good when your bosses and work associates are sent an MMS at 4pm and are woken up at 2am when they arrive on their phone.

If you send an MMS with text attached to it - the text arrives but the picture disappears.

In the last 5 days alone I have logged "26" fail to connect to the network, and YES I have taken the SIM card out, rebooted the phone, switched off 3G, manually located the network - the same outcome results "FAIL TO CONNECT"

Call DROP OUTS to many to count I literally dozens a day - for six months I have been told the same thing by Vodafone .. when it's being addressed ! - it has been fixed ! - I'm sure this is only temporary ! please call us back if you have any further problems !

its ALL SPIN ... fix our telecommunication service that you charge us for monthly without fail - do what you advertise you can do OR PAY YOUR CUSTOMERS BACK ! enough is enough

Just bought my daughter a new vodafone prepaid phone for christmas, she was so excited, we goto the shop to buy a $30 recharge and the phone won't even allow me to recharge her BRAND NEW phone? Now what on earth is this? i can't take the recharge back nor the phone so what do we do?
We phone customer service. Currently been on hold for 37 minutes.
Great Customer service you've got there vodaFAIL.

No reception at my living address. 3 Months ago never had a problem with reception.
Calls are going to my voice message! I get the messages hours after the call was made.
As a result I am having to pay to use my voice message as well as return the phone call!
Due to no reception I have missed out on much needed work leading up to Christmas!!!!

my phone says i have full reception but i cant make any phone calls, send txts or get on the internet. people apparently have been trying to contact me for 3 hours to see where i am, and i've been waiting at home for them to call me.

vodafone is ruining my social life coz i can't contact anyone

Usually pretty good vodafone area never complained before but now for the past 5 days txt messages are delayed by about 10 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how do they explain that!!!!! I am not receiving calls they go straight to voice mail which doesn't notify so how am i meant to know they are there????????? Very very unhappy customer looks like Telstra is the only reliable one out there this is ridiculous service.

I am still waiting for a message on my vodafone which was sent approx 3.5 hrs ago, this message involves the whereabouts of my children. At least I found them after calling around but I shouldn't have to go through that when they have done the right thing by letting me know via text. MASSIVE FAIL

I signed up with TransACT 18 months ago (24 month contract) - they run off the Vodafone network. When I signed up I told them that I go to the south east coast a lot, namely to Bermagui and Beauty Point, and I was assured of service in those areas. COMPLETE FAIL! No service at all in Beauty Point, and very little areas of reception in Bermagui.
Also, I have been receiving sms's up to a day late, and some voice mail messages haven't been received at all. I was told recently that it was the fault of the phone, so just shelled out $99 for a pre-paid handset to last me through to the end of my contact.

TransACT / Vodafone - UTTER FAILURE

On switching to 3 (now Vodafone) from the overcharging big T, I have discovered that as I walk through my house I can be shunted through three different cell towers ... problem is that I loose reception (no signal) when switching between cell towers ... 3 and Vodafone have been pathetic in their attempts to assure me the coverage and switching between towers should not cause signal drop outs even going as far as suggesting that it's my mobile that is the issue. I've invited both 3 and Vodafone to my place to test it for themselves, but the customer service person I spoke with at Vodafone told me that they were too busy dealing with real issues! So Vodofone, what good is a mobile if you can't walk around and use it like the manufacturer intended?
EJ from Evatt

I am a Three(vodafone+hutchison) customer, am experiencing the same problems! 3-care was going to transfer me to vodaphone this afternoon, to improve my reception! According to them, Flynn in the ACT is in a blackspot and Vodafone has good reception!!!

Mind you, 81 drop-outs between 22-28 December, mostly roaming in all parts of the ACT, including the airport, swinging between 1 and 2 bars when on 3G!

What a mess!!!

Joe Weinhardt

First I spent $230 + of pre paid credit just trying to get my phone activated. This was made up of being on hold for 6 and a half hours calling 13 times talking to those shit computers that never get you any where. Just trying to get my old number released from another carrier. I then received my phone but could not get it activated for another two weeks. Now I have lost the phone they will not give me any help to get a replacement only at a cost of $20 per month on top of my plan, i have asked for an early termination of my contract although it is going to cost me $99 x 24 which is a total of $2476. When I was with telstra i had an early termination fee of $470. I'v called 3 other phone companies that have the same thing. I'm willing to pay for the phone but as I have not had the first payment come out of my bank I think I should not have to pay the life of the contract. I'm not a happy camper. And will fight this till I win