I live in Brisbane and was recently caught in rain with my iphone in my handbag. I did not take the phone out during the rain, and when I got home to recharge the phone it did not switch on and heated up. I wasn't too concerned as I have insurance and have been a customer of Vodafone for 4 years. The next day I went to my local store to tell them what had happened and to make a claim. Firstly, the employer told me to go to the police, lie, and get a police report stating my phone had been stolen. He told me this would be easier to make a claim. I told them I wouldn't lie to the police. I then called vodafone from the store to make a claim, as the employers did not know what to do and said they have nothing to do with insurance. Whilst I was on hold, the employer told me not to say that I had been caught in rain. Assuming he would know best, I made my claim and said the phone had stopped workin. When they asked me whether it had been wet, I told them it was in my handbag when I was caught in rain, but I did not take the phone out. They then said it would be a three week wait. On getting off the phone, I asked about a loan phone, in which the store told me they didn't have any, and did not try to get me one. As a result, I went to another store which told me the same thing and advised me I would have to buy a new cheaper phone in the meantime, despite still paying my contract for this month. I eventually tracked one down at Crazy Johns. After all of this, the Vodafone employers guaranteed me that if the claim was dismissed my phone would be returned to me.

This afternoon I received a letter from the insurance company stating that my claim had been rejected as I did not provide sufficient reason for why the phone stopped working. To make matters worse, they have not returned my phone, nor offered any type of replacement phone or options of leaving my contract. I want to leave Vodafone as the service I have been dealt with has been dishonest, inconsistent and unhelpful. I feel that employers of the company advised me to lie (even to police!) and as a result, have hampered my chances of getting my phone repaired. At the moment I stand without a phone, and a $90 plan to pay off for the next 12 months. Disgusting.