Dear visitor,
Since its inception Vodafail.com has made a significant
contribution towards raising awareness of the problems and issues faced
by Vodafone customers.
Vodafone Australia customers have had the opportunity to voice their concerns, their fears and their troubles from every corner of Australia and beyond our borders.
You have gathered the courage to stand up for your rights as consumers and to make your voice heard.
Each and every person who shared their story should have a sense of pride in this achievement and the changes that have occurred since the start of Vodafail.com.
More recently, traffic to Vodafail.com has declined significantly.
Having achieved the goal of raising awareness and promoting concrete action in early 2011, we have now reached the point of closing Vodafail to new complaints.
The site will remain online for as long as possible as a
reminder and an example of what is possible when we share our experiences.
It has been a privilege to run this initiative
and I'm am forever grateful for the help and support I've received. In
particular I would like to thank Melissa, David and Travis for their
continued efforts over the past 15 months. I'm also thankful and humbled by the support of ACCAN, Choice magazine and a wide range of media outlets, blogs and websites.
You can still browse existing stories and find out how to file a complaint if you are experiencing problems.
Until next time,
Adam Brimo
Share Your Pain
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14677 Someone from NSW thinks vodafone is Poor customer service at 26 Jan 2011 12:58:53 PM
Half my keypad went kaputt. This meant I couldn't dial the number to most people, or complete a comprehensible SMS. After the usual circus with Lara, her friends in the Philippines, and many other symphonies from the Vodafone and Nokia muzak selections, I took an afternoon off work to visit my local Westfield to activate my "extended warranty" at a Voda shop in person.
Instead of any attempt to help when I explained my phone's plight to the young "gentle"men in the booth, I received in return, a barrage of demands, ranging from personal ID, proof of purchase, proof of contract etc.etc...Ultimately, they issued an ultimatum - NO job number (from Lara's telephone hotline) NO repair......"but she didn't give me one...but they kept putting me on hold.....but the overseas operator wasn't authorised to issue any numbers...." I pleaded. They were adamant, and to get me off their backs, they explained that they were "only" a private contractor for Vodafone. They sell their products, but don't deal with their problems. So my only chance is to go to the Voda shop...which strangely exists in the same shopping mall only 50 metres away????
So I repeated the same performance 2 minutes later, and unsurprisingly the same unhelpful responses and denial of responsibility.
Their first response at this shop was not so much an apology for the inconveniences, but more akin to a threat: "This is gonna cost you $100 just for an inspection...."
"But isn't the extended warranty which I have unfailingly paid for the past 22 months..."
"No!" he cuts me off..."You STILL have to pay the excess"...
"Alright then", I replied and started thinking about joining my wife's new iPhone 4 plan from a rival telco. "Since I only have 2 months left, what's the cost of paying out my contract?"
He became elusive, and started typing madly, hunched over his computer as if trying to hide my own details from me. Never offering me a seat, he finally barked, "If you want a new phone, you renew your contract NOW!"
"Can I get an iPhone?" I queried.
"Yeah, but you'll have to wait 8 weeks till we're re-stocked".
"OK...." I politely retorted as I mused at the thought of keeping my gammy phone for another 8 weeks. "...So what are my plan options?"
He then snapped out a series of options, still sitting there like he was the school principal whilst I stood like a naughty customer. Not once did he offer me one of the vast library of brochures, or pen or paper whilst I tried jotting down the costs on the back of a shopping docket.
The most useful outcome from this exchange was knowing that when I got my iPhone on the spot in a neighbouring phone dealer, my new plan was considerably cheaper than any of the Voda options. My penalty for early termination of contract is consoled by the knowledge of never having to listen to that annoying Lara again........My sympathies to all my Voda victims out there, and the woman who actually provides Lara's voice.
Instead of any attempt to help when I explained my phone's plight to the young "gentle"men in the booth, I received in return, a barrage of demands, ranging from personal ID, proof of purchase, proof of contract etc.etc...Ultimately, they issued an ultimatum - NO job number (from Lara's telephone hotline) NO repair......"but she didn't give me one...but they kept putting me on hold.....but the overseas operator wasn't authorised to issue any numbers...." I pleaded. They were adamant, and to get me off their backs, they explained that they were "only" a private contractor for Vodafone. They sell their products, but don't deal with their problems. So my only chance is to go to the Voda shop...which strangely exists in the same shopping mall only 50 metres away????
So I repeated the same performance 2 minutes later, and unsurprisingly the same unhelpful responses and denial of responsibility.
Their first response at this shop was not so much an apology for the inconveniences, but more akin to a threat: "This is gonna cost you $100 just for an inspection...."
"But isn't the extended warranty which I have unfailingly paid for the past 22 months..."
"No!" he cuts me off..."You STILL have to pay the excess"...
"Alright then", I replied and started thinking about joining my wife's new iPhone 4 plan from a rival telco. "Since I only have 2 months left, what's the cost of paying out my contract?"
He became elusive, and started typing madly, hunched over his computer as if trying to hide my own details from me. Never offering me a seat, he finally barked, "If you want a new phone, you renew your contract NOW!"
"Can I get an iPhone?" I queried.
"Yeah, but you'll have to wait 8 weeks till we're re-stocked".
"OK...." I politely retorted as I mused at the thought of keeping my gammy phone for another 8 weeks. "...So what are my plan options?"
He then snapped out a series of options, still sitting there like he was the school principal whilst I stood like a naughty customer. Not once did he offer me one of the vast library of brochures, or pen or paper whilst I tried jotting down the costs on the back of a shopping docket.
The most useful outcome from this exchange was knowing that when I got my iPhone on the spot in a neighbouring phone dealer, my new plan was considerably cheaper than any of the Voda options. My penalty for early termination of contract is consoled by the knowledge of never having to listen to that annoying Lara again........My sympathies to all my Voda victims out there, and the woman who actually provides Lara's voice.
Since January 2010 all phones Vodafone sell come with 12 months manufacturers warranty and another 12 months Vodafone repair warranty, it's automatic, you don't pay extra for it as long as you still have an Vodafone SIM in it it's 24 months.
The only exception is iPhones where you can pay Apple for an extended warranty and Apple will take care of any issues.