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
Highest Rated Gain Stories
Stories are displayed on this page if they have been rated by four or more people and have a rating of over 60%.
9554 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is Satisfactory at 31 Dec 2010 12:52:03 PM
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
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
18131 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is Laughable at 25 May 2011 09:11:54 PM
Three things are certain in life. Death, Taxes and no vodafone coverage.
What did the Vodafail executives say when CEO Nigel Dews said he was quitting?
"you can't quit, we've got you on a 24-month contract"
One Vodafone customer calls the other. What did they say?
What does it matter they couldn't hear eachother.
Constipated? I suggest signing up with Vodafone. Their mobile coverage is guaranteed to give you the shits.
What did the Vodafail executives say when CEO Nigel Dews said he was quitting?
"you can't quit, we've got you on a 24-month contract"
One Vodafone customer calls the other. What did they say?
What does it matter they couldn't hear eachother.
Constipated? I suggest signing up with Vodafone. Their mobile coverage is guaranteed to give you the shits.
14764 Someone from ACT thinks their gain is nearly fair at 27 Jan 2011 03:42:23 PM
I took my new Voda smartphone overseas in September, and made sure I read all the instructions and fine details to make sure it was switched on to Vodafone Traveller so my phone would work overseas. I even called Voda before I left & made sure I'd done it right, & they said I had. My travel partner had done the exact same thing with his Voda iPhone. Sure enough, I get to San Francisco & my phone's can't connect to any network there - its access is dead as a dodo. His worked, mine didn't, nomatter what we did (and we're no luddites). Eventually, with no other options, I hunted down an internet cafe - because you had to email them if it was a tech difficulty! My 4am query marked "Urgent - no access" was eventually responded to by a person 9 days later, who then 'activated' my account for overseas use (i.e. what we'd done back home weeks before). All up, I had a completely unusable phone for over 11 days - including through a family health crisis when I couldn't even call home. Today I asked them for an apology and a credit for the 11 days. I didn't get the apology (of course! but worth asking), but they did give me a $20 credit on the account. That's pretty close to my pro-rata monthly fee, so I figured that'd have to be good enough. It's not a massively inspiring story, but hey, it's something. Solidarity fellow Voda sufferers!! Ciao.
28 Jan 2011 09:08:34 AM: Update: Voda just offered to waive $110 from my $300 bill for the month when coverage was at its most choppy here in the ACT. Listen, I've spoken to 4 different Voda staff in the last 2 days, and 3 of them were really good - **MUCH** better than when I tried to address these issues in December and January. If you're not yet ready to go the TIO, it may be worth one last call.
In December my waits were 28-112 minutes & I got "unhelpful" responses (to say the least!). This week my waits were 7-12 minutes, and all bar 1 staff have been understanding and helpful.
In December my waits were 28-112 minutes & I got "unhelpful" responses (to say the least!). This week my waits were 7-12 minutes, and all bar 1 staff have been understanding and helpful.
1, all Vodafone calls are monitored and screens can be seen, they cannot drop the call without someone knowing about it.
2 The operators are actually there to help, not to be abused by you.
3 Your info on the TIO is, in a word, wrong.
4 Vodafone is a company that would only make money through customer service considering that there are quite a few telcos around. There is a known issue and they are trying to resolve it. You will get a way better response by dealing with the situation calmly and remembering that you are dealing with a REAL person on the other side of the phone. How would you feel if every call you took in a day was abusive? Would you be more or less inclined to give said abusive customer what they want? I know that I personally would tell them to go away.
Yes, we all get angry (and rightly so in the case of VF), but abusing the retail/call centre staff, who are just trying to put food on their table like the rest of us, is NOT the answer.
Classification fee per complaint (excluding GST)
Level 1 $31
Level 2 $260
Level 3 $475
Level 4 $2,250
IN 2008-9 THE AVERAGE FINE WAS $190
http://www.tio.com.au/
Come on guys, everyone has a job to do & I dare say you will probably get a better result by being nicer. Seems like everyone is ready to stab the knife in, how sad!
"We understand that this may be a frustrating time for customers however please remember to be calm and respectful to Vodafone employees and each other." ~
I am not a Vodafone Employee but rather a moderator for this site, and no human being deserves to be treated like rubbish just because of the actions of a company. Yes CSR are the frontline staff for that company, but you should treat them like you would your friends & family. Respect is a two way street.
Please dont take this as me sticking up for VF. As i mentioned above, i have had my fair share with fustration from their processes and procedures. It just upsets me to see posts where people feel it is okay to be rude to call centre operators just because "its their job to be abused". Let me tell you, it isnt.
Happy New Year everyone! Smile, life is way too short.
It advised a very direct approach at dealing with the issues we are experiencing with a clear solution which can and should be done in a polite and courteous manner.
Standing your ground and not accepting a poor solution to the problem is not, in itself, abusive behaviour. It is the manner in which you conduct your call that could be.
A clear and direct approach is the exact manner that the TIO uses when mediating between the Telcos and their customers so I don't see a problem with customers using the same approach when dealing with Vodafone direct.
It is not abuse, but the only way to get some form of compensation and satisfaction from a faceless company that gives you nothing and takes you nowhere.
The only way to get action is to make someone feel like they are accountable, and if that means the Customer Service Operator, then so be it.
You have to get to a manager somehow, and complaining and taking details is the only way to get to talk to someone that can make an offer.
Well done mate, good info.
But none the less, I too actually work in customer service myself, and I quite like this job - I like the good and the bad - though, I have the flexibility to do whatever I desire, alike the manager - and im not the manager.
Everyone in the Customer Service business, even down at your local club/pub/restraunt knows what customer service is, and how to preform that Judy.
There is in NO job description in ANY customer service rolls that depict "to happily and willing fully handle ABUSE AND THREATS" - it does however state to handle 'complaints' AND THAT'S IT NOTHING ABOUT ABUSE.
Could we please, please, treat these people (may it be indians or what not) with RESPECT AND PATIENCE - their just putting some food on their table - it's a LUXURY to have a job in their world, and so is food and water - we call it a "necessity" to have food every day - but people last 3-8 days without ANY food - The human body can go over 20 days without food by the way -- MORE THAN TWENTY DAYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate it when my colleagues get hurled abuse, and I hate hurling abuse, or hearing anyone hurl abuse to anyone.
If you GIVE them respect, patience, and not hurl abuse, they will do what they actually can do to keep you happy, even if it means talking to their supervisor.
That way, everyone is happy, the the person goes home feeling like he made someone happy, whilst your actually satisfied with the outcome.
Please be nice :)
Have a good new year everyone :)
ALSO - rule of exaggeration applies for the princess that write on this site. if someone says they sat on hold for 3 hours, it really means 1 (still not right, but i love reading entries that the fictional authors of vodafail has produced...)
what about the people caught in the QLD floods who couldn't call for help?
what about the people who do it tough working shift work in hospitals and cafes and missed out on work because they didn't get the call?
what about people who live far from their families and rely on a small gesture like a timely text message or phone call to bring some cheer into their day during the festive season (but who did not receive that call/text)
everyone with vodafone pays money to vodafone. vodafone takes that money in exchange for a service. they fail to deliver a satisfactory level of service, and have cost people emotionally and financially. it's not the fault of the call-centre operators - you're right - but who else can we speak to?
..if you really feel so passionately about saving the call-centre operators from the brunt of disgruntled consumers, why don't you stop whinging and go and get us the Vodafone CEO Nigel Dews mobile and home phone numbers and post them here... that way it will no longer gurleen, hamash and rajish getting our angry phone calls ;) we can all have a chat to 'Nig' instead ;)
"what about the people caught in the QLD floods who couldn't call for help? " - Ok... so let's say Woolworth's cannot cope with the amount of people buying food due to an expected flood. Does this give me the right to yell at the staff at Woolworths and the Store Manager?
"what about the people who do it tough working shift work in hospitals and cafes and missed out on work because they didn't get the call? " - If we're going to use hospitals in this example... I've been to a QLD hospital in the emergency department before. I've seen first hand the 5 hour wait for something as simple as a broken leg. They're obviously understaffed. But hey, I PAY (note that one also pays for VF services) for a hospital via taxes so I should get first class health care. But because I have no one other than the doctors to speak to, I MUST make my point heard and yell at them. I mean, I can't speak to Anna Bligh, so I'll just dish it out to the Nurse as well.
"what about people who live far from their families and rely on a small gesture like a timely text message or phone call to bring some cheer into their day during the festive season (but who did not receive that call/text)" - Have you ever heard of network traffic delay? Every network gets congested, and in some countries you can't even make calls for a period of time.
It's not whinging, it's just being fair. People on the lower levels of the heirarchy (retail store staff and call center operators) have no say in network investments. They can't say "Oh, Bill is having network coverage issues in Sydney" so I'll just tell Nig to build one there", so then how is it far that we hold them responsible for something out of their control.
(And for the record, I'm actually a high school teacher. I've found the best way to deal with VF in their call centers is peacefully and with respect.)
Yes, if you are unhappy about any product/service then respectfully informing the managers is an excellent way of giving customer feedback, and any company interested in the long term interests of the company would undoubtedly have a procedure in place to handle feedback and act on it. By giving the company this information you are actually helping them to make money (because they can then improve their service), which is why they exist in the first place. Yes, that's the same for any good/service: if you weren't happy with the hotel service, respectfully inform the manager etc etc. If employees, or indeed executives (in Vodafone's case) are behaving poorly, people deserve to know.
Now that this website exists shareholders in vodafone are all well aware of the terrible job vodafone executives have been doing over the last 12 months: spending big $$$$ on advertising at airports and the cricket when their core services (telephone and internet) are in shambles, and their secondary service (customer assistance) is, too, a disgrace.
Ripped-off customers deserve their money back, and get the distinct impression that Vodafone is trying to give them the run-around by making it as difficult as possible for them to speak to customer service and voice their anguish (lengthy waits to speak to customer service, langauge difficulties, rude operators, denial of problems even existing etc etc).
See their trouble shooting blog for an example of their staff replies.
I am someone who has been with vf since day one, have never received anything free from them and have just spent 3 hours on hold on the 13/1/11 to get hung up on, only to spend another 3.5 hours on hold to be told it will take them 72hours to fix. Only to be told after 72 hours that it will take a least a week. MY problem? Cannot log onto my VF.
They are a bad joke!
why was i transferred?? this is not an iphone issue. i have colleagues, friends and relatives with various types of mobiles with vodafone and they all have the fn data issues plus voice coverage issues.
i was promised coverage in my area but i am instead getting nothing for my $69pm
i dont make calls from my mobile but i browse a lot. that for me was the selling point so if my data coverage sucks then i am paying through my ass for NOTHING!!! i am still on hold after 40 minutes and i am getting angry. you people are turning a usually level headed person into a raging angry pms bitch now pick up the phone and stop reading the fn stories on the fn internet!!! i would get fired if i were stuffing around!
Get real people
Otherwise, if you didn't like being treated like sh!t by Vodafone the company, then you have no excuse whatsoever for treating a Vodafone employee (or anyone else like sh!t.
I wish we could report customers just like customers can report us. These people should be named and shamed. I think their friends and family would be shocked to hear the way they treat and threaten staff that have not caused their problem. The majority of people cannot be bothered complaining through the right channels and just want to yell at someone, and the personal attacks would take your breath away if you heard them. It's insane.
Think if it is your daughter/mother/son/brother on the phone taking this abuse. Maybe then you would rethink.
I really am going to do everything i can to implement a complaint register for industry staff. We need to get a record of these people and send a message that it is not tolerable.
FAIL! No reception anywhere. I sent emails to VF and was initially told that they couldn't understand why we weren't getting reception. Eventually they came back and said that our model of phone wouldn't work in Japan (the 'net info was obviously correct).
I told them that, when I returned to Aus., I'd be changing providers as we'd distriibuted our ph. no. widely to contacts in Japan and this was a major inconvenience now. No response from VF.
When I got back, I did change ... just going through it now. However, I've just had a 'run-in' with them over a phone (un)locking fee. I was NOT on a plan with VF, bought the phone outright (a replacement for the original) and had owned it for more than 2 years. When I bought it, it was a straight, walk-in, point at it, pay by card, take the receipt and walk out - just like any retail transaction. I was NEVER told the phone was locked to VF. I would NOT have bought it if I had been told.
This is, pretty much a brief summary of my VF experience. I tried real hard to stay calm with the CSO's and, I think I did. They would have known I VERY annoyed though!
Apart from all of the above, I'd never had an issue with VF. If they'd got the Japan advice right in the first place, I'd probably be still with them now, using a 3G handset.