Comments on: Mobile Global Roaming with Vodafone Australia

By: henry crawford

henry crawford — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:37:35 +0000

What a bastard of a company as my sagas continue. Latest is that my wife and I entered into EXPENSIVE two year contracts for iPhones thru Vodafone. Despite the fact that their web site map shows that we are supposed to get good reception we are unable to get ANY at our home and business – or anywhere in our home town. Seems we are now facing a couple of thousand dollars in cancel fees if we switch to Telecom (which does have a good signal). Arghhhhhh. They are bastards – do you think they care??? No way. Tell the world.

By: Stephen Lawlor

Stephen Lawlor — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:57:53 +0000

I just trued calling the Vodafone AU 24 hour international customer service line from Thailand, (1) it’s not 24 hour, computer voice (lara) between 8pm and8 am (2) one hour and 5 mins later no answer, all the while Lara stating my call would be a attended to shortly. (3) I called from Spain 2 weeks ago due to extreme charges for GPS data, (over $1,000 for less then 40mb) another 1 hour call where Indian cust service Manager promised to email me his details and Fu on my inquiry….it looks like the call was a waste of time, I could go on, it’s simply an impossible situation. 9 years with Vodafone AU and im leaving the day my contract ends. If anyone at Vodafone cares, feel free to contact me, +61 410 330 813

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:18:46 +0000

Its not just Vodaphone’s Global Roaming thats bad. With their prepaid services they can’t even seem to master the first principle of business which is that when a customer wants to buy something you provide it as efficiently as possible and take their money. I have just spent an hour and twenty minutes trying to re-charge my mobile. I tried their website first – it just kept timing out with the helpful message `try again later’. I then tried it on the automated phone service. It rejected. I then tried the customer service number. It rang for 20 minutes with no answer. Went back to the website again – no luck. Tried the automated service again. This time it worked! This is not the first time I have had to go through this rigmarole. Clearly time to find another provider.

By: Henry Crawford

Henry Crawford — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:12:23 +0000

And so Vodaphone sagas continue. I cancelled my Australian service nearly 2 years ago and have been trying unsuccessfully to get a refund of credit that was owing (I moved overseas). In desperation I told them to keep the credit but STOP the paper statements – which they charge for. Still, they come. Letters have not been answered or sent to the vodaphone folks in my new country of residence. They rightly say ‘nothing to do with us’ and send it back to Australia where nothing is actioned. Issue is that they say they will only refund to my Australian account (that used to pay the bills). Catch is that this account was cancelled when I moved countries. Arggghhhhhhh. This company is THE WORST I have encountered in my 62 years. I’m amazed they can get away with treating customers with such distain and with such dishonesty!! Especially given the problems with SO-CALLED ‘global roaming’. If you are considering signing with this bastard outfit, think again if you value your sanity. My one happiness in all this is that I give talks on CUSTOMER SERVICE and this allows me the opportunity to use them as a really bad example of what not to do!

By: mical parado

mical parado — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:46:04 +0000

Hi,

Just found your blog on Technorati & Digg upcomming news feeds and read a few of your other posts.
ISeems good contents,Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

Thanks,
Michael

By: Smith

Smith — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:10:27 +0000

im in africa at the moment and my vodafone mob is not delivering texts sent by loved ones back home in australia.

it also does not connect to very few of the providers here. when i was with optus travelling it would always connect up to who ever was available.

it is really terrible and i will never roam with vodafone again. once my contracts up thats it. unless they do something serious.

also agree about the ridiculous cost to call customer care. i needed to get thorugh and the waiting time was so long, and so expensive i gav eup.

anyone wanting to roam with voda- dont. what a joke.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:34:12 +0000

Vodafone Australia. What’s going on…?

By: I.M. Churning

I.M. Churning — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:06:24 +0000

I was going to the US and had arranged to roam with vodafone and of course they said ‘yes sir’ and of course it didn’t work. I bought a T-mobile sim and 1000 national US minutes for $100 and the coverage was good for me except they charged me 1000 minutes in a few minutes. 15 minutes in a store and I was recharged again. The time in the shop cost me $150 and being unable to use the mobile even more so it didn’t represent a value business relationship to me.
I cannot recommend T-mobile or vodaphone.

By: shelly

shelly — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:48:37 +0000

I have also been disgusted with Vodafone’s International Roaming Service. Last year I was in Europe for 2 weeks, having ’set up’ global roaming beforehand – only to find out that it had NOT in fact been set up at all. I ended up having to phone Sydney, during their office hours of course, and after relating my story to one person after another (who of course never tells the person they are palming you off to what you are calling about). So you repeat your story 5 times, and I ended up with $144 worth of phone bills just to this so-called Customer Care to try and get roaming set up properly.

I have just returned from a short trip to Singapore. This time I had forgotten to set it up prior to arriving there. After attempting to phone Australia and aend Txt messages, I received Vodafone messages saying roaming is not set up and “to call the area code of the country you are calling from, followed by blah blah number. Short story is, after you call the code and number they advise – you get to listen to the original SAME message; i.e. the message saying roaming is not set up and “to call the area code of the country you are calling from etc. etc. etc.” Neat trick eh. Cat chasing it’s tail. I am about to email Vodafone and tell them I am switching to another provider – I don’t know whom yet, but absolutely any other company must be better.

By: henry crawford

henry crawford — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:06:41 +0000

You are right Lindsay. Class action!
The amateurs and thieves continue to cause me headaches. Again today I worked my way thru their (PAID!!!) phone menu sysyem and was on hold for 15 minutes and then just dropped off. How can they get away with such false advertising??? They still extoll the virtues of their global roaming on thir web site. Has anyone contacted us (even by a simple SMS) to apologise for their shortcomings and the inconvenience they have caused many people as a crucial time of he year. I hope everyone votes with their feet as I am doing…