How Bad Is Vodafone Network?

Toothfairy0412 on 06/08/2018 - 23:54
Last edited 06/08/2018 - 23:57

I really cant fathom how people pay money to use vodafone network. In my opinion its one of the worst phone networks out on the planet and people pay 50 dollars a month to use it? I remember few years back my friend would always complain about how bad the vodafone network is and he even told me that people got discounts by complaining to customer service how bad the reception was in some areas. I swore to never use the vodafone network until ofc kogan mobile came along.As all ozbargainers know kogan mobile is arguably the best priced mobile plans u can get out there and unfortunately it uses the vodafone network. As much as i like kogan mobile i really hate the vodafone network. For example last saturday i was at the Sydney dog show in moore park near the entertainment quarter near the CBD and 4g failed to work(nothing would load). I wasnt the only one wih this issue. As i was lining up to get some freebies (as ozbargainers do) i overheard the person in front of me wondering to why 4g wasnt working. I inquired whether he was on the vodafone network and to my surprise he was also with kogan. I asked him whether he was an ozbargainer and ofc he said yes! What is even worse when i turned of 4g and used 3g i was getting 3 bars while i saw telstra users on full bars for 4g. I also suspect that the terrible vodafone network is making my optus branded mate 10 pro drain like a monster as over wifi battery drain is normal. Does everyone else have horrible experiences with the vodafone network? I cant believe how customers pay for this garbage. Also some advice on whether to switch to the otpus network or the pricier telstra network would be great.

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Comments

  • AdosHouse on 07/08/2018 - 00:04
    +6

    Holy punctuation Batman. Bro, grammer, please.

    Having been a long time Vodafone user for about 10 years, I thought it was pretty shit. So a few years ago I swapped to Optus, and it was worse. Didn't think that was possible. Went back to Vodafone after a year.

    Then last year I switched to the Telstra F+F plan, and couldn't be happier.

    Thinking back on it, most of my problems were at home. Vodafone and Optus both failed miserably. But I shouldn't complain too much, there is a hill between myself and their towers. Whereas Telstra is in the opposite direction with pretty much line-of-sight. All in all I thought the Vodafone network was pretty good.

    • bdl on 07/08/2018 - 10:49
      +3

      "Grammar". Bro, spelling, please. :D

      • [Deactivated] on 07/08/2018 - 11:52

        schooled.

      • lolzdj on 07/08/2018 - 13:02

        i want to believe it was intentional, i really do.

      • AdosHouse on 07/08/2018 - 19:07
        +1

        Fair enough, I'll pay that.

        That's what I get for posting at midnight.

  • boomramada on 07/08/2018 - 00:06
    +2

    Quality of the network differ from place to place, why not try Optus or Telstra?

  • Some Human on 07/08/2018 - 00:12
    +8

    TBH, I can’t believe people pay $50 a month to use any network.

    • Diji1 on 07/08/2018 - 00:16

      More like $5 amirite?

  • Savas on 07/08/2018 - 00:16
    +3

    I don't understand why people defend Vodafone, it is a fact they have the least reception. Though I've never had a problem with them in the city.

    • retiredfeline on 07/08/2018 - 00:39
      +11

      Sometimes surprisingly they have better speeds in metro areas. There's no point "defending" any particular provider, just use the one that suits you best.

  • Diji1 on 07/08/2018 - 00:17
    +2

    Voda seems better than Optus to me …

    • jjjaar on 07/08/2018 - 18:37
      +1

      Agreed. Used various providers of Optus since 2014. Switched to Vodafone network a few months ago and my day to day usage (metropolitan Melbourne) has been heaps better with Vodafone.

  • retiredfeline on 07/08/2018 - 00:31
    +3

    It all depends on where you are. If you don't like it, just use another provider, simples.

  • AustriaBargain on 07/08/2018 - 03:14

    Vodafone have the worst call centre people and billing practices by far. It's as if it's designed in a another country or something, it's 100% out of touch with what you expect as an Australian consumer, especially if you're giving them a thousand dollars every year like a lot of people seem to be happy to.

  • GangGang on 07/08/2018 - 08:06
    +1

    I was with them years ago when they were the first to do unlimited for $50 (if I remember correctly). They got all the customers onboard with that deal and had major complaints with everyone.

    I must of been the only customer to never have any problems. Didn't have to call there service centre once. I was with them for years until I decided to switch to prepaid.

  • bobbified on 07/08/2018 - 08:11

    Honestly, it's well known that Telstra has better reception and if reception is your highest priority, why did you go with Vodafone in the first place? Was it because it was cheap compared to Telstra? Customers nowadays pay for the cheapest but they expect the world from it. Its your choice and you get what you pay for.

    One of the physical limitations of the networks is the tower's capacity. In situations where there are crowds of people, the tower cannot handle all the users in one go. Telstra often deploy adhoc micro cells where there are going to be large crowds for the day or two. That obviously costs money to do. So to put it simply, customers have the choice to pay extra $$ each month to use the Telstra network to get those types of benefits or you can save that extra $$ money each month with Optus/Vodafone and put up with dropouts etc. at these crowded events every now and then.

    And no, I don't work for Vodafone nor am I trying to defend them.

    • rompastompa on 07/08/2018 - 10:47
      +1

      it's well known that Telstra has better reception

      Telstra may have better coverage, but does not mean they have better reception where you are.

      Telstra is the worst of the 3 carriers at my location.
      Telstra is the best of the 3 carriers if you are travelling around.
      Telstra is the most expensive of the 3 carriers.

      So, it depends on where you're using your device.

      And no, I don't work for Vodafone nor am I trying to defend them.

      But do you work for Telstra? ;)

      • bobbified on 07/08/2018 - 10:58

        Telstra may have better coverage, but does not mean they have better reception where you are.

        Obviously, I can't speak for every single area, but you can't deny it is more likely to provide better coverage The number of towers and their positioning towers makes the difference.

        During crowded events, Telstra is usually the one with reception when no other network does because they do spend money deploying additional cells. If Vodafone/Optus were to do that, they will no doubt increase their prices to factor those costs in. Someone has to pay for it.

        No, I don't work at Telstra or any communications-related company. I use Vodafone myself because it's relatively cheaper for personal usage, but I accept the odd problem here and there. My work phone is on Telstra and I sometimes tether off my Telstra phone where Vodafone reception isn't the best.

        What I've said is just common sense - like any other purchase, the options are there for the customers to choose, and you get what you pay for.

  • dbui8743 on 07/08/2018 - 09:15

    I don't know but I had better reception with Vodafone in my work building in the middle of Melbourne CBD, than I do now with Telstra.

    Granted I was using iPhone then and pixel now lol.

  • slow on 07/08/2018 - 09:33

    I am with Optus and the rest of my family with Kogan. Around the city and surrounds reception is similar. It is only when in the country (we go down to Gippsland quite often) that Vodafone is worse

  • Topdog on 07/08/2018 - 10:41

    Kogan use the retail vodafone network, which will not get as good as a service as actually vodafone subscribers. I have personal phone on Telstra, and work with Vodafone.

    Sometimes the Vodafone works heaps better then Telstra. it just all depends on where you are. My 50 minute train journey into work each morning switching between towers etc Vodafone outperforms Telstra the whole way.

  • dcep on 07/08/2018 - 11:07

    4g signal dropout / 1 bar … unusable in bne CBD (inside building)

    have to turn off 4g to get full signal on 3g

  • Spacedman on 07/08/2018 - 11:19

    Have you considered some of the carriers that use parts of the Telstra Network, I am with Aldi and have been pretty happy with it. You can pick up a sim in their store or order it online and if you keep your eye out they have an offer where you can buy 12 months worth upfront, similar to your current Kogan deal. Belong and Boost also use their network and could be worth considering. While these carriers dont get the full coverage the Telstra network offers it might help you reduce your price a little and reduce your frustration levels a lot!

    • [Deactivated] on 07/08/2018 - 12:16

      reduce your frustration levels

      That ain't gonna happen if you choose Belong.

    • Brianqpr on 08/08/2018 - 15:19

      I'm with Aldi too and am very happy with it. 4GB plan with data rollover which given my fairly low usage means I have 8GB available each month.

      Was with Optus and Optus resellers for several years. Aldi mobile coverage is significantly better in Sydney metro for me and gives 4G coverage in certain areas where Optus used to be next to useless.

      Last weekend in a cafe my wife and daughter couldn't get any internet coverage on their expensive iphones while my Xiaomi RN4 was fine.

  • blonky on 07/08/2018 - 12:40

    My last Sydney eastern address was in a Telstra blackspot
    My current inner west address is in an Optus blackspot

    I find Optus speeds are by far the worst; around 15Mbps download speeds at work
    Vodafone 30Mbps on average and Telstra actually roughly the same

    Currently on the Lebara 16GB for $16/mo plan which is Voda network with no blackspots where I live/work
    Best speeds I've seen is 90Mbps at Circular Quay and St James station

  • Costco97 on 07/08/2018 - 17:55

    As everyone mentioned it all depends but it seem Telstra that used to be really good coverage size is equally or even worse than vodafone now.

    All common places where I need to call others 80% of the time there is no signal (phone - google 2 pixel).

    An estate in Cranbourne West - VIC (near to no signal in house where at same place Vodafone has 4 bars)
    Costco Moorabin - VIC (near to no signal within costco where at the same place Vodafone has full bars)
    Ikea Springvale (lower floor) - no signal - Vodafone has 3-4 bars most of the time.

    This is how bad Telstra is these days.

  • DogGunn on 08/08/2018 - 15:23

    I am in a metro area, and get full signal with Vodafone. I also get ~220Mb/s with Vodafone.
    On Telstra, I only get 40Mb/s and one to two bars.

    It varies depending on where you are and where you go.

    But I pay substantially less for Vodafone than I do for Telstra (or even Optus), and it gives me some of the best features available when travelling.

    I was just at Falls Creek, and had better signal on the mountain and in my accommodation with Vodafone than any of my friends who were on Telstra or Optus.

  • vovka on 08/08/2018 - 15:29

    Really realy subjective opinion and topic. I could have started a dozens alike: How bad is your BMW car? How bad is McDonald's next door? How bad is your Samsung TV? etc. It's people's nature to complain, whinge and claim their personal experience is something everyone else has. If Vodafone was that bad it would've ceased to operate by now, like Starbucks (with exeptions of few remaining stores targeting tourists). However, it does work for me and many people I know. And for busines we do use other companies like Optus if they work better in certain locations.

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