I'm ready to move

[nicks]

Hi,

I am currently a 3 prepaid subscriber AND HAVE *** NEVER *** HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 3 NETWORK.

I received an e-mail late last week, stating that the 3 network is no more and all 3 network users will be transferred to the Vodafone network on THE 15th AUGUST.

BUT IT WOULD SEEM THIS NETWORK CHANGEOVER OCCURRED YESTERDAY, NOT ON THE 15th August as stated,  AND I AM NOT HAPPY

I currently have 5.7 GB and I had planned to use all 5.7 GB of data allowance before the network changeover on the 15th August, but since the network has ALREADY changed over, I am back in the position I was when I originally left Vodafone some time ago now (see my previous posts), I AM UNABLE TO USE MY QUOTA DESPITE BEST EFFORTS DUE TO VODAFONE NETWORK STILL BEING BROKEN, I tried all night last night and am facing EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM I HAD SOME TIME AGO with the Vodafone network.

To get straight to the point,I now offer two choices for Vodafone (before taking this to the TIO, AGAIN):

1\ Provide a technician to investigate your problem with my equipment and have it fixed,

2\ Reimburse me for the 5.7GB of data which I am now unable to make use of due to an unexpected network changeover

Please advise the actions Vodafone will take to address the incorrect advice provided to me regarding network changeover.

Regards,

Nick S.

[Maddie]

Hi nick, 

nicks wrote: I am currently a 3 prepaid subscriber AND HAVE *** NEVER *** HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 3 NETWORK.

I received an e-mail late last week, stating that the 3 network is no more and all 3 network users will be transferred to the Vodafone network on THE 15th AUGUST.

We have  been investing in the Vodafone network to ensure that yourself and other 3 customers, experience a similar or improved network when transferred to Vodafone. This should definitely be a smooth transition, as you should expect to have the same value you receive from 3. 

The transition from 3 to Vodafone will be introduced  on a state by state basis, as follows: 

-Week starting on the 6th August: Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory

-Week starting 13th August: Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania 

-Week starting 20th AUgust: New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

Did the email you receive confirm these dates? 

nicks wrote: BUT IT WOULD SEEM THIS NETWORK CHANGEOVER OCCURRED YESTERDAY, NOT ON THE 15th August as stated,  AND I AM NOT HAPPY

Throughout this process we will definitely keep you notified with what's happening and let you know in advance with any changes made. 

How does it appear that your network has already changed over? 

nicks wrote: I AM UNABLE TO USE MY QUOTA DESPITE BEST EFFORTS DUE TO VODAFONE NETWORK STILL BEING BROKEN, I tried all night last night and am facing EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM I HAD SOME TIME AGO with the Vodafone network.

(before taking this to the TIO, AGAIN):

It's disappointing to hear your facing service difficulties again and I'll definitely investigate this further with you, to determine what the cause is. 

To start a network investigation for you, I'll need to move our conversation to email. This will allow me to confirm some personal information before accessing your account, as this can't be done publicly. 

I've sent you a private message advising how and what information to send through. You can access this message by clicking here. 

Before exploring your other options, I would love the chance to have this issue resolved and I'm confident working together we will come up with a suitable resolution. 

I look forward to your email and working with you further. 

Thanks, 

Maddie

[nicks]

Hi,

Did the email you receive confirm these dates?

Not exactly, the e-mail I received specifically mentioned the 15th August as the changeover date.

How does it appear that your network has already changed over?

Simple, the network is now broken since Monday 30th June in EXACTLY the same way it was when I left Vodafone some time ago now (see my previous posts, the issues are identical), whereas every single day since leaving Vodafone and using the 3 network, I had not seen the issues I experienced on Monday and all this week, in fact, I did NOT ENCOUNTER A SINGLE ISSUE with the 3 network until Monday 30th June.

We have  been investing in the Vodafone network to ensure that yourself and other 3 customers, experience a similar or improved network when transferred to Vodafone. This should definitely be a smooth transition, as you should expect to have the same value you receive from 3.

I find this hard to believe when 3 is charging a premium for using their network, indicative of a strong reliable network, and Vodafone charges the cheapest rates, indicative of a slow inferior network, I could not possibly expect the same value, I can only expect a degraded value after the transition.

I certainly hope you have network performance statistics to back up your statement, otherwise, it is a false claim you are making and could be subject to challenge by somebody more resourceful than me.

Regardless,  I have offered two options and give one more chance for Vodafone to choose one before I submit a ticket to the TIO, none of the two options I am offering are asking to have a network investigation done (I've been down this path before, but of course you already know that having read my previous posts on this forum, right?).

I am more than willing to bear the cost of a technician should the fault be found to be on my end, if Vodafone are not willing to send a technician to investigate the fault, then I must be reimbursed for outstanding data allowance which I now can't make use of due to inacuurate advice regarding a network changeover.

Regards,

Nick S.

[Maddie]

Hi Nick, 

nicks wrote: Simple, the network is now broken since Monday 30th June in EXACTLY the same way it was when I left Vodafone some time ago now (see my previous posts, the issues are identical), whereas every single day since leaving Vodafone and using the 3 network, I had not seen the issues I experienced on Monday and all this week, in fact, I did NOT ENCOUNTER A SINGLE ISSUE with the 3 network until Monday 30th June

Right now my priority regardless of what network your on, is to ensure you're getting the service you expected to receive when you originally signed up. The change over hasn't yet occurred however as your experiencing connectivity issues similar to those in the past, I would like to run through some troubleshooting steps to determine where the problem lays. 

To do this it would be great if you could please complete some online troubleshooting here. Part I and part II involve some quick and easy steps you can try on your own. Part III involves filling out a table and it would be great if you could please complete this and post back your answers. I'll only as you to do this once, as the information found will allow me to provide you with the next course of action.

In order to work with you towards a suitable resolution I'll need to take our conversation to email, once the troubleshooting is complete. This will allow me to confirm some personal details before accessing your account and this can't be done publicly

I've sent you a private message advising how and what information to send through. You can access this message by clicking here.

I look forward to your email and working with you further. 

Thanks, 

Maddie 

[nicks]

Hi,

The "network" returned to normal on Wednesday without a single hitch since then, so at this stage I'm able to use my data allowance as planned. I can't confirm if the problem persisted into Tuesday, but I think it did.

Anyway, my current recharge expires on the 24th and I plan to leave enough data to trial the network changeover.

If it performs similar or better than the 3 network has performed, I'll retract all negative statements ive made on this thread and put the incident down to a glitch at which point I'd be back as a wireless BB customer, however, if after the changeover the problems persist, well what could I say.

Only time will tell!

As for your offer to help, please understand that I am insisting that a qualified Vodafone technician perform the troubleshooting for me, but at this stage it is not required, thanks anyway.

Regards,
Nick S.

[nicks]

Hi,

I have managed to use up my data allowance as planned and the network continues to run without issues, so I will put it down to a one off glitch, though the symptoms that occurred were IDENTICAL to the issues I had faced with Vodafone some time ago, and I expect the same symptoms to appear once the network changeover is complete, call me a pessimist!

To prepare for a potential loss of reliable service , I have some questions about what will happen with the 3 network.

1\ is it being decommisioned?

2\ if not, will other carrier(s) provide services on it?

3\ why did vodafone decide to stop using the 3 network when it clearly is a superior network (from my perspective at least)?

I can clearly and confidently claim that the 3 network performs reliably as compared to the Vodafone network based on user experience, I do not have the tools to measure network performance statistics and throughput.

4\ Have Vodafone published any network performance statistics, especially as it compares with the 3 network?

5\ If no, WHY NOT?  And how do Vodafone expect 3 customers to assess whether the network changeover is sufficient for the level of performance and reliablity they expect prior to the changeover other than the statement "it should perform similar or better"?

6\ Can you clarify the statement "it should perform similar or better"  and on what factual basis that statement is made?

Just to be clear, I cannot wait until the network changeover day to find I no longer have a reliable carrier and have to start shopping around for a new one, I need to have made that assessment well beforehand.

and no, I'm not going to go out and buy a $2 sim card on my time and expense!

Regards,

Nick S,.

[Nick]

Hey Nick S,

nicks wrote:

I have managed to use up my data allowance as planned and the network continues to run without issues, so I will put it down to a one off glitch, though the symptoms that occurred were IDENTICAL to the issues I had faced with Vodafone some time ago

Good to hear your service is back up and running as it should be now. 

I can certainly answer some of your questions. Some of your questions I am unable to discuss here though, or don't have the answers to.

We aim to deliver the best possible network experience for our customers. As you probably already know, we've been investing heavily in improving and upgrading the Vodafone network over the past 18 months, and we want our 3 customers to get the benefits of these upgrades too. By concentrating our resources on a single network we can deliver a better service for all of our customers, 3 and Vodafone, now and into the future.

As Maddie mentioned previously, we expect that your experience on the Vodafone network will be similar, if not better, due to the massive investment we've made to the network.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the performance of the network as it switches over, and increasing it's capacity as part of out ongoing network improvement program. Our Network Operations Centre is set up specifically to monitor the network performance. You can read more about it, here.

The most important thing is that your service works the way you expect it to, and is reliable and consistent. If, after the network switches over, you feel that you lose network performance, then let us know. We can definitely find a solution with you.

You can check the Vodafone Coverga Map, here, to see what it shows in your area. You may even like to compare it with the 3 Coverage Map, here. Keep in mind that our Coverage Maps can only give an indication of the sort of coverage you'll get- there are many factors that affect this.

If want to test out or get more information on the performance of the network, before the change, then purchasing a prepaid SIM is a good idea. Otherwise, I'd suggest asking other Vodafone users in your area what their experience is.

Let me know what the Coverage Map shows for you. If it shows only minimal reception then I'd be happy to look at your options with you.

Thanks,

Nick

[nicks]

Hi,

Unfortunately, my concerns have not been addressed satisfactorily as it seems you are suggesting that I just "wait and see" but I have already made it clear that I cannot.

The coverage map indicates full coverage and did so when I left Vodafone some time ago, yet, even though full coverage is indicated, my service with Vodafone was unuseable which is why I expect the same to occur after the network changeover.

The problem is proven to not be with my equipment, it is with the Vodafone network (still oversubscribed), I have repeatedly asked to have a qualified Vodafone technician perform the troubleshooting for me, at my expense should the fault be found to be with my equipment, and every time my request has been ignored with no acknowledgment as to whether it is even possible or not, WHY? 

I would really like to stay with Vodafone and it would in be in Vodafones interest to troubleshoot the problem for me, not leaving it up to myself, especially after I have conducted all the troubleshooting and still had issues.

In any case, not only have I asked multiple Vodafone users in my area about their service (as recently as last week) - I have actually used their service first hand and found that they all faced exactly the same issues at the same time!  In an area with full coverage and varying devices (iPhone 4s, Samsung galaxy, pocketwifi 1 and 2, USB modem and mega modem)

Point is, Vodafone have neither acknowledged that the fault was with my equipment or with their network, they just released me from my contract without fees and offered a "bribe" to stay rather than acknowledging that a fault exists - SO WHERE DOES THE FAULT LIE? 

Can you be more specific about which questions you can answer (regarding my previous post), which quetsions you can't answer in public, in which case, just PM me your answer, and which questions you don't have answers to?

I had a number of "specific" questions in my previous post, NONE of which were specifically addressed, could you please take the time to put a little more thought into your response?

Regards,

Nick S.

[nicks]

Hi,

Cutover day is fast approaching (15th August according to the e-mail personally addressed to me) yet there is no response to my previous post? 

Could someone please take the time to address my concerns regarding the cutover?

And can you now advise why a response to some very important questions are taking so long to receive a reply?

Regards,

Nick S.

[nicks]

Does the delayed reponse seem ridiculous to anyone else or is it just me?

Maybe the post was missed, so I'll ask a third and last time.

Could someone please take the time to address my concerns regarding the cutover?