blog Just when you thought Vodafone’s problems couldn’t get any worse … they just did. Remember that potential class action lawsuit which local firm Piper Alderman had been promoting back in December 2010 in the wake of Vodafone’s ‘Vodafail’ problems? Well, it’s back, it’s on, and some 23,000 people have registered their interest (although its not clear yet how many have or will formally join the action). The media release (there’s also more concrete examples in the PDF of customer tales of woe):
Law firm Piper Alderman has announced plans to proceed with a class action against Vodafone. The action relates to Vodafone customers experiencing calls dropping out, reception issues, weak data and internet performance and poor customer service in 2010 and 2011.
Sasha Ivantsoff, the partner leading the action for Piper Alderman said: “We know of a doctor who couldn’t receive calls in the hospital, a mother who couldn’t contact her child’s day care centre and people who have had their credit rating unfairly tarnished by Vodafone.”
“We believe consumers have overpaid for services that were not provided, or were misled into signing contracts with Vodafone when there was no mobile coverage in their area. We ask anyone who has experienced issues with their Vodafone service to sign up for our action by visiting www.piperalderman.com.au.”
No single claim against Vodafone is big enough to warrant its own legal action, so Piper Alderman and LCM Litigation Fund (“LCM”) will group thousands of small claims together into one action. Patrick Coope, the Managing Director of LCM, said:
“Listening to the experiences people have had with Vodafone I’m pleased to support this action so class members can participate on a no-win no-fee basis. Vodafone customers were unable to make or receive calls in areas that should have coverage like metropolitan airports and the CBD.”
“Vodafone has publically admitted to these faults and accepted that they responded inadequately to the complaints and concerns of their customers. While their customers appreciate the acknowledgement, it comes far too late for many people who have suffered as a direct result of Vodafone’s failure to provide them with the services they signed up for.”
Since first announcing their intention to build the class action in December 2010, Piper Alderman has received more than 23,000 registrations of interest to participate from Vodafone contract holders. It is not too late to join the class and those interested may do so by visiting www.piperalderman.com.au.
Piper Alderman aims to file the claim against Vodafone within three months. Complaints range from losses sustained by small businesses to the inability to make calls during times of emergency. The claim will focus on Vodafone’s misleading and deceptive conduct and other breaches of the Australian Consumer Law. Evidence will centre on dropped calls, reception issues and poor data performance experienced by millions of Vodafone, 3 and Crazy Johns customers.”
Image credit: Vodafone
I am interested in joining the lawsiut against Vodafone, as I’m sure many others are? I have constantly experienced poor data service and network coverage and constant errors in my monthly billing account! It’s amazing how I can’t get phone coverage, data transfer or uplinks for net usage to work and yet somehow my monthly bill shows that I have exceeded my allowance? Upon querrieing this, the service provider always has an excuss yet fails to provide any results going into the following month. When I threaten to leave the serivce they remind me of the contact (24 Months!!!) and that there is a large fee for early termination! yet I can’t get the servie THEY promise?
contact the TIO and make a complaint against them. i got out of my contract with 12 months to go (I wanted to keep the phone so just paid the remaining cost of the phone itself)
I’m not sure what they plan to achieve with this suit to be perfectly honest.
They plan to make money. Even if the damages against Vodafone are as little as $30* per person on the claim thats still over $300,000. The vast majority of which would go in lawyers fee.
*Vodafone failing to provide service for 2 months @ $15 a month. I think that was their cheapest access at the time. Could be much higher.
Easy – Vodafone have admitted their network was inadequate publicly, so the lawyers probably think they will walk it in (and make 50% of the settlement for their trouble, probably – anyone know the compensation percentage in the legal contracts?)
I was listening to the radio yesterday and heard one of the people in this suit it seems like they don’t have much the issues she was describing sounded more like phone issues not network issues if it even happened at all.
I would not recommend this trial it seems to be Lawyer driven and picking up people who are looking to rort Vodafone for some quick cash.
The worst part they generally have not even complained to Vodafone or TIO
If it’s a lawyer agitating, it makes you wonder if this is more a case of going for a soft-target.
Vodafone has traded on being an inexpensive, no frills service. They’ve simply publicly announced what has been known for some time now (by time I mean years). They’re running razor thin and don’t have sufficient money to re-invest into the network, or pretty much anything else; again this isn’t news.
I used them for a year and a half – then changed networks when it was clear the issues weren’t going to go away. That was 4+ years ago now, so none of this is particularly new.
I’m surprised the TIO hasn’t done a bit more; they must have received a considerable number of complaints by now.
This is all about Piper Alderman trying to make money and has absolutely nothing to do with the altruistic bullshit they are trying to spin.
If there was really a huge case against Vodafone for misleading conduct the only real authority to handle this is the ACCC and not a civil law firm who want to play the standard FUD card in getting people who really have no legal standing nor merit in the first place, or if they do it’s for de minimus actions, to sign away there rights under a class action so that the law firm can make like they have numerous clients and charge fees accordingly.
I wouldn’t call it absolutely barratry, but well.. if shit stinks
Disclaimer: I have been a customer of Vodafone since they first entered the Australian market with mobile plans.. And have never had anything but good service and normal reasonable network access.
they have treated me bad because I asked for help and they laugh at me and put me back through the queue again and hang up for 6 months and now because I got upset they are cancelling my contracts without my permission????????
when did they become God??????
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