Now as much as I would love to sympathise with them, these people just crack me up. And I'll explain why.
To start with, it's been pathetically obvious that the Vodafone mobile network hasn't been up to scratch for some time. In June last year, for example, analyst house IDC made the audacious claim that Optus' 3G mobile broadband was only four percent behind Telstra's Next G offering across a range of criteria.
The claim was greeted by a howl of protest from readers who pointed out a range of areas where Optus' network was deficient '” and IDC itself acknowledged Next G was on average 60 percent faster. Here's the kicker: At the time, IDC didn't even bother mentioning Vodafone's network '¦ which was presumably somewhere far behind in their tests, a distant third.
As early as August 2008 CNET reviewer Joseph Hanlon was warning readers to check Vodafone's network footprint carefully before committing to a mobile broadband contract. Then there's the fact that VHA continually refuses to disclose how fast its network actually is '” as opposed to Telstra, which will tell you down to the last Mbps.
Wow, what a shocker. Warning signs much?
Yes, yes, let me say it clearly. Vodafone customers, you were warned about this. You were told, years in advance, constantly, that the network you were signing up to was patchy, slow, and full of holes.
And yet, despite the fact that Telstra has built a billion dollar alternative (Next G) which many onlookers consider to be a visionary piece of engineering and possibly curently the best mobile phone network in the world, you were still determined to save $10 per month off your mobile bill and go for the cheaper option.
