The website was founded by Sydney resident Adam Brimo in late 2010 with the aim of chronicling customer problems with the Vodafone brand owned by VHA. It quickly became the focus for widespread discontent with the company's mobile infrastructure '” with tens of thousands of Australians posting their negative experiences on its forums.
In early January Brimo was invited to meet with VHA chief executive Nigel Dews to discuss the company's problems. The Vodafail founder also subsequently published an extensive 30 page report collating customer stories and analysing aggregate data. The report claimed to document a history of VHA failures '” both technical and human '” in the second half of 2010.
At the time, the Sydney resident said he was 'appreciative and humbled' by the support and coverage Vodafail had achieved, but that it represented a 'testament' to customers' complaints and contributions. 'We understand that this may be a frustrating time for customers however please remember to be calm and respectful to Vodafone employees and each other. We cannot personally resolve any of your issues but we can keep you informed and direct you to the right people,' he said.
In a statement published through Vodafail today, Brimo noted what he described as VHA's 'comprehensive announcement on the issues that customers are facing and what is being done to rectify those issues'.
This morning, Dews apologised again to his company's customers, acknowledging VHA had not been prepared for the growth of mobile data usage, among other factors. 'When problems came, we responded too slowly,' he wrote. And the chief executive has also published an extensive video apology on Vodafone's main site this morning, noting the company was working 'intensively' on its issues.
