Simply order online, add it to your account and activate your service before December 31st 2014 and your SIM delivery will be free (normally $20) and you'll get a month's access added as a credit on your account!
For me the $18 Vaya plan is still the best going around so well worth signing up now if you have been thinking about it.
Vaya in on the Optus 4G network
How? Show us a cheaper better deal?
How? Show us a cheaper better deal?
I think it is not a matter of costs.
More lack of service/response if/when anything goes wrong. Also, a lack of integrity and honesty.
I see that Vaya/Ben has just removed comments from Vaya's FaceBook page that mentioned the removal of the Facebook Reviews section.
They still have my $17 hostage and everytime I call them, they give me a run around.
Good deal if you're considering Vaya but I'd recommend avoiding them! Too many issues with billing and data.
I've had no issues with their customer service. Had 1 billing error but was fixed straight away when contacted before they even took money out. I'd like to see someone get the same from Telstra
Lucky. I had constant issues with data charges, and several times had duplicate bills issued to my account, including when I ported out. Ended up having to go to the TIO to get a resolution (which solved saw the charge reversed within 3 days, after being ignored for 3 weeks!).
had a similar experience. I told them I didn't accept their $10 surcharge they invented. They said "too bad". So I ported away. They still charged me the fee, even after I left.
I would not recommend vaya to my enemies, let alone friends.
I've had no issues with their customer service. Had 1 billing error but was fixed straight away
^^^ Said by no-one, ever!
1st mth still charging you and will be free last mth( the mth u leave)
no international calls
Avoid……. run away.
Prob a good idea to check the whirlpool Vaya forum…
Mate would never use these cowboys again Ben is the biggest spinner I have seen in my life
How so?
I was about to switch over to these guys from LC as I'm being charge a $10 plan freeze fee and need a microSim. Think I'm on per kb billing with them but…
Vaya and LC are both operated by the same people. Vaya customers got the same $10 plan freeze fee, which made many unhappy.
How so?
Read any of the 1,000 pages in the Vaya thread on Whirlpool.net.au
Read any of the genuine posts at ProductReview.com.au
I would have said to read the reviews on Vaya's Facebook page, but….
Do you have details?
I'm assuming he's referring to the Vaya rep on WP "Ben".
Also worth checking out the thread over on WP for anyone who is looking at what they are like, not generally positive either…
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2335571&p…
Ben Pullen is the CEO of Vaya
If you value your sanity dont go vaya.
My gf somehow ran up 2.25 gb of data usage on a service she ported out to boost 60 days prior to that bill, the account was also finalised , with a final invoice paid. But still the service was"used" according to the staff.
The above is just one flap up they made in a series of events that made sure she left.
I got at least 5 ppl on the vaya over the last few years and I have already apologised to them several times.
Headaches and support who seem to think that you cannot be right in any matter
Optus 4G is a positive though
optus, not positive for signal.
4g - yes.
I changed to Telechoice and I don't notice the difference between 4g and 3G on an iPhone 5s for web browsing, or small downloads. I avoid big downloads for obvious reasons - so can't compare…
I found Optus 4G and their 3G/HSPA quite different with their 3G/H+ being very unreliable.
It might just be my area or something…
I think Telechoice uses the Vodafone network? So unsure about that haha
Telechoice uses Telstra network
Ugh!!! that means it will make it more diffcult to speak with a real person… if they get more clients!!
got the free one month offer last time on 28th. they charged me $50 in next bill. they said only the first 2 days were free. Although I sued them and did not pay anything, but will avoid them for life.
IS Spintel any better?
yes
Please Never Ever Use this service I had a very very bad experience with them and finally got assistance from TIO to get off from the contract. BEWARE !!!!!!!!
Stay away from this company… Was the best last two years .. But from last 6 months its all downhill…
They've pi$$ed off their loyal customers into leaving so now they need to get some new suckers
Nightmare to deal with…, Only positives were the price, network & speeds.
Needed a TIO threat to resolve some BS usage stats…
Been with them since day 1, left last month, might go back if they fix their usage and support systems.
Yep.. too many people with billing issues… avoid
What do ozbargain think of Spintel? Looks like a ripper deal! Any catches?
Ported to SpinTel from Vaya a few months ago. No issues to date, and their plan bump policy is great (instead of excess charges).
I've gone with Yatango, not bad thus far…
Horrible customer service. I often find myself waiting around 15 minutes on hold to get through to one of their (offshore may I add) support assistants.
So many say its bad, what is a better service at this price?
None better at this price really, but its astoundingly poor service which isn't worth it.
I've been with LC for over 2 years on the $12 plan. Never had any need to calls them until a usage issue recently. A quick complaint to the TIO and the issue was resolved. Not worth changing as you can't get plans like these cheaper anywhere else.
Not worth changing as you can't get plans like these cheaper anywhere else…
I got charged for my old and new plan for months, needed to get it fixed every month.
I was provided lower usage quotas every month since the change, due to a "system glitch" and no compensation.
Yet I still said heck its cheap and kept paying, that's when you say its not worth it and change…
They simply don't care, and can't invest in a permanent solution for an issue that has existed for MONTHS !
People need to know its a problematic company and not just get on-board coz its cheap…
A quick complaint to the TIO and the issue was resolved.
You had to lodge a complaint with the TIO in order to force Vaya to fix a "usage issue"? So, either you could not contact them, or you could not get them to respond to your complaint?
They responded. Just not with a resolution I accepted. This is the first and only issue I have had with them in 2 years. The plan is too cheap for me to leave, just to prove a point.
They responded. Just not with a resolution I accepted.
So, you then had to lodge a complaint with the TIO in order to 'force' Vaya/Ben to resolve your problem.
This is the first and only issue I have had with them in 2 years. The plan is too cheap for me to leave, just to prove a point.
I agree that if you only had that one problem, even though you had to go to the TIO to get it solved, you might as well stay with Vaya. One problem in 2 years is not too bad considering your overall savings.
You are obviously on one of the earlier PowerPlans I guess? From my observations most, if not all, of the problems come from the more recent plans.
These plans have NO International Usage. Of course so do the previous plans, but the way any usage is handled is different.
With the new plans, as soon as your phone sends an International SMS (iMessage and some Apps do this in order to set-up the service) you receive a WARNING that you have used 100% of your International Use - and a message that YOU MUST contact Vaya in order to avoid having your service (which means ALL SERVICES) suspended.
Of course it can be almost impossible to contact Vaya (at least in any reasonable time frame). So, many have their services suspended for a 35cent SMS charge.
There is more, but such a simple thing as a 35cent SMS causes even more problems/complaints because of the hassles in trying to contact Vaya.
I too don't have too much good to say. Support is slow, website is slow, their data tracking has been all over the place the last few months…I'll be leaving in the new year.
1)
Vaya announce Free SIM Delivery (Save $20) and One Month of Free Access (Save up to $57) - NOTE: This is NOT the same as "First Month Free" as the OP claimed.
2)
At the same time as the above announcement Vaya remove their Reviews section from their FaceBook page.
3)
Again at the same time, two obviously false positive reviews are posted on http://www.productreview.com.au/p/vaya.html
Hmmmmm….
EDIT:
P.S. Regarding the reviews that were on their Facebook page.
The reviews, and the comments to the reviews, were scathing - but true.
Also - many of those that were foolish enough to post reviews and comments in the Post to Page section found they were blocked and the posts/comments removed.
This was particularly obvious under their Insurance announcement. Those who revealed that the exact same insurance, from the same insurer, was available for about half the Vaya price, were banned from posting and their posts removed.
I am surprised by the volume of negativity around Vaya.
I have been with them since March 2013 and I haven't had any major issues and in fact I find their referral credit quite generous. It is certainly tedious, and stupid that you have to chase them up for it but still better than $0 nonetheless (they do not automatically credit you, even if someone puts your number in as the "referrer").
I am curious as to see what my experience will be if/when I port away though, because that seems to be where most of you posting above me have had major issues.
I have not had any major issues otherwise with anything else, be it billing, double charges, late fees, etc.
I am still happy to recommend them to people based on my experiences and I am still happy to personally stay with them.
edit: I've just had a look at Spintel (was curious after reading a comment above) and must say that I am quite impressed with their offering. Vaya does still appear to offer better value overall (particularly on the $18/mth plan), but the Spintel offering is definitely worth considering. I am particularly impressed by the flexibility in changing "plans" and also the "bumping".
I am surprised by the volume of negativity around Vaya.
I have been with them since March 2013 and I haven't had any major issues
I think that this is the point. Most of the reviews and comments in the Reviews section of their FaceBook page were regarding problems in making contact and/or getting a reply/response.
Calls to customer support were disconnected after 8minutes or more on hold.
If one did get through, calls were disconnected while talking to a CS rep.
If one did get through, CS reps sometimes hung up on callers.
If one did get through, the line was extremely noisy - so it was difficult to hear/understand the CS rep.
If one did get through, the CS rep could not understand the problem.
If one did get through, the CS rep could not be understood.
If one did get through, and the CS rep said the problem would be fixed - it was subsequently not fixed and the customer had to attempt contact again.
Messages left for CS were not returned.
eMail messages to support were not answered at all.
eMail messages to support were not answered for a week or more.
Vaya/Ben did appear to reply to and act on problems that were reported via Direct Facebook messages.
Looks like my comment above has been negged due to people disagreeing with me, as opposed to making invalid/unfair points - I think I've been quite fair.
In response to A3Australia, I did not say that I had not attempted making contact with them. I have actually called them quite a number of times and contacted them via their email support too. I am not saying it was flawless and the customer support was the best, but I never expected that. My issues were resolved and I did not feel it required unnecessary effort to do so.
I do not measure a company based on whether they have issues or not (in my opinion, you are bound to have issues anywhere). It is more about what is required to rectify the issue. A lot of you seem to have had to go through undue effort to rectify the issue, and for that I cannot disagree with your negative votes. I am just saying that I have not had to go through such ridiculous experiences to rectify issues. I have had issues which have always been rectified by Vaya directly.
Here is all I could salvage of the genuine FaceBook reviews via Google cache:-
Don't bother with their 'call back request' on the website either.. last 4 times I've used it I haven't had a call.
Don't bother with the online chat.. no one ever replies and it doesn't tell you if you're advancing in the queue. If you actually decide to wait it out.. be prepared to be disconnected from the chat session.
Up until recently it was only customer service where they were so terrible, but recently I'm almost certain they're over charging on data usage. My Galaxy S5 shows how much mobile data I use and it has been accurate on every bill since May up until this one. S5 says 596mb, Vaya say 1058mb. Not exactly small difference.
Simply put.. If you sign up with Vaya you won't pay much $ wise, but you will pay!
Currently looking for similarly priced companies so I can end this nightmare!
I ported over to Spintel.. so far so good. Vaya charged me for 2 plans on my final bill as a farewell gift (my current plan and a plan I ended in 2012), which was apparently a software glitch. Damn I'll miss them!
DO NOT JOIN VAYA!!! Unprofessional thieving company who do not adhere to their own terms and conditions! Incorrect charges and TERRIBLE customer service! Complaint/resolution process absolutely pointless! Unable to resolve anything! Almost impossible to contact. On hold for 20 mins yesterday before being disconnected by Vaya, then called again, put on hold for 5 mins before being transferred to machine to leave a message. Same thing again today! Now I have been on hold for ONE HOUR with no answer!! HOPELESS!
They are more than HOPELESS…….Do not join this absolutely USELESS company..
I was intitally told about Vaya because of their 'great rates'. Clearly they can afford to have such 'great rates' as they can't afford to pay for decent customer service. I overlooked the dodgy call centre line/hung up calls when I first signed up and needed technical support- in the end a friend helped me.
But when my outgoing call/message services got shut off TWICE because I'd reached my cap, without adequate notice, and was kept off until several days after the billing cycle, despite me offering to pay extra to top it up, I decided to go elsewhere.
Whilst looking at other service providers, I was charged an excess rate on my internet because the online usage meter indicated I had 30% left on my account which I allegedly didn't. Trying to communicate this with a Vaya customer service rep has just been a joke. Yes, it sounds petty, but when you spend more time chasing up issues than you did using their product, you can't help but be very, very frustrated.
For anyone considering going with Vaya, don't do it. You might save a few bucks, but you'll end up with more of a headache in the long run!
Apparently someone from your resolutions team will be contacting me soon as I opened a case with the TIO- after waiting more than week after making my complaint, it's been the only thing to prompt a response from your customer service team. Thanks.
About to report them to the TIO on a number of issues including not receiving 50 & 80% usage warnings and going over limit because of the constant long calls to customer service to fix their mistakes
You should report them to TIO as I did and made them refund the excess charges. It was a painful exercise to keep explaining the issue and getting the same response over a month and over 20 email exchanges. DONT EVER JOIN them…they dont have any ethics in business and will go any steps to charge you and keep that money with them.
Wow- so these guys are worse than LiveConnected? So many neg's on this deal I can't believe they're that bad
It's the same company
Hmm well I've no complaints with LC so far, and switching to Vaya would only be to save me a new simcard fee (of $20) and $4 a month. Not worth it?
Depends on if you need customer service. Once you need that customer service, don't expect them to fix the problem in the first few contacts. Expect them to say they've fixed it but they never do.
My story is simple.
Was on a flexi 17 plan for almost 2 years. Wanted to go to the Power 18 plan. It took me 5 attempts to get someone to actually change the plan (in all 5 cases they said they did but never actually did). When they finally did it in August, they set up 2 accounts under the one phone number (something you'd think wouldn't be possible). So I was double charged in August. Called them up and asked for them to credit me the $18 and fix the problem. Same thing happened in September and October. To their credit they did give me the $18 refund but they never fixed the problem. In October I was also charged the plan freeze fee. As I was on a Power Plan this shouldn't have been been applied. After having yet another conversation with them, when I threatened to go to the TIO the CS rep said "please don't I'll be fired". So I went to the TIO.
Within 48 hours my account was fixed up, so clearly it wasn't too hard. Except in November they charged me $160 in excess because they pro-rated my cancelled second account and didn't bother to fix it up so I would be charged the $18. The plan freeze fee was also added making the bill $170. Called them up, got a very confused rep who didn't understand the problem. In frustration I just went back to the TIO and churned out to Spintel.
If they didn't have such incompetent CS reps, the money they'd spend on training these people would surely be less than the bills from the TIO. But they don't seem interested in that.
I wouldn't go near them. I was with them for 2 years fine until I upgraded to the Power 18 plan (which took 5 attempts).
From there spiralled error after error and 4 TIO complaints to get resolved. I ended up leaving because the price didn't justify the amount of time I had to spend dealing with the incompetence.
I was with them for almost 2 years, all good until…
I was told by Ben that my plan pricing would not change for 24 months.
It changed with a few months to go. The new plan price almost doubled my current plan.
OR I pay a $10 plan freeze, which on top of the old plan price, actually worked out to be more expensive then the new plan.
Also due to there very poor online data usage reporting, I went over my data limit.
This is surprising since they implement a data cutoff mechanism which doesn't work until you're WAY over.
So I left, then got a final bill WITH a $10 plan freeze charge. They're the facts.
Vaya are absolute numpties. <- Personal opinion.
I have had great service from Vaya and I am pleased with them. I have not gone over on my $18 a month plan (as of yet).
Ive been with vaya since may and I have had no problems whatsoever seems to be that last year a lot of people on the whirlpool forums had billing problems such as abnormally high data usages, but been with vaya for 7 months and there is no funny business going on. Would recommend.
Seems to be only 1 or 2 of the same people downvoting the all positive comments and upvoting the negatives..
I concur with the many other posts about this company. Any money you might think you might save will be immediately be outweighed by one of the sneaky charges they have, or will later introduce. This is a company to steer clear from.
Since Vaya's an Optus 4g reseller, your telecom service varies depending on where you work/live. Their billing & customer service OTOH is awful. 4 billing errors in 20 months (3 in the first 5 months), and the only reason I was there that long was because I was on contract. Until they started slapping a $9.90 "plan freeze fee" even for people on 24 month contracts. Their MB data billing is a scam too, by all accounts. Stay far, far away from these guys.
Oh, that Ben….
"We removed the rating system on there. Why? A few reasons, 1. It was being abused by some users (duplicate posts etc). 2. It was an extra (ie superfluous) level of support for our social team to manage 3. There's plenty of of better regulated review sites (ozbargains etc) 4. No other telco's seem to use them so there was no context for ratings."
So, OzBargain is a Review Site now is it?
A reply from a user…
"As usual, you come on here spouting your usual untruths and think people will believe you.
You removed the rating system because you didnt like the ratings….the vast majority of reviews were extremely negative because thats what Vaya deserve to be rated.
Social team ? I doubt anyone would think you had one. Out of 10 complaints they would be lucky to reply to 1 on average.
80% of your own customers rated Vaya 1 out of 5. Thats why you removed it, so spare us the spin."
And on those fake/false reviews…
"We don't do fake reviews. There's no point and not something we would consider."
Conveniently forgetting that he just had a Whirlpool account banned for doing just that.
Link to thread
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2335571&p…
Another negative vote for Vaya (and it's sister company Live Connected). They have massive issues with their billing and support systems. I won't be surprised to see those signing up for this deal receiving erroneous bills.
I, like a number of other people, received bills for months AFTER I ported out. In the end I had to lodge TIO complaints to resolve it as they just wouldn't listen.
So basically if you're a sadist by all means sign up, otherwise find a more reputable company that doesn't treat it's customers with such indifference.
As a side note, my 3G Telstra service is faster and way more reliable than the Optus 4G I was on (Obviously YMMV). I'm so glad I ported my services out!
So basically if you're a sadist by all means sign up
I think that you meant to type masochist?
Negative vote from me too. Data billing issues (wrong and very delayed data usage meter) and they increase the price before your contract is up. Avoid this company.
Ok so -20 votes, I'm giving vaya a miss.
What's the cheap alternative?
I had to post this. It is a recent post to Vaya's public FaceBook page.
"Can't complain about Vaya's coverage, it's #Optus. But I cannot believe the disgraceful service i've had in the last 12 month from this company's call centre. I have had over six sim cards replaced for the one number, I've been billed for a another number I tried several times to have disconnected. If I got a decent representative in the call centre, I couldn't hear them anyway because the lines are so terrible. You see #Vaya, I don't care if you're #MoneyMagazine's Best of the Best, good luck to you = whatever.
My last 12 months with your service has been torture to the point where i'll put up with bad service because I don't want to lose my temper when dealing with you people anymore. Money is money and i'll happily pay a couple of dollars extra somewhere else to get a decent service (basically someone I can hear and understand over the phone and vice-versa-it's not a lot to ask in this day and age really).
This is my vent. Because I cannot talk to anyone that could sort out a stupidly simple problem. Can't wait to change over. You suck. That is all."
Word on the street, as in based on what I've seen some Facebook posts say, is that Vaya deletes many of the negative posts people make.
Ported out 3 months ago and I'm still being invoiced…I've already notified them twice already about it and they keep promising to fix it.
Next invoice, I'm going to the TIO.
Avoid them like the plague!
I'm going to the TIO
Why wait? I think 3 invoices is patient enough.
Here you go https://www.tio.com.au/making-a-complaint
Cos its for $0.00.
Still I'm on their billing system…utter incompetence.
That $0.00 is going to turn into a number when you least expect it :)
No, no, no, no, no, no and no!
After removing the entire Reviews section from the Vaya FaceBook page, I see Ben is still removing posts as well.
This "Post to Page" only lasted 4 mimutes.
"Hi Ben, As there is no longer a Reviews section. Would you please un-ban from your FaceBook page all those customers who you banned previously? Some of them would need to contact you via Direct Message, which is not possible until you remove the bans."
After this seemingly innocent and polite exchange of messages today, Ben removed all traces of them (and all other comments by the poster) and banned the customer from Vaya's FaceBook page.
Customer
Dan TheMan
Ben,
(1) When I call the Support number I get disconnected after pressing 2 to choose 'support'.
(2) We have two accounts. You have banned our second account holder. Now that you have removed your Reviews section there is no reason to have all those customers banned from your FaceBook page. Would you (can you?) please un-ban these people?
(3) At the top of your FaceBook page you have a Support Options selection. From that there is "Login or Signup to submit a new ticket". However, both the "Login" and the "Signup" options do not work. Are they meant to work?
Ben
Vaya
Oh okay, our phone lines are definitely working though. We can organise a callback for you if you like. Please send us a personal message in order to do so. Furthermore, if one of your friends/relatives needs to get in touch regarding their account they can do so through online chat on the website, email, or call us. The Login and Signup options aren't working because this feature is not enabled.
Customer
Dan TheMan
Oh. Ok. I understand - those options are not enabled/working.
I think the phone support number is/was just overloaded with callers. I kept on trying and did get through to a Support Staffer in just a few minutes. I noticed that the call went to India, on other occasions the call went to the Philippines.
Why will you not remove your Facebook bans from those customers? Their only sins were leaving you bad reviews and comments about your pricing - they did not use obscene language or make threats or anything like that.
Ben
Vaya
Oh okay, we're glad you did get through. Furthermore, anyone that has been banned, was banned for a legitimate reason.
There are still methods for them to contact Customer Support should they need to do so.
Customer
Dan TheMan
"anyone that has been banned, was banned for a legitimate reason" Oh come on! That is laughable! Mentioning that your insurance was available for half the price elsewhere is NOT a legitimate reason for banning a customer. Instead of removing the comment and banning the commenter a better response would have been to give reasons why your insurance was priced higher - better service, quicker response to claims etc.
Well, after just seeing Ben delete the post below, and ban the customer within two minutes of them posting the comment - I have decided to neg this 'bargain'.
"Wow! A lot of reputation cleansing going on here. The last six hours of Posts to Page have just been removed - including all the replies and comments. I found them very interesting, they were polite and informative. Such a pity. I understand that the posters and those commenting have now been banned from Vaya's Facebook page, and all their posts and comments previously made (before today) have also disappeared. Interesting that in one comment Vaya's CEO Ben admitted to banning customers - when he had previously denied ever doing so."
I hope that having a deceitful, vindictive, deceptive, CEO is enough reason to neg a firm's bargain.
The service is cheap, but the level of customer service is cheaper. I have been with Vaya for a while, this is not a deal because you may end up spending a lot of time on the phone trying to fix the issues with billing on your account.
Cheap service, which is great until something goes wrong. Then you're going to be ignored. Pay a little more elsewhere for the customer service.
I wonder if this is OzBargain's most-hated deal. Is there any way we can find out?
I can only reinforce the views of others here, vaya are one of the most incompetant companies I have ever deal with.
I am in the process of a complaint to the TIO over them.
I can only reinforce the views of others here, vaya are one of the most incompetant companies I have ever deal with.
I am in the process of a complaint to the TIO over them.
Yet you did not vote on this bargain deal?
I am not able to as a new member otherwise I would have.All I can post is positive, and I am certainly not doing that !
Vaya are an absolute nightmare to deal with, I wish that I hadnt referred friends to them as they are having issues with them as well. Oh well, lesson learned.
I am not able to as a new member otherwise I would have.All I can post is positive, and I am certainly not doing that !
Sorry, I should have seen that.
Vaya are an absolute nightmare to deal with, I wish that I hadnt referred friends to them as they are having issues with them as well. Oh well, lesson learned.
Yeah, I had done the same. Now feeling bad about recommending it to them.
I see that Ben is removing any Facebook posts that mention the missing 85% and 100% Usage Warnings in November. It appears that Vaya failed to send those required warnings to their customers via SMS. This must be a breach of legislation, so he has to cover it up so that customers do not alert each other about it.
They have removed all sorts of posts from their Facebook page and have deleted all user reviews (99% were negative). I find it hard to believe in this day and age that this company is allowed to trade in the manner they do with no regard for consumer law and basically stealing money with false fees.
People must be aware of what they would be getting in to by using this company. Not enough people do a basic Google search these days , if they did they would see non stop complaints about Vaya (Whirlpool has pages and pages of them).Unfortunately, when I signed up to 2 years there were no bad signs.
This outfit are as dodgy as they come! Have messed up my billing for months in a row charging me double service fees. It is then followed by wasting hours per month trying to get them to resolve it, they refuse to charge the overpaid funds back to in your credit card only to offer to put you in credit for the following month.. it just keeps happening. I have ported away before christmas.. Lets see what happens.
You should give up dealing with them as you have obviously made multiple attempts at resolution.
Instead, lodge a complaint with the TIO here https://www.tio.com.au/making-a-complaint and get every cent owned back from them.
Not worth it.