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Now it’s Vodafail, the musical

Vodafone is facing a new blow to its shredded reputation for its mobile service after the upload of a bitter video tribute to the brand by comedy performers TV Live On Stage.

The video is this morning being rapidly shared across social media networks. It features a reworking of the Lady Gaga track Telephone.  

At the time of posting it was not possible to tell how many views the video has so far received on YouTube. In the first few hours that a video becomes popular, the YouTube views counter tends to stop at just over 300 before catching up a few hours later.

The merged 3 and Vodafone operation has been forced to apologise to customers after the network became slow and unreliable.

The parody takes aim at lengthy 24 month contracts some unhappy customers have been unable to leave, and suggests alternative methods of making calls including carrier pigeons and using tin cans and string.

scott dawkins sheona urquhart TV Live On StageTV Live On Stage is the work of Scott Dawkins and Sheona Urquhart.

Dawkins told Mumbrella: “I’m with Vodafone and Sheona’s with 3. We would talk about skits on the phone and the call would always drop out. We thought it was just an in-joke, but then the whole Vodafail movement happened and we realised this was something other people felt strongly about too.”

He said a final straw came when he complained about the service to Vodafone. He said: “All they offered me was 100 free texts. That motivated my finger to hit upload.”

Musical video attacks are becoming an effective tool for disgruntled consumers to share their frustrations with brands.

One of the best known examples in the US was United Breaks Guitars, aimed at the baggage handlers of United Airlines, which has so far had more than 10m views.

Mumbrella has invited Vodafone to comment.

2.10pm update: A Vodafone spokesman told Mumbrella:

“We’re aware of the sketch clip on youTube and, while we’ve never received feedback in this format before, we’re well aware of the sentiment. We have listened to customers and we’re underway with a national network upgrade.

“We know that our customers expect great service, reliability and value for money from Vodafone and 3 and we’re working hard to provide the best possible network and customer service experience. We recognise all customer feedback as an opportunity to improve our service.”


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