Vodafone TV Closing 30th September 2022

felixfurtak on 09/12/2021 - 12:22

Just got an email from Vodafone saying their TV service will close on 30th September next year.

The Vodafone TV box has featured on Cheapies a few times over the past couple of years, and I picked one up for $99 back in April last year.

In their email they state "You may also be entitled to a refund depending on when you purchased and activated your VodafoneTV - if this is the case, we'll be in touch in the next few months"

I'm wondering what you need to qualify for this kind refund. Would be good if any fellow Cheapies users could share their experiences asking for money back.

Ok by September next year I will have had about 30 months use out of it so it's not a lot of money in the scheme of things, but I bought it fully expecting it to last a whole lot longer and it's annoying that It'll just be a brick come September, and that's $3.30 a month that I could have put towards a Netflix subscription. Anyone think a CGA claim be useful in this context?

General Discussion

Related Stores

Vodafone NZ
Vodafone NZ

Comments

  • bigcheese on 09/12/2021 - 12:33

    According to their website the customers whom Vodafone deem eligible for a refund will be contacted in March/April 2022.
    https://www.vodafone.co.nz/tv/#faqs

    I think it's too early to know whether you qualify for a refund and if you don't qualify whether you have any case under CGA.
    At this point I would just wait until March/April and see what they say and then determine if it is reasonable or not.

    • nzmax on 21/12/2021 - 18:04

      I would expect 5 years minimum form such a device without moving parts etc.

  • wowbigdeal on 09/12/2021 - 13:03

    Keep an eye out for some good deals coming up 😂

  • kyogui on 09/12/2021 - 13:24

    What a shame i actually like it.

    • Foodie on 09/12/2021 - 17:37

      Yup, since they fixed up bandwidth issue it's been great.
      Any alternatives for Freeview over internet with standard channel up, channel down sort of thing?

      • Kiwi on 09/12/2021 - 18:01

        Chromecast with Google TV with the freeview/tvnz app is what we use. Kodi with freeview addon is better again but requires a bit of setup, we run both on our CWGTV.

        • Foodie on 09/12/2021 - 18:37

          I've got apple TV but watching live TV through the app doesn't allow simple channel up/down to switch between 1,2,3 Duke etc.
          Does chromecast provide the simple channel change through tv networks?

          • Kiwi on 09/12/2021 - 18:54
            +1

            @Foodie: Just testing it now. Opened Freeview, pressed the up button, it went from TV1 to TV2, so yup, it works like that.

            Does need to be sideloaded, which is a ~5 minute process. I used this APK: https://m.apkpure.com/freeview-streaming-tv/nz.co.dishtv.Fre… and the "Send files to tv" app.

            The Kodi option is much more complicated and takes longer to setup but we've got Aus TV, NZ TV, and SKYGo all in the same interface, so that's convenient.

            • Foodie on 09/12/2021 - 19:06

              @Kiwi: Cool thanks, will give it a crack next year when voda TV stops.

            • Arsonist on 10/12/2021 - 13:57

              @Kiwi: I'm keen to know more about this APK, but that link doesn't seem to work?

              • Kiwi on 10/12/2021 - 15:36

                @Arsonist: Ah shit, looks like I copied it wrong, try this:

                https://m.apkpure.com/freeview-streaming-tv/nz.co.dishtv.Fre…

                If you look it up on Play Store they reckon it's "Designed to work with our SmartVU products only…" Which is why it can't just be installed normally. Other than a bit of buffering (maybe because I haven't updated it since I installed it) it works great on CWGTV.

                • Arsonist on 10/12/2021 - 19:53

                  @Kiwi: Thanks, I couldn't get your link to the APK to work, but I had success here, and am now watching Freeview on my CWGTV!

                  • Kiwi on 10/12/2021 - 20:06

                    @Arsonist: Sweet! That's the same guy that makes the Kodi addons and IPTV streams we use too. Really useful site.

  • Starla39 on 10/12/2021 - 07:45

    Oh no really? I have Vodafone TV box but I have had a few issues with it recently .The Freeview service won't open up sometimes and when.it does the channels take forever to load.
    I used to use a chrome cast but is there a way to set it up so I'm not casting from my phone ? It tends to drain the battery on my phone which I would plug in

    • kyogui on 10/12/2021 - 13:02
      +1

      It really only worked reliably for me with an ethernet connection.

      • Starla39 on 22/12/2021 - 08:06

        Ok thanks ..
        I'm.not good with technology I'm using my unlimited wifi will that work?

        • Alan6984 on 22/12/2021 - 10:01

          WiFi will work (for some definition of 'work'), but many people have reported that they get a discernibly better experience if you use a wired (ethernet) connection.

          It could easily depend on the proximity of your WiFi Access Point (probably your router), and whether other WiFi networks close by (such as your neighbours) are using the same channels as you.

  • Foodie on 16/12/2021 - 14:03

    Also just received an email "Freeview On Demand set to end next year"

  • Toeler on 21/12/2021 - 14:08

    This sucks as just a year ago my wife and I bought one for each of our parents. Mostly for Netflix with a remote, but they occasionally used it for other services too. Guess I need to keep an eye out for deals on the new Chromecast

    • ace310 on 21/12/2021 - 15:12

      https://themarket.com/nz/p/google-chromecast-with-google-tv-…

      wait for themarket coupon for additional discount.
      https://www.cheapies.nz/node/31254

      • fatboyj on 21/12/2021 - 17:21

        I have Vodafone TV and this news sucks.

        So this google gadget do I just plug it into a non smart TV and it works straight off? No need for other hardware or software basically does what Voda TV does now?

        • ace310 on 21/12/2021 - 17:24
          +1

          Yes. you can just plug it into your tv's hdmi port and it should just work. Connect it to your wifi.

          You have all the apps like youtube, netflix, plex and others from android. you can sideload some apps which can provide freeview as well.

          Also, you can cast anything from your devices too.

          • fatboyj on 21/12/2021 - 19:18

            @ace310: Thanks Ace thats good info appreciate it and Merry Xmas.

  • Foodie on 05/05/2022 - 12:59

    Just received a refund email from vodafone for this. Received $100 reimbursement. Processing may take 10 working days.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join