Cmplete long term lack of service on Orange, help!

Bikerchickone

I'm an Orange customer and have had my current (18mth) contract since November 07. Right from the start I have experienced dreadful problems with reception, despite the fact that I carefully checked all the places I go, and Orange confirmed they had full coverage (website postcode search). I cannot make or receive a call 95% of the time. If I do manage to make or receive a call it drops out within seconds. Orange have told me lack of network coverage is not grounds for cancelling my contract. I'm paying them £35 a month for unlimited texts and 600 mins of calls that I can never use! I can't even get a signal long enough to complain to customer services!
Please, please can anyone help? My daughter broke her arm on Friday and had to go to the hospital and my husband couldn't reach me to tell me. I just can't let this go any longer and I can't afford to run 2 contracts! If this was a landline surely they wouldn't be able to charge me for something they aren't providing?
Any advice gratefully received!
Thanks, Nikki.

reehsetin

problem is how do they confirm that you are not getting the service because according to the systems you are,
only thing i can think of is that it may be a handset issue, try the sim in a different phone and see if the reception improves

Bikerchickone

Hi,
Thanks for your reply, unfortunately it isn't the phone as I've tried 3 different ones all to no avail. It really is just total lack of coverage - I'm in West Sussex and everyone here says Orange is hopeless! Shame they don't tell the truth about it!
Thanks anyway.

Cavey

So you have had this for 10 months from an 18 month contract and now wish to cancel? It isn't a particularly strong bargaining position. Perhaps if you were in the first two months you could argue that you were hoping the signal would improve given the information you got from the Orange postcode search tool.

If you want to try and get out of it based on false advertising or misleading information, or just to appeal that they are not fulfilling the supply of service they promised (postcode search says it will work for voice calls, right?), then go see a solicitor and find out how to proceed and which laws to claim under.

Bikerchickone

Hi Cavey,
Thanks for your answer, but this isn't the first time I've contacted Orange to resolve this, I got told the lack of service wasn't grounds to cancel the first time I called, 3 weeks after I got the phone. I can't afford to go to a solicitor for advice, or I would have done it already. I've been on to them yet again in the last half hour and finally got a sympathetic person from CS but she still couldn't do anything for me. Apparently technical are trying to work it out now! I'm getting desperate now because of 4 year old starting school with a broken arm next week I can't afford to be ut of coverage at work - it's a stable yard, no landline and no other people!
Never mind, thanks anyway for your advice.

Orange_Company_Representative

Hi there, I work for Orange and might be able to help.

If you send an email with your contact details to [EMAIL="customer.services@orange.co.uk"]customer.services@orange.co.uk[/EMAIL] with the subject of "Jonathan Orange Response" I will give you a call to discuss.

Kind regards,
Jonathan
Orange Response

Bikerchickone

Hi Again,
Just an update for anyone interested who might be having the same problems as me - I contacted Orange again as the tech dept couldn't reach me (there's ironic for you!) when they tried to call back, and this time got a chap who told me that tech aren't customer facing so he'd have to get them to call me. Having explained the contact problems he supposedly noted on his screen for them to call me at 9.45pm that night. No call. I purchase PAYG phones on O2 and Vodafone in case of problems with daughter at school. Provide school with long list of numbers. Call Orange back and find that there's no record of me ever having spoken to a chap about tech and that's why I didn't get a call! Great! Then I get a highly patronising talk about is my house made of granite etc (O2 and Vodafone work perfectly) as that could be it?? No granite in a stable yard though! Then I'm told that there are several masts down in my area, and apparently they've been down for some time! Having seen other threads on here about that I quickly jumped in with, "Where is my line rental refund then?" I got a £20 good will gesture (a joke after the £300 they've taken off me so far) and then was told 5 new masts are going live in my area on 15/9/08, turn my phone off the next morning, remove the battery and turn back on again - all will be fine. I was also advised that if it isn't technical Dept CAN AUTHORISE TERMINATION OF A CONTRACT WITHOUT PENALTY! I told the CS advisor I'd be generous and give it a week to see if it worked. Obviously it didn't so now I'm back at the beginning! One exception being that I've emailed the very helpful Jonathan from above and have my fingers crossed for a solution! In the meantime I have 3 phones, and now I'm paying Orange to receive my calls too, as I'm having to forward them to O2 so that I can actually hear/talk to the caller! Absolutely abysmal IMHO, and to think I talked my mum into a contract with them too!
Really hope Jonathan can help - I just want a phone that works. Will post any developments in case anyone else is interested!

hdeusi

Hi,

What happened with this? I am having the exact same problems and have at last been given a fault code from Orange which I can apparently use to cancel the contract.

But they wont give me the PAC code until my company cancels the contract,m byt which point it will be too late and I will loose the number I have had for 11 + years!!!

I got told the same crock about masts being down and the tech team told me that thwe mast closest to me is pointing in the wrong direction!