New to Orange Contract - all sorts of new charges on my bill!

blackqueen

Hi all,

I thought I'd come here and ask you a few questions as you seem to know all about everything!

I came off a Virgin pay monthly contract as I wanted to change phones and they didn't have the phone I wanted - Blackberry Curve 8900.

So in February/March I went to Orange - to a Dolphin 35 Websave package for 18 months.

I got a text message in March saying my first bill was due and never received a bill! Then got a reminder to say it was outstanding! Had to phone them up to say I never received a bill and won't pay for something till I've checked it. Got this sorted finally. Have to have a paper bill sent through as they won't send you an email reminder - you just have to remember when your bill will be available to view online!!! How rubbish is that?! Told them so and that I hate getting paper bills when it was unnecessary but if it's the only way I can be reminded the bill is ready then that's what I would have to do but in this technological age, it's a bit crap they can't send an email reminder! Virgin used to! But that's a WHOLE other story...

What I did notice is that they were charging me for text delivery reports, which I had put on as I quite like them but of course on Virgin they are free! I didn't know they charged at Orange - they never told me. So have had a bit of a discount for this "misselling" and have turned them off.

Have now got another bill through for the next month and I notice they charge for voicemail usage! I am flabbergasted! Why is this not free when we are paying for a contract? And why was I not told it was not free?!!! :eek:

I'm so careful when I sign up to things but now I am really really annoyed as it seems I didn't do my homework carefully enough and I am being charged left, right and centre for things I thought (a) weren't charged for and (b) would be included!! I sort of feel I've been misselled this contract as no-one gave me this information. And I did all the research I could on the net (obviously not enough though! :embarasse).

I just now am worried that an orange contract that I felt I could control and would cost me about £30 a month (discounted through the websave I got) is going to run out of control. I can't afford to do that. I feel like a real goof - upset and angry that I seem to have been really stupid and not careful enough with money, when normally I am SO careful.

I love the phone and am glad I got it - it's been a real God-send in terms of the things I need on it, but the costs are beginning to worry me and I've only just started on this contract. Why don't they tell us these things in the beginning?

What can I do about it? I am presuming I can't get out of the Orange contract now and am stuck with this worry for 18 months?

What other phone provider should I have gone for? I'm on 600 mins a month and unlimited texts, plus as it's a Blackberry you get Orange's data package thrown in.

Can anyone please help or advise this idiot please?

MRC_2

Yeah, you're unfortunately stuck with it. Nothing you can do as the information was available when you did sign up.

o2 sounded your best bet, free voicemail & online bills. 600min, 1000text and blackberry bolt on for £35pm.

sporedude

If you take a contract out through the internet you normally have 14 days under DSR to return it, or it might be 7. If it was the shop then you dont get to return the phone.

Kavanne

o2 also send me a bill confirmation by email each month. Saying the total due and a link to my itemised bill on their website, which I can view at any time...

blackqueen

I've been with them for about 6 weeks now so no get-out as far as I can see. I had to wait till I saw the first bills before I realised all the extra charges they were slapping on that they never even told me about! :eek: Serves me right for not being careful enough I suppose but I feel there is a certain amount of mis-selling and dishonesty goes on here. They should be telling people upfront what is chargeable and what isn't. It's dishonest otherwise. But then I guess they're not the first inscrutable company out there and they won't be the last! :mad: I am still going to complain bitterly about this though as I would NEVER have signed to them if I had known that voicemail wasn't free. It's a total rip-off...

HTCWinMob

Afraid I'm standing up for orange here. All the info you needed was clearly identified under every plan 'find out more' and also at the bottom of the plans web page 'see terms'.

For anyone who is interested or can't be bothered to take the time to look type the below into your browser:

www1.orange.co.uk/service_plans/paymonthly/services_price_guides.html

Jon_01

All the information is easily available. A quick search here would have shown post about both the delivery report charges and the voice mail.
As above, it's also available online and in the T&C's.
You really can't expect a sales man to read you the entire contract before you sign it !

Ginge_9570

Im With Orange and again was shocked via the Charging of reports. BUT!

I was on the Orange Sim Only Package as a Trial then after getting used to my Blackberry and services etc. I then went to the 18 month Contract got a new phone etc.

Orange answerphone you could say is free it uses inclusive mins in your plan. So you dont effectively pay. Pros and Cons

Orange will bend over backwards if you ring them and jump up and down, they dont like losing customers.
Also A letter to say your now unemployed and can no longer afford the phones monthly charges will get you a Ticket to reduce your plan to the lowest. But i think they only offer this after 3months.

A text report - isnt pure confirmation the other party as received your message, You can get a report back soon as the other network or server as received it. So its nothing you can rely on.

Your Bill. They send you a text message every month to say your bill is ready to view online. This shows you everything just register your mobile and account on Orange home page and just log in with your mobile number and password. You can request a paper bill from there but you will be charged for it. As you know there Trying to do away with paper billing to save trees. A greener planet ??

More Orange Info ...

Im now waiting for Wildfire to come back to Orange and with them just buying out T-mobile they will have the largest coverage in the UK. So the price you pay will be worth while.
Wildfire is your own P.A she/he looks after your calls when your busy and takes messages also deals with your phone book. then she will call you saying you have messages. you can then talk to her handsfree and do everything you want. call them back listen to messages etc. plus when ya bored you can call her and tell her/he and they will come back with a whitty message to cheer you up. They had it once before but didnt completly understand different dialects. Now its new and improved and being launched soon. I think there is a one off fee to activate £10 then works through 123 voicemail. So good to have inclusive mins.

My Blackberry Pin 216CAEC4

Stick with Orange have fun with your Blackberry. Hope my info as been beneficial.
Happy New Year !

Darren

Ginge_9570

Remember there saying !!

Theres no EEEEK !! in our off peak !

The future is bright... the future is ORANGE

nsabournemouth

Jon_01 wrote: »

All the information is easily available. A quick search here would have shown post about both the delivery report charges and the voice mail.
As above, it's also available online and in the T&C's.
You really can't expect a sales man to read you the entire contract before you sign it !

The person who sells the contract should be well up on it's contents and be able to answer any questions that the customer may have and also explain the important parts of it. To have someone who is for example a part time student worker selling a deal to a person who has no legal background is not fair......is it?

Jon_01

I'm sure the sales person knows all the relevant facts but where do you draw the line ?

They can't spend 2 hours with each person going through the costs for every element of every option. For one thing the customer would never remember them all.

If something an important option then the customer should ask, the problem seem to be that people think all networks change the same for everything.