MSE News: Orange and T-Mobile to merge

tandeh

So now we will have one of the worst reception + one of the worst Customer services in one company, glad none of these two merged with O2 or vodaphone.

fiish

The reduction of the number of mobile networks in the UK might be bad for us consumers... or it might not. As has been said, Orange and T on their own were struggling to compete with Voda and O2, who with their large customer bases could afford to put up prices a bit (by stealth, such as reducing subsidies and putting high-end phones on £40 rather than £35 tariffs, for example).

Mobile phones are expensive things, and so are the data networks required to provide the services that the latest phones require. The subsidy model in the UK has really pushed operators hard with respect to profitability. Competition is good, but competition such that no one can make any decent money is bad in the long run. Case in point is the ISP industry - yes we can all get cheap Internet but no one is making enough to want to invest in the fibre network we need for the next 25-30 years.

Perhaps with their stronger negotiating power with handset manufacturers could help push handset prices down. Operators can only cut back subsidies so much before customers realize that the long contract lock-ins are of much less benefit than buying a phone outright and going contract-free.

As for serving consumers, they have no obligation to do so, just as we have no obligation to buy their services. They have shareholders to answer to, and many of us are also probably indirect investors in them through their pension funds.

It will be interesting to see how things shape up in the next 18 months....

bernie242

Do you think once they sign and the merger will be complete there might be a loop hole to get out of orange or t mobile contracts? Change of terms and conditions and all that? I'm still stuck with orange for a few months and would like to get out!

cw18

I doubt there'll be any way to get out early. They say they're continuing to run as separate entities for 18 months from the deal being signed.....

And when T-Mobile took over 1-2-1 (who I was then part way through a contract with) they had to honour the contract until the end of the minimum term - and it was about a quarter the price of the closest T-Mobile equivalent (which actually included a lot less as well !!)

virgo17

bernie242 wrote: »

Do you think once they sign and the merger will be complete there might be a loop hole to get out of orange or t mobile contracts? Change of terms and conditions and all that? I'm still stuck with orange for a few months and would like to get out!

I don't think so because they will run the two companies side by side for 18 months so the consumer should see no difference in that time. Most existing contracts will have come to an end by then and you can bet any new ones will have this in the small print.

RICK..._2

I hope to god they don't use t-mobiles call centres :rotfl:

lilypea

My heart sank yesterday when I learnt about T-Mobile's proposed merger with Orange yesterday. Especially as it is clear Orange are the dominant player in the relationship.

I had a really bad and stressful experience with Orange which was never satisfactorily resolved. Their customer service was absolutely the pits and I vowed I would never put myself in the position of having to deal with them ever again and certainly would not be adding to their profits.

I moved from Orange to T-Mobile and have enjoyed good customer service (so far) but I will now be cancelling my contract with them because I cannot face the thought of being entagled with Orange again.

If I was a little fish in a big pond with no voice before this merger I can imagine I would merely be treated like plankton after it.

bargains83

Competition commisson should have something to say about this, T-Mobile UK already have a Network sharing agreement in place with 3 UK.They are already sharing masts and some infrastructure with them. 3 UK also already use Orange for 2G calls. A full merger with Orange would effectively make 3 UK a Virtual Operator like Virgin Mobile except that it will actually own some of the masts.

It would have been FAR more sensible for 3UK and T-Mobile to merge. It was said on the news that yesterdays announcement would be like Morrisons and Sainsburys merging or something similar.

The Mobile Networks today are still growing in terms of revenue, they have weened more people from Pay as You Go onto a contract offering than they ever have in the past with the competitive tarrifs. I don't see any reason there needs to be a merger. If T-Mobile UK isn't profitable they should change their business model to become more competitive instead of spending money on adverts where thousands of people sing down their phones!.

Years ago Vodafone managed to aquire Orange when they took over Mannesmann and were forced to get rid of it if they wanted the purchase of Mannesmann to go ahead. I see no reason why a T-Mobile/Orange tie up should be allowed to go ahead on that scale either!.

If they want to do something right, bring back One 2 One!.

OneADay

bargains83, dont give them ideas for the new brand - One2One was a good brand and they should never got rid of it.

Would prefer merger of 3UK with T-mobile - but looks like that is not going to happen.

Fork86

So wait, you guys would rather Three merged with T-mobile and not Orange? That's crazy, Three are most definitely the worst mobile company I have ever experienced.

I must say, while Orange customer service wasn't amazing during my first year with them, it wasn't too bad. Since becoming a premier customer (which you become once your spend with them is over 45/50 quid), they have provided me with the best service possible.

All I have to do is ring 150, option 1, option 3, and two rings later, I am speaking with someone that can deal with 99% of my queries, and I won't be passed from pillar to post.