Orange Broadband - DO NOT SIGN UP!

r.h_2

Hi all,

I'm a long time reader, first time poster and unfortunately my first post is a rant/warning.

I signed up with orange bb for an upto 8meg package because I could basically get it for free with my mobile phone contract - saving a bit of money!

A couple of months ago I started having a couple of problems with intermittent access. After a bit of time on the phone to the FREE (!) tech support number (150 from your orange mobile) it was all sorted with a hard reset of the livebox followed by a software update...or so I thought.

Since then I've not got over 0.5meg on speed tests where my speed was previously >1.5meg download speeds. I can't stream video, PS3 lags and stutters when playing online and even browsing is slow. After 10 calls to various orange departments I've found out that my line has been re-graded to 0.5meg and they won't re-grade it to what it was previously (which even though it was an upto 8meg package, I was happy with the >1.5meg).

At the end of it all, I'm stuck with almost useless broadband, paying for an upto 8meg package for another 6 months and no one at orange thinks this is a problem or is willing to fix it. I'm also reluctant to sign up for another package after this because we'll be being upgraded to fibre optics at the exhange by the end of March 2011 according to the BT website.

Its by no means the end, I will be complaining in writing to both Orange, Ofcom and anyone else who is even slightly relevant. But I shouldn't have to do this which frustrates me greatly as I have two jobs and I really don't have the time to spend on the phone or writing letters to a company that should have this sorted by now.

Final thing - if this isn't sorted by the time my (and my wifes) mobile contract ends I will be going elsewhere unless I'm offered something exceptional.

Sorry for the rant and if you're thinking of signing up....DON'T!!
:mad::mad::mad::(

epatolles

how are you paying for it if its free with your phone contract?

bosseyed

Absolute pain :mad:

I used to be pro Orange, but in recent years their customer service has just fallen through the floor - they're useless, hence why I switched to O2 for both mobile and Broadband

All I can say is keep on at them, keep pushing the matter - A little while back I signed up to Orange and their mobile broadband dongle. They claimed speeds of up to 4meg (which was better than the 0.5meg that BT could manage in my old house), but after a couple of months of frustrating use during which time I was never able to get more than an absolute maximum 0.5meg out of it, in various locations around the country, I gave up in disgust. Half the time it wouldn't even connect. I rang Orange to complain. Initially as you have found, they refused to acknowledge it was an issue, but I kept on at them for most of the week until finally one of their managers agreed the dongle wasn't fit for purpose and they cancelled my contract, which still had most of the year to run.

So keep trying, they'll crumble in the end.

And then switch broadband providers, I can recommend O2 - I pay for the 20meg service, get around 10meg and its never ever died in well over a year now.

r.h_2

epatolles wrote: »

how are you paying for it if its free with your phone contract?

I had to switch my home phone to orange to get the free bb package so although it doesn't cost any more than the BT homephone costs I do still have to pay to be part of this

r.h_2

bosseyed wrote: »

Absolute pain :mad:

I used to be pro Orange, but in recent years their customer service has just fallen through the floor - they're useless, hence why I switched to O2 for both mobile and Broadband

All I can say is keep on at them, keep pushing the matter - A little while back I signed up to Orange and their mobile broadband dongle. They claimed speeds of up to 4meg (which was better than the 0.5meg that BT could manage in my old house), but after a couple of months of frustrating use during which time I was never able to get more than an absolute maximum 0.5meg out of it, in various locations around the country, I gave up in disgust. Half the time it wouldn't even connect. I rang Orange to complain. Initially as you have found, they refused to acknowledge it was an issue, but I kept on at them for most of the week until finally one of their managers agreed the dongle wasn't fit for purpose and they cancelled my contract, which still had most of the year to run.

So keep trying, they'll crumble in the end.

And then switch broadband providers, I can recommend O2 - I pay for the 20meg service, get around 10meg and its never ever died in well over a year now.

Thanks - I will keep on at them, I won't give up. Its just so time consuming and at the moment, completely fruitless!
I'm considering BT because it seems whenever there is a problem everybody has to go to BT anyway to get it fixed!

bosseyed

r.h wrote: »

I'm considering BT because it seems whenever there is a problem everybody has to go to BT anyway to get it fixed!

I'm not convinced by BT - never have been really. They used to be fairly devious about their quoted speeds (as most broadband companies I suppose), but I had to use them a couple of times in the last few years for broadband as the estate I used to live on could only be supplied broadband by BT for some reason, and despite claiming 8meg the best they could manage was 0.5meg (a big new estate circa 2008 and thats all I can have? Ridiculous!)

They claimed 8meg on the sales lines, even though the customer help lines were fully aware that the exchange could handle no more than 0.5meg, and that even at maximum whack most basic phone lines won't handle more than around 6meg anyway.

My father in law has one of their home hubs and he often seems to have problems with the broadband dropping out. Plus their customer service has been fairly dismal whenever I've had to speak to them.

In fact I wouldn't be involved with BT at all, but as I can't get Virgin Cable (the gas fitters ruined the cable line to my house - if I want cable its a 2 month wait for council permission to dig up the road :rotfl:), so I have to have a BT phone line if I want broadband.

Like I say, I've never had an issue with O2 - helpful, truthful people on the phone, at the time a lot cheaper than BT (£14.98 per month for 20meg as oppose to £20 odd with BT '8meg').

epatolles

r.h wrote: »

I had to switch my home phone to orange to get the free bb package so although it doesn't cost any more than the BT homephone costs I do still have to pay to be part of this

ah i see. i had a similar sort of problem back when it was freeserve/wannado. they said it was bts fault but bt said they'd charge me if it wasnt their fault so declined their generous offer to fix it. ended up on dial up for about a year then sky offered me bb. i explained to them my previous bb problems and they said if it didnt work i could cancel it. but now bb is fine! :-) tbh i think it was bt's fault because a bt engineer spent days on end fiddling with the wires up the street.

Orange_Company_Representative

Hi r.h,

If you need assistance, please drop me a mail at the address in my profile and I will do what I can to escalate this.

Please include your broadband account number/landline number and add 'Jonathan Orange Response' in the first line, so the mail can be forwarded to me quickly.

I hope this helps.

Jonathan
Orange Response Team

artbaron

One point, that may not be relevant for you, but every time I've had problems with my connection it's been BT (who isn't my ISP and never will be). Don't know if Orange uses BT equipment at the exchange for your connection but if it does, that could be the problem. And don't get me started on BT...

kazzah60

:rotfl:Orange Broadband............:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

I was a customer when they were freeserve- no problems
then it went to Wanadoo ( or wanadon't as we re-named it our house)
we finally gave up after a couple of years when it was orange

at the time I left, we had had so many problems with intermittant service since they swapped from Bt bundles to their own bundles ( whatever they are) which they acknowledged was a known Orange fault, we had been credited with 9 months payments for goodwill
I do voluntary work for a childrens charity and could not cope with the long intervals of down time so despite having 9 months credit on our account we went with BT

thank has been fairly trouble free - except I have to use the router with a wire as when it was wireless we had similar problems- since then - NO problems at all

I would NEVER recommend Orange broad band - they should stick to what they know - mobile phones !

puppet1984

used to have loads of problems till i got rid of the stupid livebox and put a netgear on it. works fine now.