Orange = bitter taste

fatpigeon_2

Hi All

Sorry, but just have to get this off my chest!! :eek: Here's the timeline:

10 Nov 22.24 Call made asking why broadband running slowly. Was told that such questions weren’t answered after 10pm and to call back before 10pm another time.

12 Nov 18.19 On hold, then told to call another number.

12 Nov 19.26, 19.28, 19.31 Tried various menu options, not getting right one.

12 Nov 20:04 On hold, then asked why broadband running slowly. Told I’m on 8MG so should be fast. Requested MAC, was offered £11.99 package. Was told to download Speed Dial 330 upgrade, did so, ran it, broadband ceased to function entirely.

12 Nov 20.22 ON HOLD FOR 40 minutes. Call answered by someone with broken microphone/headset so that loud crackling was all I could hear. Placed back into call queue, picked up by same malfunctioning headset. Not passed to another service agent, but HUNG UP ON.

12 Nov 21.05 Got through to customer service. Told they can’t help me because not technically trained. Asked for alternative number and given 0870 9090666.

12 Nov 21.08 Got through to technical support. HUNG UP ON AGAIN by someone called Rika.

12 Nov 21.12 Got through to technical support. Ran diagnostics for modem. Uninstalled and reinstalled setup. Still not working. Told that a new modem would be sent to me in 2-3 days.

17 Nov 9.46 Called 0870 0102462 from work phone. Told that NO RECORD of a new modem being requested has been recorded on my account, only a MAC request. Asked for new modem and was told that customer services don’t send them out, only technical support can. Told to dial same number again and choose technical support. Asked why MAC not emailed yet, told to wait until 20th.

17 Nov 10.04 Called 0870 0102462 from work phone. Got through to technical support. Asked to be sent another modem. Told that since no record of my call on system I WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHOLE uninstall/reinstall process again before a modem could be requested. Since at work, no access to home PC so would have to phone from home to do this.

20 Nov 9.39 Called 0870 3768888 from work phone. Got through to customer services. Transferred somewhere else. Told that MAC requests having long delays because process outsourced to another company. Asked if I requested via email or letter. Replied that letter option hadn’t been given. Asked what company I was transferring to. Replied ANY OTHER COMPANY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Can I request another MAC? Yes, but still delays. Fine, cancel account. Ok, cancelled. Can I have a refund? No, 30 day notice policy. WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE YOU CANCELLED THE ACCOUNT? Told 10 days to clear the line.

29 Nov 9.19 Called 0870 010 2462 from work phone. Got through to customer services. Asked whether account cancellation has gone through as I was told it would take 10 days. Put on hold while she talks to cancellation dept. Told everything progressing fine and should be cancelled by Friday 1 December. 12 minutes duration.

1 Dec 9.38 Called 0870 010 3462 from work phone. Got through to customer services. Asked whether account cancellation has gone through (I know it hasn't as I checked on broadbandchecker website). Told that Monday 4th is actally the 10th day since I requested. Sure, if anyone had mentioned 10 WORKING days that might be true, but since I was told on Wednesday that it was all going ahead for Friday...Put on hold while she talks to cancellation dept. Told 'there has been a problem with the cease' and line will now be free on 7th December - 17 days after I asked for it (13 working days). Asked for compensation, told there is no chance of me getting any. Asked what the problem was with the 'cease' considering it was all going well two days ago, told she doesn't know.

To summarise: Orange has used up hours of my life and I will never get any recompense for it. I will never use their services again.

Rikki

I left orange when they sent me an e-mail saying from December 12th they were going to charge me to leave. A cheek if you ask me.

No I don't miss them.

hybrid

Hi

I used to work for Orange BB. If there's anything I can help you with, please PM me. I might be able to give you a few hints and tips.

froggy27_2

Orange have messed up with my line so many times i've just asked for my MAC code too.. they keep promising things they don't deliver..speed being one of them...
anyway you might be interested by that number 0800 316 1012 which is customer care... i found it to avoid the dreaded 0870 number.....Hope it helps...

fatpigeon_2

froggy27 wrote:

anyway you might be interested by that number 0800 316 1012 which is customer care... i found it to avoid the dreaded 0870 number.....Hope it helps...

Thanks! That's really useful. I feel bad running up 0870 numbers at my work (altho girl opposite calls overseas all the time, so I'm not that bad).

Minerva69

fatpigeon, I really sympathise with you about this. It took me 2 weeks to get a MAC from Orange and I only got that after I reported them to ISPA, the Internet Service Providers Association. I wonder if it would be worth reporting your experiences to them? http://www.ispa.org.uk

peddy

fatpigeon, I know exactly where you are coming from. The main problem seems to be that the operators who you've been speaking to probably don't work directly for Orange. There is a big callcentre in Leeds which is ran by an agency who then supply staff to several companies when they are needed. They are on shockingly low wages and apparently get paid a bonus per call handled by the agency. I occasionally have to speak to them (I work on the free bb team by the way) and feel frustrated at how unhelpful they are and they don't even have the common courtesy of saying thank you or please. If the directors have any sense at all they will dump the agency and employ more staff directly as this is really impacting on how our customers view our customer services.

heavy_t

Just to add my 2p...

I have had BIG problems with Orange when I moved house. Someone typed in the 'phone number wrong when they stopped the old line, and then they refused to do anything about, meaning I had to go round to the old house and call BT from the land line there sort it out.

Then they screwed up the provide at the new house as well because they put it through at the wrong connection speed.

I got very angry when I asked technical support to escalate to a team leader about their refusal to call BT and sort out their mistake, i.e., ceasing broadband at the old property. I was told that the team leader was "too busy" and would "only tell me the same thing anyway"....... outrageous!:eek:

One tip that I have, if you are calling tech support don't bother with their Indian call centre. They are crap and just read from scripts before trying to pass you off to a different team making for a very frustrating experience. When you go through the menu system for tech support a continuous ring (i.e., riiiiiiiing, riiiiiiiiing) means you're going to get India. A normal "ring ring... ring ring" will be the UK (8am to 11pm I think).

The UK tech support seem knowledgable in fairness but even so, were it not for the fact that I am a former IT helpdesk team leader and knew what I needed to ask for to get me up and running - i.e., a line test from BT - I feel that I would still be going round in circles with people telling me to check I've got the router plugged in correctly

I get free broadband with them because my mobile bill is £30+ but despite this I was seriously considering paying another provider just to avoid the awful service. Fortunately I am up and running now... after a 3 week nightmare!


I feel - as peddy says - it's a case of yet another company prioritising profit over and above customer service by using cheapo outsourcing.

peddy

heavy_t wrote:

The UK tech support seem knowledgable in fairness but even so, were it not for the fact that I am a former IT helpdesk team leader and knew what I needed to ask for to get me up and running - i.e., a line test from BT - I feel that I would still be going round in circles with people telling me to check I've got the router plugged in correctly

The thing is, we have to do all of these checks before submitting a line test. You may know what you are doing but I speak to many customers every day who claim to but a simple unplugging and plugging back in sorts out the problem. If we submit 3 line tests on one account and no fault is found then BT charge us for the privilege.

heavy_t

That's fair enough. With the UK guys I could just say "Listen, I've already done a factory reset and router diagnostics and I'm 100% sure everything is set up correctly" but with the call centre in India they just don't get it and revert to their script and try and take you through diagnostics. I also found that tech support (India) told me to call WiFi support and vice versa.

My main gripe is the use of cheap outsourcing which renders a tech support line almost useless unless you can get through to the UK - usually five redials to get a UK bod.

fatpigeon_2

Thanks Everyone.
I knew I wasn't alone in this. A couple of times I asked how backed up their complaints were and the operators replied VERY.
Having worked in a call centre (Red Letter Days) myself I know how hard it can be talking to angry customers all day long, but honestly, what does Orange think it's achieving? Mass migration of customers, perceived and actual quality of service deteriorating, damaging the brand.