Orange - unable to make/receive calls - breaking contract?

twiggystardust

Hello

I wonder if somebody might be able to help me with a problem I'm having with Orange (lost count how many times those words have been strung together...).

About three or four weeks ago, I started experiencing a problem with my Blackberry - despite it telling me I have signal, from time to time I actually don't, and am unable to make calls or receive them (texts too). Obviously, since my phone tells me I have signal, I'm unaware of this happening and the amount of people who tell me they've been unable to get through to me or complaining that I didn't reply to a text I never actually received is growing... this problem is happening more and more.

I've called Orange repeatedly and they've attempted to fob me off in different ways each time - recently they've been asking me to go into an Orange shop so I can do a sim swap to clarify whether it's a handset or a network issue. Quite how this will make any difference, since the problem is not constant, is beyond me, but the problem is I work in the middle of nowhere and at weekends I am very busy. Last weekend, I finally had the chance to nip in but thought I'd call first - the guy I spoke to said he had fixed the problem and that I no longer needed to do the sim swap. This morning the problem is still happening.

They're refusing to budge and won't do anything more until a sim swap is done. I don't really see how this is my problem and I've now got to wait until the weekend before I can get anywhere near an Orange shop. I'm basically paying for a service I'm not receiving (you know, like actually being able to make calls...) so, as far as I'm concerned, Orange are breaking the contract and I should be able to cancel. If it was just happening here and there I would probably let it go, but it's all the time and, crucially, I never know when it is happening until I come to actually make a call/send a text.

What are your thoughts? Sorry for the ramble but I'm so frustrated. Orange really are the worst network I've ever been on, and I've been on them all :mad:

MissKeith

How are they supposed to get to the root of the problem if you don't allow them to rule out any possible issues? It could be the sim, the phone or the network but you need to let them try to resolve.

twiggystardust

I did - I was on my way and they then told me I didn't need to go. I'm now into another week where I physically won't be able to get to an Orange shop.

cgk1

Until you follow the steps they want to follow, you'll struggle to show breach of contract.

drbesty

You tried sticking it in 2g only? How about using the TMobile network? Which model Blackberry is it? The 9700 seems to be abit of a nightmare where this sort of thing is concerned

gas4you

Ask them to send a new sim in the post if they think this may be the fault.

Are the CS you are talking to 'offshore' or in UK?

I think I can guess the answer perhaps?

arachne

I'm having exactly the same problem with Orange (but on PAYG with a 2 year old £30 phone). The problems started when they linked with T-mobile. I went into the Orange shop on Friday and the girl said they'd had loads of issues since the merger, to do with them having to replace all the masts. She said the problems were easing off now and I was the first person who'd come in about it in the last few weeks. She said they'd nearly replaced all the masts now so the problems should stop soon and to just bear with it. She did something to my phone and said I should have less problems with it but I tried to text a few hours later and it wouldn't send and I've had some more problems since with not being able to call out etc.

It's VERY frustrating and I just hope they sort it out soon. Not sure this is any help but I found it helpful to see someone describing the exact same problems I'm having because I was beginning to doubt the girl in the shop and wonder whether it was time to buy a new phone.

Hammyman

It is a network problem. Virtually all Orange 3G cell sites are oversubscribed - more people trying to access them than they have capacity for. Switching to 2G instantly solves the problem.

Sadly as far as Orange are concerned, because you can make calls on 2G they are fulfilling their contract even if, like me, you have internet access as part of the package which you effectively can't use because it takes 10 minutes (no exaggeration) to load Googles homepage.

I went into the Orange shop on Friday and the girl said they'd had loads of issues since the merger,

They're lying. The oversubscribed cell site capacity issue has been going on for at least 18 months I've been a subscriber.

Jon_01

A lot of the cells are oversubscribed, but it varies by location.

The problem boils to everyone wanting access 24/7 (not unreasonable), but as soon as any network wants to put up a new cell all the 'not in my backyard' crew object to it (and most of them don't have mobiles as far as I can see)...

drbesty

Orange plan to replace their entire 2g network, somewhere in the region of 10000 masts, they've signed a contract with Huawei to do this, this will also allow an easy upgrade to 4g when needed. The 3g network is currently oversubscribed but again plans are in place to ease congestion, they've already routed all of their mobile broadband traffic onto TMobiles network, they're also spending big £££ upgrading 3g capacity, but these things take time to put in place. Things are improving

Hammyman

No longer interested. When 3 started getting busy in my town, they upped the capacity. They didn't need to put up another site, merely upgraded the existing one. Orange have had more than enough time and opportunity to do this.