Orange Upgrade only - but issued new plan

archer5

I was permitted to upgrade my phone in June, the contract due to end in september.

I received the upgrade phone last week Tuesday 21st June and received documentation yesterday Thursday 30th to clearly indicating that my monthly plan had changed and had increased by £5.96 per month.

as it is I have too many minutes and never finish them

When I requested the upgrade on Saturday 18th June I had a lengthy discussion with the CS officer that I only required the phone and would negotiate my plan in September when the contract was up.
This was because even though l had been sent the better value advice by orange l had not had time to review their review.

I specifically told him that I just wanted an upgrade.

I received their letter telling me of the new plan charges on Thursday 30th June letting me know I had a new plan charge when all I wanted was the upgrade.

Can I return the phone and revert to my previous contract which was due to expire in september. I e-mailed customer services yesterday so I am in time to let them know I am not happy.


Oranges practice is under-hand The discussion was an upgrade NOT a renewal of contract and had this been discussed at the time of request for the upgrade, then it would not have been a problem now.
It is a matter of pricing and I had no intention of leaving orange after my upgrade.

why do they offer an upgrade and specify an end date of contract separately - IF YOU CANT!.

Please can l have advice

grumbler

archer5 wrote: »

...
I specifically told him that I just wanted an upgrade.
...

"Upgrade" is a very ambiguous term.
Generally you can upgrade/downgrade the contract (=change the tariff) while keeping the same phone.
AFAIK, early upgrades of phones come with higher tariffs.

The only way to revert now is complaining and demanding the record of the phone call to be found and checked. If you complain by phone, try your call get escalated to higher level manager and take the notes of the calls. Consider recording all important calls from now on.

Don't open/use the new phone.

archer5

Love your name...
I have used the phone already prior to their letter arriving and 'telling me' of the new price plan.
My intentions were all clear to the Sales Rep... 'Upgrade hand-set only'.
I will try your advice as above.
Thanks for advice.

Techhead_2

It is odd that the person doing the upgrade would have agreed to a new handset without renewing the contract, as from a networks point of view that is the only reason for an upgrade.

Certainly, ask them to listen to the call but I feel there has been a misunderstanding.

Early upgrades (before the end of the minimum term) are not unusual but receiving a new handset without a renewal would be unusual.

My suspicion is that this is one of those cases where unfortunate incorrect assumptions are made when people use words of which both parties have different understandings.

archer5

Techhead wrote: »

It is odd that the person doing the upgrade would have agreed to a new handset without renewing the contract, as from a networks point of view that is the only reason for an upgrade.

Certainly, ask them to listen to the call but I feel there has been a misunderstanding.

Early upgrades (before the end of the minimum term) are not unusual but receiving a new handset without a renewal would be unusual.

My suspicion is that this is one of those cases where unfortunate incorrect assumptions are made when people use words of which both parties have different understandings.

Does this mean that 'any upgrading of a handset' 'offered to me' (June) prior to the end of contract date (Sept) is early and it would have been better to have waited until the end of Contract date.

When you look at the Orange web-site it says 'Upgrade your phone' and separately 'change your plan'. From this 'there very well may have been an assumption but if my line or content of conversation was in error, then surely the rep should have or could have 'corrected me in my request.. your feedback brings something clearer to me.. Thank you.

archer5

To all who have responded

It is sorted.

The clarity being the new VAT!!!!

The monthly phone bill shows call plan without vat
Their documentation shows the call plan figure inclusive of VAT.

Hence I believed they had increased my plan charges...

Small print, small print and small print..

She refused to give me their return address...

Happy I can keep the phone.

grumbler

I don't understand.

Did you not know how much your were paying (with VAT) before receiving the latter?

archer5

grumbler wrote: »

I don't understand.

Did you not know how much your were paying (with VAT) before receiving the latter?

Nope!

My bill says 29.79 Panther 35 excluding VAT
So when l saw 35.75, I thought 'that's not right'

29.79 + 20% vat = 35.75

It remains to be seen IF when my phone bill comes whether they did mean 35.75 + 20%

grumbler

I don't care about what my bill says. What I care about is what my bank statement says.

All contracts on the website and in the paperwork are quoted with VAT included.
The bill is the only place where you can find the figure before VAT.

Techhead_2

archer5 wrote: »

Does this mean that 'any upgrading of a handset' 'offered to me' (June) prior to the end of contract date (Sept) is early and it would have been better to have waited until the end of Contract date.

When you look at the Orange web-site it says 'Upgrade your phone' and separately 'change your plan'. From this 'there very well may have been an assumption but if my line or content of conversation was in error, then surely the rep should have or could have 'corrected me in my request.. your feedback brings something clearer to me.. Thank you.

Yes to your first question, you would likely have got a much better deal.

Your second point, the two options are not linked. You can change you plan to an equivalent or more expensive at any time. Its not a case (and never has been) of doing the handset upgrade and then sometime later of "renewing" the contract.

I can see how the person you spoke to could have understood your query to mean a change of handset with no change to monthly amount. Rather than your intended meaning of change of handset with no renewal until some future time

This is why I believe it was a misunderstanding.

archer5

Techhead wrote: »

Its not a case (and never has been) of doing the handset upgrade and then sometime later of "renewing" the contract.

I can see how the person you spoke to could have understood your query to mean a change of handset with no change to monthly amount. Rather than your intended meaning of change of handset with no renewal until some future time

This is why I believe it was a misunderstanding.

Thank you again and I apologise for my simpilistic view of what does occur (not reading small print of their meaning of upgrade) and my own 'plan of what l wanted from the 'upgrade'....