Orange incompetence - no record of order!

Bangor79

Just thought I would give people a heads up about an incredibly bad customer service experience i've just had with Orange. After a few years I decided in June to leave O2 broadband. The main reason being that I have noticed its speed and consistency has declined markedly in the past 6 months. After a bit of research I decided to transfer my broadband and home phone to Orange. I had read the reports of them having poor customer service but it was the cheapest deal by a fair way (especially given I have an Orange mobile). I also spoke to a few friends who had never had a problem with Orange broadband.

So, I rang Orange to transfer via the phone number 08009535742 which is advertised for the Quidco cashback. I spoke to a guy with a Scottish accent and went through the whole ordering process, including verifying my Orange mobile account and supplying my MAC code. I was told that my broadband would be transferred in around 7 days, and my phone line in around 20 days. I actually came off the call thinking the Orange rep had been quite professional.

However 2 weeks later I have had no contact from Orange - no email acknowledgement/confirmation, no phone calls, no letters, no router. I therefore emailed them to find out what is going on. They responded by email saying "We have no record of an account registered in your details, please contact us on the number below to register your account. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."

I am frankly pretty flabbergasted by this sheer incompetence. It's only made worse by the fact that they haven't even acknowledged that they messed up. The implication is almost that I imagined the whole phone call!

Needless to say I will not be contacting them again and will not be taking broadband from them. Although i'll be paying more elsewhere for broadband it's definitely worth it not to have to deal with this type of customer service. It's also likely that i'll transfer my mobile contract away from them once it has expired.

Just a warning!

pcombo

I would have just called to check if there was anything wrong with the order.

bat191

I had the opposite problem:

I'd been with Orange for over a year but then moved to another country and hence cancelled my account.

4 months later I realised they were still charging me, rang up and was told that although they had a record of my call asking to cancel, no one processed the request.

They also told me they were going to charge me for the router as I was supposed to return it when I cancelled and had now thrown it out. No one ever told me that I was supposed to return it.

6 Weeks later I receive a cancellation notice and a cheque for the months they had charged me.

Then it got ugly.

I got a letter from their billing department demanding two months payment. I called, explained, they told me it would all be taken care of.

Then another letter came, I called, explained, it'll be taken care of.

Then a letter from a collection agency.

Called Orange, they apologised, told me they would resolve it and not to contact the collection agency.

3 weeks later, another letter from the debt collectors, the amount has doubled. Called Orange, they're very sorry, they'll sort it right now.

3 weeks later, a letter saying the collection agency will be sending the bailiffs to my flat (now rented out) to collect on my debt. Phone call to Orange, they're very sorry, they'll call them off.

I phone the collection agency; Orange have told them that the debt is now 3 x as much and I must pay immediately. I tell them that if they so much as speak to my tenants I will sue them, they back off.

3 weeks later, another letter; I owe the original amount to the debt collectors. I ring Orange and the collection agency on a conference call and sort it all out.

DO NOT GO WITH ORANGE!!!!

brewerdave

Have to agree with bat191 -Please,please -Don't go with HORRANGE!

Their tech "support" is generally incompetent and extremely slooow to respond to issues.....but God help you if you have billing issues! They move the "debt" over to collections-even if there isn't one-extremely quickly ...and then you have the problem of three drainpipe managed divisions who don't appear to talk to each other.Took me three months of emails,letters and phone calls to get a £!4.99 charge dropped,which Customer Disservices agreed I didn't owe from day 1.:(