Incompetent Orange mobile store staff

aquablue_2

Beware - incompetent staff members delete ALL your phone numbers:mad:
I'm currently seething! been with orange on a pay monthly contract - was eligible for upgrade from Sept last year but never got round to it. Went in today and chose a phone for an upgrade - was told by trainee staff member dealing with me that I was classed as a "level 4" value customer (top level being 5). He rang through to upgrade me and that was fine. Next he said he would transfer all my contacts onto the new phone. Except he didn't. He deleted all my numbers and emails forever. They tried swapping `cards and phones etc but everything is gone. They said there's nothing they can do but if I complained I could have free line rental maybe for a month.

I explained I really didn't want to stay with them after they have done that ( and it is going to be a huge hassle to build up all my numbers again) and they said they would only offer compensation in the form of discount/money off orange services. I said that wasn't a particularly good way to treat customers they had just caused a huge inconvenience too and they offered that I could come in and use their phone to ring people and ask them their phone number( umm, if I knew their number why would I have to phone them?) They said why don't I just take the accessories and then I could sell them to make money back and that could give me some type of compensation.

I'm pretty shocked at their service and spent 2 hours in the shop trying to get it all sorted but left with my old phone and an empty phonebook. All of my text messages, list of recent received calls/dialled calls got deleted as well so i can't even reply to people that way.

I'm trying to write a letter of complaint now but since I have been told I won't get anything but orange discount I don't really know what to write or what to ask for as I know they can't get my numbers back
I can't explain how angry I am and how much hassle it is going to be for me.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
Aquablue

gaming_guy

aquablue wrote:

list of recent received calls/dialled calls got deleted

they do get deleted on my sony ericssons when i change the sims, but the texts and contacts stay unless they are on the sim card

aquablue_2

I don't know where the texts/received calls were etc but all of my phone numbers and email addresses were stored to sim and not phone - because I knew I was going to upgrade I thought it would be easier to have them all saved onto the SIM. The only thing which I still have is photos that I have taken ( so at least I can remember what everyone looks like even if I can't ring them )

tripled

I backup my contacts onto the handset of my old phone before using the new one. Also means if I lose my phone or something then I still can contact people

laurajayne

OP, I don't deny you've been treated pretty poorly - and it is a massive inconvienience, granted...but don't you think you're being a little harsh?

People make mistakes! I'm sorry it happened to you, but calling them incompetant is a little bit out of order IMHO.

I do get annoyed when I see people have made mistakes, and they're suddenly incompetant, or maybe a techinical glitch happens...and it's always the company scamming them....

This may not make me popular...oh well

uktim29

laurajayne wrote:

I do get annoyed when I see people have made mistakes, and they're suddenly incompetant, or maybe a techinical glitch happens...and it's always the company scamming them....

This may not make me popular...oh well

I completely agree. I can't get my head round people which use the word incompetant in those situations.

The fact is it's a mistake, everyone makes mistakes including the ones that accuse others of being incompetant when they make mistakes. So that would make them incompetant as well, do they think of it like that!

aquablue_2

If incompentent means they can't do their job properly then I think I am perfectly entitled to call them that! He didn't do his job properly - I knew he was a trainee so when he kept going to check things and refer to bits of paper I didn't mind at all - I never hurried him or put him under any sort of pressure and it took almost an hour just for the upgrade to be done before he even started setting up the new phone.

The fact is he couldn't do part of his job properly - and unfortunately the bit he was no good at were quite important parts to the customers. It didn't help that there was no manager in the store ( surely new staff should be supervised?) on a busy saturday afternoon, and I was told by another member of staff ( a girl still at school - which I know because she spent a long time talking about her exams and school to the person stood next to me) that I couldn't speak to the acting manager and that her authority was high enough.


Sure it might just have been a mistake - but seeing as he was wearing a big badge saying trainee and he didn't even realise his mistake until I said there were about 50 people in my phonebook that weren't there now - it wasn't like he accidentally pressed a button - he didn't even know he had made a mistake. If he doesn't know the difference between the right and wrong way to do a procedure then that is obviously something he should of been very clear on before being let loose on customer's phones.

And the suggestion I was given to get my numbers back just shows the common sense of the staff - why don't I use their store phone to phone people and ask them for their numbers..........? Not all of Orange is so bright....

looby75

aquablue wrote:

Not all of Orange is so bright....

I know what happened to you is a massive inconvenience and I would be hopping mad if it happened to me too but that bit of your post had me ROFL.

Just a tiny suggestion for the future, I have a little gizmo that I put my sim card in and it stores and saves all my contact details, so if every my phone gets lost or it's unfortunate enough to come into the hands of someone like the clueless trainee you got I have the numbers stored elsewhere. Then when you get a new sim or want to re-add them you simply put the sim back in the gizmo and hey presto they are all there again safe and sound. I got mine in the sale in superdrug last Jan for £2.50 but even full price it was less than £10.

lizzie12_2

This may not help you now...... but all our mobile numbers are in the address book next to the phone. If we have a problem with a mobile - we allways have peoples numbers at hand.

laurajayne

OP, Please don't get me wrong, I fully understand why you're upset (I'm an ex-branch manager of a mobile phone shop myself), it just amazes me that this word is used so freely...rather than he made a mistake. Yes, the definition of incompetancy is an 'inability to accomplish a task' (among others), but was this inability, or a very human mistake?

Granted, he was obviously untrained/unfamiliar with the type of phone you upgraded to, and no, no member of my staff would have been let loose (nor would they have even been in without either me or my senior team member closely supervising) on a customer's phone like this.

I would, however, say that this is a failing of Orange's training, or of the manager of the store. The trainee made a mistake...it happens when you're learning something new. I'm sure once he realised, he was mortified..again, I know this doesn't help you get your numbers back, but having been on the 'other side' as t'were, I do feel for him.

As a side(ish) note, I would suggest a back up device like other people have mentioned...it's not just trainees that can wipe your phone...what about if it got stolen/lost/eaten by a dog (happened 3 times to me before you lol, cheers minnie!) tis always wise to have a back up.

Morty_007

Well this thread has opened my eyes. I wasn't aware that the use of the word incompetent was such a crime; didn't realise it was a swear word. Is the OP simply not just stating an opinion? Personally I think the OP has been given a rough ride here. The definition I found for incompetent (as we seem to be stooping to definitions) is: "Not having suitable or sufficient skill, knowledge, experience, etc., for some purpose; not properly qualified." I wasn't aware that incompetence had to be judged on a string of stuff ups?

I'd say that pretty much fits the bill in this instance...The guy has had all his numbers wiped...that hardly smacks of someone knowing what they were doing! :eek:

Anyway, JMHO. *Shrugs*

OP, to answer your question, I would be inclined to just put exactly what happened in writing, unemotionally, and state what you wish to happen, politely. TBH if you have been with Orange for over a year (or are at the end of a contract hence why you can upgrade free) then they can't force you to take an Orange discount and the upgrade. Can't you just walk away from the upgrade? Worst comes to it, you should have a cooling off period shouldn't you? (I'm sure someone will be along soon to clarify this one) Having said that, if you aren't at the end of the contract, I don't think this is enough to justify breaking said contract with them, but I still don't think they can force you to take the upgrade and tie yourself in for another 18 mths (as Orange are now doing!). You may just have to bite the bullet, live out your contract with them and then vote with your feet. You are right that they can't get your numbers back but an acknowledgement that someone stuffed up (an apology!) might be nice.

Somethings not quite right about this thread. I'm wondering if there is some history with the OP, hence the lack of sympathy. *shrugs* again

So the OP had no back up system for his numbers, a little niave but not something that deserves to be ribbed for.

Again, JMHO, in the same way that the other comments have been others opinions.... good luck OP