MSE News: Orange to raise monthly mobile costs

daleski75

DreamerV wrote: »

I am female, and a mature student, and have worked for many years and saved and given up bedrooms to sleep on the floor to bring money in, I have worked so that I have been up at 6 in the morning and back at midnight, and I have endured trying to escape an arranged marriage. If you want my life, take my scars too.

Sorry about calling you a guy and there wasn't anything meant by my comment and after reading your post(s) I can see where you are coming from and it's good to see you have planned as much as you can for the future.

Surely you can plead with Orange to downgrade your contract so the increase doesn't affect you too much?

DreamerV

daleski75 wrote: »

Sorry about calling you a guy and there wasn't anything meant by my comment and after reading your post(s) I can see where you are coming from and it's good to see you have planned as much as you can for the future.

Surely you can plead with Orange to downgrade your contract so the increase doesn't affect you too much?

I am trying my best although my circumstance means forced gaps in my work/education meaning I am struggling to get an industrial placement next year to develop and pay the bills. In such circumstance, I will sell up. I'd prefer income though than limited wealth. I did ask Orange but I didn't go into detail of why because talking about it makes me well up (I miss my family in spite of everything they've done).

Looking at your comment objectively, I can see no offence was meant so it's ok. Sorry if I came across snappy x

Pete_Biggs

I think the assets or earnings of this individual or that individual don't really matter, what unites us is we are really annoyed at Orange acting unfairly - frankly I can afford the increase, but it feels like Orange are moving the goalposts on a contract we have mutually agreed.

It feels sneaky and unfair: they are penalising existing customers, but not new ones, which is a dumb move, and I wouldn't mind paying an extra 4.34% frankly if their 3G in London wasn't utterly crap!

Cessquill

Phew! Finally got to the last page. There's been a lot of exaggeration and confusion going on. My potted point of view is this (and kind of draws on other issues which form the straw that broke the camel's back)...

- I was reluctant to sign an 18 month contract as it tied me down when technology was advancing quite fast. In addition, I'm wary about handsets lasting that long (I don't mistreat them at all, but they get used a lot). I certainly wasn't going for a 24 month contract.

- I loathe the software that Orange put on their handsets. When I called to leave last time around (first time I tried leaving), the guy in retentions assured me that I would get an unbranded handset. The Desire in the post couldn't have been more branded & full of bloatware and all the complaining I did got me £7 on my account and I was told that the retentions guy would be retrained (great)

- I took the handset as I was thinking that the price was pretty much fixed for the duration of the contract. Eternal shame and damnation on me for not reading the entire T&Cs. I was sidetracked by the fact that the price was in the name of the contract

- As it is, the handset I got (a HTC Desire) has barely lasted the course of the contract. The amount of software updates has left me with virtually no memory, and the batter can rarely get through the day, leaving me even more reluctant to lock into an extended contract

- I do not consider this to be similar to banking, mortgage, gas, electricity, broadband or TV suppliers as this is a fixed term contract. I pay my car insurance monthly, they don't change the deal when they feel like it. I pay my TV licence monthly. They don't up the ante when Strictly runs over budget. I don't get a request for a top up on my road tax part way through contract, and when I signed up to a £35/month deal on a phone, I expected to pay £35/month for what was all ready the longest contract I'm signed up to (obviously discounting mortgages et al)

- I am eligible for an upgrade now, but my contract expires in March. I have been on Orange since purchasing an Nokia Orange 5.1 from Tandy, when the choice of handsets was only three (that was, what, 1996?)

- Granted, over the years I used to pay much more than this. I certainly remember days where £75/mo was average. Since then, pretty much everything has gone up except my wages. Sure, I can probably stretch to another couple of quid. But I'd rather not, you don't really seem to need it and to kick me when times are hard is NOT winning me over.

In short, whilst I probably won't complain this time around, I probably won't renew either. As people have said, it is the principle, not the amount. I don't like to be associated with a company that treats its loyal customers with such arrogance. I guess in their mind though - for every one of me that leaves, if 25 stay then they still stand to win. A couple of people I know are of similar opinion.


To clarify, this is my first time posting on the forum, although I have been reading it quite a lot. I do not have any other accounts here, and the influx of posts by new accounts might be down to the fact that lots of people have just received texts, gone on to Google and this thread is pretty high up the rankings.

Cheers, Simon

---

As a sidenote, I am now incensed at their current phone head adverts.

latecomer

silvercar wrote: »

Anyone know the crucial date from which the increase won't be imposed. Order an upgrade on 9 September - SIM swapped over 17 September. Curios to know if that means I get hit with the increase or not.

I upgraded in the middle of october and I've had the text.

sammyvine

Might leave Orange next month and sign up to TMOBILE

Guys_Dad

DreamerV wrote: »

And if you think I am silly to put so much in assets and live relatively poorly, that's something I've decided for future security, given a violent family situation. I want to make sure I have my own space and always have enough if need be, even if it would mean reducing costs to a minimum.

I stand by my comments. You chose to bring to our attention your financial state. Your post indicated that you were, indeed, on the breadline (income £80 per month to cover all basics). However, in your other posts elsewhere, you have substantial assets yielding £6000 per annum clear from your rented property, as well as student loan income. And no rent to pay either.

I applaud your provision for your future - it shows commendable common sense and foresight. My point was very simple - the content of your post as it stood described a person in deep financial straits and not someone with substantial assets who made the choice to build up reserves for the future - including cash assets - rather than to balance income and saving, and the post would lead anyone to draw a wrong conclusion as to your particular financial predicament to invoke some further sympathy.

You concluded your post "Although, if I could afford it, I still would be fighting this as a matter of principle."

I contend that there are not many MSE members who would agree after reading about your stated assets - including cash - that you are unable to afford it, should you utilise the cash you have in reserve that is not tied up.

All this, of course, does not disqualify you from having a view that the rise is unfair and that it will add to your monthly costs.

greenyone

sammyvine wrote: »

Might leave Orange next month and sign up to TMOBILE

Why bother? It's the same company.

Steve__M_3

Guys Dad

In a previous thread you said that you were:

Not wishing to get into an argument with anyone,

and yet now you are!

Credibility shot!:D

More seriously, the rich stay rich long-term by understanding the difference between income and assets, and I know two people who have gone from rich to poor in a few years from failing to understand it.

In this case Orange's assets are its customers and its income are the monthly payments. Orange knows exactly how many customers it can afford to lose so as to be sure of winning in the end because of increased income due to the price rises.

In reply to your considered response from which I also took the above quote:

I believe that Orange's response will be that they have not made any modification to their contract terms as the right to increase charges was incorporated in their terms.

Term 4.3.1 is only their statement of what they believe to be a non-detrimental change in conditions.

Orange are quite clear that they *have* changed the conditions. If they have said "We will increase prices by RPI each year" and made that term clear to everyone, then that would be a different matter, and everyone would have understood it, probably.

guildfordGU1

snigehere wrote: »

So Orange claim that the issue is because the RPI is high ... its currently 5.6% ... when I took my two contracts out in June and August this year it was 5.0% and 5.3% ..... so its gone up by 0.6% and 0.3% - 4.3% is way more that so this to me seems to be "an excessive amount" as defined in the contract terms and conditions. I will press this point ans see where it goes.

I think this is a vital point and shows how cynical Orange are being with this price increase.