MSE News: Orange to raise monthly mobile costs

Shiggaddi

I have decided to take an alternative route to combat the Orange price increase. Since I signed up via E2save on their website on a deal that brings the cost down to £0.99 per month after cashback for the 24 month contract, and since the paperwork informed me I'd be paying £0.99 per month, I have sent E2save the following e-mail via their web enquiry.

Hi there
On the 11th April, I signed up to an Orange contract deal on your site that advertised 24 months line rental at a cost of £0.99 per month after claiming cashback.

I have recently been informed by orange, that since signing up to a fixed price contract, that they are putting up my contract price by 4.34% per month. This will now mean that the £25 per month that I was originally paying will now be £26.08 per month as of February 2012.

This now means that assuming cashback rates remain the same, this will not cover the increase to my line rental which will be £26.08 for the final 14 months of my contract and represents an increase of over 100% as the effective cost of my line rental increases from £0.99 to £2.07 for the remainder of the period, despite being led to believe on your site that this was a fixed price contract.

In view of the fact that your deal advertised £0.99 line rental and the paperwork makes reference to that, I am requesting that the cashback rates for the remaining outstanding claims can be adjusted to take account of this increase, so there is no financial loss involved in the decision made by Orange, to increase my charges on what was sold by yourselves as a fixed price contract.

I await your reply in due course

Regards

(My name)

Guys_Dad

Shiggaddi wrote: »

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' I am requesting that the cashback rates for the remaining outstanding claims can be adjusted to take account of this increase, so there is no financial loss involved in the decision made by Orange, to increase my charges on what was sold by yourselves as a fixed price contract.

I await your reply in due course

Regards

(My name)

I like this switch of tack! Don't think you have a hope in hell, but I still like it. :T

Shiggaddi

Just got back the following from E2save

Dear Mr (my real name)

Hello and thank you for your email.

We advertised that a given number of months were at 99p and we will honour that with all our customers.

The total value of the cash back will increase to ensure that your toatal contract will work out at 99p for 24 months.

Unlike Orange we believe in taking care of our customers.

Hope this is satisfactory.

(name removed)

Customer Services


I think this just goes to show, that there are companies out there who are willing to look after customers. E2save are part of the Carphone Warehouse, so if anyone purchased their Orange contract via them, or any other 3rd party retailer whether online or instore, then it might be an idea to contact them first, as they arranged the contract, and see what their response is. As a result of my e-mail, I'm not going to be disadvantaged by this decision.

Cessquill

Wow, well done! Good for you, and them.

subaur_swift

Shiggaddi wrote: »

Unlike Orange we believe in taking care of our customers.

:T nice reply you got mate, i just wish orange would wake up & see what they are doing.....:(

Shiggaddi

Guys_Dad wrote: »

I like this switch of tack! Don't think you have a hope in hell, but I still like it. :T

To be honest, I didn't expect such a positive response, and only 20 minutes after sending the e-mail. Just need to wait and see what happens with my remaining cashback claims now.

Steve__M_3

People are still going on about the T&C and people having so-called agreed to them when they don't even make it clear what exactly you are agreeing.

Another reason for not expecting an increase anywhere near inflation is as follows.

Companies tie people in to long contracts usually as a quid pro quo for providing an expensive phone for free or at a discount. So in a sense a lot of what you are paying is the cost of the phone, not the cost of the service.

Orange has already bought the phone. So its cost is already paid for and is therefore not affected by inflation. You wouldn't expect a loan repayment to be affected by a rise in inflation would you?

baggy13

The more I read and see about this problem the more my anger shifts towards ofcom. This problem could be sorted in one simple way with a press release from the either supporting oranges position or allowing people to exit their contracts. Come on your supposed to be a regulator get your backside off the fence and make a ruling either way and then we can get over all this rubbish

colinliu1975

BadgerFace wrote: »

Incorrect, you still have to pay any applicable termination fee. However, your utilities are frozen at the pre-rise price until your new account is set up and you leave.

I'm sure if you asked orange, the same would apply and you could cancel on the basis of only paying the pre-rise amount.

I don't believe the OFCOM guidance is aimed at situations such as these...more at situations where the fair use policy was changed or certain no-chargeable numbers became chargeable, which caused certain customers bills to increase i.e. a change to their material detriment.

That said, it's a 'loophole', if you wish to try to pursue it, then good luck. If anyone succeeds in doing so, the mobile operators will take OFCOM to court in a heartbeat to challenge it.

You can exit without penalty should the increase be detrimental to you. From personal experience!!!

Pilks

subaur_swift wrote: »

there is a link somwhere on here all ready some pages back i think.......

That is great! Does anyone have a link to the facebook page handy, save me trawling though 40 pages. :beer: