Orange 'Free' Broadband

Eva49

In the absence of any announcement I think the following still

applies!


Originally Posted by Eva49
For anyone new here viewing this forum; much information has been ‘lost’ within the length of the thread I thought it prudent to collate a post outlining procedure for addressing this issue; Miss-sold mobile contracts

1) Phone Ofcom Tel: 0300 123 3333 or 020 7981 3040 http://www.ofcom.org.uk/contact-us ; outline your case and ask for a case number.

2) Phone Orange Executive Office: 0800 0790 134
Quoting Ofcom case no. and note the name of the person you speak to. Under Ofcom rules they have 48 hours to respond.

3) Put your complaint in writing following http://www1.orange.co.uk/documents/a...e-20120322.pdf

FAO name of the person you spoke to…..They have a 8 week window in which to resolve before it can be advanced to CISAS……..note: this case cannot be advanced to arbitration (CISAS) as it is deemed a ‘business decision’.
Then email to [EMAIL="executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com"]executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com[/EMAIL]

4) Report the case to Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) 08454 04 05 06 and ask for it to be reported to trading standards
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...d_internet.htm

5) The next step would be to take your claim to the small claims court.
Issue a Notice of Pre-Court Action (suggest 10-14days notice) and email FAO (Name of Contact) [EMAIL="executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com"]executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com[/EMAIL] back that up with a hard copy and send by recorded delivery to Head Office:

Company Reg No: 2178917

Company Secretary
Orange Personal Communications Ltd.,
Hatfield Business Park
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL10 9BW

OR

Company Reg No 02382161

Company Secretary
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE LIMITED
HATFIELD BUSINESS PARK
HATFIELD
HERTFORDSHIRE
AL10 9BW

6) Link to register online application

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Finally, contact BBC Watchdog and any media available.

Good Luck to all Apologies for the length!

[FONT=&quot]Orange retained their Mobile Contract Customers by offering ‘Free BB for Life’ as an inducement to renew their Mobile Contract for a minimum term, and most of us relied upon that representation that Orange would not remove this incentive, certainly, it was not foreseeable at the time of renewal this would be to our detriment some time into a new contract.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Customers are now under duress to accept the current offer which is a substantial variation in terms, and has to be acceptable…[/FONT]

Eva49

Orange responds to TalkTalk with its own 'free' broadband offer

May 2006

· Move to keep Wanadoo customers after merger
· Vodafone ready to join fight without its own network

Orange is poised to join the "free" broadband revolution as the mobile phone company officially merges with internet service provider Wanadoo next week.
The move, to be announced on Wednesday, follows the introduction of the first "free" broadband service by Carphone Warehouse's TalkTalk residential phone business in April. TalkTalk raised the stakes in the battle for Britain's broadband customers and inquiries from potential customers are understood to be very high.
To try to stop Wanadoo's existing one million broadband and one million dial-up internet-access customers running off to TalkTalk, Orange plans to offer "free" broadband to customers who also take a mobile phone contract. They will also get a bundle of cheap fixed-line calls, including free calls to other Orange customers.
The new broadband service, backed by a huge advertising campaign, still needs the sign-off of Orange's owners France T!l!com. But the company has already scheduled a major marketing push to coincide with the launch of the merged Orange/Wanadoo business on June 1, or "O-Day" as Orange has codenamed it. It also remains unclear what customers of Wanadoo who do not want a mobile package will be offered to stop them defecting.
Orange is looking to tie customers who opt for the free broadband offer into long-term contracts. The TalkTalk offer is conditional upon customers signing up for 18 months and Orange is understood to be considering two year-long contracts for its "free" broadband offer. A spokesman for Orange refused to comment.
Customers will not receive their broadband for nothing - they will still be paying a monthly line-rental charge - so any offer designated "free" is likely to produce complaints of misrepresentation from rival internet service providers. There have already been numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Agency about the TalkTalk product.
The Orange broadband offer relies upon Wanadoo installing its own equipment in BT's local exchanges - a process known as local loop unbundling. Having control of the line allows companies to set their own prices and cross-subsidise "free" broadband. Wanadoo's kit is already in about 200 of BT's exchanges and 500 are planned by the end of the year.
Broadband services are becoming de rigueur among mobile phone companies as they look to increase revenues and strengthen customer retention. The day before the Orange announcement, Vodafone will outline its strategy for competing in the British market for what are known as converged services.
There has been intense speculation that Vodafone is looking to buy a telecoms network or an ISP in order to offer broadband and fixed-line telephone services. The company's shares have been depressed by fears that it will launch itself into the broadband market with just such a deal.
Chief executive Arun Sarin, however, is expected to tell the City on Tuesday that the company does not need to buy a network to offer these services. For corporate customers who want to use Vodafone for fixed-line calls and internet access as well as mobile, it can lease network capacity and access from other players - not least BT, which already uses Vodafone's network to run its fledgling mobile service.
In the residential broadband and telephony market, high-speed wireless access technologies such as 3G could be used to provide broadband. Rather than spending hundreds of millions buying up a network and getting involved in local loop unbundling, Vodafone could spend a fraction of that cash strengthening its existing network and deliver broadband

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/may/25/news.mobilephones

Eva49

Orange Broadband boss 'ashamed' of how customers were treated

Everything Everywhere turning the corner as Orange internet division is poised to add customers again after four year Wednesday 26 October 2011 15.54 BST

Orange is expected to announce 713,000 fast internet subscribers

The head of Orange's broadband business, Bruno Duarte, has admitted he is "ashamed" of how his customers had been treated, but insisted his division has turned the corner as it is poised to add customers for the first quarter in four years.
Orange is expected to report 713,000 fast internet subscribers on Wednesday. This is still 3,000 fewer than in the previous quarter, but the rate of decline has gradually slowed and the next quarter will show an increase, according to Duarte, who said that subscriber numbers had actually risen in September. Prior to that, Orange had lost broadband customers every month since November 2007.
"Our objective is to get to a point where we are no longer ashamed of what we are doing to our customers – or, to put it positively, where we are proud of what we are doing to our customers," said Duarte, who took over as the executive in charge of Orange's home services in July 2010.
The figures were disclosed as parent company Everything Everywhere announced its third quarter results. Turnover was down year on year by 4.3% to £1.697bn. Excluding the effect of regulator-imposed cuts to mobile termination rates – the fees charged for connecting a call to a mobile phone – revenues from services were up 3.8% to £1.556bn. Including the cuts, they were down 1.9%.
The steady decline in customers that has dogged Everything Everywhere since its creation through the merger of Orange and T-Mobile's UK operations in 2009 has begun to flatten out. Total customers fell 1.4% year on year, but only 0.2% quarter on quarter, to 27,541,000.
Chief executive Olaf Swantee said both France T!l!com and Deutsche Telekom, Everything Everywhere's parents, remained committed to their joint venture. He said the review of his organisation's three-brand strategy was complete and had been shared with investors, but declined to give further details. There has been speculation that the T-Mobile brand will be scrapped, leaving Orange as the only network brand, after a clearout of T-Mobile executives from senior management in favour of Orange employees.
Swantee said: "Deutsche Telekom and France T!l!com want to continue to partner. This is not just a partnership in the UK, it's a partnership in purchasing, around the network in Poland, and in research and development across the two headquarter teams."
He said the Everything Everywhere brand would remain at retail outlets, particularly in shopping centres, where it was viewed as more independent than single-network-branded outlets. The number of shops operating under the name, which has been widely criticised, will increase from under 10 to around 30 by Christmas.
Orange Broadband began life as Freeserve, one of the "free" home internet pioneers, but in the years after it was taken over, customers fled amid mounting complaints about poor service. Bought by France T!l!com in 2000 for £1.63bn in shares, it was merged into the French company's internet division, Wanadoo, before being rebranded Orange Broadband in 2006.
Duarte said: "We've been haemorrhaging customers. But in September we have grown the customer base for the first time since 2007 and I am confident it is going to carry on."
Orange has lost broadband customers steadily since its peak at 1.138 million subscribers in November 2007. In August this year, the number fell below 713,000, but in September the total increased. Orange's strategy had been to go head-to-head with TalkTalk to grab customers defecting from BT by promoting "free" broadband for those who bought other services such as telephone calls or a mobile subscription.
At great expense, Orange "unbundled" from BT's network and built its own broadband infrastructure, but struggled to maintain it properly and customers complained of poor or non-existent connections. By 2009, Orange Broadband was making an £80m-a-year operating loss and coming bottom of Ofcom's customer satisfaction league table.
Last year Orange took the decision to decommission its unbundled network. The equipment is being taken out of BT exchanges and sold to developing countries or scrapped. Instead, Orange has been renting space at wholesale prices on BT's network, and the transition will be complete by the end of the year.
"We came to a point where we realised that with the old business model we would never break even," said Duarte. But Everything Everywhere, which was created by the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, does not want to pull the plug on broadband because its smartphone customers need it when using their phones at home.
Home broadband with wi-fi provides faster and more reliable internet connections for phones and computers indoors than mobile operators' 3G networks. "There is a recognition as a company that we need to be much more than mobile," said Duarte. "Once you've said that, fixed broadband is natural fit. Every time we sell a smartphone now we try to sell our home broadband."
Orange broadband subscriber numbers

2010

Q1 815,000
Q2 797,000
Q3 759,000
Q4 741,000
2011
Q1 726,000
Q2 716,000
Q3 713,000

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/26/orange-broadband-customer-care

sophiae_2

I called Orange this morning and told the telephonist that I just wanted to speak to someone above him. After some wait and a discussion with the person on the phone, I was told that broadband will continue until the end of my contract. I suppose after all the furore this is now the policy?

A good enough outcome, one would say, but unfortunately, my mobile phone contract with Orange ends in a couple of weeks so I guess I shouldn't wait for an outcome and just switch straighaway- which for various reasons, at the moment is MAJOR hassle. :mad:

I was also told that my email will continue to be valid as a free web-based service. Has anyone else been told the same?

neil9313

sophiae wrote: »

I called Orange this morning and told the telephonist that I just wanted to speak to someone above him. After some wait and a discussion with the person on the phone, I was told that broadband will continue until the end of my contract. I suppose after all the furore this is now the policy?

A good enough outcome, one would say, but unfortunately, my mobile phone contract with Orange ends in a couple of weeks so I guess I shouldn't wait for an outcome and just switch straighaway- which for various reasons, at the moment is MAJOR hassle. :mad:

I was also told that my email will continue to be valid as a free web-based service. Has anyone else been told the same?

So why don't you ask Orange what deal they can offer you?

Gadgetmaster

sophiae wrote: »

I was also told that my email will continue to be valid as a free web-based service. Has anyone else been told the same?

Yes, and I can confirm that it does indeed work. I have also been able to continue using Outlook with my new broadband provider. I found the following guide useful, but in fact did NOT need to change my incoming email details, only the outgoing
http://help.orange.co.uk/orangeuk/support/personal/233685

Will_B_Back

Hi Nick

Interesting response to your FOI request.

"We are actively engaged with Orange to fully understand the situation."

Report in Money Mirror 25 Oct :

"We are actively engaged with Orange to fully understand the situation"

Stock answer or do they have a "Fobbed Off " button on their keyboard?

The_Future_is_Bright

I love this forum. Keep following EVA49's Letter, posted above as there is still a long way to go to resolve ORANGE's disgusting treatment of loyal customers. In all my years (and thats a few) I have never been so Angry with a company as I have with ORANGE/EE - the future is most certainly not ORANGE.

This should be one of their New packages to compliment, the ANIMAL RANGE:


:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

There are a few on this site, but they are so obvious, its hilarious!!!!

YOU MUST PHONE OFCOM TO GET A REFERENCE NUMBER THIS IS VITAL TO EACH AND EVERY CASE. ORANGE MUST NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS VULGAR PRACTICE. THEY ARE AT THE END OF THE DAY RELIANT ON OUR BUSINESS.

IdontlikeOrange

Eva49 wrote: »

In the absence of any announcement I think the following still

applies!


Originally Posted by Eva49
For anyone new here viewing this forum; much information has been ‘lost’ within the length of the thread I thought it prudent to collate a post outlining procedure for addressing this issue; Miss-sold mobile contracts

1) Phone Ofcom Tel: 0300 123 3333 or 020 7981 3040 http://www.ofcom.org.uk/contact-us ; outline your case and ask for a case number.

2) Phone Orange Executive Office: 0800 0790 134
Quoting Ofcom case no. and note the name of the person you speak to. Under Ofcom rules they have 48 hours to respond.

3) Put your complaint in writing following http://www1.orange.co.uk/documents/a...e-20120322.pdf

FAO name of the person you spoke to…..They have a 8 week window in which to resolve before it can be advanced to CISAS……..note: this case cannot be advanced to arbitration (CISAS) as it is deemed a ‘business decision’.
Then email to [EMAIL="executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com"]executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com[/EMAIL]

4) Report the case to Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) 08454 04 05 06 and ask for it to be reported to trading standards
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...d_internet.htm

5) The next step would be to take your claim to the small claims court.
Issue a Notice of Pre-Court Action (suggest 10-14days notice) and email FAO (Name of Contact) [EMAIL="executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com"]executive.office@everythingeverywhere.com[/EMAIL] back that up with a hard copy and send by recorded delivery to Head Office:

Company Reg No: 2178917

Company Secretary
Orange Personal Communications Ltd.,
Hatfield Business Park
Hatfield
Hertfordshire
AL10 9BW

OR

Company Reg No 02382161

Company Secretary
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE LIMITED
HATFIELD BUSINESS PARK
HATFIELD
HERTFORDSHIRE
AL10 9BW

6) Link to register online application

https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

Finally, contact BBC Watchdog and any media available.

Good Luck to all Apologies for the length!

[FONT=&quot]Orange retained their Mobile Contract Customers by offering ‘Free BB for Life’ as an inducement to renew their Mobile Contract for a minimum term, and most of us relied upon that representation that Orange would not remove this incentive, certainly, it was not foreseeable at the time of renewal this would be to our detriment some time into a new contract.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Customers are now under duress to accept the current offer which is a substantial variation in terms, and has to be acceptable…[/FONT]

Dear Eva49,

Your list has become the Bible of this thread of the MSE forum. Do you think you could add the petition started by RobbedRobbin to it? I guess some newcomers, once have followed your procedure and got the positive result, may leave the forum and forget the whole business. But we need to resolve it once and for all, hence need to spread the word and gather more signatures.

RobbedRobbins

I bet all the staff have iphone 5s and service provided by..yes you guessed it! Anyone know anyone who works there?
Or better still can hang around outside their offices and follow them round for a bit to check?!

IdontlikeOrange wrote: »

It may be even more to it... I would not be surprised if some time later we find out that the big bosses of Ofcom were on the take from Orange... This is why EE "won" to roll out 4G first and this is why Ofcom turning a blind eye to what appears to be criminal offences (mis-selling) by Orange.