Orange 'Free' Broadband

thegoodman

Woodlandman wrote: »

This is just my opinion but people beware that if orange has done this now to its loyal customers.....how long before they withdraw the free broadband from line rental subscribers????

I will be moving my custom of about 10 years to another provider as soon as possible.

All are the same. You only need to look at the review and service for Vodafone, O2, 3 etc.
The 3 stopped free Skype. The Vodafone increased the price and also stopped the free tv on the phone.

The Orange kept the broadband terms seperate and if you have an Orange mobile sold the broadband for £0 per month but either side can give a month notice to cancel the account or Orange can change the terms.

Happens all the time with other products as well. The credit card is one example, offer better cashback or rewards until many people have taken the card and then stop or reduce rewards for everyone. The banks do this with the intrest rates.

beelzecubz

diamonds wrote: »

You should all reply whats best is seeing FREE broadband continue until the minimum mobile contract period.

The above email can be used as evidence in a small claims court

Evidence of what, exactly..?

syco1

Not had time to digest all this yet. Two points for now.
Firstly, I sought "executive" confirmation from Orange in March that free home broadband was continuing, and received two phone calls which verbally told me that it would continue for life as long as I kept my Orange phone number.
Secondly, I might have been willing to move my phone contract to Orange, but last week I paid BT for a year in advance.
I haven't heard from Orange yet. But that will be the end of my 16 year with them when I do. No idea which way to turn because most broadband packages involve moving the phone line as well.

smiffyrst

Woodlandman wrote: »

This is just my opinion but people beware that if orange has done this now to its loyal customers.....how long before they withdraw the free broadband from line rental subscribers????

I will be moving my custom of about 10 years to another provider as soon as possible.

Totally agree been with orange many years,as soon as my contract expires iwill be leaving orange. Sod the loyalty anymore. My bb will be changed as of October. May cost me more short term, but going to bite the bullet.

Harrythe5pider

Like many on this thread after a number of phone calls to Orange I'm getting no where with them. I've now bitten the bullet and handed my notice in to Orange and requested my MAC code. After 10 years with Orange and two mobile contracts with them I've had enough,not only did they put up my mobile contracts mid term but now removing my free for life broadband as well,The time has come to move on.
BB going to Plusnet and mobiles to Talkmobile. Orange have proved they can't be trusted and I wonder how long their line rental will stay at £14 once you move to them?

Eva49

Janandy1 wrote: »

As I said in my earlier post my BT phone line costs me £14.60 per month including evening and weekend calls. Orange wants £18.50 for this to allow me keep my "free" broadband. and as an incentive they are going to reduce that by £2.50 per month over the first three month
If you check out the Orange website they are offering any Orange or T Mobile customer broadband with phone line and evening and weekend calls for £18.50 and as an incentive £40 in Marks and Spencer vouchers. There is no mention of anything free you are simply paying a sum and Orange are providing a service.

[FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Right now you're enjoying our free home broadband. To qualify for free home broadband, you need to have an active Orange pay monthly mobile plan and you now also need to have Orange home line rental. Our records show that you no longer have an Orange pay monthly mobile plan registered at your address. So unfortunately we can't continue to offer you free broadband on your current plan.[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]it's easy to keep free broadband [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Not to worry though, as an exclusive offer just for you, there is a way to keep your free broadband. Just take out a new Orange pay monthly mobile plan* (or confirm that you already have one at this address) and sign up to our free broadband plan with Orange home line rental**. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Our line rental will be only £14 a month, which is better than BT's standard rate of £14.60. Move your line rental to us before 17/10/2012 and we'll give you a discount on your first three months, making it just £11.50 a month. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
That's[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] line rental and FREE broadband for £11.50 a month for the first 3 months, then £14 a month afterwards.[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] That's all you need to pay for your broadband and line rental. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]we'll get it all sorted for you[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Just give us a ring on [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]0800 294 4747[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] and we can have a chat about what will be best for you. Our lines are open 9am to 8pm weekdays and 10am to 7pm on weekends and bank holidays. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Just quote your special promotional code of FREE2012 when you call. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Please note that if we don't hear from you, [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]your broadband will stop working[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif] on [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]17/10/2012[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]. To avoid this happening, we recommend you [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]call as soon as possible[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
We look forward to hearing from you. [/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
The Orange home broadband team

[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT][FONT=arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
[/FONT]
https://broadband.orange.co.uk/home

Pardon me if I have this wrong, my interpretation is that I am being offered line rental & free BB for £14 per month; if I wish to have the same as my current provider, inclusive evening and weekend calls it will cost me £18.50.

If I go through the internet link to purchase, I can get a £40 M&S voucher and Line rental, evening & weekend calls + reduced rate BB (£5 pcm) as an orange mobile user, totaling £18.50!

So where does my free BB come into this??

Am I going mad?

Buyer Beware! I rest my case........for now

David_P_4

I received a ltter from Everything Everywhere this morning.
Which is a fabrication of *misnomers.

*A term which suggests a meaning which is known to be wrong.

Letter 03sept 2012:
As a business we have reviewed the services we currently offer our customers and unfortunately it is no longer viable for us to offer a FREE broadband subscription.

I paid £15 pcm with Orange for my pay monthly mobile phone contract from 1999 through to 2006. [As did the majority of Orange Customers on a basic pay monthly contract]
And £17.99 pcm with Wannadoo and Freeserve for my internet connection.
In 2005/2006 when Orange acquired Wannadoo, they increased the cost of their pay monthly contract to £30 pcm, for anyone who wanted 'Free Broadband'

ExampleA:

2006: Customers signing up to a pay monthly mobile contract over £30 per month will get free broadband. The broadband package (previously £17.99 a month with Wannadoo) includes a wireless modem and Orange Wireless & Talk - Orange's VoIP service, which offers free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines. For an extra £6 per month, customers can sign up to the Orange Anytime package which gives them free calls to UK landlines.

After Orange acquired Wannadoo/Freeserve, [2005/6] the next time my pay monthly contract became due, Orange increased that cost from £15pcm to £30pcm to cover the internet charges. As is clearly stated above.
The Orange customer rep specifically told me this.
Yet Orange called this Broadband Service FREE. Or, more accurately were allowd to do so, by Ofcom....
[They also added this broadband was free for life]

IT WAS NEVER FREE. Surely a court would rule that the definition of the term FREE, would mean that anyone, even a person, who does not have an Orange account could use Orange's internet service?

That would seem to be the widely held understanding of the term FREE. Would it not?
The Oxford Legal dictionary states 'Free' means : At no charge/Associated concepts: Free Access...

Letter 03sept 2012:
As the removal of a FREE product is a business decision we are unable to offer customers deadlock to take the matter to independent arbitration.

What a joke. You cannot disagree with Orange, because Orange make the decisions on which policies can or cannot be disagreed with?!

And Ofcom support this ludicrous policy?

Its a corpotocracy folks. An industry, where regulators are dominated by corporate Influence. And where the Law exists to support those with the deepest pockets.

Orange should be dragged through a court, and held accountable.

beelzecubz

David_P wrote: »

In 2006 when Orange acquired Wannadoo, they increased the cost of their pay monthly contract to £30 pcm, for anyone who wanted 'Free Broadband'

ExampleA:
After Orange acquired Wannadoo/Freeserve, [2006,] the next time my pay monthly contract became due, Orange increased that cost from £15pcm to £30pcm to cover the internet charges. As is clearly stated above.
The Orange customer rep specifically told me this.
Yet Orange called this Broadband Service FREE. Or, more accurately were allowd to do so, by Ofcom....
[They also added this broadband was free for life]

I would take that to mean that you qualify for free home broadband if you take a higher tariff.

It's not so much 'Orange have decided to charge you £15 for 'free' bb', and more along the lines of 'Orange can afford to offer you free broadband if you are on a higher cost package'

I believe there is a distinction, however blurred it may appear.

In regard to the free BB being withdrawn, I think it's clear that Orange have (as much as any other multimedia provider) relied heavily on the fact that the majority of customers will either skim the contract or in many cases not read it at all.

On the surface of it, it would appear that we're being diddled but a closer look at the actual wording of the contract would likely reveal they have indeed crossed all the 'T's' and dotted all the 'I's'.

It's not a good thing, it's not something they should be proud of or we should be happy about and it's not going to foster much in the way of customer loyalty, but without a legal leg to stand on for most customers (those that are unable to prove that the free broadband was an inextricable part of the mobile contract), there's not a lot to be done.

David_P_4

Oh Im sure there are some Acts that Orange have breached and would be held accountable for in a court, regardless of what their terms state.
They may be interested to know that behind the scenes, dissatisfied customers, on this website and others, are Private Messaging, communicating legal advice, and seeking their own legal recourse.

beelzecubz

David_P wrote: »

Oh Im sure there are some Acts that Orange have breached and would be held accountable for in a court, regardless of what their terms state.

And if there are and they have, then of course they'll be held accountable. Which I'm all for.