Orange 'Free' Broadband

mnbvcxz

Hmm, yes my brother just received his letter so I will have to try and look into ofcom complaints.

Without meaning it in a negative way, what are you hoping/expecting to achieve? And how do you see getting there?

I suggested earlier demanding 10 pounds a month compensation for loss of broadband. But obviously I would rather be let out of my mobile contract, I could knock 20 quid off the bill instantly. I just did not think that was as achievable giving the haziness of the six year old mess.

diamonds

montage wrote: »

They told me i use 460 gig a month until i pointed out how unlikely that'd be unless i was trying to download the internet... and then they changed it to the 'average' for three months. ... i use Netflix so sounds more reasonable.

As far as i understand it the 2 gig cap was removed from all accounts at some point over the last few years. My original package was some kind of fair usage limit and 8 meg max but rose to what ever my line limit was during their LLU process...

Anybody that is currently only receiving a 2 meg connection and has a livebox still... i'd suggest trying a different router as according to their UK level 2 tech support the LLU change over outdated the live boxes and they will never achieve over 2 meg as i angrily found out after many phone calls, bt engineers and liveboxe replacements.

It was only after i was sent a net gear router did my line stabilise at 15 meg.

I bet Orange didn't tell many people about that.

Liveboxes are 8MB capable via landline & higher with mobile data on some Orange divisions.

http://www.orange.co.bw/livebox/livebox-talk.php

Eva49

mnbvcxz wrote: »

Without meaning it in a negative way, what are you hoping/expecting to achieve? And how do you see getting there?

Personally I am following the mis-selling route:

My options given to Orange

1) Continuation of 'Free' BB to run concurrent with my mobile contract which ends March 2014

2) Penalty free cancellation of my mobile contract

3) Letter of deadlock

Either way, and once this matter is concluded, I will cease all business with Orange/T-Mobile or should I say EE

A rose by any other name..........

EDW

I have also just had a letter stating the 'Free' home broadband sold to me by the sales lady I spoke with at Orange, is to be stopped 8mths before the end of my contract.

If I want to close the contract due to my broadband being stopped, I will need to pay a £250 Fee.

If I want to keep the broadband, I will need to pay an extra £14 per month.

I have spoken with OFCOM who have advised:

1. Speak to Orange Customer Service and try to resolve.

2. Write to Orange Complaints & Dispute Department (they then have 8 weeks to respond) to try to resolve.

3. Take the dispute to CISAS.

I spoke to Orange Customer Services first (constantly placed on hold and transferred from dept' to dept'!) to try to resolve the problem but this proved to be a waste of time and no solution was offered, only the option of me paying them more money to keep the broadband or close the contract.

I will now write to the Complaints & Disputes Department requesting compensation for a day of my time (that has been wasted so far I'm sure there will be more!), £14 per month (the amount they want from me per month to keep it!) from the day the broadband stops, until my contract ends, compensation (yet to be calculated) for anytime I am without broadband (and thus unable to work) until I manage to get a new supplier to install a new connection.

If the dispute isn't then resolved, I will approach CISAS with a formal complaint.

I will then pursue Orange via the small claims court if required!

Does anyone have any experience in any of these areas?

I'm currently operating on sheer bloody mindedness and anger that they feel they can treat customers in such a terrible fashion!!!:mad:

MrMister

Hi EDW.

Orange have to respond to you within 5 working days of them receiving your letter, not 8 weeks. Its outlined in their complaints code of practice here http://www1.orange.co.uk/documents/about/Orange-complaints-code-20110118.pdf

Make sure in your letter, you write 'I would like my complaint to be dealt with as per your complaints code of practice'

State that you are unhappy with them withdrawing the free BB, and this would put you at a 'material detriment' because you will have to source your broadband elsewhere, or move your landline to them which is more expensive than other providers.

State how you would like them to resolve the issue

ie
1) Keep giving me free broadband
or
2) Allow me to terminate my mobile contract early
or
3) Send me a deadlock letter

A deadlock letter means that the complaints process has come to an end, and neither party can reach an agreement. Once you have this, you can go straight to CISAS without waiting 8 weeks.

WillBanyard

I'd be very careful around using the word "free" in any correspondence, or clarify what you mean by it. Just because these are cases where "puchase is necessary" to obtain the "free" thing. In this case, the broadband must be paid for out of the money they are demanding for line rental, for example.

I don't think personally being able to cancel my Orange contract would be acceptable to me because of the "broadband for life" selling point. I was not promised broadband until the end of my current contract, but on a rolling basis for however long I continued renewing contracts with Orange.

There don't seem to be any similar cases from which we can draw precedents from. The only one I can think of is the increase of monthly charges that some of us had to absorb, which as far as I know was ruled as completely fine and legal. In the written terms and conditions, it seems Orange entitle themselves to pretty much any change on their side while the consumer is left with no leg to stand on.

By far their best option would be to apologise and continue to honour their original claim of "free broadband for life". The only reason they are doing this is because they can, and it seems to have been pre-agreed as within acceptable parameters by Ofcom. Many of us will leave Orange forever, but they don't seem to care, and until this story gets into the media, unaffected people are unlikely to have a problem with it.

Eva49

The way I view it is Orange offered 'free' BB as an inducement to renew mobile contracts

Gadgetmaster

mnbvcxz wrote: »

Without meaning it in a negative way, what are you hoping/expecting to achieve? And how do you see getting there?

I suggested earlier demanding 10 pounds a month compensation for loss of broadband. But obviously I would rather be let out of my mobile contract.

I have asked for either continuation of the free broadband until my mobile contract ends in March, or penalty free termination of my mobile contracts - failing that, I have now sent a formal letter under compliance with the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct i.e. formal notification of impending court action

EDW wrote: »

If I want to close the contract due to my broadband being stopped, I will need to pay a £250 Fee.

I spoke to Orange Customer Services first (constantly placed on hold and transferred from dept' to dept'!) to try to resolve the problem but this proved to be a waste of time and no solution was offered, only the option of me paying them more money to keep the broadband or close the contract.

I will then pursue Orange via the small claims court if required!

Does anyone have any experience in any of these areas?

I'm currently operating on sheer bloody mindedness and anger that they feel they can treat customers in such a terrible fashion!!!:mad:

Similar position - my fee to cancel would be around £190ish. I have asked for the exact figure based on a cancellation date of the same day that the free broadband will cease, and this is the figure that I will be quoting for my Small Claims Court claim.

In relation to the call you made, I actually had one adviser confirm that the previous chap seemed to be passing the buck! If you choose to go the Small Claims Court route, there is excellent advice on the Which? site, and on Direct Gov. Try following assorted links from http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/making-a-complaint/taking-a-dispute-to-the-small-claims-court/sample-letter/

MrMister wrote: »

Hi EDW.

Orange have to respond to you within 5 working days of them receiving your letter, not 8 weeks. Its outlined in their complaints code of practice here http://www1.orange.co.uk/documents/about/Orange-complaints-code-20110118.pdf

Make sure in your letter, you write 'I would like my complaint to be dealt with as per your complaints code of practice'

State that you are unhappy with them withdrawing the free BB, and this would put you at a 'material detriment' because you will have to source your broadband elsewhere, or move your landline to them which is more expensive than other providers.

Best of luck with that :rotfl:I have been waiting for a reply since 25/8/12! Follow up sent today by recorded delivery, with copy e-mailed to both complaints team and Exec Office.

montage

I think all this will go the same way as the recent price increases. Nothing will come of any of it as Orange can throw more money and resources at it, and are willing to take the hit when people dont renew the contracts with them against the potential losses they will face by providing the Broadband Offer.

I think the major factor here is the complete lack of competition in the current market place for mobile operators. With out that there will only be more small print, price rises and immoral actions.

I get the feeling if everybody who had an Orange Contract had their free broadband they wouldnt be doing this and as their broadband numbers last year were only 700k its a drop in the ocean to them. They just need to ride a few waves.

Good luck to all those who are trying tho. When they increased the prices they gave me the difference back after several telephone calls. But they said it wasnt due to the price increase, it was due to the poor customer service i had received in relation to it.... but was the exact amount of the price increase over my contract.

Talk about pernickety.

pinkblue1996

Hi,

I am new to this so, pls. bear with me. I have skimmed a lot of the threads. Like most of you here, I have received the letter from Orange.

I however have been out of contract for about three years but paying monthly to Orange for a mobile and as such receiving "free" broadband since 2008 (been quite happy with the tariff I was on for four years especially as it included the broadband).

Given, I am currently in a threat of redundancy situation at work, the last thing I want to do right now is tie myself into another contract (however portable it might be)!!! How can I trust Orange that it will be portable? They said I could have "free" broadband and look what's happening to that.... Anyway, I might want to go travelling if I lose my job.....who knows?

Anyway, the concession Orange seem to be making is 3 quid off my line rental for 3 months! BIG DEAL !!! 9 quid to tie myself into a 12-18 month contract when I am quite happy with the contract I am on! What an attractive deal! NOT!

I think that one of the things customers who have been messed around by Orange should be looking for if they switch to Orange is a rolling contract which doesn't tie them in to a 12 or 18 month term but allows them to give just one months notice. Does anyone else agree?

Also, they need to improve their incentive to switch to Orange - 9 QUID! pah!

What happened to "best plan" - where they would text you and let you know that you are on the best plan for your usage!? Orange now want me on the best plan for them!

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.....rant over.