Orange 'Free' Broadband

diamonds

Well fitz knows what they are talking about, Orange dont as I have summerised all along, Orange's "legal team" know the impossible position, the "resolution" Orange bequest "free" broadband users acoming is to make interesting reading & debate

Now if only the wise a$$ at Orange who made the decision had bothered to enquire with "legal" in the first place....

diamonds

Factor in the cost of calls & "additional" charges that are free/cheaper with your current provider & moving to Orange Line Rental...its not all about the difference in line rental alone, a financial detriment is that & any court will view such detriment favourable & as such this should make part of your complaint/compensation towards Orange resolution.

If you had Penny Mobile for instance, your call costs moving to Orange would be going from 1p per minute to 12.7p a minute with a 12.5p connection fee, Orange just changed prices yesterday
http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/home_voice_price_changes_19_september_2012.pdf

http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/orange_home_phone_voice_price_guide_sep_2012.pdf.pdf

Example: Talking clock was FREE now 45p, other call costs have risen by several hundred %.

montage

It gets worse... tie us all in to 18 months and put the prices up a few days after! I'm sure that price increase is within the T&C's also! Funny thing is.. well its not funny but.. i was 100% guaranteed two days ago that there would be no price increases for the full 18 months on any line rental, broadband or call charges if i changed my line over.

I said yeh i've head that before and he said to me.. This is a director level Guarantee!

diamonds wrote: »

Factor in the cost of calls & "additional" charges that are free/cheaper with your current provider & moving to Orange Line Rental...its not all about the difference in line rental alone, a financial detriment is that & any court will view such detriment favourable & as such this should make part of your complaint/compensation towards Orange resolution.

If you had Penny Mobile for instance, your call costs moving to Orange would be going from 1p per minute to 12.7p a minute with a 12.5p connection fee, Orange just changed prices yesterday
http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/home_voice_price_changes_19_september_2012.pdf

http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/orange_home_phone_voice_price_guide_sep_2012.pdf.pdf

Example: Talking clock was FREE now 45p, other call costs have risen by several hundred %.

munchpot

diamonds wrote: »

Factor in the cost of calls & "additional" charges that are free/cheaper with your current provider & moving to Orange Line Rental...its not all about the difference in line rental alone, a financial detriment is that & any court will view such detriment favourable & as such this should make part of your complaint/compensation towards Orange resolution.

If you had Penny Mobile for instance, your call costs moving to Orange would be going from 1p per minute to 12.7p a minute with a 12.5p connection fee, Orange just changed prices yesterday
http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/home_voice_price_changes_19_september_2012.pdf

http://web.orange.co.uk/documents/ice/termsandconditions/orange_home_phone_voice_price_guide_sep_2012.pdf.pdf

Example: Talking clock was FREE now 45p, other call costs have risen by several hundred %.

Can't believe the 118 118 increase - something like 400% for the connection charge and then over 1000% increase in the cost per minute

montage

Not as much as i can't believe anybody uses 118 to begin with! But thats another matter i guess

diamonds

You know if Orange came & said £20 a month for their Line Rental & Broadband Anytime & Mobile calls at a £3.50 extra discount more than Orange mobile customers get on the newer packages it they could have appeased the "FREE broadband" masses & worked on a case by case with others....with that add to the new terms the BT Wholesale price charge for/or FREE EE fibre until the end of both contracts which would be renegotiated inline with EE products/terms at that point ! SIMPLES !

https://broadband.orange.co.uk/home

But they didnt, and yesterday changed prices on call charges as another assualt on their loyal long term customers. Commercial suicide really, EEasy sorted out from inception or now (in the dilema they caused themselves), then again, apparently not !

montage

The problem i feel with this situation is there are looking at it from the point of view.. how dare people moan when they have had it so good for so long.. which is what i was thinking a few months before all this happened. But this is clearly not the way to make changes in business.

nickbirkin

WillBanyard wrote: »

After being told on Monday that I'd receive a call back within 48 hours, I called the executive office back and was told that no time scales are being adhered to until informtation is returned from "the legal team". I'm told this is the same for anyone who managed to get their Ofcom reference and had called earlier than me.

The assistant I spoke to at this time seemed very interested in the "free broadband for life" leaflet I have obtained a copy of.

Well Done will, any chance you can get a copy to any of us?
:j:beer::rotfl::T

nickbirkin

Are Ofcom changing their tune?
Got this today from them....

"Thank you for your emails of 4, 7 and 17 September 2012; I would like to apologise for the delay in replying. This was due to me waiting for some further information which I have now received.

With regards to you asking if the free broadband offer from Orange could, in Ofcom’s eyes, be considered an "inducement" to purchase the mobile contract, I can advise that, in circumstances where the free broadband offer is clearly and pro-actively sold and marketed as part of the sales process, then yes this is likely to be the case. However, in terms of the Orange offer, we have been advised that this was only the case in terms of the initial sign-up, but not in the context of any subsequent contract renewal.

If this was not the case in your experience, or if you have checked your terms and conditions and feel that Orange has breached these by making a change, you should follow Orange’s complaints procedure found on their contact page at: http://help.orange.co.uk/orangeuk/support/personal/contacting_us

By following this process you will hopefully be able to resolve your dispute. However, if you exhaust this and remain unhappy, or if your complaint has been ongoing for over 8 weeks, you may wish to discuss your concerns with Orange’s Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, CISAS.

CISAS is an important piece of consumer protection as they are free and independent for residential and small business consumers like you. Additionally, service providers must abide by their decision, but if you remain unhappy then you are free to consider legal action. Whilst they will not be able to prevent Orange from making these changes, they should be able to consider whether your contract has been breached or if you have been mis-sold. They can be contacted at:

CISAS
International Dispute Resolution Centre
70 Fleet Street
London
EC4Y 1EU

Phone: 020 7520 3827
Email: info@cisas.org.uk
Website: www.cisas.org.uk

Turning to your point regarding clause 6 of your broadband contract, whilst I understand that you still hold a mobile contract with Orange, as explained, Orange are allowed to amend the terms of their contract so long as they provide notice. The changes that have been made now mean that you also need to have a fixed line service in order to be eligible for the deal.

I hope this information proves useful."

Hmmmm the plot thickens

nickbirkin

My reply to OfCom's latest offering....

Many thanks for your reply.
I really feel that Orange are deliberately misleading OfCom.
We both know the huge number of callers that OfCom have received stating that they were induced into continuing their mobile contracts on the basis of the free broadband.
The mobile contracts are simply not cost effective without them and if you’d care to look at the numerous forums that have sprung up around this issue then you’ll see that Orange were clearly telling people that they kept the free broadband if they continued the mobile contract.
I may be misguided in thinking that OfCom exists to regulate the telecoms industry and to ensure that the systemic falsehoods that Orange are perpetrating on the consumer with regards this issue are brought to a stop
OfCom appear to be taking Orange at their word and ignoring the silent scream of the public.
OfCom’s inaction is a great cause of distress to a public that hopes to believe in the institution set up to protect it.
Have you actually asked Orange for copies of recordings made when renewing these contracts?
Your lack of action and insistence on the resolution route is going to mean that many customers are going to be out of time for their contracts by the time the issue is settled (causing great disruption and aggravation.), that the loudest may get some form of deal and the quietest are going to be steamrollered into switching landline suppliers.
How many complaints does it take for OfCom to sit up and take notice?

I'll keep you posted and suggest anyone who's registered a complaint with OfCom sends something similar.