Struggling to find out terms of Orange SIM only plan

littlerock

I have an Orange SIM only plan, now out of contract, on a monthly contract and noticed on my bank statement that I was being charged quite a lot more than the original deal (4 years ago) although I am a very modest user and never use my allowance. I basically use the phone for texts and have an allowance of 500 per month and 15p per text if I go over the limit.)

So I thought it was time to review my contract. I went on line to the EE/Orange manage your account option and was diverted to an EE chat line on line. I asked for the details of my plan. The advisor took my details said she would check it and then came back online to tell me she could not answer my query because it was an Orange phone and I needed to dial 150.

I did this, on my phone, and chose Option 5, any other query. I then asked the advisor, over the phone, what plan I was on. He said he would look it up but could not tell me any specific discounts. I said I only wanted to know what plan at this stage. He went away for some time and then came back and said that the type of plan was one of the things he could not tell me. He said he only dealt with lost or stolen phones for corporate customers (NOT what it said option 5 was for).

He said because I was self employed, my query would have to be dealt with by the Small Business Team who only worked office hours. (It was around 7pm when I called.) He said he would get someone to call me back the next day. I said no I wanted to call someone myself and he gave me a number which he said was for the Small Business Team. We shall see.

But all I want to know at present is what plan I am on and both the EE chat on line advisor and the 150 customer advisor, while initially helpful, took some time to tell me that they could not tell me even the name of my plan. I am getting the feeling I am getting the run around. Anyone know what should happen when an Orange SIM only plan comes off contract?.

eDicky

Orange hardly exists any more. If your plan, whatever it is, costs you more than £5 per month you might ask for your PAC and switch to (or be retained by EE on) a SIM only plan with unlimited text allowance for a fiver.

Jon_01

If it is a business plan then only the business dept can help you. Front line for domestic acc's can't change anything or give a PAC.

But, they should have been able to see what the plan name is? It's there on both the systems that Orange runs on, I can only think that they're all so used to using the EE system (that runs on the old T Mobile system), that they're not shown how to use the older systems.

Just wait until after 9 and call the business team, they sort it in a few minutes for you.

littlerock

Ok for clarity, if I want to move over to an EE SIM only deal, which will be cheaper than current DD, how does that get set up? I am out of contract.

mobilejunkie

You're not out of contract; just past the minimum term. Either give 30 day's notice or request and use a PAC within 30 days to transfer to another network. Alternatively, EE may well be able to "upgrade" you as it's effectively now the same company. If so, that would be the best option.

[Deleted User]

How much are you paying and do you ever exceed your 500 text limit?

pmduk

Won't it be shown on your monthly statement/bill?

littlerock

OK problem sorted. (I cannot access my account to look at my monthly bill - password no longer works and when I request a reset, it emails to tell me it does not recognise my email.......)

I noticed that the EE Small Business Team number I had been given to call was an 0845 number, so I called 150 again to ask for a free number to call.

This time I got a very helpful advisor who asked why I wanted to contact them (to find out my plan and current costs) and then said she could help.

Anyway it turns out that somehow or other my Text Delivery receipt flag was ticked ON in Message Settings. I have no recollection of doing this and no desire to get a receipt. I have a Sony Xperiaphone and it may be that it was always set on as a default but the charging has only come on stream later. It is only an emergency phone but I have sent a lot of messages in the last month and it may be this has triggered a threshhold.

Anyway the Customer advisor said that text delivery receipts are not included in my SIM only plan and are charged at 17p each. I cannot find any reference to this charge in my contract. So I have now turned them off (in Messages Menu/ Settings/Delivery Report).

mobilejunkie

You didn't say there were extra charges causing you a problem.

Orange is the only network I can ever remember using who always charge for text message delivery reports; though they were 1p not 17p and I find it amazing they are either 17p now or that much higher for business contracts.

littlerock

Well I was not sure at first if my bill had increased because of overall increases to charges generally in the last four years. So I started by asking what the current charge was and then going on to query last months charge. This is when the 17p charge per SMS confirmation was disclosed. (Incidentally as an EE "small business" customer, I do not see why I should have to use an 0845 number to contact the Small Business Team. )

I think the charge must be quite recent as there are EE posts out on the internet saying there is no charge for delivery receipt. I also wonder if someone got the decimal point wrong at some stage and charged 17p (not just to me) instead of 1.7p.....making into a nice little earner.

mobilejunkie

As far as I'm aware EE don't charge. Orange always did.