Orange Phone Network problems - is there a way i can cancel my contract?

mum2one

!!!!!!_Van_Dyke wrote: »

I've got a similar problem - I upgraded my Orange phone last September (I'm not sure but I'm going to assume it was on an 18-month contract thing). A couple of months ago I moved house, which seems to be a black spot for signal quality.

Considering the lack of signal is making me lose business (I work as a voiceover artist with a home studio and need to use a mobile to get instant feedback from directors, etc) is there any chance I'd be able to cancel the contract?

Hi
firstly you need to check whether ur in a 12 or 18mth contract, but as your stuck in a contract, and as for the house move orange would say taht was ur choice, the only thing I would suggest is ask them to move you to a lower oackage, or but yourself out of the contract.

waterboy

Had basically no coverage where I live (randalstown area) with a new contract and phone (LG Viewty). Contacted Orange who said there was no 3G coverage in the area so change to 2G.
Dont really understand techie stuff but followed advice and went to phone settings - network settings and changed from automatic to the one with numbers. Immediately I got 3 bars on the signal - so will monitor same. Seems to have worked.

Cavey

waterboy wrote: »

Dont really understand techie stuff but followed advice and went to phone settings - network settings and changed from automatic to the one with numbers. Immediately I got 3 bars on the signal - so will monitor same. Seems to have worked.

Phones search for mobile towers and communicate with the one with the highest signal.

3G towers are less common than 2G towers such that it is more likely you will get the best signal from a 2G tower.

However, it appears that phones that can cope with 3G will try to communicate with a 3G tower that is just within range and gives an intermittent signal in preference to a 2G tower that would give perfect signal. This results in the phone polling for a signal, picking the 3G signal only to lose it and have to re-poll. If it lands on the 2G signal, it might work for a while only to re-poll later and switch to 3G and get stuck in a re-polling loop again. All the time, this re-polling eats more battery too.

By forcing the phone from 3G onto 2G, it will ignore the 3G towers and use the 2G towers, thereby giving a generally better and more reliable signal for voice calls.

This usually only fixes problems in areas where you can get a 3G signal and the connectivity sucks and it should be immediately apparent if it has worked in your case (ie you change the mode, restart the phone and your signal increases from 0-1 bar to more). Otherwise, it might just be that the signal sucks.

(Oh, and if you do this on the Three network it could annoy them as the 3G network is theirs and they can use it for "free", the 2G network isn't and they have to pay Orange).

waterboy

Thanks Cavey , that was helpful about the masts. Update on signal is that most of the time there is none - the phone says emergency calls only. A real pain. I am going to contact orange again as basically I cant use the phone at home. I took the contract out at end of may through carphone warehouse but I feel that I am paying £35 per month for something that is useless at my home address. Anybody with previous experience of a similar situation or know what my rights are? Would really appreciate if somebody can offer help. Thanks in anticipation.

matrix999

www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk

You will be able to find out where the local mast is with the above site.

Zeldazog

!!!!!!_Van_Dyke wrote: »

I've got a similar problem - I upgraded my Orange phone last September (I'm not sure but I'm going to assume it was on an 18-month contract thing). A couple of months ago I moved house, which seems to be a black spot for signal quality.

Considering the lack of signal is making me lose business (I work as a voiceover artist with a home studio and need to use a mobile to get instant feedback from directors, etc) is there any chance I'd be able to cancel the contract?

As you're unlikely to be able to cancel your contract, I would have thought the best thing for you to consider is to ask the network to change you to the minimum tariff possible, then consider getting a cheap or free sim from a network that you know CAN get signal. Get your old phone unlocked to take the new sim.

Then, you should be able to set your phone to divert calls to your spare number - depending on phone/network you should be able to set this to "divert on" a specific setting, like "not available" or "no reply".

When you're at home and have no service, in incoming call will divert to your other number - it will cost you though, as you pay for the diverted part of the call.

This way, you still only have to give out one number to your potential work opportunities, and if you're out and about, you would still get the call direct to your Orange handset (saves taking both around with you).

Zeldazog

rachy86 wrote: »

i had a feeling that was the case.

Woby_Tide - what happened was we both moved out of hour parents into a rented house, but i never noticed i had no signal when we were viewing it..

andrewk - i dont think my phone is 3g, how do you find out? I'vbe got a sony ericsson s500i if thats anyhelp?

I've read lots of bad reports about my phone since i got it - related to poor signal and calls dropping for no reason i dont know if my phone is part of the problem. One of my friends has a nokia and although she doesnt get great signal on it in my house, she still has 1/2 bars most of the time, occasionally 3.

RAchy86 - it might be worth going back to the network with the fact that your phone could be considered faulty - if its constantly dropping calls outside of the home, then it could be the phone and not the network.

Find a friend on the same network and see if they lose signal in the house, that will tell you if network or handset is a problem. When you're out, if you lose a signal and your friend doesn't, then again, its the phone, not the network.

If this is the case, then the phone is certainly not fit for the purpose it was bought for, and you could perhaps try this - although the best you are likely to get is your handset replaced, not get out of your contract.

Bikerchickone

I'm having exactly the same problems as you, and have done from day one despite checking the postcodes of all the areas I go to on Orange's website. I can't get a signal anywhere, 2G 3G or otherwise. I'm in West Sussex, and surpirsingly I don't know anyone here on Orange! I've been told I can't cancel my contract but I'm not giving up. Why should we pay for something we can't use? I've had the dropped calls and the annoying CS advisors, I've tried different phones, standing outside the works. It doesn't help. If this was a landline with no service you wouldn't be expected to pay a bill, but for a mobile we have to? I was told it's partly proving you can't use it - came clos to that one today when the CS advisor had to call me back on my landline cos she couldn't hear me - but even that's not enough. Eventually I got told that the technical department (who put up all the masts) might be able to help and this lady put forward a report. It seems that if they can't do anything they do have the power to terminate your contract. Maybe it's worth trying that? All I want is a phone that works, I don't care who it's with just that it works so one way or another I might get mine sorted. Good luck to everyone else though, I ttally understand the frustration!!! 600 unused mins a month and unlimited texts gone to waste hey ho!

proplusplus

rachy86 wrote: »

Woby_Tide - what happened was we both moved out of hour parents into a rented house, but i never noticed i had no signal when we were viewing it..

If i was to go and live in a lead house under the sea, but didn't notice there was no reception, could i get out of my contract?

Same problem. Not Orange's fault that you move into a house where you can't get signal.

Orange (and other networks) don't guarantee coverage inside buildings.

proplusplus

aland_4

after 18 phone calls most of which were logged badly by a range of orange personnel I am forced to accept I have to pay £165 for the remaining duration of my contract. My pregnant wife and I moved 3 months ago and have had no reception. When she needed an emergency scan she was not able to contact me at home. From day 1 I have tried to get out of my two phone contract after 10 happy years with orange. I expect them to provide the service ie a viable phone line and not to stick to the contract of 99.x coverage. I do not expect my pregnant wife to go to the bottom of the garden to phone me or levitate 20 foot to get a signal. Now for those who say it is my fault for moving without checking the signal (as did the oh so helpful orange 'retention' rep) on the day we looked round the signal was ok. It is intermitent and drops calls 99 out ofa hundred - our bad luck. When I buy a tv I expect to get a picture when I move house. I expect my car to have wheels I expect a national phone service to have a national phone service. Apparently if the fault is accepted by their IT experts then they can recommend a disconnection no charge. But the fact is that these morons geeks whatever say that it is ok to have to go doen to the bottom of your garden to make calls. Now wouldn't I like to see the following advert from orange.

George Clooney goes into a room of executives and pitches the following - imagine the scene... a woman, flowing clothes runs down the wet grass - in labour, and gets to the bottom of the garden where she reaches out high sunwards trying to get reception. There is a pause - then the sound of a baby crying - suddenly george appears and swaddles the baby and all is well... until irate husband comes in having missed the birth and baby catches toxiplasmosis from contact with the soil.... it's a hit!

so i will not be rejoining orange when vodafone and orange share the same masts next year - I will let the contract run out and spread the word that orange is run by heartless machines who put profit over customer service and satisfaction.