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The Orange FAIL Saga: Series #whatever…

By Arg 2 Comments

orange-fail2 Over the past 2 weeks from 13th May I knew my contract was coming up for renewal so I started to think about what I would want to do next. I’ve been thinking about getting a Galaxy Note II as it would fulfil all my requirements and more!

My current contract, which I originally signed back in August 2008, is as follows:

18 Month Contract Samsung Galaxy S2 White Loyalty Discount 10% Cross Net Mins 700 Texts 100 Unlimited Landline Unlimited Data Insurance £6 p/m Orange Wed saves us: £216.00

I admit that this contract by todays standards is incredible and impossible to beat so I have  been thinking that Orange might try and bully me out of it. When you think the mighty EE was launched in the last 12 months it would be no wonder really. I decided to log on to the website to see if I was in fact due to finish my contract and to see what I would be eligible for. This would mark the beginning of the current farce that is my upgrading/renewal experience.

Offer 1.

I logged on to the website and followed the links towards the upgrade process and to my delight I was informed that I would be able to upgrade straightaway. I would also get to increase my loyalty discount from 10% to 15%. The image below shows all the handsets offered to me and you will see which ones are free and yes the NOTE II is free!

LOOKING GOOD ORANGE!

Due to my experience with Orange I decided I would call them up rather than risking doing anything on the website because, lets face it, their website performs about as well as a vegetarian zombie chasing a brainless rhino.

Orange mobile phone   pay monthly upgradeOffer 2.

On the 31st May, having rechecked the offer on the website, I decided that based on this information I should go for it so I rang them but there was a problem. I’m not referring to the usual “inability to listen” characteristic so common with Orange customer service advisers. I joined Orange in September 2002 so I’m well used to them.

No The problem was that the offer on the website was not available to me from the guy on the phone. The best he could offer me was the same contract but the phone would cost be £79.99! When I asked him about the website offer he told me that  if I tried to process that order that I would not even get to the checkout page as this offer should not be offered to me. He was unable to give any reasonable answer as to why this was the case. I decided I would try going back to the website to check so while he was still on the line I processed my order, got to the checkout page and successfully placed my order.

The chap was quite surprised and we agreed that there was no point in continuing the call as I had successfully placed my order and it appeared he was wrong. So the wait began…. …then ended the following day with a text message:

2013-06-04 15.40.04

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

This was not good! I decided to try on the website again. The original website offer was still there so I tried again but was immediately met with an error once I tried to checkout so it meant another phone call was in order.

Offer 3.

So it’s Monday, 3rd June 2013 at 7:30pm. I call now because I think if I can get the order processed before 9pm I might get it delivered the following day. At this stage I have created a spreadsheet comparing the cost of handsets and the offset with contracts which shows clearly that charging me for a handset is silly but I paid £50 for my S2 so I’d be happy to pay that. My aim is to get a better offer or the web offer.

The chap I got through to was less than helpful. Now I don’t like name calling so I won’t go there but the best way to describe his demeanour was obnoxious. I explained that I had had some difficulties and this somehow seemed to upset him but I can cope with that so ignore his short unhelpful answers but when we get to the crunch I am stumped! The long and short of it was that he said that categorically I would not be allowed to upgrade at all. He said that in no uncertain terms would I EVER get a phone upgrade from Orange on my current contract and that I should go buy my own phone because I would not be able to get one through Orange…..

….okaaaaaaaay….

I asked him some questions about this and tried to get some details of what Orange would offer me. This involved him having to check his system and refresh it to see what was on offer and then we got cut off…..I’m not so sure he didn’t cut me off on purpose but that would be speculation so lets leave it there.

I recorded these conversations so I have them on file – overkill I know but just want a record of it all.

Offer 4 & 5 – This time from someone helpful.

So having been cut off and very frustrated at the information given I had to call back which I did within minutes and this time I got on to a chap that was MUCH more helpful!

  • Best offer with Orange –
    • Same contract but phone would now cost £129.00
  • Second Offer –
    • 24 Month EE Contract EE £36p/m
    • Free Note 2
    • £3 addon fo 3GB data
    • 10% Loyalty discount carried over.

Both of these offers have been added to my file so that I can go back to them. I’m wondering what will happen if I let my contract roll over a few months till the Note 3 coves out. Will there be better offers?

Insuring the final blow

While looking at all the options I followed up with one last question. I had already looked on the EE website to see my options and I processed an order right up to the checkout point. Insurance was going to be £8p/m which I thought was an acceptable hike up from the current £6 p/m.

Alas this was to be yet another surprise. As with their own tradition, the website and actual price were to be very different. The advisor told me that the insurance would actually be £14p/m…

I guess we’ll be looking elsewhere for insurance.

Generally disappointed!

You would think that Orange might want to treat it’s long term customers with some sort of dignity and not like something annoying on the bottom of a show. The thing that  is most troubling is that I have had different information from 3 individual agents and from the website.

At the end of the day – I don’t want more than I’m due but if an offer is made I expect Orange to stick with it. They seem to have no consistency and for a communications giant – they still suck at communications.

I’m left feeling like Panda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn07B15U1gk

Be sure to checkout my soon to finish “OrangeFail” tag! I’m gonna hope it doesn’t tun into a “EE-OrangeFail” tag instead.

Ten Years with Orange

By FAIL 2 Comments

This morning I received the above text message.

Wow…

I’m speechless.

I’m struggling with how to react.

I decided to read the terms which made me almost lol with great volume in the office (…I stipulate almost as it really wasn’t that emotional an event):

£5 free credit terms and conditions
1. This offer is available to selected Orange Pay Monthly personal customers at the invitation of Orange.
2. To accept the offer you need to text YES to the number provided by midnight on the date advised on your invitation message.
3. The credit will be added to your account within 24 hrs and you will be notified by text when it has been set up and is ready to use.
4. The credit will be put toward any billable event on the mobile bill (eg, calls, texts or data usage), except monthly line rental.
5.    The credit is valid for 6 months.    Any credit not used by that date will expire.
6. If the customer’s mobile contract is terminated before the anniversary credit is fully consumed then any remaining balance will expire.
7. Orange reserves the right to amend, vary or cancel these terms and conditions or to withdraw this offer at any time after giving reasonable notice.
8. Service is subject to the Standard Terms and Conditions for the Supply of Orange Network Services, a copy of which can also be found at the back of your Orange phone User Guide. Where there is any inconsistency between these Terms and Conditions and the Terms and Conditions for the Supply of the Orange Network Services, the latter will prevail.

This is my knee-jerk response:

and it reminds me of The Orange Fail Saga which can be found when you search for “Orange” on this site.

I’m left wondering whether in point 2 if I’ll be charged for that text message.

I’m left wondering after in point 4 what i will use this for.

I’m left wondering after point 6 why the valid duration limit?

Should I be grateful for such a generous gift or should I be outraged by such a skimpy pathetic attempt at a reward policy?

I don’t want to be an ungrateful plonker who is moaning about this but it kinda feels like seeing someone sneezing in to their hand and then receiving a wet handshake.

I asked my colleagues and friends what they would have expected from a mobile phone company after 10 years of service:

  • 4 said that one should have any handset upgrade for free
  • Free cinema tickets
  • 1 suggested a free meal at a choice of leading restaurants
  • 2 said that one should receive one month free contract
  • 1 suggested 6 months free insurance

I kind of want them to take it back.

This is one of those experiences that has left a really nasty sour taste in my mouth.

Thank you Orange for yet again unbelievably smashing all hope I had for you being a really great organization. My expectations have truly been swiped from under my feet and i find myself yet again in a state if dismal free fall.

If I was a Dragon, at this stage I’d be saying “I’m out!”

So how should i move forward?

What do you think i should do?

Orange have seen the light!!!

By Blog, Via Phone 2 Comments

Orange have indeed seen the light and have sorted me out.

I got a call y’day from the last honest girl i spoke to back on Thursday when the phone died completely. What her Team Leader has managed to do is to push my contract to the end so i’m now technically in a rolling contract. This means i can go upgrade again!!!

ORANGE WIN!!!!

So with that in mind and after much consideration and review reading I’m gonna go for the HTC Desire

This thing seems to be the iPhones biggest contender and in some ways it spanks the iPhone. It our performs in speed and graphics. As it’s on the Android platform I can also make use of the Android App store so I’m on to a good thing here.

Some of the Apps I’ve been looking in to are:

I have to wait until the phone is back in stock which should be a couple of days and then i will really celebrate.

Orange, Finally an address to write to..

By FAIL, Techie, Via Phone No Comments

THE ORANGE FAIL SAGA

I thought i’d post the mailing address that i have been recommended using. The lovely staff member i spoke to y’day told me that the systems is a biut pants and in order to really get somewhere i should try this address:

Compliance Team,

Astral House,

Orange PLC,

Senhouse Road,

Lingfield Way,

Darlington,

County Durham,

DL1 4YG.

So, if you have had any bad Orange experiences i suggest you write to them.

==============

The conclusion of y’days call was that i am being sent a “refurbished” replacment handset. Great!  I wonder howe many of these i’ll have to get through before it gets really stupid.

I’m going to play both fields until i get rid of this total-piece-of-crap phone.

Some interesting info in the mean time:

  • Trade Descriptions Act 1968
    • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_Descriptions_Act_1968
    • http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts1968/PDF/ukpga_19680029_en.pdf

Phone Phail – Yet again!

By Arg, Via Phone No Comments

THE ORANGE FAIL SAGA CONTINUETH

it continues!

Faults on this 2nd Vivaz handset:

  • Random Hanging up during calls but especially just after picking up calls.
  • Constant Dialing a call failure
  • constant crashing / rebooting – at least 2-3 times a day.
  • inconsistent connection to mail accounts
  • GPS is inconsistent
  • Auto Screen orientation has slowed down considerably.
  • Struggles to reconnect to service when passing through an area of poor service to an area of good service. (this can take the phone more than 5 minutes to reconnect).
  • Phone doesn’t power off properly when trying to power it off – it reboots – inconsistent occurrence.

Recurring issues from last phone

  • music/pod-casts stutter
  • Audio goes out of sync when recording video
  • Screen goes glitchy in camera mode
  • Constant freezing

Now i have to go back to Orange AGAIN and tell them i want to change it AGAIN and i will probably have the same argument AGAIN and it will be fun!

Father I pray that you will help and guide me through this process and that my anger will not take control.

See the last post about the phones faults here.

The Orange Fail SAGA serialization!

By Arg, I Laughed, Profound, Techie No Comments

COMING SOON!

THE ORANGE FAIL SAGA

With the on going saga or rather my ongoing battle with Orange I have come up with series of posts. I know how you have  all enjoyed the serialized posts to date. 50 Reasons & Poetry Too boosted the traffic to this website a long way so I thank you readers fopr the ….um….readershipness!?!?

Anyway – the point of this is that if you troll through this site you will see a bunch of posts  with me moaning about the crappy service that Orange has provided form time to time. When its been bad its been diabolical. It’s almost inspired me to douse my own eyes with a vinegar and lemon c**ktail with extra salt to boot. I plan to email each of these posts to Orange in an attempt to get them to do one of two things.

  • Hire me as an Special Undercover Customer Services Operative (SUCsO for short).
  • Change their ways

Sadly I’m not hopeful either will happen – It’ll be a great and creative way to vent though!

New phone not working…AGAIN!!!!

By FAIL, Techie 3 Comments

All i really want is a phone that works! Is that too much to ask?

I’ve had it just over a week and it has been failing me over and over and over….

  • Constant Crashing
  • Constant freezing
  • Not booting with USB plugged in
  • Video recording freezes
  • Sound goes out of sync with recorded video
  • Screen goes glitchy in camera mode
  • music/pod-casts stutter
  • not picking up calls.
  • not connecting to PC

grrr

Other faults that are more of an annoyance and may not be classed as faults include:

  • Loudspeaker activation is hard to navigate to
  • unlocking screen requires one to many presses
  • unlocking screen requires depressing answer key which is just in the wrong place.
  • screen is easily scratched to crap

On paper this phone is AMAZING! its sad though that the most amazing thing about it has turned out to be the frequency at which it fails me…

So I wont be getting an iPhone then…

By Arg, Techie, Via Phone No Comments

The past few days have been quite stressful actually due to my quest to see if I can get an iphone as my upgrade!

Orange, YET AGAIN. have failed me…

Bless them but  they have about as much integrity as a spoon trying to be a marshmallow.

They have this deal on their website which seems to be quite a good. Its offering to combine your Mobile, Landline and broadband all in to one unit at a cost of £60 per month. Sounds quite good so far, The real sweetener is that they’ll throw in an iPhone3GS 32GB for free!

Wow! – yes, that’s what i said, and out loud too!

…that is about as good as it all got as it got bad from there on in!

  • The page on which the offer is on had some small print which was designed to be missed! On this I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and to carry on….i should trust my instincts more.

  • Small print says nothing indicating that you wont get a 32GB handset if you only sign an 18 month contract.
  • I tried really hard to find a positive review on-line about their broadband service. I know in most forums when people write reviews its mostly bad stuff but usual;ly there is one or two kind souls who will write about their positive experience – NOT ONE!
  • The phone call was next – it didn’t go well
  • The guy was cagey when i asked about the “fair usage” policy for the broadband
  • I had to ask him 7/8 times for the info i wanted
  • then he lied to me… i caught him out when he was feeding me bull and contradicted himself
  • i still had to ask him another few times for the information i wanted

As you can read – I am not exactly filled with confidence with them. I still want to stick with Orange as we save quite a bit of money with their Orange Wednesday deals but i have lodged a complaint and will see if that lightens the situation any more than it has.

Phone Phail

By Techie, Via Phone No Comments

Telephone

I am awaiting reciept of my 3rd Nokia N95 8GB. About a month ago i got fed up with the phone locking up on me and not functioning as it should so i rang Orange and told them i was having problems. They went through some diagnostics and confirmed that the phone said it had a fault on it. They arranged for a new one to be delivered the following day – sorted.

or so i thought!

This second phone arrived and seemed ok at first. But i soon discovered a rather irritating issue with it. On a few calls to my wifey the soud would cut out. I assumed that this was her phone as it had been buggy but then it started to happen while on the phone with other poeple. The sound would cut out for about 3 to 10 seconds each time and it would do so every 3 – 5 minutes.

I also found that the same thing would happen while listenihng to music. I have a set up in the car where by i can link up the phone to the stereo and listen to tunes or podcasts and take calls and the like. The same sound cut was happening with the music. This was really frustrating. There I’d be cruising down the motorway getting down and diggy along to some tune and and then my thunder would be stolen by the sound cutting out!!! When i was listening to an audio book i would be missing some key words in the story and it started becomeing really really annoying.

Soa couplke of Fridays ago i rang orange again and told them abouot the issue. The chap on the phone this time was a little more reluctant to help me. I explained the problem and he suggested the follwoing:

  1. Reset the phone with one of the nokia reset codes – this would reset the software and should cure the issue.
  2. Check what version of the software i was running and upadate it if possible.

I did the first one and found that there was no difference what so ever except i had to go through the rigmarole of having to resync and resetup my phone the way i like it.

I then did the second one and updated the software only to have the same usless result and waste of time incur. I was not happy and yesterday i rang orange again and told them what had been happening.

I am now waiting for my 3rd phone. I’m a little worried as i really like these phones and i dont want them to have made them rubbish with the updates. This has been known to happen. I will let you know what happens and whether this next one actually works this time.

It’s happened again – Orange being idiotic….

By Blog No Comments

I just wrote tem this and sent it…

To whom it may concern,

Re: phone/contract issues: Acc No: xxxxxxxxx.

I have a problem. It is to do with the fact that Orange Customer Service staff seems unable to think outside the box. When faced with an issue that does not fit the standard fixes they cannot think fro themselves. If you refer to my account there should be notes written on the account to the affect of my problems. After a phone call to orange “150” that lasted 1hr 12mins I was still left without my problem being sorted. After a further 45 minute call with the same results I did find out that there is no specific body/department within orange where customers can go to complain except a correspondence address? This is the 21st centaury is it not? I have usually been happy with the Customer Service team but this time I have been left with a dodgy phone and no way of getting out of the problem I am in. The solutions offered were not good enough. I am tired of being told “there is nothing we can do” That I simply do not believe. It’s simply a matter of overriding the standard process

Here is the problem. I have an Orange SPV M700 which is an Orange branded HTC P3600 / Trinity 100 but it is the 4/5th of these particular handsets I have owned due to replacing it over and over due to the same faults. I have had SPV / HTC phones for the past 4 years as I have been a big fan but they have all always ha the same issues especially from the M500 onwards. The biggest of these issues is an intermittent inability to answer a call. When the phone rings, no matter what you press or how many ties you press it, it will not answer the call. The result is a lot of missed calls. This is just not acceptable. I have missed many important calls from clients which has been hugely embarrassing. This alone is the worst issue but there are other minor issues that i can deal with like the screen going off or the alarm clocks going off at random times and not going off when needed. These problems are inherent issues across the whole range. If you look this up you will see that it is a common problem with the handsets.

During my 1hr 12min phone call the other night (22, July 08) the agent told me that I was indeed entitled to choose a new phone because I have had so many replacements on this current handset. I was quite happy with this but my excitement was very soon doused when he told me what the offer truly was. The choices were all SPV handsets!  I w offered the M3100, TyTnII & e650. I told him that this wasn’t really a good enough range of choice as they were all SPV/HTC phones and that I wanted to get away from them as they have proven (over the last 4 years of owning them) to be very unreliable. I was then told that they are contractually bound to supply a phone with similar features like the windows operating system. This i found a bit ridiculous. If it was down to the exact features then none of the other phones in the HTC/SPV range will do as the M700 is the only one that is white!!!!

“There is nothing we can do!!!” – This was the response I got. In other words it sounded like – “sorry but we are going to fob you off with another phone that will be screwed up as well and we really couldn’t give a toss about it”. It was the fact that it was so final that upset me the most. The fact that he was completely unwilling to do anything about it at all because that’ what his training had said. How can Orange operate such guidelines that dictate that if a customers problem is a little unusual just fob them off? That is what has happened to me. While the agent was friendly enough he was unhelpful and s utterly fed up I ended the call.

I decided to call again at a later date as I was still suffering the random no answer feature. This time I had the same attitude but it wasn’t all fruitless. It took a 45 mins to ascertain that there is no complaints dept and that there was still nothing that could be done.

After not receiving the call ad getting fed up I decided I’d go and get the replacement handset anyway even despite it being another HTC phone. So I called back and ordered the new handset. During the process I asked the agent to add a note to the delivery slip. The note was: If no answer at the door to call my mobile number and I gave him the number. I did this so as to avoid being charged for a miss-delivery AND because I was due to go on holiday the following day. On one of the previous occasions on getting a replacement a previous operator had recommended I do this. I opted for the following morning am delivery between 9am and 1pm. The following morning I got to the office at 8:50 am. At 9:10am I went to make a drink at 9:18am when I returned the courier had been and left a failed delivery note – actually a scribbled note with the girl in the office next to mine. There was no call.

I was furious and immediately rang orange to find out why this had happened. The agent told me that there was no guarantee that the courier would have had a phone. This conflicted with my previous experience. And why didn’t the agent taking the order for the handset not realise this either? The agent then went on to tell me that I would be charged for a re-delivery. I told him that I was not happy with this at all as I was misinformed or not informed properly of the process therefore why should I pay for a mistake made by an orange agent!

“There is nothing we can do!!!” – Again this was the response I got. I asked the agent to add a not on to my account to the effect that I had no intention of paying for a redelivery when it was due t misinformation given by an orange employee. He said he would add that as we spoke. He then rather unhelpfully suggested I contact the courier as they might have been still in the area – the system said that the handset was still en-route. I asked him for the number which he was unable to give me but he did tell me it was TNT couriers. I called several of their offices and after about 25 mins ascertained that TNT no longer has the contract with orange.

At this stage you can imagine my outrage.

So I waited until I was calm. I rang Orange again. I explained the situation and the agent, bless him for trying, was not very helpful. He told me that the previous agent was wrong for telling me that TNT were the courier but that the delivery had been closed so there would be no chance of delivery that day.  He also said that there would be a charge for the handset but I did not want to get into another argument AGAIN. So I asked him to find the note that the previous agent who got the wrong courier had entered. The one I wanted added about my lack of desire to pay for redelivery. The note didn’t exist. So the previous agent obviously just didn’t care and did not write the note I asked him to writ on my account even though he said he was doing it. – He Lied! SO Orange employs LIARS! After explaining all this to the agent I was now talking to his response was: “there is nothing we can do!!!”

What ever happened to “The future is bright, the future is Orange!”? To me this new statement of “there is nothing we can do!!!” just doesn’t cut it.

I told him that I would leave it all for now and I ended the call. I have still had the same dodgy phone since then. The agent did recommend I talk to his manager which I agreed with so he told me he would get the manager to call me back. Every single time I have ever ha this option I have never been called back….EVER. This really disgusts me! How can it happen that if told you will receive a call that it doesn’t happen?

I have been with orange for 7 YEARS!!!! Over those years I have seen the customer service get worse and worse. There seem to be no loyalty rewards with Orange. And more despicably there is no way of complaining. Te attitude of agents is one of: Lack of initiative, not my problem attitude, unwillingness to help, I understand but! & “there is nothing we can do!!!”

I just want to be treated fairly. I want to be treated like a loyal customer, not a number in a call cue or an asset or an inconvenience. I want to be able to choose a new phone that will work for me and my needs. I don’t want to sign a new contract, I don’t want to loose out on the option of my eligibility of an upgrade next December. I just want orange to admit that the policy on this matter is a little screwed. I want Orange to let me choose a phone of my choice for this replacement. I also want orange to ignore the re-delivery fee.

I am feeling like I am at the end of my tether. I am inches away from asking for a pak number and laving orange but I don’t want to as it’s a huge inconvenience to do so. It’s in Orange’s best interest to help me sort out this problem. If this cant happen I will be contacting Ofcom and involving your Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme representative.

You can contact me by looking up my account number and calling my mobile number.

Kind Regards

Mark Robinson.

L I V I D I T Y!!!!!

By Blog No Comments

I have been off the planet for 2 days due to the f**king IDIOTS that are Orange!!! 2 weeks ago I rang Orange to check to see if I could change my talk plan with them. I wanted to move onto one of their apparently super duper animal talk plans. On the face of it they look like a much better deal even though the f**kers are tying you into an 18 month contract! And Where once I would have been able to upgrade for free at 10 months? – No, Will I f**k – of course not cause that would be a deal that customers might actually benefit from. Anyway back to the point – I was told that o the 17th of the month I’d be able to sort it all out so while working away (painfully as I was having to use my Orange mobile as a modem with a painstakingly slow connection of 230k) I looked at the handsets on offer and rather stupidly got my hopes up with excited thoughts that maybe with a new better contract and a shiny new handset I could possibly have Orange make my life a lil easier! – WRONG!!!!

So last week I went into an Orange store here in Manchester. The 17th was coming up but it was a Sunday so I needed to find out what time they closed on the coming Sunday to see if I would be able to get out of the studio and to the store in time to sort all this stuff out. The lad I spoke to told me they closed at 8pm. As you can imagine i was a lil taken aback so i asked him: “are you sure? on a Sunday? – Not Monday – i mean Sunday?” he assured me Sunday was an 8 pm close. Cut to Sunday – We finished in the Studio around 4:20 so i walked up to the store and got there at 4:45 only to have the security guard block me from entering. – Guess what he said. Yes that’s right!!! they were closed!!!! i asked when they closed and he said 5pm! UUUUUH WHAT? its bloody 4:45pm!!! Then he gives me that typical security guard look of helplessness which is failing to conceal his true feelings of – I really couldn’t give a flying f**k as this means I am getting out of wok early! You know the one I mean, it inspires feelings of wanting to mach the expression wearers face in with an oversized ice pick. (this is the first point of Orange staff seemingly never giving a crap about customers and not being bothered) Not being happy with this i Got the number of the store from directory enquiries and walked round the corner and rang the shop. Who ever’s phone the line was diverted to had there phone unlocked in their pocket and instead of being greeted by the sounds of a welcome to the Orange store I got chatter between the staff which went along the lines of- “Yeah that guy earlier was a right f**king d**k head, glad we got him sorted in the end” and so on and so forth! OOOOh the professionalism just oozed from that call! I was really impressed! This is when I started to get really annoyed. I gave up and headed back to the studio with the intention of returning the following day.

Cut to Monday afternoon. – I got to the store and was seen immediately by a phone trainer. He was very helpful. He helped me choose the talk plan that suited me best and I had already chosen my handset – A lovely new spangly SPV M600. After going through the motions he came back to me saying I’m afraid you cant do that as the system is saying you cant change your talk plan yet. WTF????? I was already told that I could!!! What the F**k is going on here???? I told him that he was wrong and he gave me that “don’t give a s**t” stare so i called orange myself, spoke to a lady who confirmed I was right and then shoved my handset at the assistant. Full of apologies he continued the transaction. (this is the second point of Orange staff seemingly never giving a crap about customers and not being bothered – oh they has got some great customer service skills innit!!). This goes to show how bad Orange are as there systems don’t collaborate on key customer information. One system says one thing another system says something else! Had I not pushed the matter I would have found myself waiting unnecessarily for an extra month! How idiotic is that!!!!

So he continued to process my transaction and while I was waiting I was again shocked, this time by another member of staff. An elderly gentleman came in to sort his pay as you go sim card and get some money put on it. He did not have his phone with him but did have his card and for what ever reason there was a screw up of some sort. I think they needed to know his phone number which he didn’t know. Now, instead of being polite, the assistants attitude of treating the gentleman like he was an idiot! then getting a little irate with him as he had to go through a refund procedure and it was all the mans fault! What an A**EHOLE! Had that been me i would have had a right go at the assistant for being so bloody rude but the timid old guy just stood there apologizing while huffy w****r assistant dude did the refund. (this is the third point of Orange staff seemingly never giving a crap about customers and not being bothered – only this time the guy seemed visibly put out by the fact that he actually had to do his job!!!). Ok so back to my story. Once i was sorted the assistant told me that within 16 hours my new handset would be activated. I went home and started to play with my new handset all happy as a pig in s**t!

Then the morning arrived!!!! (cue the theme tune from Psycho) I woke up to find my old handset was deactivated however my new one had not been. Uh Oh! This meant i had no phone line at all. It meant I had no connection to interweb via my phone – i was cut off from the world! When ever i made a call the phone would connect to the Orange Registration Menu. I got through to some bloke who said it should be active but there was a delay on the system slowing down some of the upgrade activations. This is stupid as why would they deactivate my old phone before activating my new one? That’s ridiculous! Orange basically had cut me off from the world the t**ts! – I was told to wait and try again. I had 5 calls to that line during the day trying to get it sorted. The final 2 calls were perplexing as it had been over the 24 recommended hours for activation to take place and they were a lil confused by it all. Several hours later when I was able to get my hands on a working phone I called them again and they called me back on the other line. It was at this point that we found that the sim card numbers did not match. And i don’t mean there was one digit wrong, no. the whole thing was completely wrong!!! The only thing I could do was to return to the shop to sort it. At this point in case you have not already guessed i was completely livid! I’d had a whole day of not being connected and i’d had calls to make to clients which i failed to do as a result! GRRRR!

Cut to this morning! – 9:15am at the orange store in the Arnedale center manchester (yes i had to get up early to do this) . At first I was intending to go i there and shout and throw my rattle and swear at the guys in the shop as it seemed that they had given me the wrong sim card but being used to Orange’s ineptness I decided that no, i’d keep it together until i know all the facts never mind the fact that i didn’t trust myself from loosing it completely and castrating them all with a paper clip and a siemens phone charger from the shelf. So I went up and explained all that had happened. The usual apologies ensued along with that aforementioned expression (resist the urge to castrate, Mark, resist it!). After a bit of fumbling and a couple of calls it turned out that when they registered my new sim card the lady at Orange head office or where ever the hell she was took down the wrong number for my sim card. Now here is the big f**k up. The assistant did not verify the last 4 digits of the sim properly which as I understand it is Orange procedure. Who’s to blame – both of them!!! Idiots! – LAZY idiots (this is the fourth point of Orange staff seemingly never giving a crap about customers and not being bothered). SOOOOO the outcome was that he told me my old handset would be reactivated within the next few minutes and my new one would be active later today.

As i type this my old phone still has not been reactivated and i hold no hope for the new one either resulting in me still not being connected! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! Not at any point have i been offered any form of compensation for all the trouble I have had! I ask you WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS COMPANY???? This is lunacy! I will be copying this entry as my letter top them. I’m not gonna make it all formal as i don’t think the neanderthals that work for the company will be able to understand it. I will ask them what would they do if they were in my shoes. I’ will also tell them that i intend to leave them and not pay them another penny! as far as i am concerned Orange have not provided the service i pay them for therefore they are in breach of contract – Quite simple really! Lets see what they say!!!