Orange Value Promise not as much value as promised Orange UK is falling short of its promise that it can match the tariff from any other network, right down to the way it's charged, for business customers. Orange's problems stem from the fact that after introducing the Orange Value Promise, other network operators introduced various forms of unlimited data tariffs which the …
Orange now state:
" We’re confident that our Business Plus and Business Advance plans offer the best value, service and benefits for your business.
But if you feel that a tariff from another network would suit your needs better let us know and we'll match it, right down to the way it's charged.
***This offer applies to non-promotional tariffs, available to business pay monthly customers from O2, Vodafone and T-Mobile retail stores only.*** "
What a cop out.
This has been well known for some years.
Orange regard any tariff where the offers are too good as either "promotional" or "too complicated". They only ever offered a small selection of competitors tariffs and wouldn't match anything not on the list.
Even those on the list weren't precisely matched.
For example the off-peak time on some T-mobile contracts is 6pm but Orange kept it at 7pm stating the "too complicated" cop out. Yet they managed to include different off peak times with several other tariffs.
The 3p texts on Virgin were also dismissed in a similar fashion again despite them being able to charge different amounts for texts on other tariffs.
They also chipped away at the offerings and "ring fenced" (i.e. pulled) several tariffs such as the Virgin one which had no monthly line rental.
Now of course they've pulled the whole thing.
The aim is to increase the contract customer's average spend. That is the current indicator of how well they are doing and decides how much the directors can pay themselves in fat bonuses.
One way to do that is to phase out low line rental tariffs and up the minimal line rental which now stands at twenty quid a month. If you don't want all the extra inclusive minutes: tough. You get them and pay for them whether you want them or not.
I was with Orange for a while - we parted with them convinced I owe them money, whilst in fact they owe me. The only bill I ever had that was correct was the first one with no calls on it ! EVERY bill after that was wrong.
At first they simply refused to admit any possibility of any mistake on their part, even though I could point out several different area where what they billed was different from what was contracted. Eventually they admitted there was a difference and simply declared the contract to have changed and their offer was to allow me out of the contract early without penalty. When I insisted that I wanted them to honour their contract they tried the "but we can't give everyone their own personal tariffs" line - I didn't want my own tariff, I simply wanted the one they publlished.
It really does not surprise me that they can't match other vendors tariffs - they can't even match their own !
The editor said he couldn't post my previous comment expressing my heartfelt thoughts about the legal validity, honesty and competence of their actions - not wanting to be sued by them ! Suffice it to say there was nothing complimentary.
They take your money as quick as they can, I've been with them for over 15 years+. I just can't bring myself to leave, but the way I've been treated, conned and lied to, well, I'm really thinking about leaving!
12 month plan (I thought) but I noticed something that didn't add up on my bill so I called them and they'd placed me on an 18 month plan for the same price of a 12 month plan! Can't do anything now.
I wanted a Value plan, but they would not do it because - as your artical said they can't do it via their billing system. Any excuse!!!!! They mean, they'd loose too much money!
We also have 20 mobiles with them all with blackberries, again, can't wait to get your money, until I wanna get hold of my account manager - he sometimes replies and sometime calls me back - a week later! Been charged for Blackberry Data and no one seems to be able to get to the bottom of it! But keep taking the money! So far, it's over £200 over 4 months!
Marcus
Marcus
All this doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I was an Orange UK customer for about three miserable years and after I finally left them they repeatedly removed money from my bank account without my authorisation, eventually refunded me, though without an apology, and refused to compensate. I will never again be an Orange customer as long as I live and I'm more than happy to dis them. They really, really do suck.
I have been with Orange for seven years and have never had a single issue. I was self-employed and had a business tariff which my adviser would phone up about and tell me I was using more or less minutes/texts and which tariff might suit me better. I have had refunds for poor connectivity, free upgrade for my wife (for no reason other than me asking if it was possible) and a call from a Customer Service Manager to explain why they'd not billed me one month - and to waive the charges! So it's not all bad...
After 5 years with OUK I just moved all of the family to T-Mobile almost entirely because of much better tariffs. We are on three different tariffs, none of which could be matched by OUK. The only phone left on OUK is the OVP Virgin match with no monthly rental used for guests. Serves them right. The monthly bill is cut in half and everybody got a bit of unlimited use, either web or sms.
I'd be happy if they proved capable of minor things such as migration of of old fslife.co.uk accounts to orangehome.co.uk mail servers without blowing up DNS pointers to said servers, their 8Mb service proved capable of more than 1.8 to 2.2 Mb download speeds, and if they could actually resolve issues with RADIUS servers. The fact is that these problems have been the rule rather than the exception for some time now.
I'd be even happier if they actually managed to keep track of who has signed up for what package, and if their unsolicited telesales personnel would refrain from attempting to rope me into a further 12 month contract (against my express instruction) despite my protestation that as soon as my wifes university year was over we would be off to a new ISP.
Whilst I used to work for a PC manufacturer selling consumer kit through PC World I used to occasionally get a little exasperated at the dumb questions posed by some of the old freeserve support team, the dimmest such employees are positive masterminds in comparison to some of the current Orange personnel.
At the moment a team of macaquaes could probably run a more useful service.
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