I have been with Freeserve/Wanadoo and now Orange since January 2000, initially on dial-up and on broadband for the last 3 or so years. My original package remains, which was (and still is according to my account details) Broadband Option 1, which entitled me to a 1mb connection speed.
Over last year the speed crept up to 2mb. Then some months ago (Nov 07?) I recieved an email from Orange telling me that they were working on the exchange to upgrade connection speeds and soon (at no extra cost) I would be receiving up to 8mb. It happened too, I had a constant connection speed of 7.8Mbps and all was well.
On 2nd May at midday, my connection speed dropped to 2.2Mbps. I left this for 24 hours, hoping it was a temporary glitch. Next day, no change so I began the run around of irrationality that is trying to get sense/truth from Orange technical support.
Over a total of 9 lengthy phone calls I was instructed to ring back for the results of "line tests" no less than 7 times. The operators told me to go throught the rigmarole of checking the pc, the modem, the filters etc, which I duly did, no fault was found with my pc or the wiring here. The speed entitlement on my account was reset to 7.5mb and also on my pc. I carried out a speed test on thinkbroadband.com also. I was given information that the line test engineers had:-
"found a problem which would be fixed in 24 hours"
"run into a problem and been cancelled"
"found interruption on the line"
"found a problem at the exchange"
"never been ordered in the first place"
"engineers had resolved the problem totally"
"closed the fault because there wasn't one"
"had a testing error"
"found a possible fault but closed the fault anyway"
At last today after yet another call to India, I became so frustrated with the operator that I requested a transfer to the Complaints department - I was told no such department existed. I managed to get a supervisor on the line who took several minutes to read the notes on my account. He told me that although Orange had initially upgraded my connection speed to 7.8mg, they had recently decided to "rationalise" such connections without contacting customers to let them know and I was now getting the connection speed I was entitled to, despite him confirming there was a fault at the exchange. I logged into my Orange account online and it shows that I am entitled to a connection speed of 7.5Mbps (and I have the opportunity to "upgrade" to a 6Mbps connection!
I told the supervisor that his staff had given me incorrect information on several occasions, he apologised but there was nothing he could do to remedy the situation with my connection speed.
I'm wary that contacting Orange customer service will result in me being sneakily plonked onto another contract and I'm keen to retain my out of contract status if I stay with them.
This is just appalling service. AT £17.99 a month (with a download limit of 2GB per month) it's also very expensive. So, is it worth me pursuing this via Orange customer complaints? (I'd like a refund of my phone call charges if nothing else) Should I just request a MAC code and move to another ISP? If so, which ones are any good? The USwitch site seems to show that all have the same problems with customer service and reliable connections.
Is it worth trying to escalate this as a complaint with Orange or are they just likely to tell me I am getting a faster speed than I originally signed up for and have no real complaint?
I hope someone can advise me, I'm fast approaching the end of my bit of string!
Well I was with the nightmare known as Orange, like most on here, then left when my connection died for 2 weeks.
Like yourself their set scripts/excuses/bull was given to me down the phone by Indian, non-trained 'customer care' advisors.
I left and went to Idnet and was with them for over a year.
I never once lost my connection and the speed was fast.
They have free, English speaking, customer support either via email and a freephone number.
They do genuinely care about customers as my speed went down once so I rang them and it was sorted in half an hour with a phone call returned to me to check that it was fine again.
I left them recently and requested my MAC which I got within 5 minutes of asking.
Been with o2 (now Sky) now for about 4 months and they too are 100% flawless.
I only went with them as they are cheaper and do a faster connection still.
Recently my connection dropped out a few times so I rang them.
Again, in English, they genuinely cared and sorted the problem by upgrading the router's firmware from their end.
Idnet do 1 month contracts so you're not tied in.
o2 (now Sky) do a 3 month money back, no quibble guarantee, then after that only £50 to leave in the first 12 months.
When you're with a cowboy company like Orange it's very easy to imagine them all being the same non-caring trash but they aren't.
Fortunately!
I had a look at the o2 (now Sky) site and I would only be able to get the Outside Area Access package which is £22.50pm. The IDnet package looks ok.
Has anyone else got any recommendations regarding alternatives to dishonest Orange?
I'd prefer to use a modem, wireless would be an issue here due to the house layout. We are in a Somerset village, so no cable in our road and none planned.
Joined: 13 Aug 2006Posts: 1689Location: Marylebone Central London
Hi
I would recommed ukfsn go here and look at the ratings and customers comments on ISP's it will give you a rough idea of who to consider/avoid also here you can have a nose in the forums.
_________________ ex Freeserve/Wanadoo/Orange Blog
I've had a good old mooch through those links and I think we'll be going with Fast.
Yesterday I found a telephone message from an Orange Customer Care employee, telling me that if I still didn't have an internet connection I should ring Technical Support. The number to return his call led to a single recorded message giving out Orange numbers. Not having an internet connection was never the problem, it was the sudden and dramatic speed drop!
Interestingly, this morning I had a call from Orange Fault Management, where a polite, but rather unconcerned Orange employee told me she had been told by the engineers that the line test of 10th May had found that there was no fault and I was getting a good connection speed. I'd been told on the 11th May that the fault had been resolved! How on earth this organisation manages to survive I do not know.
I suggested she pass this example of departments not speaking to each other, passing on the wrong/made up information to customers, working from different scripts and all having access to different systems - up the line to her manager. She didn't apologise once for the runaround I'd been given. She did however admit that the supervisors in Technical Support had access to systems that the Level One staff and she did not have access to.
She also admitted that my account on her records and the account details I have access to online, show that I am entitled to a connection speed of 7.5Mbps. I suggested that informing customers of speed capping ("rationalisation") would save customers much trouble, time and expense.
I asked her to ensure I got an email update on how this issue is to be resolved, more as a joke than anything else. Bet I don't get one.
Looks like my next battle will be getting the MAC code!
Joined: 13 Aug 2006Posts: 1689Location: Marylebone Central London
Hi summer
Sorry to see your having so many problems, i left this dire company in august 2006 after many years with them its a shame Wanadoo/Orange got hold of Freeserve.
Anyway if you ask for your MAC and they give you any excuses or stalling to give you one just remind them that you know the law on MACs and they have to be provided within 5 working days of request.
Good Luck.
_________________ ex Freeserve/Wanadoo/Orange Blog
I have been with Freeserve/Wanadoo and now Orange since January 2000, initially on dial-up and on broadband for the last 3 or so years. My original package remains, which was (and still is according to my account details) Broadband Option 1, which entitled me to a 1mb connection speed.
Over last year the speed crept up to 2mb. Then some months ago (Nov 07?) I recieved an email from Orange telling me that they were working on the exchange to upgrade connection speeds and soon (at no extra cost) I would be receiving up to 8mb. It happened too, I had a constant connection speed of 7.8Mbps and all was well.
On 2nd May at midday, my connection speed dropped to 2.2Mbps. I left this for 24 hours, hoping it was a temporary glitch. Next day, no change so I began the run around of irrationality that is trying to get sense/truth from Orange technical support.
It may be a comfort to know that I have experienced exactly the same, so it is not a local phenomenon nor a matter of line quality. I started as a 1Mb/s customer a number of years ago, when it went to LLU I got up to about 6.5Mb/s and in the last couple of weeks (I am not exactly sure when it happened) I have found myself clamped at 2.2Mb/s down and 288 kb/s up.
It is probably linked to the switch to ADSL2. Are you in North London or the area north of London?
Sorry to hear you have the same problem (but glad I'm not the only one)
We're in rural North Somerset here, if that helps.
PS: The Orange network is stunningly shoddy today. No email client connection, pages taking, what feels like years, to load (if at all) and best of all the Orange homepages says there are no problems!
I'm currently battling with them to get back my 5mb connection which suddenly dropped to under 1mb a couple of weeks ago. I emailed lat week and got so frustrated with the answers I phoned on Monday and they quite quickly decided to do a line test (nice not having to go through the usual nonsense). I was told I'd get a text in 24hrs on the status of the fault. No text turned up so I rang back on Thursday to be told "there was a fault and an engineer with fix it in the next 24hrs, you'll then definitely get a text".
Just rang up now to find the engineers need the magic 3 speed tests to continue to fix the problem. According to them the line is "working" and I should be getting 7mb! (I've never had 7mb!)
I was told to go to http://www.speedtester.BT.com/ which I did whilst still on the call but it doesn't seem to like my login name. I was told to try in a couple of hours and phone back if it's still not working. Now that may well be BT's fault but it's all just such a hassle.
I just need to hold on for another month and I can go and request my MAC key - probably the best phone call I'll make to Orange!
I'm currently battling with them to get back my 5mb connection which suddenly dropped to under 1mb a couple of weeks ago. I emailed lat week and got so frustrated with the answers I phoned on Monday and they quite quickly decided to do a line test (nice not having to go through the usual nonsense). I was told I'd get a text in 24hrs on the status of the fault. No text turned up so I rang back on Thursday to be told "there was a fault and an engineer with fix it in the next 24hrs, you'll then definitely get a text".
Just rang up now to find the engineers need the magic 3 speed tests to continue to fix the problem. According to them the line is "working" and I should be getting 7mb! (I've never had 7mb!)
I was told to go to http://www.speedtester.BT.com/ which I did whilst still on the call but it doesn't seem to like my login name. I was told to try in a couple of hours and phone back if it's still not working. Now that may well be BT's fault but it's all just such a hassle.
I just need to hold on for another month and I can go and request my MAC key - probably the best phone call I'll make to Orange!
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