We’re pleased to let you know that, as an Orange customer, we’ll be passing the savings from the cut in VAT on to you in January. The changes will take place automatically so you won’t have to do a thing.
Many thanks
Orange customer support
Did nobody tell them the VAT reduction came into force on December 1st? Or are they actually saying that they will be reducing bills produced in January (i.e. those bills which cover December usage)? If it's the latter, fine. Fingers crossed...
We’re pleased to let you know that, as an Orange customer, we’ll be passing the savings from the cut in VAT on to you in January. The changes will take place automatically so you won’t have to do a thing.
Many thanks
Orange customer support
It would seem that this is rubbish, sadly, as I just received my broadband Direct Debit and it is still £19.99. Useless, but two months to go before I switch:) They've been nothing but trouble.
It would seem that this is rubbish, sadly, as I just received my broadband Direct Debit and it is still £19.99. Useless, but two months to go before I switch:) They've been nothing but trouble.
Actually, Orange have kindly made a charitable donation on all our behalfs!:
Quote:
Following the recent VAT rate cut, we’re pleased to confirm that you’ll be paying the reduced rate of 15% from 1 February 2009. So you’ll start seeing the savings on your February bill.
a goodwill gesture
We’re sorry about the delay getting back to you concerning the savings incurred from 1 December 2008 to 31 January 2009. Because of the administration involved it’s proving difficult to credit every customer account with an accurate amount.
The individual sums are relatively small at around 50p per customer, but it would be wholly inappropriate for us to keep hold of those amounts. That’s why we intend to donate the grand total to charity. The lump sum saved by thousands of Orange broadband customers up until 31 January 2009 will make a real difference to UNICEF UK’s Children’s Emergency Fund, our charity partner since 2004. We hope you agree.
a deserving cause
UNICEF are delighted to be the benefactors and it will help them continue to provide essential support and relief to children in crisis. You can find out more here.
We hope you’ll be pleased to be involved with this positive start to the New Year. Of course, if you have any questions, just give us a call on 0844 873 8586 from 7am to 11pm any day of the week.
Orange Customer Support
Now, far be it from me to disagree with them that it's a worthy cause, but as this money is technically ours, shouldn't we have had a say in where it goes?
Had this even been an "opt-out option", they would have been acting more responsibly. The VAT reduction is supposed to encourage consumer spending and it's hard to do that if companies decide to give our money away. It strikes me that they've taken the charity route as it both shows they are not retaining the money whilst saving them the supposed "hassle" of discounting everyone's bills retrospectively. And by giving the money to charity they hope to discourage their customers from claiming what they have a right to.
As so often with complaints, it's less about the actual event than the principle.
(As for the "Admin difficulty" involved, how hard can it be to apply the same percentage discount to all bills?)
I have written saying i want my money back. Its not for Orange to decide what to do with our money. I feel we have been messed about and told things they clearly cannot meet for long enough.
I actually agree with the post above. It is not for Orange to dictate to us that monies rightly due to us are paid to Charities.
I am also going to ask the question ...
Come December 1 2009, when the VAT reverts to 17.5%, (Or the 18% that has been previously swept away under the carpet), will Orange encounter the same problems in putting the prices back up?
I suspect they will not.
Rather than give the monies to charity I want it back to recover the costs, in part, of calls I have had to make to the useless outside UK customer services.
Let us know their response. I can't see it being legal for them to refuse your request but who knows...
I got this stupid response Why dont they get straight to the point
They ve got my email address and accounts details
ARGHHH!!
Hello
Thank you for your email.
We would like to help you but we need more information before we apply refund.
Please note that we always respect the privacy of your personal information but we do need to undertake some quick security checks for reasons under the Data Protection Act (DPA).
Please provide the following pieces of information:
Your full name provided at the time of registration.
Let us know their response. I can't see it being legal for them to refuse your request but who knows...
I got this stupid response Why dont they get straight to the point
They ve got my email address and accounts details
ARGHHH!!
Hello
Thank you for your email.
We would like to help you but we need more information before we apply refund.
Please note that we always respect the privacy of your personal information but we do need to undertake some quick security checks for reasons under the Data Protection Act (DPA).
Please provide the following pieces of information:
Your full name provided at the time of registration.
Your telephone number from which you dial into the Internet
Your date of birth
Your postcode
1st and 3rd characters of your password
The refund once applied would reflect in your next bill.
As soon as we hear back from you we can sort your problem out.
If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us again.
Kind Regards,
Shane
Broadband Support
REF:WOOBB
The same response I received ...
I question why they needed all this information as I was clearly e-mailing using an account registered with Orange, who if they got off their lazy asses, could quite easily find.
I question why they needed all this information as I was clearly e-mailing using an account registered with Orange, who if they got off their lazy asses, could quite easily find.
They clearly stated why they wanted to know your personal information, emailing from an Orange account does not mean that you are the account owner. Surely you should be aware of the DPA by now?!
If Orange was to let someone else access your account im sure you'd be the first to complain!
I question why they needed all this information as I was clearly e-mailing using an account registered with Orange, who if they got off their lazy asses, could quite easily find.
They clearly stated why they wanted to know your personal information, emailing from an Orange account does not mean that you are the account owner. Surely you should be aware of the DPA by now?!
If Orange was to let someone else access your account im sure you'd be the first to complain!
I am fully aware of the DPA and with respect, I am hardly going to be able to apply for a refund on any account other than my own. After pointing the above out to them, they have in fact acknowledged receipt of my e-mail and have escalated it to the appropriate department.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
