Orange don't communicate very well, so I'll ask here

I get occasional emails from 'Orange Better Together', one of their teams who survey customers. They ask what we think about certain things. The last survey was about combined broadband and mobile packages. These have now appeared on the main Orange website and I was interested in finding out more - but seem to be hitting brick walls all the time.

I saw an offer for up to 20Mb unlimited broadband, unlimited calls and so on. £15 to existing customers, plus Orange line rental of £13.50.

That is on a par with what I currently pay Virgin for 10Mb broadband and a home phone line. I have cable TV too, but a free package that I have already replaced with Freeview.

The good news is that I think the package from Orange includes my mobile as well? I only 'think' as there is little mention of what you get. By implication, a landline is included - you have to pay extra line rental for this. A mobile is somewhere in there, as the product offered is called "Broadband and Anytime Mobile Calls".

So I contacted Orange. i sent an email to customer services, to ask more. Initially they said that they could not discuss packages that were part of a survey, but eventually pointed me at the page where those same offered were shown. Beyond that they have not answered my quite specific questions about what I need to do, and what it will cost, to migrate.

I tried the live chat, which says they have friendly advisor's ready to answer questions, but they can't. I have a chat transcript to prove that.

For a communications company, I can't seem to get them to communicate with me!

I was asked to give my landline number, so they could check what services were available in my area. I explained this was a cable number, they then told me I would have to get another landline installed before they could help any further. I had actually asked what the cost of installing a landline would be - they could not answer, they said.

I tried asking about how the minutes offered work out, can you make unlimited UK landline calls on mobile and landline? Likewise the 1000 minutes of calls to mobiles, is that just from my mobile, as it is on my current contract, or will having an Orange landline give me more flexibility?

Here's the curve ball - I'm on Virgin Media right now. I already know that I would need a BT landline. What I want to know is, can Orange do that too, and make it an Orange landline. Nobody can tell me.

Advice given is to contact customer service via email, I've done that. Click the 'chat' box. I've done that. Call 150 - do I sound mad? No, I don't feel like wasting more time going round in circles with that either.

Why can't Orange put things like that on the website?

The reason I'm looking is that it may be more cost effective for me. I'm no longer working, so need to make what savings I can. Yes, the package is a similar price to what I pay Virgin, as I said. The icing on the cake is that it should also include my mobile phone costs? I think. Not sure... It may not be a fortune, but I reckon on around £150 a year saving to be made.

So, what to do now?
1) Give up and try asking another ISP what they can offer
2) Stay with Virgin
3) Buy paracetamol and carry on asking Orange
4) shoot myself...

I;m not sure what you are asking?

It's all on their website, if you care to put a fake # in, as you haven't yet got a landline:

chat for hours with inclusive calls

unlimited Anytime Calls**
inclusive anytime calls to UK mobiles (1000 minutes a month)
inclusive international landline calls to 30 countries

free caller display and optional voicemail

**Fair Use Policy of 1000 minutes p.m. applies. Please read our Home Phone Fair Use Policy here

All inclusive calls are from your landline. The "Anytime Mobile Calls" in the name is referring to calls to mobiles. Your Orange mobile only comes into it to reduce the price by £5.

EDIT: Orange do install landlines: "We need to provide you with a new telephone line. A £60 charge will be applied to your first bill" or you can get one 1st from BT or PO.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Thu 26-Apr-12 00:38:30)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

I;m not sure what you are asking?

But, in your reply, you have explained one major thing that Orange didn't - that it does NOT include my mobile contract, or any of the minutes that uses.

It was initially shown to me as a 'combined' package, with the broadband, landline AND mobile all in the one tariff.

Thank you for explaining in seconds, what Orange have already taken two weeks on - without any explanation like that.

I had also been confused by their talk of needing an Orange landline, where you pay Orange for the line rental. This was not explained as being a BT landline, although I did take it it was the same sort of thing. Without a landline they cannot supply a service of course.

So - to take the £15 package would not be cost effective for me. Now, with the information you gave, I can see that i should really be looking at the very basic £5 package. I hardly use the landline, it's there for what few incoming calls we get, from Virgin in the main.

That then totals a more modest £18.50, with the line rental - and there's the saving I was looking to make. My mobile will be the same as it is now, not included in this new package.

The only drawback is the cost of having a landline put in. I still have a physical wire to the pole, and the main connection box. No dial tone or even a click on the line though.

I know BT have been doing a 'return to us' offer, but I am still reading that Orange will be billing the line rental, if we swap - or is there something else that could complicate this?

You're welcome . It's disgusting Orange could not answer generally, even tho' you have no BTw line; that's the way to lose customers .

In reply to a post by TMCR:

The only drawback is the cost of having a landline put in. I still have a physical wire to the pole, and the main connection box. No dial tone or even a click on the line though.

I know BT have been doing a 'return to us' offer, but I am still reading that Orange will be billing the line rental, if we swap - or is there something else that could complicate this?

See my previous EDIT, but if you have already have an exiting deactivated line they could well reactivate it for free.

If you "Return to BT" it will lock you into a 12/18 month contract. Also consider getting PO to install line if Orange won't reactivate it. They have 1 month contracts, I believe.

EDIT: Go to Orange site and start applying for a package. Put your postcode in only and it will ask for your address. Then see what it says about landline; either it will refuse, say it can reactivate or say to install for £60.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Thu 26-Apr-12 00:55:06)

Thanks again.

For a communications company, they don't communicate very well.

If it wasn't for the fact that Orange are the only ones doing this 'deal', due to my having a Orange mobile already, I wouldn't have stuck with it this far.

I have just tried to start an order, I get as far as the telephone number. It does not offer an alternative of postcode. It won't take my cable number, or the BT number we had 16 years ago. I don't know any others to try.

It sounds like I must call Orange and try to get someone with an ounce of sense to talk to. See what they say about the line etc. I'll also check out the PO and see what they do, it may be that if I get them to reactivate the line they have a cop-out where I have to pay within such a timescale. I don't know until I look.

I am really disappointed in Orange as a company though. I would have hoped that someone could have pointed me in the right direction from the start, not to keep spinning me round as they have!

I've been a mobile customer with them since they started. I had a Motorola MR1 flip, £15 a month and included about 10 minutes of calls back then... The Orange area manager hand delivered it to my place of work and showed me how to use it, that was the sort of service you'll never see again! OK, so I knew his sister, but that's another story!

In reply to a post by TMCR:

I have just tried to start an order, I get as far as the telephone number. It does not offer an alternative of postcode. It won't take my cable number, or the BT number we had 16 years ago. I don't know any others to try.

Leave number blank; just enter postcode. It says:

In reference to broadband.orange.co.uk/home:

No landline?
Just enter your postcode.

Postcode

Ah - different page to the one I was sent to, I used /broadband - no postcode check there. Tried the one you gave me, yep - postcode (and mobile) worked, ID's my address and it says I can have 11.0Mb

Bit by bit I'm getting there, and a sight quicker than asking Orange - Many thanks!

What it say about your landline?

When you think about it, the "Broadband and Anytime Mobile Calls" package cannot include calls from mobiles cuz it's being sold to non-Orange customers at the higher price.