Orange

[GlesgaeHibby]

I'm 16 months into an 18 month contract, and as such got told I'd be eligible for an upgrade. Went online to look, was happy to add the remaining 2 months to my new 18month contract keeping the same plan, but got told I'd have to pay £117 for the phone I wanted even though it's free to new customers on the same plan.

I phoned them up, told them it was crazy, and asked how they expected to retain customers and got transferred through to a guy at customer services who has lowered my price plan and gave me the phone upgrade for free.

To my mind thats how they should be rewarding every customers loyalty. And another bonus was the fact that it wasn't an Indian call centre. UK based.

[Woody1985]

Towards the end of every contract I've had I've always given 30 days notice in the last month as you always get better deals elsewhere than the retention products.

I generally always ended up with o2 anyway and have only been to Orange and T-Mobile for one year each out of the last 7. This year I moved onto the o2 simplicity plan for £20 a month, 30 day rolling contract for 600 mins and unlimited texts. This is because I am happy with a £40 phone just now (Samsung J700) and the fact everyone wants you to tie into 18 month deals.

[col02]

I currently have 3 months left on my contract with 3 and as such i am entitled to an upgrade so phoned them yesterday to be told what phones i was going to be offered. Currently have a Nokia N95 8GB so be after a similiar spec phone thinking i would be rewarded with a good deal for being a loyal customer instead would have to pay more for the N96 which is a phone i am not that keen on. Think i will wait till my contract is up and move to a new service provider as that is where the companies up their game i feel in offering new customers incentives to join them. Sadly the same applies to most companies like SKY or Virgin media. You would think they would work harder to keep existing customers rather than trying so hard to entice new one's.

[Woody1985]

One thing to bare in mind when cancelling your contract, especially with Orange, is write down the date and time when you called them and the name of the person you spoke you. I called them to put the notice on my contract and then called a couple of weeks later to make sure they had done it by asking for the date of my last bill and they said they didn't have a record of that on the account and I would have to give another 30 days notice.

I gave them the information of when I called, explained I called them from my Orange mobile, the number I called along with a rough time. They said there were no records kept of calls to them, told me that my call probably wasn't recorded and they didn't have any means of listening to recorded calls anyway. :faf: I work in a business support area and supported call recording so I know exactly how easy it is to listen to calls and a company of Orange's size were probably using the same software as mine.

I wrote to them telling them they were getting nothing off me including the last months bill that I was due as part of my contract plus the additional days they were trying to charge me from when I originally called them. They sent me a letter writing it off and apologised for the inconvenience!!!

I'm sure they've also been on the Watchdog program for the exact same tactic used above by saying they have no record of your cancellation notice.

[GlesgaeHibby]

One thing to bare in mind when cancelling your contract, especially with Orange, is write down the date and time when you called them and the name of the person you spoke you. I called them to put the notice on my contract and then called a couple of weeks later to make sure they had done it by asking for the date of my last bill and they said they didn't have a record of that on the account and I would have to give another 30 days notice.

I gave them the information of when I called, explained I called them from my Orange mobile, the number I called along with a rough time. They said there were no records kept of calls to them, told me that my call probably wasn't recorded and they didn't have any means of listening to recorded calls anyway. :faf: I work in a business support area and supported call recording so I know exactly how easy it is to listen to calls and a company of Orange's size were probably using the same software as mine.

I wrote to them telling them they were getting nothing off me including the last months bill that I was due as part of my contract plus the additional days they were trying to charge me from when I originally called them. They sent me a letter writing it off and apologised for the inconvenience!!!

I'm sure they've also been on the Watchdog program for the exact same tactic used above by saying they have no record of your cancellation notice.

Surely when an 18 month contract is up, its up? Why do you have to cancel? Surely you either resign a new contract or leave at the end of that period?

[muz1875]

If you don't do anything when it's up your contract will just continue on a monthly basis, so you have to phone up and cancel it somewhere along the line. My O2 contract finished last month, I wanted the Sony C905 but the contracts O2 were offering were piss poor. Phoned them up last night and told them I was leaving, within a couple of minutes she had offered me the C905 free, unlimited texts, 600 minutes and free mobile internet for less than £25 a month, which pisses all over the other offers I had seen. So good stuff from O2 on one hand but makes you realise how much they're trying to shaft you in the first place.

[bingo70]

Surely when an 18 month contract is up, its up? Why do you have to cancel? Surely you either resign a new contract or leave at the end of that period?

you don't sign an 18 month contract, you sign a minimum term 18 month contract.

[GlesgaeHibby]

If you don't do anything when it's up your contract will just continue on a monthly basis, so you have to phone up and cancel it somewhere along the line. My O2 contract finished last month, I wanted the Sony C905 but the contracts O2 were offering were piss poor. Phoned them up last night and told them I was leaving, within a couple of minutes she had offered me the C905 free, unlimited texts, 600 minutes and free mobile internet for less than £25 a month, which pisses all over the other offers I had seen. So good stuff from O2 on one hand but makes you realise how much they're trying to shaft you in the first place.

Yeah. I was offered the same contract, but had to pay £117 for the phone upgrade. On phoning the guy offered me the phone for free, and he reduced the price of my contract by £10 per month to £20. After only wanting a deal as good as new customers, I've got one even better.

[wpj]

One thing to bare in mind when cancelling your contract, especially with Orange, is write down the date and time when you called them and the name of the person you spoke you. I called them to put the notice on my contract and then called a couple of weeks later to make sure they had done it by asking for the date of my last bill and they said they didn't have a record of that on the account and I would have to give another 30 days notice.

I gave them the information of when I called, explained I called them from my Orange mobile, the number I called along with a rough time. They said there were no records kept of calls to them, told me that my call probably wasn't recorded and they didn't have any means of listening to recorded calls anyway. :faf: I work in a business support area and supported call recording so I know exactly how easy it is to listen to calls and a company of Orange's size were probably using the same software as mine.

I wrote to them telling them they were getting nothing off me including the last months bill that I was due as part of my contract plus the additional days they were trying to charge me from when I originally called them. They sent me a letter writing it off and apologised for the inconvenience!!!

I'm sure they've also been on the Watchdog program for the exact same tactic used above by saying they have no record of your cancellation notice.

T mobile passed me onto a debt collector for the same thing, paid them off just to get rid but it's a total rip off! There seems to be little or no regulation for phone companies and going through message boards you realise they are all at it:grr:

[Woody1985]

T mobile passed me onto a debt collector for the same thing, paid them off just to get rid but it's a total rip off! There seems to be little or no regulation for phone companies and going through message boards you realise they are all at it:grr:

That's the exact reason they do it. They know that people would rather pay £30 than risk their 'credit rating'. ****ing pricks piss me off.

If companies try and bully me with **** like this they get told to GTF. Send some debt collector letter to me for £20/£30 and they get telt to GTF aswell.