But WHY are you leaving Orange?

Well, seeing as so many have asked, I'll tell you.

When I first joined Orange, not too long after they started out, they were fresh, innovative and actually cared about customers and giving you a good customer experience.

Sadly, this in my experience is no longer the case.

I had a number with Orange for nearly 10 years and had a spot of health & money trouble about 6 years ago. Orange told me they were happy to wait for payment until we had sold our business.

When the time came, I called Orange, paid the less than £200 bill and asked to be reconnected. In no uncertain terms I was told that my number was no longer available and they would only give me a PAYG.

I carried on with the PAYG for 3 years and then converted to a pay monthly contract. After a few months, I added a phone for my wife and then earlier this year took an iPad on a special offer as my wife found that easier to use than a netbook.

Lately, I have had nothing but problems.

About 6 months ago, I grew bored of my HTC Hero and bought an LG Optimus 7. I called Orange to cancel my (expensive) Orange care and let them know I had a new phone. All hunky dory, I was assured by the bloke on the other end, I've updated your account.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I went to use my phone & found "INVALID SIM" on the screen. I called Orange & go through to a bloke in India who insisted for the next 40 minutes I was still using an HTC Hero and asked me to try my simcard in another Orange phone. I tried the sim in my Sons phone only for him to get the same message.

When I put my sons card back in his phone, his too gave an Invalid Sim message...At this point I started to lose my temper.

He wouldnt listen to a word I was saying & wanted to charge me for delivering me two new sims the following day. I was not prepared to have to pay for two when one had been working until he asked me to remove it.

After a while, he rather rudely put the phone down. I can honestly put my hand on my heart & say I didn't swear or become rude with him, just upset he wouldn't listen to a work I was saying, something that I have found to be all too common with Orange's overseas call centres these days.

In the end, my wife called back, because he had not made it clear as to whether he was or was not sending out my new sim cards...In between, I wrote (and sent) the following email:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From: Andie Riley [mailto:andie99uk@gmail.com]
Sent: 06 August 2011 21:16
To: 'customer.services@orange.co.uk'
Subject: a/c

This is the 2^nd time I have had to resort to an Email to Orange this week.

About an hour ago, my phone started to say “Invalid sim”. I took it out, gave it a wipe & put it back in.

No change, so I called what you laughingly call customer services. Your wallah in India asked me to try the card in another phone. I put the sim in my sons phone & tried it in there to no avail. When I put my sons sim back into his phone, this also says invalid sim.

After being told that you wouldn’t be charging me for delivering a new sim (Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO very much for that) your bloke decided that he had had enough of the call & put the phone down.

My wife is currently trying to get another idiot in India to understand what has gone wrong & is getting no further than I did.

By the time you lot actually get around to actually reading this, I will have paid up MY number & gone elsewhere.

Your service is abysmal, from top to bottom. I remember when Orange was THE phone firm to be with as you were innovative & actually cared about customers.

Sadly, this is no longer the case.

At the earliest chance, I will also pay off my iPad & wifes phone number.

Yours

Andie Riley

___________________________________________________________________

The first email had been in regard to an app for Orange Windows 7 phones which allows you to keep track of your usage. I had been told (again, foreign call centre) that it was possible for my wife to see her usage on her phone whilst I saw my usage on mine. I was told that if I waited 24 hours, this would indeed be possible and duly waited, tried and failed...

Only to be told that the information given to me was absolute tosh...

The following day, I received this from "Andrea" in Customer Services:

-----Original Message-----
From: customer.services@orange.co.uk [mailto:customer.services@orange.co.uk]
Sent: 07 August 2011 12:49
To: andie99uk@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Case

Dear Mr Riley

Thank you for your email.

We are sorry to hear your views regarding our service.

Although we are happy to help you on this occasion, please refrain from the use of offensive content when contacting us again.

According to our records this query has now been dealt with.

We will not respond to offensive comments in future.

Kind regards

Andrea

Orange Online Services

I wrote back asking to know which "offensive" language Andrea was referring to and asking for an apology.

After a week, I had no reply, so forwarded the mail to both Customer Services AND Oranges Exec office.

Again, no reply.

I contacted a legal firm as I felt I had been defamed by this Andrea and her accusation. Once I pointed out to the Exec office that I had been in touch with a firm, they responded with undue haste asking me to call customer service again and to escalate the complaint through a manger there.

As requested, earlier today, I spoke to Customer Service, told the bloke on the phone what the problem was and he said I will put you through to a manager.

He put me through to someone in Retentions.

She put me onto HER manager.

HE said he couldn't see the emails, and couldn't understand why I had been passed through to his department, but did find out Andrea's surname along with both her managers names (How bad must someone be at a job to need 2 managers?) and he would ask them to call me within 48 hours to sort this out as he felt for Orange to lose a customer over this was a waste.

To his credit, he seemed to know what he was talking about and promised to call me himself on Thursday just to make sure I had had a call & received my apology.

So, here I am waiting for that call which I know will never come.

Even with an apology, I cannot see the customer service levels at Orange improving and am going to get a PAC code & go elsewhere, either later this week or in January when the contract actually ends.

I admit, the mail I sent is sarcastic, perhaps overly, but to suddenly have 2 phones out of action and for the customer service to be so awful means I don't feel I could trust them ever again...

If someone working for Orange said good morning, I would have to call the speaking clock to make sure it was still morning.

UPDATE

Well, I waited & waited, left a couple of messages for the upgrades Manager (Richard Grundy) to do as he had said he would & call me back, all to no avail.

I found a lovely HTC Sensation for free with T-Mobile & it only cost me £35 to get out of my Orange contract. I now get unlimited internet, 600 any network minutes and a few other bits n bobs.

Not only have Orange now lost me, but I will forever more bug friends & family to leave, as well as using my Show to rubbish their customer services at every opportunity.

Orange REALLY were a great firm, but they have lost their way somewhat customer service wise over the last few years.

They really dont give a flying fig about the customer & just want to screw you for as much as possible...

Shame really.

___________________________________________________________________

Today I sent the following complaint by Fax to Orange:

Andie Riley

A/C No.

Sir,

On the 6^th August, I sent the following email to customer Services:

From: Andie Riley [mailto:andie99uk@gmail.com]
Sent: 06 August 2011 21:16
To: 'customer.services@orange.co.uk'
Subject: a/c 56506048

This is the 2^nd time I have had to resort to an Email to Orange this week.

About an hour ago, my phone started to say “Invalid sim”. I took it out, gave it a wipe & put it back in.

No change, so I called what you laughingly call customer services. Your wallah in India asked me to try the card in another phone. I put the sim in my sons phone & tried it in there to no avail. When I put my sons sim back into his phone, this also says invalid sim.

After being told that you wouldn’t be charging me for delivering a new sim (Thank you SOOOOOOOOOOOOO very much for that) your bloke decided that he had had enough of the call & put the phone down.

My wife is currently trying to get another idiot in India to understand what has gone wrong & is getting no further than I did.

By the time you lot actually get around to actually reading this, I will have paid up MY number & gone elsewhere.

Your service is abysmal, from top to bottom. I remember when Orange was THE phone firm to be with as you were innovative & actually cared about customers.

Sadly, this is no longer the case.

At the earliest chance, I will also pay off my iPad & wifes phone number. I will also be taking to the airwaves on my radio show to tell my listeners just how bad your customer service really is…

Yours,

Leaving

Andie Riley

Much to my surprise, I received a reply the following day from someone named “Andrea” accusing me of using offensive language and advising me that if I did so again, Customer Services would not deal with me:

-----Original Message-----

From: customer.services@orange.co.uk [mailto:customer.services@orange.co.uk]

Sent: 07 August 2011 12:49

To: andie99uk@gmail.com

Subject: Re: Case 15589653 a/c 56506048

Dear Mr Riley

Thank you for your email.

We are sorry to hear your views regarding our service.

Although we are happy to help you on this occasion, please refrain from the use of offensive content when contacting us again.

According to our records this query has now been dealt with.

We will not respond to offensive comments in future.

Kind regards

Andrea

Orange Online Services

Now, having shown this to a number of people, not one of them seems to be able (like myself) to find any offensive language in the email.

I duly replied asking for an apology, as I had not used any offensive language & feel defamed by your staff’s accusation that I have done so.

When I received no reply, I called and ended up speaking to a Richard Grundy in your upgrades department, who assured me he would contact Andreas managers and get them to call me with an apology, Either way, He himself would call me back on Thursday the 18^th to make sure this had all happened.

So far, I have not heard from him or the other managers he said he would call.

This is why I have now decided to leave Orange.

Your customer service stinks. Your staff no longer seem to care about customers and treat them like rubbish. I have had times calling you and waited for 10 minutes only to have the phone put down when connected.

I have been lied to, defamed & would like a written apology before I take legal action against Andrea and then against Orange for allowing its systems to be used to carry out the defamation.

I still have 2 lines with Orange, and at the first chance I get I will also be cancelling those contracts.

In the meantime, I have written an online blog outlining just how badly I have been treat and encouraging others to share their Orange customer service nightmares. I will also be taking the opportunity of making an a radio show for the station I work for asking for customers opinions on Customer service, specifically those problems with mobile phone firms and giving them my experience as an example.

I look forward to a written reply within 10 days

Yours

Andie Riley