Orange Broadband Sucks
After 3 weeks of fighting over the phone, I’ve finally sorted out an internet connection with Orange Broadband. Below is a letter I sent to their customer services department.
Read what other people think of Orange Broadband.
Orange Customer Care
PO BOX 486
Rotherham
south Yorkshire
S62 5ZX
RE: Disgusting level of service
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to recount to you the 3 week nightmare that I had to endure whilst trying to make use of the broadband special offer I received when I upgraded my account from pay-as-you-go to an 18 month contract.
On Friday 16th February I called Orange broadband support (dialling 150) from my Orange mobile phone (xxxxx xxx xxx). I spoke to an overseas call centre agent who went through a few details with me but sadly couldn’t help as I was not sitting at my PC at home, I decided to call again when I would return home from work that evening.
Friday evening I sat down again, this time in front of my PC, armed with all the necessary cables and paperwork. This time when I phoned support I was transferred to a local call centre in the north of England. The agent was extremely helpful, telling me how to bypass the irritating and useless installation CD and setting up the connection profile on my PC – so that I could see the LiveBox.
The same call centre agent was also able to get me onto the Internet! There I was, 30 minutes later surfing happily away on a speedy line.
The next day (Saturday 17th Feb) the line was dead. I was disconnected from the Internet. The errors I received were either PPP server down or Invalid ADSL authentication.
Like my father’s BT wireless box, a quick reboot (pulling the power out of the back for 30 seconds) usually does the trick. 30 seconds later, nothing – still no connection. I decided that the line was down elsewhere and had nothing to do with me (I’ve read about Orange’s bad levels of service in the papers recently) so I left the house and ran a few errands.
That evening, my connection was still down so I phoned 150 again, and was put on hold for 18 minutes. Eventually someone answered, this time the call centre was situated somewhere overseas. After all the cursory questions about security were answered I was taken through the set up process again just to make sure that everything was right on my side. It was. They suggested that I wait one hour and call back again if the line wasn’t up.
I waited one hour and then phoned again, after yet another 18 minute wait I was connected to another overseas call centre. I had to explain everything again and then go through all the steps again. Still nothing, no Internet. I was told to wait 24 hours. I asked why and was told that the ‘Orange servers in the UK were down’.
I phoned again on Monday (19th February) after checking and rebooting everything myself – I was getting quite good at it now. Instead of coming home, putting the kettle on and kicking off my shoes, I was coming home, rebooting the Orange LiveBox and pulling my hair out.
Monday’s call was the same as before, reboot, retry and wait another 24 hours. In case you’re wondering, the waiting time and the reboot process with a call centre agent takes around 40 minutes, and that’s including the minimum15 minute wait on hold.
On Tuesday (20th February) we phoned again, yes, ‘we’. The waiting times were now so long that we would both phone at the same time on two different mobiles to see if it made a difference. It doesn’t by the way. I was simply disconnected after 20 minutes, and Anna went on to win the call centre race. We were speaking to a local call centre agent now. After going through the reboot process yet again we still arrived at the same result. No Internet.
I lost my temper a little so they looked a little harder into the problem, they suggested a line test, I suggested that perhaps the actual cable from the Orange LiveBox and the telephone line is broken. Who knows? Either way, I have to wait 48 hours for a line test to go through!
Wednesday (21st February) day time Anna phones – she tries her luck. Guess what she finds out! Our account hasn’t even been enabled for broadband! This has something to do with a flagging issue and pay-as-you-go. No matter how many times we rebooted the Orange LiveBox it wouldn’t have made the slightest bit of difference! Why didn’t the call centre agents tell me that my account wasn’t ready for broadband, why did they waste my time for a week?
So, she asks for it to be enabled and they do so, this will take a full 5 working days!
Thursday (22nd February) day time I phone to see if the line test went through. I quickly get through (phoning in the afternoon had the added advantage of low waiting times, but the disadvantage of not being with my PC). I was told that it was impossible to order a line test as our account was not enabled! I hang up on the call centre agent an phone Orange Customer Service, my call is quickly answered and I’m told that our line was never activated and it will take 5 working days to do so.
At this point were are actually being told different stories, amusingly we compare notes after each call and laugh at how the Orange call centre agents offer differing theories as to why we still cannot connect to the internet.
I actually had to argue with one Orange call centre agent that we were in fact disconnected from the Internet (she thought we were connected). Eventually she agreed with me, and realising her error, apologised.
Friday (2nd March), after a five full working days pass I phone again. The account still hasn’t been activated. The orange call centre team are still waiting to hear back from another team who control the approval process.
It was at this point I asked for your address. I actually wanted your telephone number but apparently complaints cannot be vented verbally.
I continued to talk to the agent and was informed that we were ‘by no means a one in a million case, this sort of thing happens all the time to people who upgrade from pay-as-you-go to full contracts’.
Still no line on Saturday 3rd March – 16 days later . We phone account services and wait in a call queue for just over an hour. I hang up.
A few hours later the same day we were connected.
Never before, in my entire life, in any of the countries I have lived in, have I ever received such disgusting service.
Each time we called we asked the agent to give us some feedback as they were never able to contact the relevant service team at the time of our call. we requested a simple text/email/phone call saying that either they were working on the problem or there was nothing to do but to wait the 5 working days. Each time we were promised feedback from the various agents but not once did we receive anything. that lack of ‘promised’ communication just added to the frustration.
If you had simply enabled my account correctly from the beginning this wouldn’t have happened. If you had told me that my account would take 16 days to enable I would have been disappointed but, I wouldn’t have wasted all that time trying to figure out, along with your call centre agents, why my account was ‘broken’.
I expect all calls to your call centre numbers both your account servicing team and your broadband servicing team to be reversed from these accounts for the period of February and March as mentioned in this letter.
xxxxx xxx xxx
xxxxx xxx xxx
I also expect a full explanation as to why I had to waste my time for almost 3 weeks trying to re-connect to the internet when my account wasn’t set up correctly, by your staff, in the first place. I also expect to be told why I was able to connect to the Internet 3 weeks ago and then not again until the 3rd March.
Orange has left a bad taste in my mouth.
Matthew Bowden
April 1st, 2007 at 2:30 pm
It is so refreshing to hear someone else, with the same problems as I have been experiencing this month. I have only just come back online after dealing with rude and surly staff. It seems none of them seem to ’sing from the same hymn sheet’. And when you tell them this, they seem completely disinterested.
I have written a similar letter to Orange. I hope we get some kind of result!
April 6th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I finally received an apology letter from Orange about 3 days ago. They are sorry for the service I received and have offered me £10 compensation.
I’m glad they responded but I certainly will not renew my connection with Orange Broadband.
I wonder how many of these letters they’ve had to send out. Now that would be an interesting statistic.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Exactly.
Orange Sucks.
Useless.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I have just had the pleasure of orange customer services and tech help for the last 3 weeks i now have patches missing from my hair, past from one to another and neither having a clue to why i had no broadband ive been lied too even cut off when asked to speak to a superviser and god knows how much in phone calls wish me luck IM off to try and get some sort of compensation out of them(wont hold my breath tho)
May 3rd, 2007 at 3:22 pm
orange sucks. you should ditch them.
i’ve lost my internet connection (ppp server login error), and the muppets in non-technical “tech support” keep fobbing me off with imaginary “line tests”. i’ve had enough - cancelled my direct debit. they can go jump if they go after me for the rest of the 12 month contract. in fact it is ORANGE who are breaching the contract by not providing me with an adequate service.
utterly f***king useless - a complete and utter joke.
by the way - a ppp server login error means just two things - either the cabling at the exchange is screwed, or their Radius server doesnt recognise my PPP account. its got bugger all to do with the state of your line…its an Exchange issue
i hope Ofcom revoke their telecoms license.
May 11th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
sorry to hear about all your problems just thought you might like to know about http://www.orangeproblems.co.uk
if you have a browse around there you will find your not alone and that your all suffering/have suffered the usual orange run around.
Its a shame that Orange support is so shite, once you get the service up and running its fine. I expierenced the same run around you have all described above when I subscribed. The fault was PPP server down and it took x3 weeks to resolve and only after I had threatened to cancel the contract (including my mobile) and obtained an ISPA complaint referance number was I fortunate enough to get to talk to a UK based techie who knew what he was doing. He manged to diagnose the problem and had it resolved within 24 hours.
It’s only my opinion if you get put through to the non-UK call centre your wasting your time.
Best of luck
May 16th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Somehow hearing all this doesn’t reassure me at all… I just got connected last week after 2 MONTHS of waiting. I lost my connection for the last weekend though(”Large number of households in 0207 and 0208 areas are experiencing problems with their connection.”), got it back yesterday and will lose it again today. How do I know? The problem started the very day my broadband connection was installed in the beginning of March. The debit was very low and my BT line stopped from working alltogether. I reported the fault to BT, they contacted Orange who hadn’t provided them with the necessary broadband equipment and gave them 48 hours to respond. No response, BT line back, broadband off. Have been calling Orange tech support ever since. They managed to reinstall my broadband after 7 weeks, just to cut my BT lne again. BT recontacted them and finally this morning I managed to get through someone in Orange UK who “I’m afraid cannot resolve this problem because I am not technically trainied myself but will find someone who will look into this matter”. We’re in the point zero again, BT will cut my broadband to make their line work and I will just go and explode the Orange head office.
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I am having the same problems in Winsford, have managed to achieve a download speed of 37.5Kbps this last week, have been cut off and hardly had any service from Orange, have rang consistently over the last 2 weeks given advice it will be ok in 24 hours,48hours, 5 days and also end of month, each time they say remove cookies, history, unplug USB to other peripherals, unplug telephone from Sky and all other telephones in house, have explained to them that connection is to master socket from BT, had line reinstalled by BT and checked that it is operating OK, I have spoken to Orange cust services and told them that I require a refund due to not having this service as per our agreement
As you can see I am a little cheesed of at orange if Ican i will be cancelling my contract.
Mike
July 9th, 2007 at 11:54 am
I have been messed around by Orange for the last 2 weeks with promises that my broadband will be up and running within 24 hours. After 2 weeks of no joy I have now cancelled my BB account and moved to another ISP.
Over the 2 week period I must have spoken to 20 different “Customer Service” (I use the term very loosly) operators without getting the same story twice.
To compound matters Orange then messed up on the MAC code so I will now have to wait 10 days before I can be reconnected to my new ISP.
In the end it was worth the downtime not to have to deal with Orange anymore.
I suggest that you all vote with your feet (Or mice) and move away from Orange. It seeks to be the only language that they understand.
July 17th, 2007 at 9:49 am
server has been down for 3 days 13th 17th July rang helpline? pressed 1 and it just went in a loop at 7.5 pence per minute Ive had no problems for 6 months but will end contract
July 20th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Mike in Winsford I can fully understand and sympathise with your situation. I’m close to your area and have been experiencing problems since Orange “upgraded” my connection in May to “up to 7.5 Meg”. What makes it even more frustrating is that I never had any problems before the so called “upgrade” took place, with either Freeserve or Wanadoo.
I’ve made numerous phone calls to Technical Support and sent numerous emails to Customer Support all of which have been fruitless. I also emailed eric.abensur on 6th July with my story and heard nothing until Monday 16th July when a person from a department called Escalations phoned me and said he would do his utmost to sort the problems I am experiencing with both poor connection speeds and being unable to send emails via Outlook Express. He said he would investigate further and phone me back on Wednesday 18th, and we agreed that after 18:00 hrs would be the best time. However, when I arrived home Wednesday afternoon there was a message on the answerphone timed at 16:30 in which he had left his contact number and extension number. I rang the number twice last night and on both occasions was told that the extension number he gave me does not exist and that they had never heard of this person anyway.
I am at my wits end and although it would appear that they have tied me into another 12 month contract as they offered me 6 free months by way of compensation (ha!) and £9.99 per month thereafter (not that they mentioned it at the time mind you) I have decided even if I’m forced to pay for the six months, I’ve had enough and I’m getting out. I really don’t know how I’ve stuck it this long….it’s a joke.
If, and it’s a big “IF” I hear anything over the weekend I’ll keep you informed.
Me2
July 29th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
On a much smaller scale than your Orange problems, I suffered the following incompetence from Orange broadband:
Dates: late June 2007 - July 2007
Orange sent me this e-mail:
> Just as a reminder, here are your details to get online.
> You’ll probably need them again so keep them safe:
>
> Your username: xxxxxxxx.orangehome.co.uk@fs
>
> Your email address: yyyyy@xxxxxxx.orangehome.co.uk
>
> Your password: an 18 character alpha-numeric code
>
> Don’t forget that your 30 day trial starts today.
I followed the instructions implicitly. I work in IT.
I could not log on: invalid username or password (”username/password is invalid on the domain” or something like that as the error message.
I kept retrying the username and password - I’d copied it from the e-mail so it had to be exact.
I called Orange on 150 on my mobile — I’m not paying that 50p per min line — and got through to broadband.
We got to the outcome that my broadband password was _______. I said, no, that’s my Orange call centre password. It was set via the Orange call centre the day that I received my Orange contract mobile phone.
In contrast, the e-mail from Orange (”Your [broadband] password:”) wasn’t sent to me for another THREE weeks later.
It turns out that:
- the call centre password doubles up as the broadband dialer’s log-on password
- the e-mail (which Orange sent me THREE weeks after I set the the call centre password) was completely wrong and misleading. That wasn’t the password at all.
- a minor point, but the call centre password amusingly defaults to being in UPPERCASE despite me not being asked case when I set the password (clearly, on a call centre when they ask you fourth letter of your password you say “x” - you don’t say “Capital X” or “Lowercase X”. But this becomes an issue when you type the password in for broadband). They never said “you’ll need to use this for a computer as well, by the way”.
Totally misleading - wasted many hours and meant I was a day without broadband.
July 30th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
uhm.. could to tell me which ISP you would rather use, cos I am REALLY having trouble here! They all have someone badmouthing them!
August 12th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
had no orange broadband for 3 weeks now - lots of phone calls and line tests etc. - orange have finally decided (at last) to check the server which we are connected to, but only because I took my pc/cables/routers & filters to mother-in-laws (also on orange) and connected without any problems (to my account)- wish I had thought of doing that 3 weeks ago……
August 15th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Hi all … I’m down in Cornwall, and have not had internet for over 3 weeks now. One minute it was working fine, and then gone the next and it has not returned since. All I keep getting is the ADSL is invalid. I have had many many many disconnects right from the first time I connected (loosely used word) to Orange. After in excess of 50 calls to Orange, and many arguments - my case has been ‘escalated’ although I had thought that they did that a couple of weeks ago. Anyway, apparently it is to do with the server, but they will not give me any time scales on when I may be back on line. So, I have pushed for a MAC code with NO cancellation charges … seems to be the only solution. Good luck to anybody else with the same problems.
It seems that none of their departments seem to talk to each other, as every time I telephoned them, they had a different slant on my ‘problem’. They even sent around a BT engineer to check that everything was working my end … of course it was - and didn’t he have a few things to say about Orange lol.
August 23rd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
So i’m not alone!!!
God i was going mad - i must have made 25 calls to Orange.
Since i moved address i’ve had no connection at all. They originally told me that me version of windows xp was corrupt. So what did i do? I went and bought a laptop with vista on it and guess what? Still the same. So many line tests -so many esculations -so many ring back in 48 hours - so many sorry cant help you, but i can i put you through to the sub-continent and you can talk to a muppet time after time after time , who insist on putting you through the same diagnostic test. i’m off to BT i’ve asked for the migration code - lets hope they can do that right.
September 11th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Ive been without my broadband for about 8 weeks now (invalid adsl authetication). Ive had all the same answers as you , in total i have have had 11 line tests ,reset to factory settings about 40 times ,1 bt engineer, the problem has been sent to the escalations dept. twice and i lost track of the number of times “an engineer will call you in the next 48 hours” . Prior to this problem i had no problems with my orange internet going back to when i first joined when they were still called freeserve
October 18th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
if you think orange broadband is bad you should try using an orange data card for your laptop.
they seem to seriously underestimate the package you will need selling you a lower cost one than you need and then having got you commited charging far more than you are expecting to have to pay
the orange software had to be replaced by me with the original sierra wireless software. a full day job
the sim card failed and was eventually replaced after hours of wasted time on the phone to orange.
orange staff are mostly a waste of space. there are some who try to do their best but are beaten by the orange system
so called managers are breathtakingly arrogant and all through the sorry 3 month episode i paid them lots of money for a nearly useless card which takes AGES to load any web page or email page, i got indifferent inaccurate contemptuous treatment.
i advise you to stay well clear of data cards
dismal customer service even ranking below bt.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Orange Broadband is totally shit. Not had connection for over 3 weeks and must have spent at least 3 hours talking to various people at what they call technical support. Have just moved away from Orange and gone with another supplier.
Keep well away from Orange!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 7th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Orange - probably the worst company I have every dealt with!
I cannot believe anyone would want to work for them!
I cannot believe they are still aloud to operate their terrible service.
I have expereiced all the above!
February 17th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
ORange stands for worse company ever….
I dont still believe that this company is still existing with such a poor service.. i Had m internet disconected for about 1 month that is 30 days or 720 hrs with out internet…and every single day i had to call orange for relevant answer why i was disconected first asking a detail about us and wasting 18 mins plus keeping us on hold and at end givin
the answer that they dont know the asnwer call after 5 days
that sucks
February 21st, 2008 at 2:57 am
It’s not only Orange customers who have these kind of problems. I have friends who have had the same problems with BT internet, Talk Talk, Yahoo. AOL and Virgin. It’s an industry problem. Some people never have any problem whilst some have nothing but trouble with their particular company.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:30 am
I’ve only had personal experience with BT and Orange. BT’s customer service has been excellent, on two separate accounts. And one very in depth query, where I had to reinstall my wireless driver. I must have been on the phone for 30 minutes talking to this guy – he was very patient.
I would like to hear from those of you who have had poor service in this market.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:27 am
All of the above. Their service is absolutely ridiculous. I have requested my MAC code ater 32 days without Internet. I will be ending my mobile phone contract with them as well. It is not only the fact that i didnt have internet, much more am i leaving because of their awful customer service. All they do is read through a protocol, promise you that you will be back online and then just deal with the next dissatisfied customer in the same way.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I am also having the sam eproblem but not with broadband. The problem is with talk service. The call center says that the matter is escalated and will be sorted out in 3 to 5 working days but it is been three weeks. I must have made 150 calls to orange customer support but no solution. Never experienced such a bad customer service. They won’t let me canceal as well. They said I have to pay the calcealation charge of 320 pounds. Just regretting only. Anyone have any idea, how can I avoid teh cancelation charge?
May 20th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Without parallel, Orange are the worst company I have ever dealt with. I,m genuinely surprised that they still have a licence as a service provider. I won’t go in to the history of faults, it would take hours, but just some advice. As everyone will know each time you call technical support, you go through the same process of having to begin from scratch. They never seem to have details of previous calls. I only deal with customer services now and I demand a return call, (can you believe they dont normally agree to this!). Take a name and write to the Managing Director of Orange and the TV programme Watchdog. If enough of us do this maybe something will change.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Absolutely agree. Appalling level of service.
I signed up for Orange Home Max 7 months ago. I found out two months ago that my landline stopped working. It turns out that Orange hadn’t taken over my landline and now, 7 months on, they still haven’t. Those cheeky bastards have been happily debiting my account for a service that they haven’t been providing. To compound things, my second land hasn’t been working all this time either.
They have offered no apologies and haven’t been in a rush to fix things. Why? Because we’re tied into a contract and have to pay no matter what and it’s not in their interest to do so.
STAY AWAY FROM ORANGE
June 27th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
ORANGE BROADBAND SUCKS ! I signedup for orange home max on 10th of june , a week later received my live box and email saying that i am ready to go . l started my livebox Connected all wire according to manual saw nothing going on called the customer service explained them the problem . they told me to reset the Livebox and l did, Nothing changed.l called again the customer service Alas! their hand don’t reach to england coz they are located in india..All they said reset your live box , thaat’s waht they can do ..
I REQUEST ALL NEW BROADBAND SUBSCRIBER TO STAY AWAY FROM ORANGE, WHY ? IF YOU HAVE ANY LINE PROBLEM YOU WON’T GET TECHNICAL SUPPORT FROM ORANGE . THEY REMAIN SILENT
ON FORUM THOSE WHO SAY ,”I AM HAPPY WITH ORANGE ,HAVE BEEN USING ORANGE FOR A YEAR ” THEY ARE THE MOUTH PIECE OF ORANGE MARKETING PEOPLE .THEY ARE LIAR
I AM CRYING WITH ORANGE , HOPE YOU DON’T WANNA CRY
HOW MANY VAN HAVE YOU SEEN ON RAOD, WRITTEN ORANGE TECHNICAL SUPPORT?
I HAVE SEEN MANY BT AND VIRGIN
July 6th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Absolutely shocking, we have been capped for downloading too much but no one seems to be able to tell me how much i have down loaded. We have been payng for 8meg download speed and have been recieveing 0.54 for the past 6 months and no one in any country has any idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Infuriating
November 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I just called Orange today because I was waiting for my livebox to turn up and after 3 weeks thought something was wrong…
Having called the customer services and ‘passed’ around 4 different people it turns out that they “cancelled” my order without telling me…
They claimed I couldn’t order it because I already had broadband (from BT) on the line… I reminded them I had supplied the MAC code from BT - they seemed to have ‘lost’ that.
After being passed from various people, departments and being asked everytime “how are today?” I got rather annoyed.
I have now had to reorder and now wait another 10 days for the livebox to arrive.
I asked for the customer comaplaints address as the service is appalling!
After reading this forum I am regretting my decision to move from BT to Orange!!
I shall give them 10 days, will also write a letter - the address is:
Orange Customer Care
Po Box 486
Rotherham
S63 5ZX