Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8104
Trying to leave Orange......
SWMBO eventually joining the modern age and got her into an iPhone 5s on O2 network for a good deal. Wanted to port her old number over from EE. Easy, says I having done it from Vodaphone to O2 and vice versa a few times over the years.......
She rings 150 on her phone for EE customer services to get a PAC number. Lots of automated menus and sub-menus to go through before they ask for her mobile number. Punch that in. Automated response tells her its not EE (but that's who her contract is with despite taking it on Orange donkey's years ago) but they will transfer her.
Same loads of automated menus on Orange to negotiate and punch number in; "sorry we do not recognises this number.............brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (dead line).
She starts again on the 150/EE number just to get back to the last stage on Orange in-case she put her number in. Same again (this takes about 5-6 minutes each time).
I googles Orange customer services and get a raft of numbers to try. Most end up after 2-3 minutes of not 'recognising' her number and line goes dead.
So I tell her to listen to all the menu options not just get to the "do you want a PAC number/are you thinking of leaving" options. Get some different ones that (eventually) lead to "hold the line while we connect you to an operator" one. They ring for a bit and line seems to 'open', then silence and then line goes dead. Tries this 3-4 times (again all taking a few minutes each time) and she eventually gets to talk to a real person (and it didn't sound like 'Elizabeth' in India either......). They hear her story and tell her they will put her through to the person to deal with this and.......................line goes dead.
SWMBO (not a fan of technology at best of times) is winding herself up over this now as a good 40 minutes have elapsed).
She decides to leave it for the day and try again the next. Similar the next day for another 15-20 minutes. I take over and try yet more variations of the options to get through to somebody - I used "I want to pay my bill" as in 'in' to a real person after negotiating another ten options to pay by phone or online, etc.
Once I, eventually, got to a person and telling them no I don't want a 'free' iPad and no, a price match isn't acceptable, etc. the PAC number was provided in about ten seconds
Rang O2, got a UK person in a matter of a few seconds, few bits of advice about setting some security on her phone as they could see she hadn't set it up yet and it was done. Now just see if it took place in "next 24 hours" like promised.......
Communication companies - one of life's great oxymoron's
3rd Jun 2016 7:54 am
Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4190
Don't want to make it worse.....but I think she may also be disappointed with crossing to O2....missus recently did the same after a row with EE.....had the days of grief trying to migrate.....now on O2 and the coverage is
Calls constantly dropping and phone going straight to answerphone! It's rubbish!
3rd Jun 2016 8:06 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8104
It won't be worse. Chose O2 because it's 'known' network to us and is the best for where we live
3rd Jun 2016 8:14 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73002
Try Tesco. Much cheaper than O2 (got 1000 mins/500 Meg/5000 txt For £7.50) and they piggyback on their network. Never had a problem getting through to a humanoid and what ever needed sorted got sorted.
3rd Jun 2016 8:19 am
Farmer Chalk
Member Since: 07 Mar 2013
Location: Independent Republic of Kentishshire.
Posts: 4190
astonbuilder wrote:
It won't be worse. Chose O2 because it's 'known' network to us and is the best for where we live
Good to hear! Hopefully they will eventually arrive in Sevenoaks properly soon then!
3rd Jun 2016 8:21 am
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15260
Re: Trying to leave Orange......
Could be worse ....... try leaving BT Mobile.
Spent the whole afternoon yesterday on a carousel of multitude BT numbers.
Must've spoken to every nationality on the planet .... even spoke to someone with the personality of a dead person (no doubt "BT employee of the year").
Got absolutely nowhere, so to save time (and my sanity) I wrote to them in Durham.
Will wait to see what response (if any) I get.
BT Mobile (EE) service is cr@p for me .... dropped calls, calls going straight to voicemail etc.
Just wish I wasn't tempted by the £5 per month contract (over my £16 from O2).
Got another iPhone on GiffGaff (O2), so if I ever get free from BT that's where I'll go....... always on the road less travelled 🚧
3rd Jun 2016 8:46 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8193
I have exactly the same problem with EE, every month I Get the "you bill is ready for you to check" message and I have never yet been able ta access it because EE does not recognise my phone number and responds with a "number not recognised" message, one of the worse companies I have dealt with, nearly as bad as Sky, but all my friends and relatives are on EE and reception is good in this area, they even overcharged me £160 and would not give me a refund because They claim they do not give refunds that are over one month old. It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
3rd Jun 2016 8:53 am
nearlee
Member Since: 15 Dec 2012
Location: where the sheep are scared
Posts: 1777
When orange was orange there customer service was brilliant, but then I am going back a while.
Been on O2 ages mainly because it works in far more places than the rest, will admit the customer service isn't the best but gets better each time I speak to them or I'm just used to it by now Just remember:-
Amateurs built the Ark
Professionals built the titanic
3rd Jun 2016 9:01 am
astonbuilder
Member Since: 29 Sep 2006
Location: MIDLANDS
Posts: 8104
She was happy with Orange but they have now stopped their 'magic numbers' and free cinema tickets and their prices have crept up to be amongst the highest IMO so no need for 'loyalty' to them anymore.
Given you no longer have to pay for x-network calls then a good bundle of minutes is fine.
It wasn't helped that going into the local EE shop to discuss renewing contract but just upgrading the phone and she was treated like a complete idiot by the guy there (if you're not 17 with acne they think you know jack and just try it on IMO).
Tried to sell her an iPhone 6 plus (whatever that oversized 6 thing is called) with ridiculous data level so the monthly bill was about £40/month (she was paying £16 on her contract with them). I stepped in at this point and said wanted a 1gb data, lots of minutes and lots of texts on a 5s or 5se, that was it, no hard-sell, no Huawei or Samsung deals please and thank you.
They then go to iPads and a jotter to work a deal out and the deal he comes back with is a Samsung with 250gb data, 500 minutes and 1000 texts for 'only' £26/month......... (and a payment required for the handsets )
I get my phone out to show him the screen grab of the same page he's on with the deal I asked for at£23/month. He fudges that he hadn't seen that one but the Samsung is a great phone, blah, blah, blah.
I then remind him that SWMBO is out of contract so maybe he'd like to try harder on securing her business or we're off to O2 anyway. Again he comes back with some deal nothing like the very specific one I've asked for so I thank him for his time and tell SWMBO we're going.
Up the road to Carphone Warehouse, tell them the deal I've seen on O2 on their web and have they got anything better, etc. Five minutes later and she's signing the form and we're out of there with a 5s phone with 1gb data (she's never used more than 250mb in her life) at same price as 500mb, 1000 minutes of calls, unlimited texts, etc. for £19/month. Job done
Things I like about O2 is the network coverage (Vodaphone is a dead-spot where we live, 3 and EE are fine though), the deal we got and the 'dash-board' app so SWMBO can easily see all the usage she has whenever she wants - plus being a technophobe of the highest order I can now at least 'assist' as she has apple product (I had little clue on her Android Samsung yet it was always 'my problem' to sort ) and if I can't somebody else will always be on hand and we now have common power leads, etc. in the wall socket USB's, cars, etc.
Looked at Tesco (my son is Tesco aka O2) but deal not as good but would do SIM only with them if retaining old handsets in future
3rd Jun 2016 9:21 am
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14284
I'm on EE. I've found the service brilliant. I also have a great package: Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 6gb data all for £7 per month on a 12 month contract. New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
O2 is best around here too (and only, in some places). Current: Discovery 3 06MY (55 reg) HSE Auto Zambezi Silver Allisport Fast Road Intercooler, V8 Brakes, Silicone IC Hoses, EGRs Blanked, Remapped, De-Cat pipe, FBHIC
Freelander 2 2007 HSE Manual Tambora Flame
Previous: FL2 56 reg SE Manual Black (written off )
Disco 3 06 reg B7S Manual Rimini Red
Disco 2 TD5 Y reg ES Manual Blue - Chipped
Several Discovery 300 TDis
3rd Jun 2016 10:06 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73002
Moo wrote:
I'm on EE. I've found the service brilliant. I also have a great package: Unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 6gb data all for £7 per month on a 12 month contract.
Oooooo, sounds interesting.
3rd Jun 2016 10:38 am
dantheman
Member Since: 12 Mar 2010
Location: Essex
Posts: 1735
^^^^ +1 very interesting. Any more details Moo?
3rd Jun 2016 10:44 am
Moo D3 Decade
Member Since: 13 Aug 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 14284
They called me up out of the blue about a month before the contract was up and just offered it to me. No threats of leaving or anything. At that price I thought it daft not to renew. New Defender L663 110 SE (known as Noddy!)
Sold Volvo XC90 R-Design (known as Basil)
Sold - D4 HSE (Known as Gerty)
No longer the Old Buses original owner
231,000 miles and counting
05 S manual owned from March 2005
D4 Face lifted
Still original injectors and turbo
V8 Front brakes
BAS Remap, Allisport Intercooler and deCat
EGRs blanked
T-Max split charge
Hanibal Expeedition rack
Prospeed ladder
Duratrac tyres
IID BT
BAS FBH control
3rd Jun 2016 11:42 am
dantheman
Member Since: 12 Mar 2010
Location: Essex
Posts: 1735
Blinding deal. I'm out of contract now so think I will give them a push!!
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Allisport Fast Road Intercooler, V8 Brakes, Silicone IC Hoses, EGRs Blanked, Remapped, De-Cat pipe, FBHIC
