Orange Customer Care. Hows that for service??

[Guest noodle]

I was just wondering why Orange do not extend the same offers to their existing customers, as they do to new customers.

I appreciate that they need to entice new business/make money, blah blah blah, but I got a far better deal by converting my existing no. to payg, and taking out a new contract. (an option that obviously costs Orange more money than just letting me upgrade/have the special offers).

The only disadvantage, and what Orange is banking on is the fact that you have to change your number.

Why is it that orange can port your number across for free when you're coming from another network, but cannot port the numbers internally to existing customers???

Come on Orange, where's your loyalty??

[Guest pisquee]

If you'd spoken to retentions dept you more than likely (asuming that you have a decent ARPU) have gotten your free phone/special offers upon extending your contract for a further 12 months.

[Guest Rob_Quads]

If you'd spoken to retentions dept you more than likely (asuming that you have a decent ARPU) have gotten your free phone/special offers upon extending your contract for a further 12 months.

Thats the thing tho, on average that is now how I have found it. When the SPV was free on new contract i phoned up and they said it would cost £100 to upgrade, then i said I would port the number to PAYG and they said AH ok we will do a better deal - £79, funny enough i told them where to go.

My brother and his fience found the same sort of thing. Its only once the phone has been free for quite a while that they do blanket upgrades for the same price.

So I ported the number to virgin, was on first for 9 days before it was ported back to Orange on a new contract.

I don't get why Orange want me to change my number, by doing so then

a) the phone is subsidised more so takes longer for orange to make money out of me

:) People ringing my old number don't get through (guessing 75% of calls to mobile are from mobiles and so they are loosing out on 25% of these calls (if the network split is the same)

The ONLY thing i can think of is that they can say they have had X customers making them look bigger, but not convinced by this because thier customer base number will remain unchanged.

[Guest pisquee]

Were you speaking to upgrades dept, or retentions?

Upgrades dept job is to try and sell you a new phone - ie to make money out of you, and so are unlikely to give you a free phone.

Retentions dept job is to to do all they can to keep your business - ie not directly make money out of you, just ensure you stay with Orange - so they have the power to offer you free phones, credit money to your account, free calls, free texts etc

Changing your account to a PAYG or OVP plan is not the same as leaving orange.

What is your averag monthly spend?

[Guest Rob_Quads]

I was first speaking to upgrades and then asked to be put through to retensions. Retensions were the ones quoting £79

I asked for a PAC code so they knew I was not moving to an orange PAYG or OVP plan.

My montly spending ~£45, my brothers ~£60, brothers fience this year ~£35 (due to having such a s*** phone) - for the 3 years previous ~£80/100. She spent less as the phone was so s*** but could not get a better phone because she spent less - great situation

[Guest noodlez]

My average monthly spend is £35-£45 & my contract had run for 13 months. I was offered a free upgrade to an E200, but Orange are currently offering 500 free texts per month, and 1 months free gprs. I asked if I could upgrade & take the free stuff and got a big fat NO.

By starting a new contract I get an extra 80 mins talk time, 6000 free texts, and the gprs for less that I was paying before, but couldnt keep my old number.

I'm kicking myself now, I wish I had ported my number to another network, then ported it back. Fantastic idea!!

[Guest pisquee]

They gave me free SPV E200 and £50 credit to my account