Who's left Orange for T-Mobile?

[Guest MARKUKCOUK]

I finally managed to ditch orange (just typing that word makes me angry!) recently. They ran out of obstacles and delaying tactics. I got fed up with the lack of support from CS and the lack of knowledge on the part of their employees. I would encourage anyone to ditch orange asap - problem is, that takes a long time with orange. They loose your request for getting your phone unlocked, then they tell you it isn't possible, then they tell you they'll do it and they don't. When you have got it unlocked they won't give you the PAC code over the phone, then the letter they send you gets lost in the post, then they loose your request, then they finally send you a letter that must go via outer mongolia it takes so long, which leaves you 2 days to get your phone ported or the 30 days runs out!

Shame they're not as inefficient when it comes to collecting money.

Thats funny.. as I said before, I did switch to TMobile, and Orange, having tried to offer me bits and pieces, quite easily let me go.

However, TMobiles signal, GPRS signal and 3G especially was woeful, as was the speed when I did get GPRS. I know people disagree, but I am more than happy paying a bit more for a service that works.

Rather than just cities and surrounding areas, Orange seem to have a 3G signal in the middle of knowhere, and most small towns.

I was down in Cornwall recently, in St Agnes, right at the bottom of the hill. My girlfriend was on T Mobile and I was on Orange. Down the bottom of the hill, there was no signal (Apparently on any network), but at the top, Orange was straight in there with full 3G access. TMobile wasn't there at all, and in her words "I don't think I've had a signal all week!". I'm sure she had, but its certainly very patchy.

As I said, give me Orange with unlimited data anyday!

[Guest Confucious]

Orange have always been good in Devon and Cornwall but where I am T are at least as good, if not beter than O coveragewise.

I agree that I'd rather pay more for a service that works but I've had no probs with T

Everyone has different experiences so it's whatever suits you.

[Guest travisb]

I would actually say that Orange are very good in most rural areas. They certainly have a better signal where I live, but working away from home during the week, with a full strength T-Mob signal, Flext with W & W was too tempting. Have Orange on PAYG for the weekends, when mobile surfing isn't that important.

[Guest Confucious]

It would help if T updated their coverage mao (it seems to be at least 2 years out of date) then people could at least check if they have coverage in areas they are likely to go. As it is it's sou outdated as to be virtually useless.

There is no point in goint to T if you have no coverage but for me this han't been a problem.

[Guest Pondrew]

Signal coverage is a funny thing. I was in New Quay, Wales last week and slightly surprised to find that while O2 had no usable signal, T-Mobile had a good three bars. I thought O2 were meant to be one of the best for coverage and that T-Mobile were poor in rural areas?! The Welsh coast is pretty rural!

Unfortunately no Orange accounts. Anyone know if New Quay, Wales, on the coast gets any Orange signal coverage?

[Guest dodding nonkey]

I can only speak from experience, although I may have been unlucky. All I can say is, I am a bitter, bitter Donkey and I'm spreding the word about my experiences at the hands of the yellowy red company. I'm so bitter I won't even eat that fruit with the same name any more. In fact I think I might start a thread calling for the re-colouring of the MoDaCo logo - nobody wears keks that colour anyway!!! :D

Seriously, to be treated like that when I have been a customer for over 10 years sux!!

The point made about the movement to T-mobile being reversed in a years time will only apply if the other companies (currently benefiting from the yellowy red company's arrogant, uncaring, money grabbing ways) fail to the learn the lessons and follow suite.

Remember service providers, you are just that, service providers, and you need us - the customer - to provide that service to. Upset us and we vote with our feet. In these days of the 'global village' it is very easy for snowballs to roll downhill and your profits will roll with them!

Oooh I've come over all masterfull! :D

Pass me another wall to write on!

[Guest tinks]

Wish I had waited a bit longer then gone with T-Mob cause of their tariffs, but ended up going with O2 at the time because the Qtek was only

[Guest tinks]

After my previous post which was a reply to a very much earlier post just wanted to add a bit more.

Left Orange because I could find a better phone at 02.

Lett 02 for T- Mobile because they also improved my phone at no charge (covered the cost of writing off the end of my O2 contract) and now have a plan that suits my usage sooooo much more than any I've had before!

Would just like to add I'd been with Orange for 14+ years and had had a good few arguments about their treatment of long term customers V new one's.

[Guest goochy1]

how many people here have actually left Orange to go to T-Mobile

I've just left T-mobile for Orange so a little reversal though i'm on PAYG so that may make a difference

[Guest monkey_boy]

left orange cos they cost too much. Deals are way better with t-mob.

[Guest PeeBeeF]

Monkey boy, BIG mistake if you want to roam, get any customer service, if you have bought M600 and a few other gripes!! \Good luck, Martin

I've just left T-mobile for Orange so a little reversal though i'm on PAYG so that may make a difference

ooops not monkey boy,... goochy1

Edited December 29, 2006 by PeeBeeF

[Guest Chunky Monkey]

This is all interesting stuff.

Personally I've never had a major issue with Orange. Their customer service used to be second to none.

I've only had one sticking point with them - when I upgraded to my M500 I couldn't have it on the contract I wanted, so I went to Express Communications, got my deal, lost my number though. - Then I had (& still have) a major problem, my contract is double what was agreed. I've tried to call Express but the number no longer works, so I spoke to Oranged & they said tuff luck basicly. :D :)

About 3 weeks later I decided I really wanted my old number back & was willing to pay for it if need be. So I rang orange, the first guy I spoke to was quite helpful as usual, he explained that the number was still allocated to my name but had been deactivated. He wasn't sure how I could go about reactivating it & replacing my current number, but said he would put me through to someone that could help, well this next guy was obviously one of the new school, very short, very arrigont, very unhelpful. He just said no can't be done. I explained that I was willing to pay for it, he said no, I explained that it was still allocated to my name & could I attach it to another contract - no. He game the impression I was wasting his time & had interrupted his game of minesweeper for something.

Then the other day I was talking to my father who is also with Orange & was looking at upgrading to bring the land line on too, he couln't get anyone from Orange to call him back other than the rather insistant salesman that was rather put out when the old man told him where to go if thats how Orange now treats its customers.

As far as I can see all their problems seem to have come in overnight - about the time they took over Wanadoo!

I'm about to call them to find out when my contract ends, then I'm seriously thinking of T-Mobile

Edited January 4, 2007 by Chunky Monkey

[Guest Confucious]

You're right O CS used to be 2nd to none but since the take over by France Telecom the deterioration has been swift and dramatic.

With regard to our old number, I don't think it's possible to transfer it - even tho it's still allocated to your old account, before the account is closed you can get a PAC to transfer to another operator - but not the same one (to dtop people getting cheaper deals) but once the account is closed I believe it is impossible to get the number back = but I believe this applies to all operators, not just O. The number will be re-used after only 6 months, I still get calls for the precious owner of my number and, no, I don't speak Indian and don't drive a taxi!

T-Mobile's CS is as good as Os used to be - I#m very impressed - and what with the flext prices and flat rate data I am ver leased I went to them.

It is just such a shame that O, the people that pushed SmartPhones in the first place, have gone downhill so badly and I'm not sure they'll ever be able to recover - there's certainly no sign of it so far!

[Guest pd.ryder]

Well, I've finally done it!

My choice was this:

1. Stick with O and pay £150+50 upgrade fee for M3100 despite being out of contract. Then take a fluffy animal tariff and mega pricey data probably £8 for 8Mb.

2. Move to T and get the same device for £60 with flext30 and all-I-can-eat data for £32/month.

I moved to T. How odd! Now I'm a very happy chappie and my nephew gets my old C550 - lucky goochy1!

:)

[Guest Confucious]

You won't be sorry - But I get Flext35 and unlimited data for £31.88 / month :)

[Guest LSmith4285]

Would just like to add I'd been with Orange for 14+ years

That is amazing for a company that is only 12 years old, especially as it sounds like you left them over a year ago :s

Sorry for bringing this up but I used to work in Orange Retail and customers always used to do this, they'd try the "I've been with you 10 years!" line and I'd look at the system and say "You only joined us two years ago on xx/xx/xx" really used to bug me.

The point I always had to make was you might have been with us years but as a customer with a £30 tariff who rarely goes over your allowances then you don't make us any money so we'll charge you £200 for the phone" they ain't a charity, I personally think customers expect too much for nothing when it comes to mobile phones.

Sorry for that, not aimed at anyone but its generally how it was working with the great unwashed.

[Guest Confucious]

So what you're saying is that unless you spend over your allowance Orange don't want you as a customer? But are quite willing to give new customers incentives? So they don't care about the number of customers leaving as they only wantt high spending customers? This does seem to be born out by there attitude but is a complete change from the way they operated before FT took them over.

[Guest pd.ryder]

Well, just to add insult to injury, I've just requested my PAC from O.

Straight through to Retentions who offered me a 3100 for nothing! He still couldn't do anything about the data charges tho. I did point out that this was, perhaps, another reason why O was less attractive these days - OCS's who each sing from a different hymn sheet and you just never know who will be playing the 'OCS Lottery' with you that particular day.

Inconsistency is not confidence inspiring.

[Guest Confucious]

IMHO an M3100 without flat rate data is very limited compared to what it is capable of - When T-mobile took off my brother's W'n'W package and didn't add the new one his data charge for the month was over £400 (they did refund it and sort it out) - just goes to show what good valy W'n'W is.

[Guest proindigo]

Well, just to add insult to injury, I've just requested my PAC from O.

Straight through to Retentions who offered me a 3100 for nothing! He still couldn't do anything about the data charges tho. I did point out that this was, perhaps, another reason why O was less attractive these days - OCS's who each sing from a different hymn sheet and you just never know who will be playing the 'OCS Lottery' with you that particular day.

Inconsistency is not confidence inspiring.

I was a customer of orange since day one, the OCS is becoming worse and worse, long wait times etc. The final straw came when it came to renewing my partner and my contract. I was offered the equivalent of one of tmobile deals for both my partner and myself. The kicker was that I would have to pay an extra 10GBP per month over what my partner would pay for the same talk plan

This is the reason: I had routinely spent more than her per month (gone over my minutes)and thus they would charge me a higher monthly rental. The justification was that "I would save more than my partner" due to the substantial increase in my minutes.

I was flabbergasted and spoke to 3 other people before geting a mac and packing off to t=mobile.

The T-mobile customer service has been great to date, really frieindly and accomodating. The telephone signal isn't as good as orange in some areas but its way better than it was. The flext tariff is amazing and my vario 2 is loving the web and walk.

Would not consider moving elsewhere... Orange are going to have a REALLY hard time getting me back, if its even possible.

The nice thing as well is that you don't have to be a zoologist to understand what tariffs you can get on t-mobile.

Edited January 4, 2007 by proindigo

[Guest pd.ryder]

Slightly off topic but...

Are we on MoDaCo or Mobiholics?? This is confusing the hell out of me :)

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

MoDaCo, although you're in the Lounge, so it could be anywhere right? Maybe .network wide...

P

[Guest pd.ryder]

MoDaCo, although you're in the Lounge, so it could be anywhere right? Maybe .network wide...

P

Hmmm, curiouser and curiouser.... MoDaCo lounge meets Mobiholics lounge.... too many beers and there'll be a fight :)

[Guest Stuart_f]

I'm on the cusp of joining T-Mobile but I'm holding off on pushing the submit button because at the the bottom of the signup page it says that the £5 a month line rental discount ends on 31 Dec 06 but it seems to still be offering it when you get to checkout.

If the £5 off flext 20 with w'n'w still stands then they will shortly be getting another Vario 2 customer.

[Guest pd.ryder]

I only got mine yesterday - complete with £5 off the rental. The only 'issue' I had with them was due to my only having a Solo/Maestro card (which they couldn't use on their website) I had to go to the shop in Glos. Unfortunately, because of this, I lost the 3 months free W&W which I was very cross about. I felt penalised because I had the 'wrong' card :)

Most unfair.

Edited January 4, 2007 by pd.ryder