Orange mobile - sneaky price hike

[RogerS]

If you're an Orange user then you'll have got a text message from them telling you that they are going to hike up the price on what you thought was an agreed contract. This is sharp practice. According to the Ofcom website, they aren't suposed to do this without telling you how you can cancel your contract and go elsewhere.

Their customer service telephone line exhorts you to check out how much you are going to pay by accessing your account online. It doesn't.

So do call Orange Customer Service and complain. You may/will have a long wait as their lines are inundated.

 

[Dodge]

yep I got the message too despite only having renewed my contract six weeks ago!

Really naffed off with it - the contract is one sided and apparently they can increase the monthly amount by inflation if they so wish.

 

[RogerS]

I suspect that they may backtrack

 

[Dodge]

they tried the same a couple of years ago and backed down then as well.

from info on google apparently ofcom and trading standards are investigating

 

[gregmcateer]

My recommendation is call their 'are you thinking of leaving us' department, (yes, it is called that), and say you are, unless they drop back - they always have doen for me so far.
Oh, and if you are a Virgin
customer, (line break added for comic effect!), they're offering a couple of Blackberry phones for 8 and 10 per month for a couple of years, as long as you have eg landline and broadband - seems a pretty good deal.
HTH
Greg

 

[Jensmith]

My OH found this article. Might be of use to you:

http://www.reghardware.com/2011/11/30/o ... ice_rises/

 

[blurk99]

i got the same message but because i've only just renewed and got a new phone (2 weeks ago) they've stopped the price hike for 12 months, apprently my bill will have 'RPI Inflation Rebate' on it with a discount amount... worth asking for that aswell?? then swap in 12 months!

jim

 

[kostello]

i rung them up and renewed my contract when i got the text....................................


got the same deal and dropped the price by £5 a month

 

[RogerS]

I got this interesting reply from Orange...

We are obliged, as are all UK operators, to abide by condition 9.6 of the OfCOM/EU Framework for EU Regulation.

Condition 9.6 sets out what we must do if a change is of material detriment to a customer. We must provide 30 days notice and allow customers to terminate their contracts without paying a termination fee.

When changes are not of material detriment, we need to provide 30 days notice (as stated in our terms), but the customer doesn't have the right to terminate their contract without paying a termination fee.

We believe the 4.34% tariff charge increases are reasonable, as they are below RPI, and therefore in real terms are not a material detriment to our customers. RPI for the last 12 months, as published by the government is 5.4%, and we have increased prices by less than this. So a customer paying £15 a month, will see their monthly tariff rise by 64p to £15.64 (inc. VAT) and a customer on a £20 a month tariff will see a 86p increase to £20.86 (inc. VAT) and so on.

Lawyers are going to have a field day on the definition of 'material detriment'.

EDIT: Actually it would appear that they (the lawyers) won't be as the Ofcom official line is that they don't see any problem with what Orange have done. Go, OFCOM, Go....what was it, exactly, that you actually did?

 

[Dibs-h]

Got my text a while ago and to be honest the cost of my monthly package is that cheap already - there is no way on Earth I'd get anything close to what I currently get - so I'm choosing to let it go.

My 2p worth

Dibs