Orange Broadband: Not Recommended.

Over the coming weeks, we are going to be evaluating four broadband providers: Orange, O2 Mobile, Virgin, and eventually Plusnet (since they have claimed the custom Orange has lost).

Orange was our broadband provider, up until recently, when they decided that it would no longer be a free extra to our mobile contract – which obviously, we are unhappy about, so we thought we would write a series of article’s commenting on the service of a few broadband providers that have used.

So let’s get started…

Orange are appalling, and do not deserve any custom.

The only reason we could justify for putting up with their shoddy broadband and poor customer service, is that it was ‘free’. So what is the problem with Orange? Well, there are a few:

1) They don’t look after their current customers.

They are slow to upgrade your connection – we were still on 2Meg broadband when everybody else was enjoying up to 8Meg.

2) Poor connectivity.

It takes two attempts to connect to Orange broadband. Every day for the past year or so, we have had to reboot the router before we can get online. This is ridiculous – especially when they try and tell you it’s your router has magically decided it does not like them after years of having no problems.

It’s then insulting when you say the same happens on your spare one, and they claim that it is still your router…

Then when you do get online, there’s no guarantee of staying online. Last summer, it was often the case that they would deny you access whenever they pleased, for hours, sometimes a day at a time. No notice. No apology. Nothing.

And then if they do unexpectedly cut you off, it’s a nightmare getting back on. A couple of years ago, we returned home from a holiday to find we had been charged twice, and cut off for, apparently, not paying. It took eighteen phone calls to get them to put the connection back on, and get the overcharge back.

3) The big one: Customer Service.

Over the years, I have had many run-ins with their customer service department, whom are unable to tell you anything about anything, or sort anything, and when you eventually find something out from them, it is later found to be completely inaccurate!

For instance, our broadband was meant to be cut off on the 5^th November, we phoned up, to which a number of customer service representatives confirmed this to be the case, and that we would not require a MAC number to transfer to another company. So we informed them that we are going elsewhere, and to ensure the line is free on the 5^th November, for Plusnet to do their thing... Not a problem, they said. It is done, they said.

1^st November comes round, and we’ve been cut off. 5 days early. Not good enough.

When the 6^th does finally come, it turns out that Plusnet cannot activate our line, because, guess what… Orange have not released the line, we will need a MAC number. We also get a nice letter saying that they have suspended the account until the 23^rd to allow us more time to decide what we want to do, despite telling them on the phone that we have another provider.

To conclude…

Orange are terrible.

We simply cannot and will not recommend them. This is a shame when you consider we have been with them for quite a number of years.

And taking away the broadband that was included in our contract for 24 months, 2 months early, and saying we need to pay £14.40 per month to keep it, makes it stupidly expensive in comparison to others. For instance, Plusnet, our new provider, charge just £6.49 per month, for up to double the connection speed of Orange.

So – stay away from Orange.

We’re going to!

Coming up…

We will evaluate O2 Mobile Broadband – which works surprisingly well off the 3G network mobiles use!