New Orange charges: fair or foul?

If you are an Orange customer, check your next bill carefully. The mobile operator has quietly introduced a new £1.50 charge for itemised billing, which it will start to apply automatically next month. Anyone that doesn't want to pay the charge will receive only a summary of their calls. But to avoid the fee, you have to call up Orange to opt-out. Is this fair?

Although charging for itemised billing is now standard across the industry, as the Orange press office informs me, other mobile operators took a different approach to introducing a fee. 

Instead of forcing the onus onto the customer to switch to the free summary option, Vodafone automatically switched customers to a free summary when it made the change, then gave them the option to pay for an itemised version if they wanted it.

Many people may not even have noticed the little memo on the bottom of their most recent Orange bill informing them of the changes. The extra £1.50 a month they are paying for the privilege of itemisation could just as easily escape their attention.

Orange cannot seem to decide why it has made the change. On the bill, it expalins rather vaguely that it is something to do with the Wanadoo rebranding.

When I called up customer services, the adviser told me that the results of Orange research showed that most people ignore the itemised list and only look at the summary when their bill arrives.

She also said that by charging for itemised bills, which take up several pages, Orange is helping to save the environment. But this is true only if people do choose to opt for the summary bill.

It appears from the way Orange has managed the switch over that it is more likely to boost profits than save the rainforest.

And if you do opt for the free summary, it will become harder to identify the expensive calls, and to know how to keep your bills down.

Either way, you lose.

Visit onecompare.com, to see if you can reduce your mobile costs by switching to a new tariff or provider.

Comments

[SJ Surrey]

How to break even on the 1p charge-

Last month I changed onto a new contract with Orange as part of an upgrade deal. This month I looked at my online bill and noticed the 1 pence per delivery report charge.

I specifically asked, 'Are there any additional charges?' during the telephone conversation to perform the upgrade/new contract. The answer an implicit 'No'. Of course, that means my contract is not as it was represented to me, thus fragile at best.

Not being minded to go elswhere due to remaining otherwise mostly happy with Orange, I called them up pointed out the fact that the contract was mis-sold. Having eventually spoken to three different people, the last a supervisor, I made my point a final time, listened to his bluster, then put it to him that my contract included 3600 texts for the year and that I'd accept a credit of £36 to my account representing a penny for each inclusive text (I'm highly unlikely to use more than the inclusive 300 a month) in the plan from its inception through to its expiry in a year's time. He agreed. I await seeing the credit on my next bill.

I suggest others try a similar approach.

Simon.

[SJ Wassall]

It appears this delivery report charge is slowly being introduced and its only just appeared on my July statement again with no advanced warnings. Is this legal?? I'm absolutely apalled but like others have been fobbed off with the 'all the other networks are charging it' excuse. Hey Orange - here's a novel idea, why not be a leader instead of a follower and stick by your valued customers instead!!!

[Graham Phipps]

I was also informed after noticing an extra charge on my bill that they are now charging for the answer phone service. I was retained as a loyal customer by being offered extra free minutes and texts, but they omitted to tell me that accessing the answering service after I'd used my basic allowance now costs me. Guess the Orange giveth and the Orange taketh away.

[Ann Francis]

How about 12 to 15p per minute to call freecall - i.e. 0800 numbers? I have been with Orange since 2000 and until late 2005 had not called a 0800 number but yesterday - when I tried to call my power company about a power cut off - I am in flooded East Yorkshire - I was aghast to be told Orange would charge me for the call - which an Orange spokesperson confirmed to me today would be at the rate of 12-15p per minute - she was not sure - and had no idea when it was introduced.

I have my bills going back several years to 2004 - and I have never been notified about this sudden and drastic price hike

I can not believe this is legal - what do you all think?

[Ann Francis]

Having used Orange since 2000, and used freephone numbers - 0800 etc - for the first 304 years to call my broker when I was trading - I was astounded to be advised - yesterday - that Orange will charge me for this service now. I was trying to call my electricity company as the power was off - I live in East Yorkshire, which was badly hit by floods - raised this today and was advised that the 0800 calls now cost me between 12-15p per minute - and Orange did not think it was necessary to advise me of that fact - I don't know about the rest of you but I find it hard to believe that this is legal in the UK - what do you all think?

Ann Francis

[Sam]

How about £1 for every text message you send beyond your contract?
...
Thanks Orange.

[J J Doyle]

I've had an Orange account for 11 years, indeed was an Orange Dealer for the first few years of my business, and I've never known them to be this lame. My long-running account doesn't seem to be affected by any of this new nonsense; it's on a little-known vintage tariff called "Data Only" which ironically is rubbish for data charges but sneakily great for calls and messages! Anyway... I took out a new account with them two months ago and was aghast at the charges for I.B. and especially for delivery reports. Here's what I've discovered that now stinks.

Orange Customer Services staff rarely have the same story on the Why, When and How of these charges.

No, all the networks don't charge for delivery reports. My prepay O2 doesn't but then that might be because their network doesn't actually proactively support them unless you use the sneaky *0# GSM prefix. ;-)

An op I spoke to freely admitted that the delivery charge was "buried in the terms and conditions" issued with new phones.

An op I spoke to feely admitted that the IB charge (and the delivery report charge)was intended to ramp revenue - consider either over the several MILLION people using Orange every day and marvel at how much extra bank they're making from it.

Here's a stinker you might not have noticed though, and this is the New Thing of my post here;

They charge for "Video Messages" differently and more expensively than picture messages. This is shameful. MMS means Multimedia Messaging Service. MULTImedia. Picture, Video, Text, Audio. MULTImedia. Yet they've now rigged their message processor to look at the content type of an MMS and charge differently for any containing video clips.

MMS was designed to transport any multimedia attachment and be charged by the kilobyte, and that's how it's been working since creation and still is y the other networks. Orange has decided that "video messages" are somehow more of a premium thing.

I think it's sod all of Orange's business what's in my MMS

I really don't know if and what any of us can really do about this though. If anyone reading has any advice for us please post it, and/or let me know at john at clarity dot it please.

Oh, PS - remember the inspird-yet-bandwagon marketing of Same Deals For Existing Customers As New Ones? That's been brushed under the carpet somewhat too - that's why I got that new Orange account!

[Z Hughes]

Ah I'm glad that I'm not the only person that seems to be annoyed by this! I've only just found out that I'm being charged for delivery reports, having had them for free for the 5 or so years I have been an orange customer. This is particularly annoyed me because I got my orange phone from a website that was offering me 11 months free line rental - provided I didn't have any extra charges on my account. I've had to be very careful what I use my phone for now but had absolutely no idea about this new charge! I called orange and the woman I spoke to said something about credit blah blah blah but now I'm left without them at all! Useless.... they'll be getting an email from me!

[Derek]

Without prior notification/agreement, Orange started charging me for bill itemization in Dec 2006 ( £1/month incl. VAT ). I have refused to pay this charge for both Dec 2006/Jan 2007 and now my online account with them has been frozen alleging that I owe them for last month's bill ( which I don't ).
The customer has to contact Orange to query charges, and as far as I am aware, Orange charge the customer 50p/min for the privilege of discussing their mistakes ! Nice work if you can get it...my line rental may be moving network very soon.

[Marie]

I have just received my bill as well and am shocked they are charging for delivery reports with no prior warning!!
having rang up the customer service team, i was told by a stroppy woman that most companies are now charging for these reports so Orange are aswell!
I am now writing to the Orange UK Executive VP, Bernard Ghillebaert as Tom and John advised!
Thanks

[Leisa Stapleton]

I have just called Orange about the charges for delivery reports and they are raising a full credit for July & August bills for any charges made. To be fair they did not question it, it sounded like they have had quite a few calls about it already.

[Charles]

I have an older mobile and I recently noticed that the RCT put before a text message no longer worked in producing a delivery report. I phoned Orange and they said they had removed the delivery reports (RCT) on older phones but not to worry because all new phones have this service built in.

What they did not tell me is that there is a 1p charge now for each delivery report. Looks like the french connection is changing orange. Looks like I will have to look round for a better deal elsewhere, I don't see why I should pay for a delivery report do you?

Do the other operators charge for delivery reports, seems just like another money making scheme from orange.

[John McGough]

I like the above user was disgusted with the planned introduction of said charges. If anyone else is disgruntled put your complaint in writing and let them know about it.

Try the exec office email: executive.office@orange.co.uk

[Tom McAdam]

When I phoned up to complain about the new charge for itemised bills, it transpired that they've also introduced a 1p charge per delivery report as of 1st July.

When I quizzed them about this, the first person I spoke to said that delivery report users had been notified, but couldn't tell me how (given I hadn't been). On questioning further another employee, they said that no notification had been given.

Given the nominal cost of a text message compared to the charge, it's ridiculous for them to be trying to squeeze even more money out of customers for them and, worse still, they didn't tell us about it.

A cynic might say that it's no coincidence they've introduced this new charge at the same time as starting to charge for itemised bills, so customers will never know about the 1p per text.

I've now written to the Orange UK Executive VP, Bernard Ghillebaert, and if you too are a disgruntled Orange customer, you should too.