Mixed Fruit

I do feel a little guilty doing this kind of post for the second time in as many days but.. well.. see the previous post as to why.

So let’s start with, and you knew it would be this way, the recent Apple ‘event’ (product launch). If that doesn’t interest you, skip the next paragraph and read on from there, can you help me get out of my contract with Orange!

Is the “iPod Touch” a fallback position because they couldn’t garner contracts with the mobile telecoms in Europe? Why DID they add Video to the Nano, it was perfectly suited as a music only player and if they are keeping the Shuffle as a highly focussed product, why are the others all starting to converge? Why WILL it take Starbucks until 2009 to roll out their partnership stuff and, frankly, do I even care?

Apples and Oranges, purely coincidence I promise.

I have a contract with Orange which lasts another 8 months or so (it’s an 18mth contract). However, I’m less than happy with their services, coverage at our house is appalling, and the handset whilst not broken is full of annoying faults which force me to hang up on calls now and then (the sliding mechanism doesn’t always seem to lock in).

I’ve spoken to them about the handset but, and I think I’ve got this correct, if the fault isn’t listed on their system then they can’t offer replacement handset. I argued that one for a while but eventually gave up, as even the ‘supervisor’ (presuming it was actually said person) confirmed that the ‘system’ wouldn’t allow such things. Handy that, eh?

That, coupled with various other interactions with their customer service department, has me cringing every time something goes wrong with my account or my mobile phone. So I wanna ditch them before the end of my contract? Any suggestions? Saying that I’m going to working abroad for the next year is an option perhaps??

So it’s R.I.P. for Pavarotti. I’m not a fan of opera, but he seemed a nice big chap, didn’t he. Couldn’t half warble. Admittedly I’m less than thrilled that the airwaves will be filled with Nessun Dorma for the next day or so as I’m sure that he had better highlights but, well you’ve got to pander to the proles don’t you. I’m sure Gert will be expressing her sadness.

And finally, bananas. I used to work with a woman who found them wholly disturbing things, couldn’t even look at one. Isn’t that odd?

Comments

  1. Not a cat’s chance in hell that you’ll get out of the contract without paying it off.

    An Orange shop should be able to sort your handset problem – they have links into things that the apes in the call centres don’t.

    And, it’s always worth a letter to a company if email/calling doesn’t work.

    What is all this ridiculously overpriced stuff starting with ‘i’ anyway? 😉

  2. And, I think you’ve been unlucky with Orange – their customer service is consistently rated better than the other mobile phone compnaies, and I’ve never had problems (and I can have problems with anyone’s customer service!!!)

  3. Yes I know they are rated highly, and perhaps I have unrealistic expectations. I’ve been a happy customer of Orange for many years.

    I do wonder if I’m projecting my utter disdain of my current handset… but that is easily sorted with a cheapy model that actually works. Yet that still costs ME money. Meh.

  4. I’m actually planning on going back to Orange after doing the rounds of all the networks. They’re all as bad as each other as far as I’m concerned. Vodafone really pissed me off by changing what was included in my contract a couple of months in.

    I just jump ship as soon as I fancy a new handset for no outlay. They don’t reward you for loyalty, as I’m sure you know.

    On BW’s point about getting out of the contract, Big managed to switch to Orange from Vodafone before his 18 month contract had expired, without financial penalty… (I wasn’t with him, so I don’t know how he wangled it…)

  5. re Anx’s point about changing contract details, interesting to note that O2 have just done the same – they’re now charge for 0845/0870/whatever – although it’s a big enough change that it can also be used to break contract, which is fun.

    Personally, round here in the Dark Realms, Orange’s coverage is pap, so I’m sticking with O2 for the moment…

  6. Bananas causing a problem? Knew a chap once and his thing was sponges (the washing kind) Don’t some people have hang ups about the most ordinary things…
    As for Luciano, he sang some far ‘better songs’ than Nessun Dorma but as that is linked with football then I guess it falls into the ‘England 66’ box of word association.

  7. Is it the shape of the banana that she finds offensive?

    Yes, rest in peace dear Luciano. I like Puccini so they can play it all they like. I’ve been humming bits from La Boheme most of the morning(quite cultured me). I’m just thankful that it isn’t Barry Manilow that has passed on.

  8. Your phone is less than a year old, replace it end of story.

    1. I used to work a T-Mobile when I was a stoodent, and we could replace up to 3 in a year if there was a fault with the handset under standard guarantee.

    2. Every mobile operator has a ‘coverage’ chart showing the coverage for your area, if this HAS got worse they will know and will offer you a contract annulment, FYI on my screen it looked like small radioactive signs showing what the coverage was up to 12 months ago and what it is today.

    3. You really dont know how to complain

    A) Ask for what you want
    B) Ask for a written note with details of how to complain including their regulator
    C) Ask for details of their arbitration process
    D) Ask for the operators/Supervisors name/team number and location

    With those 4 items use your powers of prose and get what you want, a phone jockey will ignore you, and if its a foreign phone jockey your mumblings wont even be recorded

  9. I don’t think the touch is a fallback position for Europe. I believe agreements are already being inked with European mobile operators to launch the iPhone later this year. In the UK it’s reported to be with O2. I guess they’ve noticed a quantity of people in the states now registering their newly bought iPhones – instead just using the music/video player and wireless web browser functionality.

    As for the video playing on the nano, it was probably the next logical step in development, and gives the player some differentiation from other mp3 devices. Like on the ‘classic’ sized iPod, I can’t see a lot of people using it very much… not with such a small screen… but will still help shift units off the shelves.

    And finally, I’m assuming that Starbucks has to install a whole load of wifi routers, and some kind of system to do the “buy the song that’s playing” feature offered along with this service, and to limit the access on the connection to just iTunes.

  10. Thanks for the suggestions hans, I’ll be following this up later on.

    Richard – one thing I’ve only just noticed is that the iPod Touch isn’t EXACTLY the same form factor as the iPhone so… yeah, my bad.

    As for video on the Nano, I’m sorry it makes no business sense either. As you say, who will watch video on it, it’s too small, so why make it bigger than the current one?

    Starbucks wise, I’m surprised that they haven’t already got the system sorted, so it’s really just a case of installing routers and software. THAT shouldn’t take 2 years unless it’s one guy doing them all!

  11. I am also on Orange and had MAJOR problems with them last year when they charged me £150 for a fee upgrade. I wrote them about six letters of complaint after spending hours and hours on the phone to various call centre people, and despite sending them Recorded Delivery, am yet to receive a response. I have about three months to go on my contract and will then be switching suppliers. Especially as last week I realised that my problem with them HAS effected my credit rating – I checked it on Experian – despite them assuring me repeatedly that it would not. They are a proper shower and no mistake.

  12. Damn, that should have been a “free” upgrade, not a “fee” upgrade. I should read things through before hitting the button!

  13. Girl in my work can’t stand buttons, her husband cuts them off all her clothes – she has two young children – I don’t know how she copes?

    Have you got insurance for the mobile? drop it down the toilet? then you can get a new handset they may not be able to offer you the same one again anyway?? I know people who have tried that tactic before?

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