I SEE RED, NOT ORANGE. (Orange Tariffs)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Orange Tariffs
Date:	13/11/06 (260 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy installation package.

Disadvantages: No technical support, and appalling email experience.

Some time ago, I wrote a review on the services offered to me by Wanadoo. They were reliable, and offered me such a good deal that I wanted English people that are looking for a good service provider to know about what they offered. Unfortunately, times changed, and I was told that my contract had been passed to Orange, who had taken over from Wanadoo. They told me that nothing had changed, that the fees were the same, and the services similar to those offered by Wanadoo.

It was a myth.

Signing up.

Signing up with Orange is simple enough. A call to France Telecom offices in the town nearest to you does the trick. They give you the choice of connections and Orange tariffs are based on the strength of your connection. Mine is 1 Mega and that's easily sufficient for me. The 8 Mega is really for business users. You can chose other options as well, such as whether you want free calls to other phones in France (but not mobiles), and television services. Here, the television services are relatively new and in the countryside have not been set up yet, so it is a good idea to ask when you sign up what is available in your area. It is only in the past year or so that high speed internet has been available in many rural areas and there is a tester on the France Telecom site where you can see if high speed connection is possible from your telephone.

So what do you get for your money ?

You actually get a livebox, which is a box that connects between your computer and your telephone line, and here you get the options of either USB connection or WIFI (bluetooth). I have used both and they both work equally well. Setting up is simple, and explained in pictures, and I hope that I help someone here to get around the costly installation charges that some shops are charging. It really is a matter of following the pictures that appear on the screen, and although it is presented in French, you really do not need an understanding of the language to set yourself up. Simply insert the disc, and follow the instructions which appear on the screen and save yourself the 45 euro charges that many shops are asking to do something which is simple and does not need a great deal of technical skill.

24 Euros a month for my internet connection is reasonable, plus I pay 10 Euros for the privilege of being able to phone anywhere in France without additional charge. They have several promotional offers and at the moment are offering 18 Mega with television and telephone for 34 Euros a month which is the equivalent of what I pay now, although beware. The television services have hidden charges, and are not available in many rural areas.

What you don't get.

What you don't get from Orange is after sales service that is of any value. You don't get good technical help, and what you do get is a different answer to your queries dependent upon the person you speak to. Let me try and explain. Wanadoo offered me the first three months free. Within those first months, Orange took over, and although I sent in the forms to get my fees refunded, I never received the refund, even though France Telecom have called them numerous times.

You don't get consistently good access.

There have been many times that I have tried to log on and couldn't. There have been times when I could not access my own personal website, and the technical help that I got was useless. I was fobbed off with lame excuses. All I wanted was truth about what was happening but each time, the version got more and more complex until in the end, I gave up ringing them. The last time was after a storm that hit my livebox. I had to replace it with another, though no one told me that this also meant a change of telephone number, and it took weeks to sort out, calling the call centre, being passed from one member of staff to another, and ending up being spoken French to by someone of Indian origin who actually helped me more than the French lady that insisted that nothing was wrong with my connection.

Unlike AOL, they do not seem to keep a record of your calls, and one operator has no idea what you have said to another operator, which is infuriating. You have to explain the whole story every time, and not only that, you have to pay dearly for the call, since their helpline is on a phone number that does not count as a landline being of the pay per minute ilk.

What would I suggest as a good alternative.

I have been with orange for almost 7 months, during which time, I have lost my telephone use about a dozen times, lost my telephone number for 2 weeks, been cut off from my internet connection, and had no end of problems acccessing my email, since the stupidly designed Orange website takes so long to load that I lose interest. My email is important to me, and I really am not impressed. Another thing that worries me since having Orange as my service provider is that all of a sudden I seem to be a target for spam, much moreso than when I was with Wanadoo. The spam filters are inadequate, and I feel I have little control over my account, which I am stuck with for a period of a year, since I signed up for a minimum period of that time.

AOL are offering good things, though here, I would suggest waiting, because Free are coming up with even better things. AOL offer worldwide calls with their package which is interesting for ex pats living abroad, though, and I have reports that it works very well. Free however are fast in catching up with technology and in large towns, this really is the way to go. All inclusive packages of television, worldwide telephone and high speed connection are reasonably priced, though if you live in a rural area, then AOL are already established and offer the best deal at 30 Euros a month. Technical help is best on AOL and I have spoken to them when things have gone wrong with other people's machines, and the response I get, even though everyone loves to hate them, is professional, helpful, courteous and friendly, plus many operators do speak English. Free on the other hand offer a good package but very little backup, which is okay when the service is up and running as it should, and in Cities and built up areas, it works superbly, though in rural locations there are still hiccups.

My experience of Orange has put me off their services for life. Their technical staff seem to chase around in circles and are more intent on getting you off the phone, rather than helping you. I was even asked by one member of staff to download a program that turned out to have no bearing to the problem that I was encountering.

There are better service providers out there, and in February, watch this space, as my contract with them ends, and my experience comes to an abrupt end.

Rachel

Summary: A No goer.