Orange Complaint

Below is a genuine complaint to Orange Romania. If an answer is ever received by my friend who made the complaint, I will post it here as well. 

Dear Georgiana,

Many thanks for all your professional help and invaluable cooperation in getting this issued resolved for me! For some reason I was under the impression that a “Problem Solving Executive” was somebody that “helped customers resolve problems”! Obviously I was mistaken and in fact your job is clearly to CREATE problems for the customer. In that case you have done an excellent job as this morning my phone was disconnected! Thank you again for all your help!!!!

Despite your advice to write to your department in the event that I wanted an extension of time to pay – this morning my phone has been disconnected!

Despite my ongoing and still unanswered complaint – this morning my phone was disconnected!

Despite my request for an amended bill – no bill has been sent and this morning my phone was disconnected!

Despite my appeal for somebody to contact me and answer my simple questions – I have not been contacted but instead this morning my phone was disconnected!

Despite Orange being a major European company with a reputation for “Excellent Customer Services” and “Satisfaction” – I have been completely overlooked and my “Excellent Customer Service” has resulted in this morning my phone being disconnected!

Despite informing you three days ago that I am traveling abroad in a couple of days and wanted to resolve this issue before I left – no response has been received from you but….this morning my phone was disconnected.

I have repeated 5 times my complaints and questions and instead of receiving a professional, acceptable and comprehensive reply from anyone at Orange this morning my phone was disconnected.

I am well aware after all the years I have been here that Romania’s reputation for appalling customer service and a total absence of interest in being anywhere close to the services offered elsewhere in the civilized world is indeed a reputation correctly conferred, but I never truly believed it could be as bad as the dreadful service I am now receiving from Orange. There is no other word for it but “reprehensible”.

I fail to understand why there is NOBODY at Orange that can answer my simple complaints and questions! They are not difficult and all Orange is doing now is demonstrating a complete inability to perform or function as a 21^st century telecommunications company with international shareholders and responsibilities toward their clients.

However, for the sixth time I will repeat my complaints and questions. Perhaps, just maybe, somebody at Orange will understand them and, if they are not too busy or occupied with “Solving Problems Executively” might actually send me a reply (don’t bother calling me……THIS MORNING MY PHONE WAS DISCONNECTED!!!!!!)

1. The day before I was due to travel to London in mid-November, my Blackberry handset broke
2. I went to Orange in Calea Victoriei and was told the guarantee covers everything….except if the phone breaks!
3. I was told I had no option but to buy a new phone. So I did – a new Blackberry at a cost of Euro 279
4. I was told though that in order to be able to use it and despite having a contract with you already for the last 20 months, I had no choice but to have an additional contract and pay double! I have absolutely no idea how this can possibly be the case but given that I was traveling a few hours later I had no time to object because I urgently needed a telephone!
5. Upon returning to Romania and receiving the next Orange invoice, I wrote to object to the fact that I now have two contracts and two telephone numbers and as a result was paying for an additional service I neither want, need or requested.
6. I disputed the bill and asked that you amend it sufficiently to include the removal of the additional contract charges
7. I requested that you use my accumulated Thank You points to offset the balance of the bill and send me a bill for any outstanding money I owe.
8. At no time have I objected to paying for the charges accrued on my original number
9. To date, I have received nothing but feeble explanations which have included the accusation that it is my fault for having signed the contract!!! In other words and in normal Romanian fashion “the customer is always WRONG”!!
10. To date I have not received an amended bill – indeed I was even told that it’s impossible to issue an amended bill!!!!
11. To date I have received no satisfactory response or reply from Orange whatsoever and earlier this week was told that my case has been referred to a department that deals with complaints, which does rather beg the question of what exactly a “Problem Solving Executive” does if not solve customer’s problems!!??
12. To date I have not been telephoned, received an explanation, been offered an apology nor have received an answer to my basic and original question/complaint that I have been forced to enter into a secondary contract and pay double – instead (and in case you overlooked my comments above) this morning my phone was disconnected!
13. I HAVE however continued to receive SMS messages demanding that I give you money!

It is patently clear that Orange no longer require me as a client. This does not bother me in the slightest and I am happy to declare to the world from this point on that I am indeed NOT an Orange customer. However, I rather suspect that you will still feel entitled to chase me for payment and continue sending me reminders that I have not paid my bill! Please be assured that I have NO INTENTION whatsoever of paying the bill until I receive the amended and correct one. Also be assured that I will have no hesitation at all in referring this whole comedy of errors to the national press and TV networks as well as the European Ombudsman for Telecommunications if I do not receive complete resolution to this by lunchtime today.

In summation, let me highlight as a customer for almost 2 years of a Top 500 European Company exactly what it is I am requesting:

1. Reconnect my telephone immediately
2. Cancel the secondary contract and number
3. Use all my Thank You points to offset the bill for my call charges from my number 0745 xxxxxxx
4. Issue a new bill for the correct amount (i.e. minus the charges for the second contract and number and after the deduction of the Thank You points etc)
5. Reimburse me for the cost of the new phone as a display of your best intentions and regret at the disgraceful service I have received and as a genuine effort to retain me as a valued customer

Once this is done, I will pay the bill when I return from my trip abroad.

Ever the optimist, I look forward to your prompt reply but cant help having this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that my request will again be completely ignored, my complaint will remain unaddressed and my questions unanswered. Before writing this latest email, I conducted a Google search in order to try and find an email address of somebody in a senior position at Orange capable, perhaps, of dealing with my complaints – I was horrified to find page after page of various online forums dedicated entirely to complaints concerning Orange (in all countries!) and the biggest compliant they all had? Inability to get a response from Orange in response to their complaints! Page after page of comments from disappointed and upset customers all frustrated by being unable to get any kind of good service from Orange and unable to even find somebody willing to help. The only time Orange seem to be proactive is when its time to collect money from customers. And that would most certainly appear to be the case here: You are not interested in handling my complaint but ARE interested in extorting money from me.

Best regards,

D. R.

C.C.:      Orange Head Office, France

            Orange Executive Office, UK