Orange UK: Difference between revisions

Orange

Company type	Public
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	1994 (by Hutchison Telecom)
Headquarters	Bristol
Area served	United Kingdom
Products	Mobile telecommunications products and services, Broadband and internet products and services
Website	www.orange.co.uk

Orange UK is a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom which is owned by Orange SA, a subsidiary of France Télécom

Orange (founded in 1994) is a telecommunications company specialising in mobile phones and subsequently Broadband Internet. After a period of three years it was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1997 and had gained one million customers in the U.K. In 1999 the Company was sold to Mannesmann AG. It is now owned by France Telecom. The company headquarters are located across Europe.

Orange currently has two mobile phone options, Pay as You Go (PAYG) and Contract service plans.

Pay As You Go service allows customers to Top-Up using a Orange Swipe Card, using a Debit or Credit Card as well as Topping Up online via the Orange website.

Contract Service plans allow customers to enter into a twelve-month as well as the more heavily advertised 18 month contracts. These contracts enable customers to pay per month in advance for Minutes, Texts, Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS), and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Using this method customers are eligible for a small discount on the amount of time used on the network, compared to PAYG services which are charged at standard network rates.

Recently (from June 2006) Orange has changed their price and adopted lifestyle Plan theme in which they state will allow potential customers the opportunity to understand what they require in an easy to understand way. There are four packages to choose from: Canary, Racoon, Dolphin, and Panther.

However with the change in plans their has been a notable increase in service plan charges with an increase of an average £5.50 per plan, It has been suggested this is a marketing method designed to persuade potential customers to upgrade to a higher talk plan. Attention should also be given to the contract Terms and Conditions in which Orange have stated that once a contract has been agreed to the user cannot lower the contract monthly charge or increase to an offer that is advertised on their website, thus limiting the user to upgrading in price to an offer of the new lifestyle (increased monthly cost) plans. This limits the availability to customize a service which other providers such as O2, Vodafone, and the 3 network allow.

Orange, in common with the other "Big 5" U.K. networks operate a chain of "Orange Shops". These are branded according to corporate guidelines and operated as the "Direct" sales channel.

Contracts with Orange are also available from independent resellers, such as Carphone Warehouse and smaller independent mobile phone dealers, operating either in physical retail, online, through call centers or even supermarkets.

Orange were the first British mobile phone network whose products could be bought online, from the U.K.'s first online mobile phone dealer.^{[citation needed]} , Mobiles.co.uk.

In the U.K., Orange has come under pressure from customers to improve its customer service department as a result of many reports of poor existing customer services and expensive mobile contract upgrades compared to previous years, other mobile phone networks and Orange's deals for new customers. The deteriorating customer service and increased customer dissatisfaction has coincided with the takeover by France Telecom.

In response, an advertising campaign was run to re-enforce the company's commitment to customer service, although many existing customers are still not convinced, which has led to many moving to other mobile phone service networks. According to UK Mobile Market Statistics 2006 published by the Wireless World Forum, Orange has now fallen to fourth place behind O2, Vodafone, and T-Mobile in UK market share. Campaigns have also been run to advertise the new 3G service, featuring well-known faces such as Elton John and Stephen Fry. Jane Copland has been one of the voices of Orange since the company's early years.

At many cinemas across the U.K., advertisements for Orange are shown directly before the film, normally after any other adverts and film trailers — the so-called "gold spot". The adverts feature short sketches involving various celebrities (including the current advert with Val Kilmer and previous adverts with Mena Suvari, Michael Madsen, Steven Seagal, Sean Astin, Patrick Swayze, Carrie Fisher, Roy Scheider, Spike Lee, John Cleese, Alan Cumming, Verne Troyer, Daryl Hannah, Ewan McGregor, and Darth Vader) all pitching their crackpot film ideas to the imaginary Orange Film Funding Board.

Throughout the sketch, the orange Executives (including Brennan Brown and Steve Furst) manipulate the idea into film which promotes Orange through product placement; the catch line is "Don't let a mobile phone ruin your movie. Please switch it off."

Orange are active in many other areas of cinema, including sponsoring the BAFTA Awards and, since 2003, offering "Orange Wednesdays" where many participating cinemas will offer 2 tickets for that night for the price of one, on production of a special text message available to all Orange customers.

The ongoing campaign to improve Customer Service now takes the form of Brennan Brown's Mr Dresden, as well as Steve Furst's character working alongside a Japanese wise man. An ongoing joke is the wise-man offering little advice at all, and in fact insulting Mr Dresden, while it is Steve Furst's character giving the ideas, as a supposed translation of the wise-man's words. Though recently the duos commercials have not appeared on television, and have been replaced by a rather different commercial identity to try to create a more personal link with the customer. The duo will still appear in the cinema. This has resulted in a better image for Orange recently.

Orange has lately offered a broadband service to its customers in which through the use of the Wanadoo (previously owned Freeserve) Broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP). Using this service customers can get up to 8 megabit Wireless Broadband, although there are restrictions on the availability of this service. The offer has, however, be somewhat a victim of it's own success, with wide uptake putting a strain on Orange's delivery structure. The result of this has been that the Orange brand has been damaged seriously, with appearences on consumer shows such as Watchdog (see below).

On the 21 March 2007, Watchdog, a television series by the BBC focusing on consumer protection, published the results from a Broadband survey they held. According to the survey, Orange is the worst ISP in the U.K.; 68% of Orange customers who took part in the survey said they were dissatisfied with Orange's customer service. Orange was voted the most unreliable broadband provider, had the highest number of dissatisfied customers, and two thirds of Orange customers experienced problems cancelling their Orange broadband ^[1].

In 2007 Orange was found to be in breach of the Data Protection Act by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after complaints from customers about the use of their personal information ^{[2] [3]}.

The company was also criticised in the press for its handling of personal data, following complaints of Orange customer data being used by independent mobile sales companies in the practice of slamming. Orange denied any involvement ^[4].

A consumer organisation forum web site known as OrangeProblems monitors the customer service provided by Orange Broadband in the U.K. Initially set up as WanadooProblems.co.uk, the site focuses on Orange Local Loop Unbundling but also covers a wider range of Orange operations.

• Orange SA
• Orange Moldova

• Official Website
• Orange Problems