Orange contract- early upgrade option?

[fran1phil]

I have been an Orange Pay Monthly Customer, since June 2009. Prior to my initial contract reaching its end, I had the option of taking out a new contract with Orange - 3 months earlier than official end date. Seemed a good incentive to get customers to renew their Contract with them. Nice bit of Marketing!

 

So on the 20 August 2011, I entered into a new 24 month contract/plan with Orange, selected my new shiny phone - negotiated call plan /minutes bundle etc. Signed on the dotted ...........and headed home!

 

I had been reluctant to renew on a 24 month contract, as it is a long time to be tied into a contract and a phone which seems so dated by the end of the term.

 

Anyway, New Contract dated 20 August 2011 - I estimated the end of that contract being same date in 2013.

 

I had been puzzled by the fact that my online Orange Account; stated my eligibility for upgrade was not until November 2013? I visited the Orange/EE Store today and was told. Orange used to offer an upgrade 3 months early - but no longer! However, what I was not made aware of was that the 3month period is added to the new contract, making it a period of 27 months!!

 

I was livid, I think 24 months is bad enough - let alone 27 months. It is not cheap either, £35 per month. I feel conned - even my bills state my current plan as being' Dolphin 35 (24mth) ' and nowhere at all on my monthly bills, does it make any reference to this being subject to 27 months.

 

I feel very strongly about this being a ploy - to trick people into believing (as I did); that the 3 month earlier option - was a means of securing your custom for a further 2 years. What is the point of then having 3 months added to your new contract, thereby prolonging the agony on your new contract!

 

Is there anything I can do about this; as its really 'sheer trickery' and only serves to con loyal customers like myself into thinking that your custom is appreciated and rewarded as such!!

 

Any advice /suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

Many thanks indeed - your help is greatly anticipated!

 

Thank You Sooooo Much!

[jacktheband]

Seems like a reasonable thing in allowing you to upgrade 3 months earlier than you should but you still seeing out the remainder of your contract term, but only if you were fully aware of this when you upgraded. Obviously, it would be unfair if you entered into the new contract unaware of this.

 

Easy way to find out. From the sounds of it you took the upgrade in a shop? In which case you would have been given a copy of the agreement you signed. If you dig that out that should prove one way or the other, as it should be noted on there in regards to contract dates or new committal terms.

[fran1phil]

:???:Thanks - I will see if I can dig it out!

Even if I locate it and I find that somewhere in the 'small print' some reference made to a 27month term /I can say before even looking, that I was not made aware of that at the time of signing up!. In the shop it is all done pretty quickly, ie: they focus your attention on the type of phone, call plan, data allowance etc and the monthly payments; you are then invited to sign on the dotted line, agreeing to those terms/amounts! Then given a copy of a form, with loads of printed matter all over, on the reverse and your attention only drawn to the sections, sales staff direct you to - which at the time you believe to be the most relevant to your situation.

So your quite engrossed and distracted from anything, except things that Sales Staff want you to focus on.

Having said that, if I find paperwork to make some reference - is there anything I can do about it at that point or do I just have to accept I have been well and truly conned?

Many thanks again4

[jacktheband]

If it's on the paper work then it would be manually written on it as it's part of something specific to that contract, rather than being in any small print or generic writing. As someone upgrading 40 days early would only be carrying over 40 days, 7 days early only carrying over 7 days, etc.

 

If it is written on it and you've signed it then you've knowingly agreed to this point of the contract. Can't really complain that there was a con if it was clearly written on it and you agreed by signing it.

 

However, if it's not written on it then i'd say you'd need to ring them to ask for you contract dates to be amended according as the 'carried over' 3 months were not part of the upgrade agreement and you can prove it (might require you faxing it across or sending a photocopy to them).