Orange have told me that they do not know when they can give me a MAC code as there are problems with my line as it is part of an LLU.

 I have been told that I may never get a code and can continue to chase them but there is nothing they can do.

Is anyone else out there in the same situation?  Doe's this sound like a real reason or just another Orange lie?

I don't know what to do as they are simply refusing to give me a MAC code.  Advise will be greatfully recieved!

I know how you feel - I too have been in the same position - the broadband connection that was supposed to be offline for half an hour lasted over a month. This is our tale of woe from when the connectiont went off on 28th March and Orange’s “customer service” over the time we dealt with them was totally unacceptable.  We have spent a fortune on telephone calls and have spoken to over 15 different Orange employees - all but two woefully lacking in the ability or inclination to assist.   We have had cso’s telling us one thing and another telling us something else.  When we rang to speak to escalations we were told it did not exist – we had only been talking to them the day previous.  We were told to ring back later and we might get through to the other team then – no one seems to be able to transfer calls.  When we asked for the Head Office telephone number they gave us it only to hear the response ‘Hello you are through to British Gas’ when we rang the number – yes you read correctly!!

A request for a MAC code which should be issued in within five days and as everyone knows is computer generated, took them almost a month from the date of request and then given reluctantly to us.

They put us on dial up for about a week – not much good as the only computer that worked with dial up was the old laptop we had given to our son for downloading his music.  I think I could have walked to some of the internet site’s shops quicker  - even if they were at the other end of the country!!

I stopped my direct debit as I thought to myself if they can’t provide broadband then I won’t pay them any money.  Then the day they realised my direct debit had been refused - they rang me to ask why the direct debit had been refused – to which I replied with the full story again only this time they were paying the bill for the telephone call!!  I bet he wished he had never rang us – I was put through to every Tom, Bill and Harry until they decided to put me through to the ‘cap champ’ working that night!!  Can you believe it they even give their staff stupid names like that!! even telling you about it  has me in tears of laughter.

We have a fax machine in the house and asked if we could send a fax to them and was given a number and name of someone who calls himself the customer liaison between head office and the customer.

Don't give up we were told the same lies as yourself - it is because 20% of llu upgrades don't work!! then you may ask as I did why on earth try.  Keep on at them and never believe what they tell you and always ask them to call you back - I was given the same yarn as you were but I wouldn't give up and now I am free of Orange even down to having their tags taken off the line.  Ask to speak to someone in Complaints and they will probably put you through to escalations.  If nothing else all I can recommend is send a fax - it worked for us as we were sick of complaining using our phone and us being charged to listen to dreadful music.

Good Luck

Tremic

Edited to remove unauthorised posting of personal details.
Community Editor

Tremic

I've had the same problems with Orange LLU upgrade,mine wasn't resolved after 2 months,have now been told that i will receive a mac code in 5 days.

You say that the Orange tag was removed.Do Orange do this automatically or do you ask them to do it or do BT do it and is there a cost involved.

I have been told by one ISP,a non LLU provider that i would have to pay their normal set charge because they would have to pay BT to to do whatever has to be done to return the line to the way it was before Orange cocked everything up.

Hi Cliff

We spoke to several people at BT who all said they could do nothing about it and that it was up to Orange to take the tags off.  I think Orange have to raise an order requesting this work.  My husband kept ringing BT wholesale to check if Orange had contacted them but each time they hadn't.

My husband kept on at Orange telling them that we needed the tags taking off - it is the only way, don't let them forget about you - and always log everything they say in black and white so that you can quote them at a later date or send them a fax confirming what they have told you.

My husband even rang BT and asked if he were moving to them would they be able to get the tags taken off any quicker and their response was that it was up to Orange to do it as it was their tag markers on the line.

Sorry can't help you any better than that - but suggest you ask Dai Young - he is on this site somewhere - he knows more about these things.

Tremic

Hi Tremic

Thanks,i'll keep a tight watch on what happens including refunds i've been promosed..From what you have said it is down to Orange to remove their tag which was what  i was completely in the dark about.

Concerning the original post.I only started getting anywhere when i got to speak to someone in the UK.

After 36 calls to India at a cost of £18,having my system checked because i thought it might have a problem  £22,no problem found,£12.50 for a dial up connection,countless emails.

I wrote a long letter,sent a copy to customer service in Rotherham & a copy to Orange main offices in Hertfortshire.I actually got a 'phone call after i'd sent another email saying that i hadn't had a response to my letters.She gave me her name,went through all the line test again,she said she would ring me back,gave me the day and time.Would you believe,she did ring back.The info i got didn't help because they didn't know exactly what my problem was,she would ring me again,she did,still not fixed though,but she was ringing back.

I said enough is enough and how did i obtain the mac code,it meant ringing the customer service number again.I asked her about the 2 months i'd paid for no service,she put it into my account that i would receive refunds and not be debited with any more payments.I also asked about the remainder of my contract,6 months,She said i was out of contract,i told her to confirm because when i upgraded i was supposed to be locked in to a new 12 month contract.She confirmed i was out of contract,i can only imagine that they canceled it,plus i hadn't had a service since they did the upgrade,which i'd pointed out many times.

I agree with you,the poster should get to someone other than the 'phone customer service people.

The Rotherham & Herts addresses are on the Orange website.

Cheers

Cliff

Hi Cliff

You sound as though you have been going through exactly what my husband and I went through - at one point in time I almost borrowed my son's dictaphone and suggested to my husband that we tell them we are recording their telephone conversation just like we kept getting told at the beginning of each call.

We found that letters were never acted upon quickly and took around four weeks to open - plus it took them a week to walk to the post box with their replies which never answered any of the questions we had asked.  We found out later that there are not enough staff to open all the letters on the same day - there must be even more of us than we thought sending in letters of complaint that they are inundated. 

You should read some of the posts on the ATTENTION: ex-Wanadoo / Orange customer case studies required for BBC Radio 4 - well worth a read.

Wish you luck and by the way get some itemised telephone bills and tell them that you want the money back for the calls you have made to them as they have been so long and costly - it is worth a try - we have sent one in already and are awaiting for our next bill to come to send them.

Good luck

Tremic

 

Hi Tremic

Re your itemised 'phone calls.Did you get a response from Orange regarding getting a refund.I've printed mine off the BT website but have not yet sent them in.I received the mac code 3 days after i asked them for it,in the post.Signed up with BE on the 9th June,em from them says my line should be activated on the 19th.Sounds promising,haven't seen anything negative about them,it's wait & see now.

Cliff

We told Orange that we wanted the money back for calls that we had made to them and up to now have received one half.  The rest is still yet to come as well as the monthly refund for broadband which was posted out to a month ago and never yet been received!!  I won't hold my hopes up.

Hope that BE are Ok - we signed up for Sky but have since cancelled and upgraded the virginmedia to XL package with faster download speeds.

Good Luck, Tremic

 

HI Here is what you do. Contact ORANGE  again and tell them that you want your MAC code. If they say we can not give it to you. Then tell them you will now be contacting OFCOM thier address is

Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA

Here is the information that you will need to phone them if you have a complaint about a Telecommunications, Broadcast or general issue please call 020 7981 3040 or visit the complaints area of our website. If you want to ask for advice about a Telecommunications, Broadcast or general query please call us on 020 7981 3040 or use the Advice for consumers area of the website.

If Ofcom   can not help then contact the BBC Watchdog program You can write to Watchdog at
Watchdog, BBC TV, London W12 7TS

or you  can email your story to watchdog AT bbc.co.uk.

If you there is any other information you need please contact me at XXXXXXXX Moderated -- email in profiles only please. mark your header MAC CODE PROBLEM

This is pretty much the situation I am in.
I have no internet since June due to an llu error. I am no longer an Orange customer but still cannot get broadband from anywhere else as Orange say they cannot remove the tags from my line until the repair the original llu error.


They are really shoddy and blame a third party, Magdalene, but you cannot deal with them directly- you just have to sit on hold to Orange at 7p per minute.

Hi there

I am hoping that you have spoken to someone in the escalations section by now - if not, ask to speak to a supervisor.  Plague them with calls and notify them that you will be charging them for the calls and will provide itemised bills - they do pay you - although they still owe us £10 but we did get most of the calls back. 

Whatever, don't be fobbed off by them - also speak to BT wholesale - tell them that you are no longer a customer of Orange and that they (Orange) won't take the tags off your line.  Orange are supposed to notify BT of any customers that are no longer with them and place an order to have the tags removed.  We were told this by BT wholesale who said Orange had not contacted them about us leaving them, and as soon as the tags were removed BT contacted us to let us know. 

It's worth another try - after all Orange were the company providing the broadband and should take responsibility themselves. Speak to you local Trading Standards - their consumer rights section will probably give you a few pointers to go by. Also contact watchdog and your local press, the People newspaper has a person who deals with this sort of problem - I tried them all - radio, newspapers etc.

We have had our tags removed and are now with Sky broadband on the BT line and Virgin on the cable line.

Never give up and good luck.

Tremic

Your complaint is the same as mine , infact it the same time scale aswell.  I have started down the Offcom road & they have taken up my case, so you should do the same.  Orange are supposed to contact me within 5 working days & guess what they have not, (this is the 5th day). I rang Offcom this morn, they are contacting them immediatley.  I now have to wait another 5 working days (next thursday aft) if I have not heard from Orange by then, they will take it to senior managment level.  But after all that, Offcom cannot force them to remove the LLU but apparently it is in thei interest to do so.  The bottom line is that we willl probably have to have a new phone line put in (£124.99).  Even this takes about 3 weeks to get.

My last news from Orange was that they were passing the problem to Magdalene & my line will be released on Sept 18th, somehow I think another untruth.  Offcom know little or nothing about Magdalene, & the Tags on Lone team have never heard of them. 

I have now decided not to phone Orange any more as all they do is tell untruths or 'fob you off'.  I am continuing to have patience with Offcom because if they cannot get the LLU removed then frankly no-one can.

You could try complaining to www.ispa.com.uk  There is an online complaint form.  Makesure you have your records with you when filling in the form.  I did not when I complained as I have had to join the local Library to be able to use the internet, & I did not have all the details with me so I will have to do it again.

I will keep trying.

Hi Suezi,

Sorry to hear you are having the same troubles as me. I have always been told Magdalene was the problem and that Orange were frustrated they were not moving fast enough ( not frustrated enough to let me know what the terms of the contract between them stated regarding repairs times though!). I am now asking Magdalene about this but am yet to receive a reply.

I haved tried ISPA, I am now on my third complaint with them, they did manage to get me a refund for the months I have had no service but could not get them to fix my line any faster. I will try Offcom today.

My mind boggles at what exactly could take over two months to fix. We seem to have identified one hell of a problem. ;)


Good luck.

HAd problems when i tried to switch. Pipex said my mac code was incorrect. Called the satsuma people who said it was fine and correct but an llu code. told this to pipex. two weeks later, super fast broadband with pipex, bye bye rotten citrus fruit!!!

I think I have just managed to get my LLU sorted after 2 months.  Don't bother ringing orange anymore.  Get onto Ofcom.  Tell them there is an LLu on your line which Orange are refusing to remove.  They will contact Orange, after nine working days Oange have finally contacted me & said I slipped through the net (what a joke).  I gave them HELL (no swearing though).  They have promised me that the LLu will be off my line by the 17th Sept. 

What's really good is that I have a name & number to give everyoneto get hold of the right person at Orange.  Tel: 0845 070 2976.  Ask for Miss Paula Leslie.  She knows all about LLU's & all the problems they involve.  The other thing is, ask/demand for a refund of all your phone calls.  I have got £100.00 (YES!) being refunded to the c/card.  Dont let her haggle the amount, just tell her what you want & stick to it.

Goog luck