Thanks Dai - I won't touch what I don't understand - already had a month without internet facility during my time with orange and that was enough to last a lifetime.  I will do as you say and wait for the service pack or alternatively give this computer to  my husband and he can buy a new one with vista on it for me - that sounds ok and a lot easier. He doesn't care what it runs on as long as it works!!

Once again thanks for your help.

Cheers, Tremic

At present, and particularly if your current setup is functioning well, I would avoid the upgrade. Vista seems to be presenting particular problems with networking in many situations and this may well affect your internet connectivity which of course would render online help resources unavailable.
If you know what you're doing or have a utility such as Acronis True Image to hand to back up your current setup then by all means, go ahead and try it. Otherwise, I would wait for the soon to be released Vista service pack.

Thanks for the info Dai - two sons inform me they don't use any of those ones at present but the information is worth noting for a later date.  Now I have alerted them to your post they say they will check the sites their sites out - the last thing I want is for them to ruin my computer, as per normal can't see them putting any money up front to replace it.

Hope that you don't mind me asking but you sound a techy - I bought my computer at Christmas and it is Vista compatible and I was able to get the upgrade to Vista Home Premium for the postage fee only.  I am thinking of putting it on but have waited a while to hear of any reviews - have you heard of any problems with upgrading the windows from XP to Vista?

I would be grateful for any comments.

Cheers, Tremic

If your sons are using P2P applications such as Limewire or one of the Bit Torrent clients, ensure that you have adequate anti malware protection and use a program called Peer Guardian or similar (Google for it).

Hi Dai

Thanks for that information - I don't think it will apply to us too much as we only put the computer on when we are in.  If my two sons aren't happy they know what they can do - move out and sort out one of their own. 

One of my sons stays up until 5am after a night out downloading so probably won't affect him much especially as he downloads during the hours of 3am to 5 or 6am on weekends. Other than that when he has a day off work he does it during the morning.

I only use it for research and after doing that at work all day prefer to do my shopping over the internet on an evening or weekends - so not much use from me apart from emails etc - I prefer to sit and watch TV.  You could say we have the broadband for our two sons to use - we use it very little.  I will keep an eye on the forums and should I have any problems will get in touch.

Tremic

Virgin are now enforcing a pretty tight FUP/AUP so be careful that you don't fall foul of it. See the Virgin section at the thinkbroadband forums.

Thanks Dai - that worked a treat - there are as many complaining on that site as there are on this one, it's amazing that a company can treat their customers so badly.

I am now on the XL virgin package and according to my two sons we are now able to download tracks in just 10 seconds as opposed to over a minute when we were on Orange.  Best thing about this one is that when I requested an upgrade to the XL from M package it was done in approximately 6 hours without even losing connection.

I will still get a back-up connection for the BT line in case anything happens with virgin - you never know how much you use the internet until you are without it!

Tremic

 

Preface bbs.adslguide.org.uk with http:// and don't include the www bit or simply click the forums link from within the main portal:

www.

thinkbroadband.

com

Hi Dai

I have come across the orangeproblems site before but didn't find it half as good as this one.  I only visited this site to check out the money section but whilst doing so found all these people who were having the same problems as myself.  I am finished with orange now apart from wanting money back from them which was promised over a month ago!!

I now have superfast speed with virgin media and won't be going back to orange ever.  Give him his due Richard Branson can get customer service training done - suggest orange take some pointers from him but being French they don't care for us Brits much and wouldn't put up with it if we were providing a non service to them!!

Can't get on to the other site bbs.adslguide.org.uk so can't see what it is like.

Tremic

 

Have a look at orangeproblems.co.uk and bbs.adslguide.org.uk.

Hi Tc43

Have just been listening to the Radio 4 programme - some of the wording was exactly that of one of our letters!!  Especially the bit about the Orange staff member saying 'off the record' that most of the upgrades do not work - I was told that by someone in escalations.

Surprisingly there was no spokesman from Orange - just a press statement - seems that their press office are as bad as the customer (non)service operators.  At least the csos face the music from all of us, the press office just sit in their office and answer to the press only!! 

Probably the reason the programme was on a week later is due to the inadequate work at Orange's end - it has probably taken them two weeks to reply - it takes them a week to get to the post box when they send letters, so it's taken a week to prepare that short statement and get it sent. Maybe they are with Orange broadband and they are in the process of being upgraded!!

Thanks for letting me know about the programme - I am now with virgin and find it excellent and the biggest plus is that their customer service is free to call with a cable line and they are polite and helpful.

Tremic

The Radio 4 programme eventually happened a week late. If you missed it I recorded it & posted it on my "ORANGE-are-W--kers" page. You'll have to follow the link a couple of posts back as it wont let me add it here now.

I hope to be back on broadband this week sometime with AOL. 

 Hi Tc43

I wonder what happened to the Radio 4 programme - I never heard it.  Here is my update for today - I am at last free of Orange - all tags have been removed from my BT line!! Yippee!!!!!

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 at the end of March took until almost the end of April - it should have been issued within five days and as we all know is computer generated, yet it took them almost a month from the date of request and then it was reluctantly given to us.

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, Will 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.

Wish you luck in your ongoing battle with Orange - don't give up!!

Cheers

Tremic

Edited in line with Terms of Service - please do not post personal details pertaining to others without their express permission.

Community Editor

Cheers for the info I'll be listening to that. If it's Radio 4 then they do have a listen again section on their site where programs are available for a week after broadcast.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml 

Like the website - will add to it later.  The radio programme is on BBC Radio 4 on the 16th May - see Jason Lloyd's post starting with ATTENTION Ex-Wanadoo / Orange members. It gives an email address to send your complaints to - I have sent all the correspondence over the last few months.  If we all do this then they will have plenty of stuff to go on - I will have to record the programme or hope that it will be on the internet to download.