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UPDATED: iPad halo tarnished by bad 3G provider (Orange UK)

Regular readers will know that I own an iPad 3G/WiFi 16GB (I couldn't justify the price bump to the higher capacities knowing the excessive premium I was paying for the extra storage). I bought my iPad through Apple direct, and hooked it up to the 3G network using the UK provider Orange.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

[UPDATE: The guys and gals at Apple PR have sorted out these issues and promised that other users affected by similar issues will get better treatment from the front-line customer services staff.]

Regular readers will know that I own an iPad 3G/WiFi 16GB (I couldn't justify the price bump to the higher capacities knowing the excessive premium I was paying for the extra storage). I bought my iPad through Apple direct, and hooked it up to the 3G network using the UK provider Orange.

Big mistake.

I've had numerous bad experiences with Orange over the years, and while the company has the best network coverage in the UK, it's badly let down by sales and customer services staff who seem happy to lie, and internal mechanisms that are rigid cumbersome. I'm not going to bore you with details of previous issues (suffice to say that they always related to overbilling, the errors that are weighted in favor of the company and against the customer, and ), and instead just give you a rundown of the hassles I've had along that should help act as a cautionary tale.

Note: Regular readers may remember my iPhone issues related to Orange.

I received my iPad the day before launch day, and tried to hook it up to Orange's 3G network immediately. I couldn't, because the plans weren't set up yet. Fair enough. I waited a few days and tried setting it up again. Lines were busy, I gave up. Eventually I got the 3G account set up near the end of May and I was on the interwebz.

Things went great until the July 2nd when all of a sudden my iPad was throwing up error messages about not having access to a valid cellular data account.

Uh-oh.

The next day (yep, Orange doesn't offer iPad customers 24-hour support) I got through to support and was surprised to discover that my 3G account had been cut off despite money still being taken. An error to do with the way the account was set up or something. This "error" was made all the more annoying given that I was on the road and actually wanted to use the 3G network I was paying for. Several hours later my iPad was back on the network and I was able to get on with work.

Fast forward to today, and a bill from Orange hits my door mat. I expect to pay £15/$23 for 3GB, but this bill was for £30/$46. An examination of the online account showed that I was being billed for two lots of 3GBs, and that the previous month I'd been billed for three lots (something which I'd overlooked so far because I was too busy at the time).

Now, some of you may be aware that here in the UK we have something called Direct Debit. It's basically a hose that companies can out in your bank account to suck money out at their convenience. But it does have one positive, customer-friendly aspect to it, something called the Direct Debit Guarantee scheme. This allows a someone who has had money taken out of their account to claw it back immediately. Most companies, on realizing that they've taken money in error are more than happy to give it back, knowing the rules and knowing that if they don't, customers will go back to the back, get their money back that way and leave the company to figure out what went wrong.

I say that most companies are willing to hand back money taken in error because it seems that Orange is not one. The best the company could offer was some complex system where my cellular account was credited with they money, I had to cancel the Direct Debit and them remember to reinstate it when my credit had run out, or I lost 3G access again. A cumbersome, time-consuming, time-sucking process for the blameless customer. There didn't even seem to be an option for me to get the refund sent to be in the form of cash or a check. I now have to go to my bank to get my cash back.

More time suck, more hassle ...

Note: It's worth noting that this is a two iPad household, and that BOTH accounts suffered from the same error, making me wonder whether other iPad owners on the Orange network are being overcharged.

Also worth noting is that we also have issues with one of our iPhones repeatedly being unable to receive calls some days ... that problem is making its way through Orange's support system.

So, what's the moral of this story?

  • Be careful who you allow access to suck funds from your bank account.
  • Check you bills regularly for errors.
  • Shop around for better deals from better companies - you don't have to stick with a company that has a record of taking your money and wasting your time!

[UPDATE: Bank now sucking my money back. Still leaves this month's Direct Debit suck to deal with, which will happen in a couple of weeks.]

Feel free to vent your spleens regarding any customer service problems you might be suffering in the TalkBack section ... misery loves company!

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