Using Orange Pay Monthly Sim Only product with a 3G handset.

I swear the term 'numpty' was thought up with an Orange customer
service rep or tarrif planning employee in mind!

Last week Orange put up their Pay Monthly Sim Only proposition
on their website. Behind the curve as usual for Orange these
days since other networks did it ages ago but at least they are
realising that there are loads of people out there who don't
need a new phone - and hence, don't need to repaying the handset
subsidy back to Orange for the next 18 months - but would like a
new tariff.

Initially, I was very happy. 'Er Indoors is on an old Talk 150
plan with Orange and out of contract period and was looking to
move to one of their Animal Crackers plans.

The pay monthly sim only details on the website showed that you
get the same minutes/texts/unlimiteds as a 24 month contract
(!!!) customer. Happy days.

She has a Z1010 3G phone that I got as a freebie but she
struggles with it as she only has a 2G sim card.

So - we stupidly thought - we'll put her on the new Sim Only
contract and get them to ensure that the sim they send out is a
USIM so that the phone will work properly.

How wrong was I?

Calls to customer services, direct sales, upgrades and retail
shops. Told different things each time. They have no clue. The
woman at sales didn't know what I was on about when I said I had
a UMTS phone, "A UNTS what?" she replied. Was told by CS that I
had to take out this plan in a retail shop so they could give me
a 3G sim. Retail shops said they don't even sell the plan.
Passed from pillar to post.

It seems that anybody who has a recent, 3G capable phone cannot
avail themselves of this Pay Monthly Sim Only deal as Orange
wont send you a 3G sim.

What a load of numpties! And I state that actually having worked
for Orange for 6 years albeit in a capacity far, far away from
Customer Services.

To my mind, the only way I would be able to do this and keep the
same phone number is by buying a 3G PAYG sim, swapping the
contract number over to that SIM and then changing from PAYG to
Pay Monthly Sim Only. What a ridiculous state of affairs.

She doesn't even want to use UMTS data services, she just wants
to carry on using her z1010 as it's a very sturdy, robust flip
phone but she can't keep it working properly without a USIM.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Cheers,

MJ

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