I don't know what Band I was, but up until a year or so before I left Orange my monthly spend was up to £80 a month, and my bill was paid in full by DD every month since I started in 1996. I then went down to about £30, as my living situation changed and I wasn't using my mobile as much. I think if I'd stomped my feet back when I was on £80, they'd have tried harder to keep me! I think their memory span is quite short.

It's actually been a year and a month since I moved over.

I don't regret leaving Orange, and Three have been fine. They messed up my bill last month, but it was fixed quickly. Coverage seems okay, although it isn't as uniform as Orange: it flicks between the Three service and the 2G fallback (Orange and O2) a bit too often. Also, being on a 3G-only network is a bit annoying: 3G phones are still battery hogs, and it also limits which phones you can use.

However, as far as I'm concerned, it's far better for the price. The overall offering is good, and the approach seems very similar to vintage Orange. The "My 3" portal works well, as does the "Planet 3" service.

I think what I've really discovered is that brand loyalty doesn't matter to the networks like it used to, so it's not in customers' interests to care about it either. If Orange don't care that you've been with them for ten years, why should you? :) The networks rely on customer apathy/inertia when it comes to end of contract, but since it's so easy to move nowadays, they should work harder to keep their customers.

I guess you should ask yourself why you're still with Orange, and think about the answer. There are good reasons: Orange broadband, family/friends on Orange, etc. If it's just loyalty or apathy, then it's probably worth moving, because new customer offers are almost always better than existing customer offers, regardless of network.

At the very least, threaten to leave! If you're a high-roller, they'll start flinging discounts and free upgrades at you. If you're a low-tariff customer like I was, they'll call your bluff. So, ask for them to send you a PAC code. It won't actually have any effect until you sign up and give it to another network, but it'll probably result in you getting a call a couple of days later from Orange Customer Retention, and then they'll be willing to talk about what it'll take to keep you. They'll be aware of the other networks' tariffs, so make sure you are too... they know when you're bluffing.

When I got the second call from OCR, I had already signed up to Three, so it was too late for me to stay with them (although I did have a 14-day cooling-off period with Three, so I could have reversed the process)

I'm happy to stay with Three until my contract ends in June, and then I'll shop around. I might stay with Three, or I might move on. Looking at their tariffs, I don't expect I'll move back to Orange.

One thing to check on that data plan is what's covered: some of the Three data plans only apply for on-mobile use, so you can't use them with a laptop.

The other thing: if you do sign up to Three, find someone you know who's already on Three and give their number when you sign up... they'll get £30 off their bill, *and so will you!* If you don't know anyone on Three, feel free to chuck my mobile number in :)

Phew... I wasn't intending to write that much. Hope it helps!

Tom

I've just pointed the Expansys webforum to your post (http://www.expansys.com/ft.aspx?k=104061) as an example of another client who has had enough of Orange's slide into mediocrity.

I've been with Orange for about 10 years and I'm on the verge of leaving them due to their data rates. Even through an upgrade I haven't been able to persuade them to be more competitive. They offered me 10 Meg of data for £8.50 a month whereas the '3' network has offered 1 Gig (i.e. 1024meg) for £10 a month.

Since you've been with 3 for about a month now, what are your impressions of their service? Are you happy with your decision?