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£500 victory over a lack of Orange signal
Mark Prigg, Technology Correspondent19 Feb 2009
A MAN who successfully sued his mobile phone firm for failing to provide coverage in his home today urged other Londoners to follow suit.
Tom Prescott, 32, took Orange to court after they refused to cancel his 18- month contract, even though he could not get a signal either at his Richmond home or in his office.
This week he won his case at Brentford county court and was awarded £500. He slammed the phone networks for using "bullying" tactics.
"As soon as I realised I could not get a signal, I tried to cancel my contract," said Mr Prescott, a biochemist who lives with girlfriend Catherine Thomas.
"However, it has taken me three months in court to get it cancelled. I felt bullied by the company, and dealing with Orange was awful. I hope people who have the same problem now realise they can do something about it."
Mr Prescott, who represented himself in court, argued that having been sold an 18-month contract by the mobile phone operators there should be a reasonable expectation of service.
Orange refused to comment on the case but a spokesman added: "Continuous network coverage cannot be guaranteed and network coverage can be affected by factors outside of our control."
The ruling could have implications on all those who suffer from poor signal and for those looking for compensation.
Reader views (23)
Well done Mr.Prescott! I have been having problems with '3's reception since last year in most of the areas that I use my phone. But since July 2011 when I moved to my new house, the reception has been nearly zero. I have been continuously calling customer service for the past two months but it has been no help at all. I have given up all hopes that they are going to do anything about it. I came across the news article about your case when I was searching on how to take file a claim in small claims court. Could you please help me out by answering a few questions I have regarding collecting the evidence? I could email you my questions if you wish.
Your help would be much appreciated. My email is sureshkumar.ibt@gmail.com
- Suresh Kumar, Leicester, UK, 13/09/2011 22:19
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hmmmm as a trucker I need my phone . It works all over eu inc Turkey .am on sick long term phone & dongle will not work untill I go to Gainsboro 8miles away or Lincoln 10 miles yes am very happy NOT
- peter delooze, Torksey Lincs, 29/09/2010 20:40
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I have gone through the same type of problems, signal loss, etc; lack of. I have been sent replacement hand sets(same type) was told they where faulty, now they are trying to get me to take another replacement (same type again) not happening. I will give them a couple of days to sort this or I may take this futher, sorry I am with Orange and the customer service member told me I would be able to try a different hand set, as I have already tried the replacements, (he was in a call centre based in India -"no offence ment" and I have been told he had no authourity to offer me a new hand set) I don't know who to belive. Well we will see what happens. I think I am being fare - now it's up to Orange.. Show your true colours.. Well done to Mr Prescott..
- Greg, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim. N.Ireland, 31/07/2010 00:35
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is there any orange signal booster out there or will orange suply one free sick of calling the idiots. would get rid of them but been with them for years and they give me loads of free minutes if they worked lol with tecknolegy now days surely there is something out there.
- Mark Butler, Leicester and Leicestershire, 06/02/2010 11:24
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I have been an orange customer for a good 7 or 8 years now and have never had any problems with the company up until September last year, when I moved to Ealing. I can get absolutely no signal where I live, which has been a big problem, because I have family who live far away and my Dad has been very ill recently, but I have not been able to keep myself updated. I returned home for a few days, to find that I had absolutely no signal in my home, or the whole area I lived in for 3 days.
I have called orange numerous times, but all they seem interested in doing is passing the blame to ANYONE else. As for trying to end the 18 month conract I am 7 months into, I cannot, as a student, afford the £200 it will cost me to leave the network. Orange have truly worn me down. If it wasn't for the fact that I depend on my phone so much for contact with home, I would probably have given up by now. Well done to Mr Prescott, for having the paience to deal with Orange customer services, if nothing else!
- Rachel Colt, London, 29/01/2010 13:22
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I wonder if he`ll be so pleased when they erect a mobile phone mast outside his house - oh, that`s only OK if it`s someone else`s eysore!
Free yourself man - throw the mobile away!
- Darius Midwinter, London UK, 29/01/2010 12:22
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How does one check if there is coverage in one's home, until one has got the phone? The printed maps for all the networks show complete coverage over all of the London area, so that's no use at all.
Phone companies should be obliged give an immediate hassle-free refund if one's home or office turns out to be a local black-spot. Something for OFCOM to look into, I think.
- Nigel, London, 29/01/2010 12:22
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The first mobile phone I bought for my wife was on Orange back in 1990 something. Got it home, hid it in her handbag and dialled it. Nothing. No coverage in our area. It was a full year before the situation changed. Orange and 3 who are part of the same group take customer service to a new level of appalling. If your DD is late they will threaten to cut you off even if it isn't your fault.
"The Future's bright the Future's Orange". Funny that this was never used as a campaign in Ireland.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Orange is a French company. Just wait until EDF are running our nuclear industry.
- William Third, Hastings England, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Goodjob! 3 network truly sucks as well, with really horrible customer service - I hope they are next!
@ PI - He did say in his article that he checked after he got the phone and had no signal. How else could he have checked? By borrowing someones phone?
- Shirley, Oxford, UK, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I quiet agree as I have the same problem with orange since moveing home to a new area and can not recive a signal this has been a three month ordeal so far and now had to change to 02 as this is the only phone that can recive a signal in the kent area, as this was used as a business phone all items relating to it have now been changed at a great cost will be asking for the cost from orange.So after 15 years with them they have lost a customer never to return.
- Anthony Jennings, uk, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I had a conversation just hours ago with Orange, because I too have recently moved and no longer receive the service i would expect any network provided to be able to serve me with.
I phoned orange customer service... im waiting to hear a response from them.
(it did seem that i was getting fogged off with the small print, which "states that signal is aviable in all areas") I was offered the option to buy myself out of the contract at a cost of over £300 pounds or another option might be to move to a lower tariff?
Last option isn't really viable because i still would be left with a brick for a mobile phone.
Would be interested to hear exactly how "Tom Prescott" managed to take Orange to court... and I too would like to get out of my Orange contact.
- Norman Arnold, Stapleford Aerodrome, Essex, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I have a friend who would kill to live in his house! She has recently succumbed to electromagentic sensitivity and is currently living in a room lined with tin-foil, unable to use the phone, computer, stereo, radio, TV, DVD player, etc. Her career has ended and it's nigh on impossible for her to go out because of everyone's mobile phone signals and Wi-Fis . . . !
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I've had my Orange contract for less than a week, signed on 14.07.09.
So far, I can't get ANY signal at all in my house (and there is an Orange mast less than 200 metres away), the microphone is goosed on the phone, the wireless disconnects randomly and what signal I do get is very intermittent.
I look forward to hearing how you managed to cancel the contract without penalty!
Regards
Keith
- Keith Sayle, Corwen, North Wales, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I gave up using Orange some years ago as their "customer services" leave a lot to be desired. Well done to Mr Prescott. Call me a cynic but I have always got the impression that Customer Services in many companies are just a way of companies complicating the complaints procedures so people actually give up complaining.
- John David, London, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Thanks for the comments guys. Please do take them to the small claims court if you don't have receptoin but remember to log all your missed calls. You can ring your phone from a land line every hour and log how many calls get through. Take pictures of your phone showing lack of reception and gather all the evidence you can. Then kick them where it hurts. You can start a small claims application online.
- Tom Prescott, Richmond, Surrey, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I had the exact same problem with T-Mobile 5 years ago and stupidly paid up to the end of my contract just to get away from them.
- Real, London, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I used to get great coverage on nearly all the networks in my house. That was until all the NIMBYs started complaining about the cells and got at least 2 of them removed. Coverage is now exceedingly patchy and in some rooms non-existent.
I can't wait for the operators to start rolling out the new mini-cells as they don't need planning permission to install them 
Great news to have someone beat the operators but can we take on the NIMBYs next?
- Lone Gunman, Anywhere but here, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Orange are not the only nightmare mobile phone company; this is a victory for the consumer - well done Mr Prescott, for refusing to be bullied by these thugs.
- Neil M., london uk,, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Ive had my orange 24 month contract phone for about 4 months- aparently u can cancel the contract within a month(info for one of the people above) but my phone is faulty, both me and my partner have same phones etc, his is 18 months though, i only delayed calling due to personal probs when having my daughter etc, but when i called i was told id have to pay £320 to get rid of the contract, we were given the phones/contract aparently becuase we were "in a area of great coverage" im house bound and out of 2000 minuites so far ive only been able to use 142.36 of them over the duration of nearly 5 months and those calls were made miles away lol, ive emailed to carphonewarehouse complaing as orange blames them, they say accordiong to their comp that areas fully covered, but even the bloke from orange said hed driven by us and cannot use his mobile, also a orange customer lol- as far as theyre cooncerened i get full signal from home, if i did id use my 400 mins instead of getting huge bills from bt as having to call a mbile frequently- its stupid, i even wrote on my complaint that a man on watchdog was given the same rubbish even tho he knew he couldnt get coverage, so they know i will follow it up and wont be fobbed off- im homebnound- offered for them 2 come in my home and see themselfs aswell!!
- Benita M, Somerset, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I have accounts with all the major networks except Orange for exactly the same reason. There are parts all over London where Orange's signal strength is poor to nonexistant, and to make things worse their customer service is truly appalling. I got out of my contracts with them as soon as i could. Well done Tom Prescott.
- Mr S.Port, London, 29/01/2010 12:22
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I have exactly the same problem with T-mobile. I now intend taking action myself. If you have no signal at all, either on a 2G or 3G network they should accept that and at the very least cancel the contract and not mess you around like they do. I shall be writing to them today and urge anyone else in the same position to do the same NOW!
- Jeremy Southgate, High Garrett, 29/01/2010 12:22
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Well done to him, but didn't he check first to see if his home was in a coverage area, and what the signal strength might be like?
- P I Staker, London, 29/01/2010 12:22
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