News

Orange perfects "how to prevent mobile broadband bills"

I have this USB dongle from Orange. Very nice, especially when stuck away from home - except it turns out that the wretched press office has supplied it in a non-functioning state.

Specifically, it has been shipped with a SIM card which is set up without roaming and with Orange Safeguard. "This site has been assessed as unsuitable for users under 18 years old" it primly warns me, when I try to log onto the NewsWireless discussion board.

It offers me two choices:

You can see it coming, can't you. The SIM in the thing isn't registered to me, but to the Press Office. So as soon as I try to discuss this with anybody at Orange, they want "Data Protection Act" information. And of course, that involves saying who I am, and matching it to the SIM. No go - I don't work for the Press Office.

But I did discover an automated service! That seems to work. I used my ordinary Orange phone, and dialled 150; then picked the options for mobile broadband, and found that one of the options was, specifically, Orange Safeguard! Hooray!

It's a robot. It says: "Orange safeguard is turned off on this phone." (Yes, I know) "To turn it on..." - no, thanks. But you've given me an idea!

So I pull the SIM out of the dongle, and plug it in to the phone, and try again.

It seems to work. It connects me to 150. Then it lets me get through the first five menu items. Finally, I get to the Mobile Broadband options. I pick the option which will finally get me to the robot and let me turn it off - or so I hope.

"Phone calls are barred from this phone," says the robot smartly, and disconnects me with extreme prejudice - a loud howling noise in my ear.

I think the Orange Press Office owes me a big drink, and a lunch...