Hi,

It's very clear , if you have had a subsized phone recently you will have to pay a penaulty. An I phone subsidy is about 800 IIRC

It may be cheaper to just pay the monthly line rental until the contract is finished.

WTF does 'recently' cover? They mention 6 months...I've been with them just over a year. It's murky, ambiguous along with the sales droid going very out of his way to convince me that should we leave prior to the end of the contract, there'd be no penalty. I'm pretty sick to death of mobile operators raping me for termination fees and I'll fight this one as, compared to AT&Ts $150 charge, this is sodomy. Besides, sure, they can bill me but I'm pretty sure that I'm never coming back and the US won't extradite me for a random mobile phone operator penalty. This is what makes it rather absurd.

I suspect they will say 2 years if thats what the contract was, they have a higher price for 1 year contracts with expensive phones.

That's not what the FAQ would suggest and why would I pay 800 CHF for a phone I can't use outside of Orange CH? Like I say, I'll fight it as it's not likely they'll be able to collect on me if I'm outside the EU. I entered the contract in good faith that I'd be able to break it without penalty if I left the country and I'll be happy to return the phone.....surely, this is just a suckers gambit.

I am sure they will unlock the phone once you have paid the 800 CHF.
I am always suprised by the no of people who sign long term contracts with the expectation that they wont have to fullfill their side of the bargain!
If you really don't think they can collect, you don't need to do anything....

I told the guy up front, we might not be here 2 years and I'm willing, given the guys name is on the contract, to enlist the help of legal council to push that as I would never had agreed to the 2 year contract without him reassuring us that such was the case. Even the FAQ is rather ambiguous.

I can get an unlocked phone in the US for a lot less, but tell me, how would they collect if I'm in the US? Especially when a) their policy is ambiguous and b) we were lied to by the sales guy? Like I say, I'm enlisting legal help as I don't want to leave a loose end, but screw them if they think I'm paying 800chf for a phone.

Have you tried cancelling at different stores? It's a bit desperate, but it shouldn't take too long to find a malfunctioning sales droid who doesn't know his backside from his elbow...

I was also given the same cancel-without-penalty-after-six-months spiel. I'm not selling up so I haven't suffered, but given the power of verbal contracts here you might have a decent case of being mis-sold a contract.

Haven't yet but, yes, that's a thought. I agree about the power of the verbal contract (not to mention the outright ambiguity of the FAQ) so, I'm hopeful I won't have to leave with this problem still open but the only way they're going to get 800 chf for that phone is to pry it from my cold, dead, hand. I'm optimistic, but also determined not to get cornholed.

So a few bits of info that might be helpful for those either in possession of an Orange mobile contract or potentially considering one.

From 3 different Orange cost service reps, the official policy was, until late last year, was that if you were a foreigner and had to terminate a contract due to leaving the country, you were not subject to any termination fees (this includes the iPhone). So, on that score, we weren't lied to and we entered the contract with a clear understanding of what the terms were if we had to leave at some point prior to the expiration of the said contract. We were, of course, not notified of that pending change last November as, I'm sure this caught a lot of folks out.

What to do...a very uncharacteristically helpful Orange rep suggested not closing/cancelling or changing the contract just yet and, instead, send proof by registered mail that we're leaving the country, leaving the EU and that we entered the contract on good faith that, should this sort of situation arise, that we wouldn't be staring down hundreds of chuffs in penalty. She also suggested some possibly less painful outcomes so...we'll see how that goes, but there's hope that it won't have to come to fisticuffs. I'll update the thread if and when we get a response.

**Bottom line, though, is that all of the previous threads stating that you can leave the country and be off the hook with orange are null and void. Buy a cheap burner phone and go pre-paid until you're sure you're going to be settling in for a long good while.

So, the good news: sending a registered letter to Orange, including the de-reg letter and an explanation that entering the contract with the understanding that there'd be no penalties only to have this change without notice was a bit of a concern, has been resolved without penalty, extra fees and, apparently, even the offer to unlock the phone which is a much better outcome than I had anticipated a few days ago.

The bad news: Anyone with a contract since late last year has no such recourse. All new contracts can expect to get zorched even if you're an expat and even if you're leaving the country.

So, if you entered an Orange contract before Oct of 2011, don't terminate the contract (as that will generate a bill for the penalty), instead send a registered letter to Orange with your de-reg and explain the situation. This may or may not result in amnesty, but it's the appropriate channel to take in resolving the problem.

For new arrivals, don't believe the FAQ on the website. Get a pay-as-you-go plan or something a lot more flexible than a fixed contract until you know you're staying.

YMMV, HTH and HAND.

Can you let us know when the phone has actually been unlocked please? Then I can quote these posts next time we are asked the same question!

I think they can do it remotely with the IMEI number. I'm not actually sure how I can tell if/when it has been unlocked short of inserting a different SIM into it. But, yes, if I can determine that it has been done, I'll note it here.

Ok, so, yes, they have actually unlocked the iPhone as well.

Even more interestingly, a manager actually called to ask if everything was OK and such (wtf?) which is a real showstopper. He also commented about the change in the rules were due to too many people claiming to be leaving the country but either didn't or did but returned shortly thereafter.

So, much to my surprise they have handled this case rather fairly and may do the same for others if handled properly.

well well , thats nice to hear..

Hi poptart,

can u please provide m with the address to which u sent the letter and the de-reg form through registered post? I have a iPhone (orange) contract from August 2010 and I am having the same issue of 800 CHF!!!

thanks.

I sent my "preventive" cancellation letter REGISTERED (my 2 yr. contract is up in Sept and don't want to miss the deadline) to this address:

Orange Communications SA
4 Rue du Caudray
P.O. Box
1020 Renens 1

It worked as they phoned me to try to sell me another package and I got written confirmation of the letter being received.