Orange prepaid card problems

cletus2012

New Member
Oct 28, 2012
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Hello all,

I would want share my experience with the Orange prepaid card, to see is someone had the same experience and can indicate me what to do or who I might contact, because to be honest I don't consider the Orange behaviour very correct.

I need a prepaid card just to use it on internet to be sure that every time I will buy something, I have not provide the details of my regular bank card. I choosed Orange because it seemed the best deal on the market, but to apply for it, became a very Odyssey.

1st attempt, I was to an Orange shop to ask for a voucher to use to apply for the card later on their web; the guy on the shop said me, no we don't provide vouchers, you have to apply for the card on the web. I thought that probably I had read bad, I had not! You can apply for the card paying by voucher previously bought on the shop, by sms or by bank card paying 4% more for the cost of the transition.

2nd attempt, I came back to the same shop asking again for the voucher, the girl there this time told me that they did not have voucher available at that moment.

3rd attempt, I top up my phone because I have a pay as you go to apply this time by sms. At the moment I should to send a text to the 82023, the phone told me that the number did not exist, so it was not working. I tried also with a phone with a friend of mine, same result, the number they provided on the website did not work.

4th attempt, I was to another shop to ask for this voucher, the girl there answered to me that they don't have among their products the prepaid card, UNBELIVABLE, I had to insist with her to call her manager and ask about the card. After several minutes finally I got the voucher.
When at home I applied for the card and the problem seemed solved, was not! :(

After apply I received 3 e-mails by orange:

1) Welcome to Orange Cash. It's great to have you with us. The details of your order are below...etc. Etc. etc.
2) Good news, the payment for your Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard® has been processed successfully.
You will receive your card in 7 to 10 business days. Etc. etc. etc.


3) Dear Customer,
Thank you for applying for a Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard.

In order to help process your application and post your card out to you we require further information.

You need to post two documents from the table below to:

Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard, PO Box 3371, Swindon, SN5 7WJ

Please provide one document from both columns A and B showing your current address. All documents sent as originals must be dated within the last three months or will be classed as invalid. All photocopied identification documents must be within expiry or will be classed as invalid.



The documents must be from different columns and you cannot use the same document twice.


List A Original or Photocopy

Passport Photocopy

UK or overseas driving licence (Photocard & Counterpart) Photocopy

National Identity card Photocopy

Government employer’s identity card, e.g. armed forces, police, etc. Photocopy

Benefits agency/local authority letter confirming benefits Original

HM Revenue & Customs tax notification (current tax year) Original

Residence permit Original

IND application registration card Photocopy



List B Original or Photocopy

Council tax bill Original

Gas, electricity or water bill Original

Landline telephone bill Original

TV, satellite or cable bill Original

Bank, building society or credit card statement Original

Home or motor insurance certificate/schedule Original

Letter from a known employer Original

Letter from a university, college, known language school or UCAS Original

NHS medical card (under 18s only) Photocopy

Tenancy agreement or rent book Original

Vehicle registration document (original dated within the last 12 months) Original

The below documents can only be accepted if not already provided from list A;

Benefits agency/local authority letter confirming your benefits Original

HM Revenue & Customs tax notification (current tax year) Original

UK driving licence (Photocard & Counterpart) Photocopy

Important notes – please read if you are providing identity documents

• Any documents must show the same address and be in the same name as the original application.

• Any photocopied documents must be clearly readable.

• Your passport, driving licence or national ID card must be within the expiry date.

• All document listed as ‘Original’ must be within 3 months old or will be considered invalid.

• If you’re under 18 and can’t provide any items from list B, you can instead send us a photocopy of your passport

along with an item from list B in your parent or guardian’s name.

If the identification supplied is sufficient to verify your application, we can also offer you an upgrade*.

Should you wish to take advantage of this offer please email Customer Services at the below address.

(Do not forget to include your name & address details)

*Fees apply see terms and conditions for full details

If you do not wish to proceed with the application you must advise us within 14 days. We will require identification documents before any refund is issued.

If you have any further queries about this then please feel free to contact us at customer.services AT orangecash.co.uk

Kind regards,
Customer Service
Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard



After these emails to be honest I thought if they are kidding and I began to lose my patient. Following my answer.

Hello,

I received your request of further information about my identity to allow you to send out my card.

Why are you asking this documents? In your FAQ section to the question "Do I require ID information to get a card?" the answer on the first sentence says: "Further ID information IS ONLY required if you receive a card with a reduced spending limit AND WISH to upgrade".

Furthermore the point 3.5 of "Terms and Conditions" says: If we are unable to satisfactorily verify your identity and address from information provided by you at the time you apply for a Card we will issue you with a Restricted Card.

I am not english mother tongue but that seems to me that if I want to upgrade my card, I need to send proof of my identity, if I don't want I will receive my card with the limit of 1.600£ per year. Am I wrong?

Moreover about the documents you are asking for, for example the list A says you accept a photocopy of my National Identity Card but below in the "Important Notes" is wrote: "Any documents must show the same address and be in the same name as the original application." What does it mean? How do you suppose you think I can provide a foreign National Identity Card with an UK address?
On the list B you ask for "Bank, building society or credit card statement", mine is a Debit card, so must I upgrade to credit card just to provide you the information? Moreover after how long the document will be destroyed after I proved my identity? On that document there are my personal information besides my financial information.

So to be honest, for what I have written above, still do not understand why I have to send documents when I just want the prepaid card with the limit of 1.600 £ per year?

Waiting for you answer,
Have a nice day

They replied:

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting Customer Services.

From our terms and conditions it does state that Identification documents may be required before we can issue a card to you. Unfortunately without the documents we will not be able to process your application.

If you do not wish to provide documents, we can certainly cancel the application and process a refund of any application fee you may have paid.

Please let us know how you wish to proceed.

Kind regards
Customer Services
Orange Cash Card


Sincerely I don't know in wich way they work, they reply back without provide any reference of the terms and condition where they says that they might ask for further information before to issue the card, moreover they did not answer to my questions about the documents.

I am very disappointed with them and I think that is just a way to tire people and force them to upgrade the card. Yes because in their terms and conditions they also said that if you want to upgrade your card and to grow up your money limits you have to pay a fee of 5£.


I am sorry for the very long thread, but I think in this way I could explain everything properly.

Anyone can suggest me what to do? I don't care to lose the money I paid to apply for the card, is just 5£, but they are playing with people, so there is some way here in UK to complain about a company? Some consumer protection o something like that? From my point of view is not very clear what they are doing, and the way they're working on.

Many thanks
 

Witch consumer

Moderator
Sep 8, 2008
1,593
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Debtors retreat
I have checked the Orange website and it does say they will do an ID check although it also implies you can still have a restricted card if they are unable to do this check.

One thing all financial companies must consider is money laundering (this is UK law) and these cards are an ideal opportunity for this, in addition, they must consider insurance fraud.

I think the list of documents they will accept is quite generous and I would expect anyone would be able to provide one document from each of those lists.

I don't think they are doing anything unlawful here but it will be covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
 

cletus2012

New Member
Oct 28, 2012
3
0
0
Hi,
thanks for answer.

I did not say they're doing something illegal but they should clarify what they might do both in the section FAQ and into their Terms and Condition.

Excuse me where did you read that they can ask for a further documents? Probably I did not read properly the terms and condition but as I wrote in the first post, the point 3.5 said that if they can not check the identity they will send a limited card.

Moreover they ask that "Any documents must show the same address and be in the same name as the original application." With original application they mean the application I made for the card?
Sorry if for you could be stupid questions but for a foreign people is not always eeasy to understand everything.

Probably they're right and they're doing their job but for me what they ask is not clear at all.

Thank you
 

Witch consumer

Moderator
Sep 8, 2008
1,593
3
0
Debtors retreat
It says they may ask for additional documentation on the home page, in the introduction.

Yes the address must be the same as the one from which you applied for the card.
 

cletus2012

New Member
Oct 28, 2012
3
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0
I replied to your answer yesterday but oddly the post disappeared.

I told you that probably we are consulting two different homepages. This is where I am checking and to be honest I don't know if I am blind but I can't see where they say they can ask for further documentation. cash.orange.co.uk

I understood they are asking for the law against the fraud and is a good thing what they are asking for but I consider the "Terms and Conditions" the contract between the parts, and if the contract says that is not necessary to provide documents, I am not happy when they ask for them and I can't provide them.

As I said, they ask for a national identity card that have to contain the same address of the application. This is a paradox! They ask for something that cannot be possible!
Do you think it makes sense? I don't think so.

If I knew before the kind of documents I had to provide probably I would have not waste my time for something that technically now I can't get. I would provide the rights documents but I cannot because I don't have them.

To me their service and communication continue to seem very poor for an international company like that.
 

AndyT

New Member
Nov 2, 2012
1
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I opened one of these soon after they were released.

My first attempt was online using one of my bank cards to verify my details. I was sent one of the restricted cards as they could not automatically verify my details. However they gave me the option of keeping the restricted card, sending in paper verification (at a cost), or cancelling the card and getting my money back.

SO: I made a second attempt - again online but using a card from my other bank account. This time it went through as a non-restricted card.

I phoned up and cancelled my first card (quite easy and got my money back).

I have happily been using the Orange card with no problems and it is one of the cheapest to use and has online access and sms notifications to you phone even.

So it seems you could keep a restricted card but maybe they still have to have you tell them your address, just that their automated systems can't verify it.

Thought I would add my little bit to your post. Oh yes even got a second card on the account for the family.

Andy..

Always wise to have a backup bank account and plastic for when systems go wrong.;)