Orange gives a poisoned gift to some of its customers. Subscribers to the Livebox Play offer will benefit from an increase in flow with an increase in prices. An increase that can be declined by going to see elsewhere.
Subscribers to the Livebox Play Orange offer – an old formula that is no longer marketed – are entitled to a funny surprise in their mailbox at the moment. The French historic operator offers them an improvement in their internet connection, with much faster flows than before. On paper, difficult to complain: up to 2 Gbit/s for download, 800 Mbit/s in sending of data, a Wi-Fi 6 repeater and even a reduction on Netflix. But behind this promise of digital comfort hides a unilateral decision, which does not really leave room for your choice.
This change, presented as a welcome upgrade, is actually accompanied by a price increase of 3 euros per month. Orange does not leave the possibility of refusing this evolution, except to change purely and simply an access provider. And that’s not all: customers who would like to demote to a cheaper offer at Orange will have to pay 49 euros in fees. A pill that is difficult to swallow when you want neither better debit nor pay more.
Livebox Play increase: refuse before it is too late
The operator plays here a card that others have already placed on the table. SFR or Bouygues have also applied these kinds of methods in the past, automatically adding paid services to their offers, without the customers explicitly given their agreement. Orange therefore joins this so -called “forced -up -to -date” strategy, which generates additional income without effort, while taking advantage of the complexity of termination approaches.
Some subscribers could see an interest in this new formula, especially those who need a high speed or who have a house equipped with devices connected in number. In this case, the promise of better performance and small bonuses (such as the Wi-Fi repeater or the reduction on Netflix) can make the increase in prices acceptable. It is still necessary to really need it, which is not always the case, especially for occasional users.
Fortunately, everything is not lost for the refractory to this imposed increase. The article L224-33 of the Consumer Code Very clearly stipulates that it is possible to terminate at no cost in this kind of situation, provided that it does within four months from the notification of this change. A shooting window not to be missed for those who wishes to refuse this disguised increase. It is therefore advisable to check its date of receipt of the orange email and compare the competing offers, sometimes more flexible and adapted to the uses of each.
This maneuver illustrates how captive customers can be captive in a system where pricing developments are imposed and the alternatives not very obvious. If some will benefit from this technical development, many will especially see a disguised way of increasing the monthly bill, without real discussion possible.