The Future's not Orange in Chepstow

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 22nd Oct 2007

Michael German AM with local Orange mobile cusotmers outside Chepstow Castle

Residents in a town left without a mobile telephone service by a global household name mobile phone company staged a protest on Saturday demanding their service be provided and be paid compensation.

Protestors staged a demonstration with the support of local Assembly Member, Michael German AM, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the National Assembly, outside Chepstow Castle. Chepstow has become known as the 'black hole' for Orange customers in the town where there has been widespread disruption to the company's customers.

Many of the people present at the demonstration, recounted stories of months of frustration with the company. Amongst them, Dr. Samir Shah, a consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon living in Chepstow; "I have several phones with Orange. Since they decommissioned a mast in the area, I have had real difficulty in getting a service. As a heart specialist I receive several urgent calls a day about patients under my care with potentially life threatening conditions.

"The situation is intolerable. I have failed to receive at least two calls where patients had life threatening conditions. All of this has been made so much worse by Orange not being honest about why there is no service and telling me and many other Orange customers to take their phones into their shop at Cribbs Causeway as they claimed our phones have developed a fault."

Dr. Shah added that he it 'deplorable' that a company of range's size and stature could sell a service that they cannot provide and still hold people to contracts.

In support of the residents, Mr. German AM said, "Many residents have contacted me regarding Orange. People have been misled for months by the company who have been unable to explain honestly why they have been unable provide a service. They have held people to their contracts, with no hope of a service for the foreseeable future.

"So many people in Chepstow have been affected: people with young children who rely on a mobile to organise family life and businesses left stranded. Orange should do the decent thing and admit defeat and compensate their Chepstow customers and help them transfer to another company who can give them the service they are paying for but not getting."

Chepstow County Councillor, Jacqui Sullivan (Lib Dem: Chepstow, St. Mary's) was another Orange customer who has affected. "It took several months, including letters, several phone calls and visits to Cribbs Causeway, being told that there was a fault with my phone and a problem with the local transmitter."

Cllr. Sullivan confirmed that Orange had released her from her contract. "It was only after threatening the company with legal action that they released me from a new contract. However, there are plenty of people who are stuck with the company. If they can do it for one, they can do it for all."

Mr. German's Assembly Office today confirmed that he had written to the Company in July and so far no response was forthcoming from the company. Mr. German has since written again demanding a response whilst also contacting Government Ministers at both Welsh Assembly Government and UK levels. Mr. German is also to contact Offcom, the regulator for the telecoms industry.

Speaking on what the company should do, Mr. German added, "Orange cannot hide away from their responsibilities. Now they should release people from their contracts, pay adequate compensation and transfer their affected customers to a company that can provide a service. Nothing less will satisfy people's complaints."