# A question about Spanish mobile phones



## pittstop (Apr 19, 2012)

Hi, 

I'm having fun and games  with my 5 year old Orange mobile that I purchased in Spain and wondered if anyone knew who I need to contact to sort it out. 

The orange.es website isn't particularly user friendly for someone who isn't fluent in Spanish, and a lot of terminology doesn't translate very well. 

My situation is this: 

When I purchased the phone I asked them in the shop to set it up to allow me to make calls BACK TO SPAIN from the UK when I visit. Now on my partner's mobile (which is on a different network) the "global" setting is fixed and permanent. But for whatever reason last summer Orange just took away my roaming privileges and I couldn't use the phone at all in the UK. 

I'm planning another trip over to the UK again soon and want to make sure Roaming will work, but I've no idea who I contact, is there a phone number I need to contact and is it likely they will be able to deal with me in English as my Spanish is not really up to this kind of enquiry. 

I would just search for this on Orange.co.uk, but I'm not entirely sure the situation in Spain is the same as the one for UK Orange customers as my old English mobile automatically applied Roaming as soon as I left the country. 

any ideas? 

Because the phone is so old I don't need it for WAP browsing, but I probably will need to make and receive texts and calls back to Spain. Any ideas, anyone?


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Orange UK won't help with problems with Orange.es phones, and vice versa. They are separate companies.

You could try hunting down an Orange shop or booth with an English-speaking assistant, or take a Spanish friend with you to translate.

Or keep pestering the Orange.es customer services on the free-phone number till they find you an English-speaking helper - they do exist!

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## pittstop (Apr 19, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Orange UK won't help with problems with Orange.es phones, and vice versa. They are separate companies.
> 
> You could try hunting down an Orange shop or booth with an English-speaking assistant, or take a Spanish friend with you to translate.
> 
> ...


that's kind of the problem, I'm not sure which IS the customer services number. The website list various numbers but most of them seem to relate to checking your balance or messages, not really what I'm after.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Hi Pittstop,
Although they are different companies, I am wondering whether Orange Spain have taken a leaf out of Orange UK's book regarding international roaming.

It used to be relatively easy to use an Orange UK mobile abroad. All you had to do was ring up once and ask and this ability was there permanently. But now they are putting all kinds of limits on this, including in some cases asking for 150 pounds paid upfront.
And the only way you find this out is if you ring customer services as the website just says "this service is not available on your account."

As to your problems contacting Orange Spain by telephone, I sympathise. It is not easy to find a telephone number on their website.
Do you get monthly paper bills? If so, the number should be on there.
If not, you could search on their sitemap page here: Orange: mapa web and see what comes up.

And if you still cant resolve this issue, I would be inclined to buy a new SIM card for your phone when in the UK (even if the phone is locked, I'm sure you can find somewhere to unlock it ).


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

pittstop said:


> that's kind of the problem, I'm not sure which IS the customer services number. The website list various numbers but most of them seem to relate to checking your balance or messages, not really what I'm after.


Call 470 from your Orange mobile and just hang on through all the options - eventually you should get a human being!

Alternatively:

Servicio Comercial de Orange:
1414: Llamada gratuita desde cualquier operador móvil o fijo.

Atención al cliente:
656 00 14 70


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## pittstop (Apr 19, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Call 470 from your Orange mobile and just hang on through all the options - eventually you should get a human being!
> 
> Alternatively:
> 
> ...


oh I HATE Orange!! 

Called 470, eventually managed to speak to a human, then after another 10 minutes, spoke to a human in English, who basically told me "roaming is automatic" just switch your phone off and back on again when you get to the UK and it will find the new network. 

Not sure that is true, and told her so, she went off and asked someone else, and came back with exactly the same information - so I'm winging it that she knows what she's talking about. Trouble is the phone DIDN'T find a network last year when I visited the UK, so I've little confidence she's right. 

But without asking someone who is fluent in Spanish to go through all the endless options only to be lied to in a different language, there really isn't anything else I can do. 

I'll never use Orange.es for another phone.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

pittstop said:


> oh I HATE Orange!!
> 
> Called 470, eventually managed to speak to a human, then after another 10 minutes, spoke to a human in English, who basically told me "roaming is automatic" just switch your phone off and back on again when you get to the UK and it will find the new network.
> 
> ...


Another annoying thing - if you want to put an Orange UK sim in your Orange ES phone, or vice versa, they want €20 to unlock it!

I must say though, I've never had any trouble finding a network in other countries.


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