Press & PR

Store staff at Orange have expressed difficulty in pushing its broadband products since the company introduced a £30 connection charge for its services.

Orange, which offers fixed-line and mobile broadband products, has seen sales fall by more than 50 per cent, online publication Mobile Today reports staff as saying.

An unnamed store manager commented: "Sales have plummeted to less than half they were before the connection charge came in. Broadband has become almost impossible to sell and now it's proving difficult to motivate staff to push it."

The company was recently named worst broadband provider by price comparison and consumer advice service uSwitch, while senior analyst at Ovum Steven Hartley has suggested that uncompetitive pricing of its mobile broadband products has left the company "missing a major opportunity" to capitalise on the popularity of such products.

Another staff member said that he was confounded by the decision to raise prices at the same time as being named worst provider, adding that the store was selling no broadband products whatsoever.

Vonage offers broadband a secure, cost effective internet phone service that offers cheap calls both at home and abroad.