Written by Philip Etemesi

I have been an Orange Kenya customer for close to three years now. The major thing that got me hooked on the network was the daily unlimited internet bundle service. For only 50 bob, I could browse all day without having to constantly check how much data bundles I had left. I would jump from Youtube to Instagram at will and open several browser tabs with no worry. I also had no reason to keep going to settings and switching off data whenever I wasn’t using internet. Unfortunately this service is no more. Orange has unceremoniously scrapped it off together with the weekly and monthly unlimited bundles. Nowadays, you only get limited bundles dubbed ‘Xcell’ for certain amounts of money.

This move came into effect on April 28th 2016. Even surprisingly, customers were never informed in advance. Not even a text message. Persobally, I came to learn about it weeks later after constantly bombarded customer care with fruitless requests for explanations as to why my unlimited bundle was only lasting a few hours. To this date, if you check Orange Kenya’s social media pages, you will spot hundreds of similar complaints

I now feel like a kid whose dad had previously allowed him to watch cartoons all day but now the same dad says “TV time is only two hours a day from now on son. And that’s non-negotiable”

It’s hard to understand why Orange Kenya abandoned the only service that gave it an edge over competitors. It’s like Safaricom abandoning M-PESA.

The network had a good thing going for it. There was even no pressure to advertise its previously brilliant internet service. Customers were doing the legwork for it. In 2015, I convinced around 11 people to join Orange Kenya and experience the freedom of surfing. These people have all become frustrated and discarded their sim cards. Listen closely. You will hear the champagne corks popping at Safaricom and Airtel headquarters for they know a mass migration is coming their way.

I understand that this might have been a boardroom decision that was arrived at after careful analysis, but as a business you should always provide customers with an alternative incentive if you take away one that they are used to.

Worse still, unlike Safaricom, you can’t check your bundle balance yourself with the new orange data plans. You have to keep on asking customer care via Twitter or Facebook, “Hey, how much do I have left?”. It’s like having a bank that requires you to call in whenever you want to know how much money you have left.

In all honesty, I hadn’t used Safaricom’s internet bundles for a long time but unfortunately I have to say goodbye to Orange and go back to Bob’s baby. I really didn’t want to do this but the lover I had shown so much faith in, has disappointed me. I am only human. I see no reason to stick around. It’s time to move on, until something changes. Which i really hope it will for the sake of those of us who had stuck around for so long and everyone else.

So …yes. Orange still has the foundations of a great service provider but the single thing that made it palatable to consumers has been taken away. Until the unlimited service is brought back, I guess I have to say ‘Adios Orange’, with a heavy heart. I will always love you for the great years you gave me. I will be willing to give you a second chance anytime if you come correct. Until then, bye bye.