Hi guys,

anyone able to offer advice on this one?

My contract ended with orange in january.

I rang up and asked that my number be transfered to a pay as you go sim, rather than renew the contract. I was told this was fine - the contract was cancelled, I waited 3 weeks (no use of the phone) and got a new sim through the post. I than rang them to register and move my number as well as to confirm cancellation of my direct debit - all fine.

two months later I get a bill for £50 (two months line rental) so I ring up to confirm and after getting batted around the phone monkeys confirm that someone left my contract running despite it no longer even having a number attached to it. Apologies, and "sorted". I also rang on a separate occassion after this for a payasyougo query and was told everything on the account looked kosher.

two months later and I now have a "credit" note reducing the outstanding debt to £32 and a letter from the baliffs telling me theyre going to take everything i own if i dont pay orange back.

I dont know what more I can do? Each time I ring they confirm I'm in the right, but behind the scenes they're still pushing for money

Firstly don't worry about bailiffs, they can only be appointed after a court case. Mentioning them at this stage is standard "bluff and bluster".

Phone them back and ask them to confirm the debt doesn't exist as your contract ended and record the conversation make sure you get the name of the person your talking to and get their managers name.

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Originally posted by dave
Phone them back and ask them to confirm the debt doesn't exist as your contract ended and record the conversation make sure you get the name of the person your talking to and get their managers name.

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Originally posted by MikeRJ
Firstly don't worry about bailiffs, they can only be appointed after a court case. Mentioning them at this stage is standard "bluff and bluster".

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Communicate with them in writing.
Say if you do not have a satisfactory reply from them in 2 weeks you will contact Trading Standards and get them to take the matter up on your behalf. They will help your by monitoring that Orange are behaving reasonably, and it is free.

It changed the attitude of a large mail order retailer I was having problems with over a lap top computer.

Mal


Mal

There is no such thing as a "private baliff". With the exception of certain rights given to Landlords no baliff can seize goods without a court order. It was a pathetic threat.

Nobody in their right minds will sue you for £32 - the court fees would exceed that many times over. It is fair to say that you might have a battle about your credit rating - you can dispute adverse entries.

If they persist with this they are harrassing you which is also against the law. you should mention this to them in the letter when you complain about their faulty procedures and poor in house communication.

In the past in this situation I've written to the company in question, pointed out the error (and their own admission of the error) and said that unless they desist in sending threatening letters you'll do them for harrassement and if they go to court against you for a fictitious unpaid bill you'll do them for slander (after all you would be named in a court as not paying a bill which in actuality you are not liable for).

Usually does the trick.

Otherwise I've got the e-mail of the head office of Orange somewhere

Do all of your corresponding in writing, sent Recorded Delivery, just to make sure they get it. And, the courts will only recognise letters as being delivered if you have the proof of delivery.

After the first Recorded Delivery letter, they usually take the matter seriously, and sort it out properly. If not, then you can build your case for the Small Claims Court, and they'll cop all the costs.

Cheers,
Nev.

You could try OFCOM (I think that's right) the government body that governs them.

Pete.

Bloody telecoms companies!

We have an 85 year old family friend being harassed by C********* T*******. Lovely old lady - not long lost her husband, frail and very hard of hearing.

They 'slammed' her ( LINKY ) and by the time she realised what had happened and cancelled the direct debit, they sent her a bill for the best part of £200. She paid it as they were holding her phone line to ransom (who restricts a phone-line for a vulnerable OAP?) and she just wanted free of the matter. They then disputed that she hasn't paid (she has obtained a copy of the cashed cheque that she sent to them) and want a further few hundred pounds in 'interest'. She went to see her solicitor as they continued to threaten her with baliffs, etc. and she was genuinely terrified that men were going to turn up and ransack her home. Solicitor fired off a few letters.. incurring a legal bill of a few hundred more pounds. No result as they just refused to correspond with the solicitor!

My wife and I took it over a couple of months ago. It's like talking to the thickest of brick walls! We've hit them with proof that she paid an 'unjust' bill, but they still 'can't find the payment' in their records system! Her fault apparently!

We've advised them of the distress they are causing and instructed them not to contact her... only us (and presented them with a letter of authority for us to deal with it on her behalf). They still phone her and threaten her with bailiffs.

They sicken me!

I'm glad I don't live near London as I'm pretty sure I'd have gone round and leathered a certain employee of there's! Cheeky smarmy bullying b******!

We're getting nowhere, so we'll be changing the ladies phone number so they can't phone her anymore!

We tried OFCOM, but they can't do anything just now as C******** T******* don't have an ombudsman... from what I can gather, whenever they have had one, they just ignore rulings against them and then part company with them until another is appointed.

First of all recorded delivery doesn't mean it gets there, however special delivery legally has arrived the moment you hand it over to the post office person.

Ofcom can't do much at the moment as they're inundated with complaints about useless phone companies (there's 3 in the system from our house alone) and as for the harassment of your old lady, inform them that you have proof they cashed the cheque and therefore paid it. They WILL only contact yourself, and by post only. Any other method (and person) and you WILL do them for harassment. Then you have to actually do so, or get really abusive

Also you could give us their number and address and we can get loads of cr@p sent to them


Oh yeah as for the OP if the debt collectors keep on at it order them to get proof, and don't pay them anything in the meantime (they will pester you for it) and keep on at Orange to get proof you cancelled.

[Edited on 5/6/10 by Ninehigh]

what company is C******** T******* ??

Am I allowed to post it? Would that not contravene forum rules?

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Originally posted by scootz
Am I allowed to post it? Would that not contravene forum rules?

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But I'm accusing them of various things... does that not change things?

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Originally posted by Neville Jones
Do all of your corresponding in writing, sent Recorded Delivery, just to make sure they get it. And, the courts will only recognise letters as being delivered if you have the proof of delivery.

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Originally posted by cd.thomson
Hi guys,

anyone able to offer advice on this one?

My contract ended with orange in january.

I rang up and asked that my number be transfered to a pay as you go sim, rather than renew the contract. I was told this was fine - the contract was cancelled, I waited 3 weeks (no use of the phone) and got a new sim through the post. I than rang them to register and move my number as well as to confirm cancellation of my direct debit - all fine.

two months later I get a bill for £50 (two months line rental) so I ring up to confirm and after getting batted around the phone monkeys confirm that someone left my contract running despite it no longer even having a number attached to it. Apologies, and "sorted". I also rang on a separate occassion after this for a payasyougo query and was told everything on the account looked kosher.

two months later and I now have a "credit" note reducing the outstanding debt to £32 and a letter from the baliffs telling me theyre going to take everything i own if i dont pay orange back.

I dont know what more I can do? Each time I ring they confirm I'm in the right, but behind the scenes they're still pushing for money

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Originally posted by SteveWalker
Which is of course totally unfair as in a totally different area, you can be done for not responding to a Notice of Intended Prosecution, as they automatically deem it delivered a certain number of days after posting - without proof!

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Originally posted by dlatch
what company is C******** T******* ??

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Originally posted by MikeRJ

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Originally posted by SteveWalker
Which is of course totally unfair as in a totally different area, you can be done for not responding to a Notice of Intended Prosecution, as they automatically deem it delivered a certain number of days after posting - without proof!

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Not any more! There was a high court appeal last year which came out in favour of the defendant, and the judge clarified that proof of sending via the normal (unrecorded/unsigned) postal service is not proof of delivery. Have a search for "Gidden v Director of Public Prosecutions" if you are interested.

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Originally posted by Theshed
There is no such thing as a "private baliff". With the exception of certain rights given to Landlords no baliff can seize goods without a court order. It was a pathetic threat.

Nobody in their right minds will sue you for £32 - the court fees would exceed that many times over. It is fair to say that you might have a battle about your credit rating - you can dispute adverse entries.

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