Optimum calls

johnscon_123

can anyone help with this..?? my contract ended in june with optimum calls..! i have decided to go with another company,but have just found out that optimum calls have automatically renewed my contract unbeknown to me..surely once my contract has ended its my decision to renew it or go somewhere else,not theirs..!!!???

conkeydock

write a letter to them requesting all information they hold on you, they have to do this under the data protection act. When they signed you up unless the told you all the relevant info listed below:

It may be of interest to know that our General Conditions state that providers should supply certain information during the point of sale, this is:

· A description of the services
· Key charges including minimum contract charges, termination fees and, if applicable, payment terms
· The existence of any termination right, termination procedure and right to cancel at no cost from the point of sale to the transfer period
· The arrangements for the provision of service
· Order process
· As accurately as possible the likely date of provision
· Any minimum contract period.




Unless they told you all this you can get out of the contract, write a recorded letter saying that you were mis sold the contract and want to go on a 30 day notice, they will write back saying that they complied with all the conditions, don't worry just write another letter saying that unless they put you on the 30 day contract 8 weeks from the date of you initial letter you will refer the complaint to the CISAS. They should then cave in an give you a 30 day contract. I did this and they gave up, they are bullies and don't like people standing up to them. Make sure that you send all the letters by recorded delivery, don't trust them an inch.
Also write to you MP about this company and also the MP for Hemel Hempstead ( the MPs are toothless when it comes to this but the more this company comes onto their radar the better)

Binny1963

Why can't we all phone Watchdog (BBC) or take a class action? I'm so fed up with the same bullying behaviour from Optimum Calls.

bobbygeorge

I have today started my complaints procedure with Optimum calls. I was cold called last May and signed up with the promise of cheaper calls than BT - yeah righty o!!! I was told to sign using my husbands business name. I was never told i could sign as a residential customer thereby having a much small contract time. Instead i got signed for 60 months. They have more than doubled my line rental and when i complained they said i wasnt making enough calls!!!!! I have asked for a copy of initial phone call they made to me but they say they dont have these calls and they are not kept. I also have asked for reduction in the £395 plus vat charges as I believe i was mis sold the entire package. Lets wait a week now and see if i have any luck. I have also complained to ofcom (who were NO help watsoever) and to BBCs Watchdog programme. Today im going to cancel my contract and will have to pay the money but if i get no joy from them i might go to small claims court to see if I have any recourse from them.

Wish me luck !!

PollyMay239

I have my business telephone lines with Optimum Calls, but I too did not remember signing up for 5 years!

I called their customer services to enquire about broadband and I was told they offer 14.99/month for 10GB or 19.99/month for unlimited downloads. So, I called BT so see what their broadband deals were, as I have BT Broadband and BT vision at home, and I was passed from department to department and they finally answered my question 20 minutes later! Compared to the 30 seconds it took Optimum Calls to answer my call!
The next day, I received a call from Optimum Calls, asking me if I was aware that BT had applied to take my telephone lines! I never agreed to anything with BT as they wanted 24.99 a month for unlimited broadband so I called BT to cancel it and it took 50 minutes! I was trying to run a hair salon!

Then, a couple of days later, I received a letter from Optimum Calls detailing the transfer to BT with a 'Breach of Contract' invoice for 395+VAT per line as my contract does not end until 2013!
I called Optimum and spoke to someone in their contracts dept, who advised me that BT had still not cancelled my transfer (which meant a further 40 minutes on the phone to BT!). She did explain everything to me - from when I initially joined them to what happens if my circumstances change - so I now have peace of mind to stay with them.

For my records though, I did ask her to send me a copy of my 'verbal agreement', which I did agree to everything (incl 60 months) and it was all made clear - I just didn't remember it! I dug out my 'Welcome Pack' and everything was explained in writing, on T&Cs, I just didn't bother to read them in the 2 weeks i had!

So in future I will pay more attention to telephone sales calls and read T&CS! But I would advise anyone to contact them for a price match (that's one of their good T&CS!) and they will match or beat any other offer! I got unlimited Broadband, Line Rental, and Calls to UK landlines, 0845/0870, 4 UK mobile networks and the top 10 international landlines for 40 pounds/month and I am more than happy now!

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

:spam: by KinkyBoots reported. Do not post the same thing over and over.

markperky

I also have had problems with Optimum Calls, and they have stated I need to pay £395.00 + VAT for "early termination".

I'm posting this reply in case others may be in a similar situation.

The first thing to note is that in order for them to enforce this term, the contract must be intact and not voided. Term 20.2 actually states that "if the customer wishes to completely terminate their contract with Optimum Calls they must pay the early termination fee of £395 + VAT". As this is a term in the contract it is voided if, for any other reason, Optimum Calls act in a way that breaches the contract. The contract would then be voided in its entirety.

Take a look then at your bills and note the line rental they have been charging you. Term 9.9.1 states "To achieve 50% discount on the line rental, an upfront payment is required to cover the years line rental. After the first year, line rental reverts to the standard 15% discount.". So you should be getting 15% off the line rental. Chances are (as is with me) that not only are they not giving any discount, but actually charging more than BT. In my case they have been charging £16.12 per line while BT's rate is £14.60. So they have violated term 9.9.1, and are in breach of contract. This means the contract in its entirety is voided, and terms 10.3 and 20.2 cannot apply. In fact even the 30 day termination notice period cannot be applied either.

So I would switch provider, and give notice in writing to Optimum Calls that you have done so, and that you consider them to have already breached the contract over the line rental charges. Make it clear you will pay any legitimate outstanding fees for services already used up to the date you switch, as this would be seem to be fair by a court if it were to go that far.

Binny1963

Hi

I've written to Ofcom, my MP and received replies from both about this horrid company. After watching Watchdog this evening (10.10.12) I think there is enough information for BBC to investigate this company and air on TV. Anyone else interested to share their grievances in a more formal manner; got evidence?; details of aggressive staff? I've never posted on a forum before - says a lot about this company and the rip off feelingI get when I remember them saying 6 months and it turned out to be 60 months and it was my fault for not listening.....

Binny1963

Wish me luck !![/QUOTE]

What happened bobbygeorge?

Buzby

Good Luck, but the TV stations are really only interested in firms they can truly embarass, and for this to work they need a large number of complainants before they would even consider looking into anything to do with it.

The flipside, is that they are perhaps not the most cost-effective company to be with, but that is what consumer choice is all about - it is a right to sign up with the Bad, as well as the Good.

As to your contract - the fact is, did you not read the documentation where the minimum term was stated? This is usually sent to you after you have agreed to take them as your telecom provider, and you are expected to note such discrepancies and raise it with them before the contract is confirmed. If you do not query it, then the service isn't mis-sold, but mis-bought.

Are you a business? OFCOM have largely outlawed contracts with minimum terms longer than 2 years for residential users, and 5-year contracts are the domain of business users, so if you are in the latter position, there is little you can do - but if not, depending on when the contract was agreed you may have grounds for forcing a no-fee termination.