Wanadoo dial up internet

mummymania

In May I picked up a disc from Tesco as I wanted to change my internet provider. I phoned Wanadoo as I was having problems loading the disc, and stated I wanted 'anytime' for £14.99 - this was all done over the phone and they set me up and for the last 3 months my direct debit has been going through no problem. However today I received my BT phone bill and there is a charge of £385 + VAT for internet access. Well, after I picked myself up off the floor I calmly phoned Wanadoo, and was told that 'I' had been dialling a pay per minute number. I explained that I had only been dialling the number that I had been given and they can see I pay £14.99 a month as anytime? They told me to write to Head Office and ask for a rebate. Does any one have any experience of this, am i likely to get my money back and will they pay the VAT?

Guy_Wise

Sorry to hear this, i can imagine the shock!

Just to comment first of all by saying imo no one really should be signing up for dial-up packages unless there is no other option. Cost wise it doesn't really add up, there are broadand packages for far less than you signed up for.
Not only that, but there is the severe risk of falling foul of premium rate diallers, which can also result in huge bills (i believe that one of the security people at Microsoft Uk fell foul to one, so no one is immune!)

That said, it's easy to look back with hindsight, and it doesn't help your situation.
What i would guess has happened is this.
You have had problems installing the Wanadoo internet settings from the disc, you said

I phoned Wanadoo as I was having problems loading the disc, and stated I wanted 'anytime' for £14.99 - this was all done over the phone and they set me up

When you say *they set me up*, do you mean they also assisted you with entering all the details (including the free-phone number) into the dial up account on your pc?
And was that account made the default ?

You can check all this by:-

Opening the browser, click on Tools (at the top), click on Internet options, click on Connections tab at the top.
That will list the dial-up accounts.
Then you can see which account is default.
Highlight it, then click on Settings, then click on Properties. That will display the number that is being dialled for that account.

Pay as you go use 0844/0845 numbers, so called lo-cost
When you sign up to a package, you are provided with a free-fone number (usually 0808 ...)

You probably have other dial-up accounts listed here, and it is possible that one of those may have been made the default.

I used to listen to a consumer programme on Radio Bristol a while back, and they had several similar cases with Freeserve (previous name for Wanadoo, who are now Orange). It wasn't easy but with their clout they were able to get some refunds, but Freeserve didn't make it easy. The fact that there were a few of these cases suggests that the Wanadoo installation is messy and prone to failure.
It is always best to check these settings once they have been installed.


The problem you have here is that when you install any software on the pc, you usually have to accept terms and conditions which will let the company off the hook for any software failure.
Also, unfortunately, you are responsible for the settings on your pc, not the company.

I don't think legally you will have any grounds to take it to court.
You are really going to be relying on Wanadoo's goodwill.
I wouldn't write to them, that would probably be a waste of time. I would definitely try to sort it out over the phone, appealing to their better nature. If, as mentioned above, they did help you install the account, including phone number, then you will have a stronger case, but would be difficult to prove.

If you wanted more advice, you could give your local Trading Standards branch a ring. You should be able to find them in the phone book, or Google them for your county.

Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear. I do hope you manage to get a refund out of them, even if it's not the full amount.
Good Luck with it

Perhaps someone else on here can offer advice ??

mummymania

Thanks for your comments, I'll keep you posted!

PS: I can't get broadband - i live in the back of beyond

Nex0

Have you tried Zen home 250?

Its a very basic broadband but I know of people who have been turned down before and managed to get onto this its deffo worth a look.

http://www.zenbroadband.com/athome.aspx?page=453

Also what do you get when you enter your details into this checker?

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php