Third party mobile companies - beware!

EllsC

Hi,

I was contacted recently by a company claiming to be Orange, offering me a 'free upgrade' on my phone and 10% discount on my bills for being a loyal orange customer. I agreed to this and low and behold about a week later a received a new phone with 'orange' packaging and no other paperwork other than the instruction guide.

The phone turned out to be rubbish and when I called orange they informed me that it was a third party company who had up graded me called 'lets call' based in Camberley, Surrey. They weren't that helpful and also told me that I was now under contract for a further 18 months! They gave me the number for lets call and i have been trying to contact the complaints department and so far have been directed back to orange. Orange keep telling me there is nothing they can do about it the rubbish phone or the contract that I did not agree to.

So....my thread is two fold - one to warn people of third party companies offering to up grade your phone. I know there has been stuff in the press about them, I found out too late.
Secondly, does anyone have any advice about what I can do?

waterboy

LETSCALL contacted me today with all sorts of great offers - I rather enjoy ,if i have the time to let them go on and then at the end say no thanks!!

I wore the guy out - 48 minutes and he said he had to go!!
Thanks for the post about them though -that old adage still stands 'If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is!: Thanks

agentzoonie

EllsC, did you ever sign anything? or did you just agree to what they said over the phone?
There are long distance selling regulations they have to adhere to (I'm not sure what they are exactly, but someone around here will know)

My O/H is with Orange, and I tell you for months he's been getting these kind of calls. They always try and pretend that they're the service provider...I just say - this is a business phone, contact head office if you have any offers - and just disconnect.

There was something on Radio Two about it yesterday or the day before - some MP is taking up the cause to get these cold calls stopped.

EllsC

Sorry been away!

Thanks for the info

That's what I wanted to find out - in this situation where there isn't a contract actually signed, how can I be 'tied in'?.
I have since written to Orange about this so will let you all know what the outcome is.

Thanks

Edinburghlass_2

I had a text yesterday from UgpCtr.com to my Orange PAYG saying

Orange customer, you may now claim your FREE CAMERA PHONE upgrade for your loyalty. Call now on 0207 386 4925. Offer ends 22nd Sept. T&C's apply. Opt-out available.

spunky

EllsC wrote:

Sorry been away!

Thanks for the info

That's what I wanted to find out - in this situation where there isn't a contract actually signed, how can I be 'tied in'?.
I have since written to Orange about this so will let you all know what the outcome is.

Thanks

Hi,

Go here for details on the distance selling regulations: http://www.oft.gov.uk/Business/Legal/DSR/default.htm

There is a lot more info included in their PDF document here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1E6F3C94-8BB0-4374-A65B-6281E030C3C9/0/oft698.pdf

But generally speaking you have an unconditional 7 day cooling off period in which you can cancel at no cost to yourself.

Regards,

Spunky

katesohm

Help Help - please dont know where to turn to sort this mess out when it was not caused by me - HELP _ HELP _ PLEASE - HELP - woman in trouble -

Please can someone out there help I am at a loss as what to do..........

Last Wednesday I got a call from a man saying he was from Orange and would I like my 10% discount applied to my account as I was NOT upgrading with orange. I said yes (bearing in mind I know about these companies phoning and saying they are from Orange and they are not) I did not enter into any further conversation with him - the number he phoned on was withheld - the call lasted 30 to 45 seconds; NO details were given or confirmed.

This Wednesday I got another withheld number and a man said you have not responded to the card we left through your door, about your delivery. I replied what delivery, I am not expecting anything, and He said well you probably lost the card when you throw away any junk mail or newspapers. He then gave me a phone number for a delivery company and a reference number. He said you need to phone them and let them know when you are in for delivery, I asked what is it. He said he did not know. I checked the number on the web and yes it was a delivery company I phoned the woman confirmed they had a delivery for me. I asked again what is it she did not know. She asked for my address and I replied you must have that if you have a delivery for me, she did have the right address I again gave her no information,

ON Thursday Orange switched my sim card off, when I returned home that evening and contacted them on the "Helpline" 0797 - which translates to a land line call to a mobile costly was waiting 45 mins to be connected - I was told that I had upgraded on the Thursday of the week before!!!!!!! I had not - I then realised what had occurred and was told by Orange do not accept delivery of the phone tomorrow - I asked for my sim to be reconnected they said I could have it back on for 24 hrs great!!!

I then contacted the delivery company in the morning and explained I would not accept delivery of the phone, orange had given me details of Mobile city upgrades as the 3rd party who had done the upgrade with me - and orange said they could not cancel the contract even though they accepted that I had not entered into one. I phoned the company mobile city upgrades in the morning to be told at 9 am that it was a residential number and they had never heard of the company this was reported back to Orange - who said nothing we can do you need to get the company to report back to us that they are cancelling the contract!!!!

Eventually I got someone to answer the phone at mobile !!!!!! upgrades - and he said I had never been called!!!! And that the computer had authorised an upgrade on its own " a software glitch" I explained politely that if they had never called then it was a simple call to Orange to explain the error and I could be left alone with orange and no new contract, however the man at city said no as they did not have the phone and also that they could not call orange!!! More lies.... I was going round in circles I explained if I asked orange to call them now would they verify that they never called me and I had never entered into a contract with them..... Yes he would GARY STEVENS - I phone d Orange relayed the conversation and the helpful orange guy said how about I call and I listen in while you ask the man in the mobile city place to repeat that he never called you and it was in fact a computer error - great I said we are really getting somewhere now..... Guess what we rang and rang and it was never picked up just an answer phone,

Position left in

1. Orange will pursue me for the full 18-month contract at a higher price than my original old contract – but I don’t have a working phone see below

2. Orange are cutting of my old sim tonight as I have a new phone and new sim to register – they do not seem to comprehend that I don’t have the phone as I refused delivery.

3. Mobile City Upgrades are claiming that I have a phone that I refused delivery off and they admit I never agreed to – the software just sent it to me

4. I am out of pocket two days wages with loss of phone and trying to sort this out and the cost of phoning from a BT line to orange trying to sort it out

5. I DON’T HAVE ANY PHONE

6. And I feel really cheated and alone in trying to resolve this issue when I did nothing wrong


How the hell did this company get all my details – and how comes I am trying to sort out something I haven’t done, why is Orange not protecting me or taking my word for it that I don’t want this contract and that this company is running a scam


Please some one help I don’t know what to do – incidentally Trading standards just say write to them and if they do not respond then small claims court!!!! But how long will that take – even if they do respond which judging by past – they wont!!!!


HELP PLEASE

katesohm

Please please help someone dont know where to turn or what to do and i am alone in fighting this thank you ( sorry if sound desprate but i am) lol

happyhunter

Sorry to hear the situation you are in. Can't offer any help, but when calling Orange, you can try these numbers to avoid the costly calls.
08000797777, 08000790006.

GunJack

kate, you could try writing/calling Orange's head office/chief exec/etc., I'm sure I read somewhere on here of an address/phone no. for them when other peeps were having issues. At least I would hope someone has a landline number for them. Tried saynoto0870.com? I'm not too familiar with Orange personally as I steer clear of them. Also, keep bumping the post to keep it in view. HTH