Orange Phone Bill??!?

LolStevo

I had a contract phone with orange that was £35.00 per month plus £5 insurance. The screen cracked on my phone after one week but i was told that it couldnt be fixed under the insurance as it was only cosmetic. This wasnt the case as stuff would get into the crack and on the screen.

Also i was constantly going over my limit of minutes making my phone bill around £60 per month (i am a student i dont have that money!) i asked to change the contract "NO!", i asked to cancel insurance as no point being there "NO!" so i stopped using the phone completely after 6 months and i owed them £100.56. i agreed to send the phone back and pay the £100 i owed but they insisted on sending me bills.

Now i have had a letter from a debt agency saying i owe £290 which is the standard £35 per month upto the time when they passed the debt over (Not until the contract finishes!)

Where do i stand what can i do? Any ideas please ???

Numpty_2

Right - just to check - how long was your contract with them, did you pay to the end of the contract, did you officially cancel the contract

Zippy2006

If your contract has run its course you can cancel if not yaou will have to pay off your contract.

I had major problems with orange 5 years ago. I still have a £30 default (settled in the end) on my credit files. Will be there till next May.

My contract (12 months) was up. They passed me from pillar to post when I phoned to cancel. I even sent them written notice 3 times. They never cancelled my contract - they did cut the service on my phone.

I would never get a phone from them ever again. I ended paying £30 for 2 months line rental on a phone line wasnt even live. I had debt collectors harassing me. I recently asked them to remove the default as they were technically wrong. They refused.

Shower of ignorant arrogant sods in their customer services department.

Their lose I will never give them business again.

kevin_M

With phone insurance it has the same T&C min term of 12 month

with the phone cover being cracked most mobile phone cos with put that down to undue care or cosmetic damage

At any point you can change your talkplan to a higher Standard talkplan(not the new animal if not allready on). on a 12 month contract you cannot lower your plan till 6 month into contract or 9 month if on 18 month.

after you pay the DCA you will have a option to reconnect your service or buyout the rest of contract term...

hope this helps most mobile co's work that that so orange should be the same

KittyKate

To be fair (sorry) it's hardly Orange's fault that you kept going over your minutes and made your bill £60 a month. If you knew you couldn't afford that why did you keep using it!?

And yes if you were halfway through a 12 month contract, even if you send the phone back to them after 6 months they are legally entitled to bill you to the end of the contract you signed. The £100 you paid was, by looking at what you've put, outstanding phone bills/insurance. The insurance issue is here nor there again sorry to be harsh but you should have read the t&c's. Most mobile phone insurance won't cover cosmetic damage (only if the screen is unusable is it deemed non-cosmetic as it impedes the use of the phone.)

The only thing you can really do is explain to them you are a student and you are willing to pay them back at a rate of £35 a month (after all, that's what your contract would have been so I assume you can afford that.)

climbgirl

Kittykate is exactly right, I don't see what you're so indignant about here. Why did you keep using the phone if you knew you couldn't pay the £60, Orange didn't make you go over your minutes. I'm afraid if you've signed a 12 month contract, you're legally obliged to pay the monthly contract price for those 12 months. It doesn't matter if you used the phone or not.

You have to pay this debt I'm afraid, it's not Orange's fault here, they're only billing you as per the contract you signed and agreed to pay. You need to pay this debt or arrange a payment plan and the sooner the better if you don't want your credit rating to suffer any further.

Have you actually asked them to cancel the contract? If not, I'd suggest you do so, otherwise they'll keep billing you every month, adding to your debt.

LolStevo

Yes i asked if there was anythin they could do for me when i needed to pay the £100. They cut off the phone but continued to bill me the £35.00 per month. i fully understand that its a contract but how can they charge you for something that cannot be used?!?

andyboyo

Because you signed up to a contract for a minimum of 12 months ! They arent at fault !

kevin_M

3.6 You will remain liable for all monthly or other periodic Charges during any period of Suspension.

its in there T&C

all mobile phone co's will have something the same in there T&C its standard.

KittyKate

LolStevo wrote:

Yes i asked if there was anythin they could do for me when i needed to pay the £100. They cut off the phone but continued to bill me the £35.00 per month. i fully understand that its a contract but how can they charge you for something that cannot be used?!?

Because you signed a 12 month contract agreeing to pay a minimum of £35 a month.

If I signed a direct debit for Sky for 12 months and didn't watch Sky, even if I disconnected the box and sent it back to them, I would still legally be required to pay the direct debit. That's what a contract is.

You're not paying for something you are not using though any fault of Orange's. You owed them a bit of money yes but you say you sent back the mobile due to a dispute over insurance. If I'd signed a 12 month contract on a phone, I'd keep it, because either way I'd have to pay and I'd get the benefit of the free minutes.

Sorry but you have to pay. Ring Orange and see if you can arrange a repayment plan.