Orange Won't Cancel My Contract

gizzi.n.lemon

notenoughcash wrote: »

Hi all,

Having a real nightmare with Orange at present and wondering if anyone could help?

I took out a mobile phone contract with them in August 2009 for 18 months which by my reckoning means I was in contract with them until February 2011.

So I pay my bill in full and on time every month by direct debit as agreed and on 16 March 2011 (just to be on safe side re 18 months) phoned up to cancel my contract with them. I explained that I would like to keep the number on a PAYG basis which they said would be fine and a sim card would be sent out in time for the notice period ending.

I received a bill on 16 April 2011 which I presumed must be my last bill but then another on 16 May 2011 and still no sign of the sim card. I called to query why I was still being billed and was told sorry, our mistake, sim card will be with you by end of week and we'll refund the extra charges.

26 May 2011 arrives, still no sim card and direct debit gone out of my account for the bill received 16 May 2011.

I rang Orange customer services again and spoke to a very rude and unhelpful character who tells me the reason they are still billing me for the account is because I have continued to use the handset which they take to mean I still require the contract. I explained that I wanted to keep the number on PAYG and that is why I have continued to use the phone and will continue to use it on a PAYG basis otherwise I wouldn't have asked for that, plus I have surely paid in advance for my minutes and texts and so see no reason why I shouldn't be able to use them. I would also expect Orange to stop me from making calls and texts once I have served the notice period?

I asked for a refund of billed charges back to 16 April 2011, one month from my giving notice to terminate the contract but was told this is not possible as I have used the phone and as long as I continue to do so I will be billed for it. I ended the phonecall before I completely lost my temper with them and wrote a formal complaint, to which I have received no repsonse to date, 4 weeks on.

To be honest they can stick their number where the sun doesn't shine now and I will go on PAYG with someone else, but they are still billing me!

I have written another letter today telling them I want all billed charges refunded to 16 April 2011 or I will go to CISAS on 21st July.

Does anyone have any further advice or experienced similar???

One thing to bear in mind is your usage on the handset. If you have used the handset since the 16th of April you want refunded would that not give Orange the right to charge you that usage on a PAYG price which could work out steep?

baldelectrician

Hi notenoughcash

I would suggest you get a PAC code and use it (pretend you are moving network).
Either move away and then move back or -possibly cheaper for you do the option below

Move to another provider PAYG- I may suggest you look at Asda Mobile as they are cheaper than Orange PAYG and give better customer service than Vodafone (who's network they use)

I have been with Orange for a while and find their customer service very poor even absymal

flossy_splodge

I'm afraid you have to get your complaint escalated well up the Corporate ladder before you hit anything resembling intelligence where orange are concerned but if you do bother to do this you usually get a good outcome.
I have stayed with orange only because of the deals offered following several complaints I had but am switching to 02 in August as their coverage in my home area is still dire.
Good Luck.:o

d.ross_2

flossy_splodge wrote: »

I'm afraid you have to get your complaint escalated well up the Corporate ladder before you hit anything resembling intelligence where orange are concerned but if you do bother to do this you usually get a good outcome.
I have stayed with orange only because of the deals offered following several complaints I had but am switching to 02 in August as their coverage in my home area is still dire.
Good Luck.:o

I wouldn't hold yout breath on this one. You get a promise from their executive office that they don't keep.

notenoughcash

The only usage there has been is the odd text message, maybe 10, 15 at the very most. So even to pay for that at their payg rates would be considerably less than the £30+ each month that they keep billing me for. I wanted the number more for incoming purposes more than anything as it is the number printed on my business cards. However, the hassle and cost simply isn't worth it. Business cards are cheap enough to have printed with my new number, and the landline on any that have been handed out previously is still the same so it's far from the end of the world.

The biggest thing that frustrates me about it all is simply the fact that a company as big as orange can be allowed to treat customers like this. From my experience all other communications companies just accept your notice to cancel, maybe with a 'but what if we gave you this' conversation, and away you go. I feel that if as a customer you have stuck to your part of the deal by paying in full and on time for the specified period there should be some rule in place to stop the company from making it so difficult for you to end the contract. I've never known a mobile phone contract to carry with it so much grief.

This sort of situation could leave a person in very financially fragile circumstances right up the creek. I just really really don't think it should be allowed

baldelectrician

Keep the number-

Get a PAYG sim on another network, get a PAC code from Orange and use it

This will instantly terminate your Orange account and give you a final bill.


Then you can keep your number, simples

Doing it this way keeps the option open to use the number in future