Orange Deny Contract Cancel

MoreMannersThanMoney

Hello Money Savers,
I'm aware that I'm a newbie so forgive any mistakes I make in this post! I'm fairly sure this seemed like a logical place to post this...
But I come amongst you because I need your help! And failing that, I'm sure this story will serve as a warning!

My other half has been in a contract with Orange for about 2 years for her mobile, which was coming to and end so she requested to end it, fair enough. They said that they would send her out a new sim card, and upon using that her contract would be finished. And of course, it never came and they kept taking the cash.
I remarked that this seemed like an odd way of doing things, whenever I've cancelled a contract it's been finished there and then (whether they want to take a fortune for the priviledge or no) so she called them again, and told them to cancel it. She was told they had.
Sure enough, they continue taking the money.
At this point, she cancels the direct debit. A few months later she gets a letter saying she owes them £79ish. She phones up and complains, and the very helpful fellow insists that no such conversations were ever recorded, and asks if she thought to phone up and check if it had been done. And she hadn't since she had been told twice that it was cancelled.
I'd really like to fight her corner here guys, but I'm really not sure what to do. Surely there is some kind of governing body for these companies that protects John Q Public from the companies just denying that any cancelation has been invoked? Of course, she did not write to them asking to cancel or record these conversations.
Should she pay the money? Do they even have the right to ask for it? Please help!

KurtH

I had this same problem.
When you call them to cancel your contract, they are so desperate to keep taking your money, that they actually send you a pay as you go sim card. You then have to register this sim card for your contract to be cancelled. I didn't register the sim card, because I had an additional contract with them, so had no reason to use a payg sim. Low and behold, my contract didn't cancel and they took another monthly payment.
I called them and asked them what they were playing at, and advised they didn't explain that I HAD to register this sim, they then credited my account and closed my previous contract.
DO NOT PAY THEM A PENNY. IT'S THEIR ERROR FOR NOT EXPLAINING THEMSELVES.
And where does it say in the small print that you have to register a PAYG sim to cancel a contract - It doesn't!