You can cancel your Orange contract!

gjchester

DamePeggy wrote: »

So I asked them for a ‘deadlock letter’ which would facilitate me raising a complaint with the CISAS, the arbitration service to whom they are signed (which follows the route recommended by Offcom). They have declined this on the sole grounds that the price rise was ‘a business decision’ so it falls outside the remit of the arbitration service.

If they said they will not deal with you by email, that can probably be used instead of a formal deadlock letter

Orange are correct, How Orange choose to price is a commercial decision and not something CIFAS will consider, however that was not what your complaint was about.

I wonder if that because you were talking about cancelling due to the price rise (and citing the changes in the T&C) someone (or a program) offshore replied with a form letter rather than reading all the text. You may get a better reply to a written letter that will most likely be read by a UK staff member.

DamePeggy wrote: »

I’m taking a complaint to CISAS anyway, and making further investigations about taking them to court.

CISAS will not deal with the case over the price rise, make sure you don't make that the core of your complaint.

However I suspect paying the fee then suing them for it back will be the only course of action for you and that is not without it's risks.

oopsadaisydoddle

gjchester wrote: »

If they said they will not deal with you by email, that can probably be used instead of a formal deadlock letter

Orange are correct, How Orange choose to price is a commercial decision and not something CIFAS will consider, however that was not what your complaint was about.

I wonder if that because you were talking about cancelling due to the price rise (and citing the changes in the T&C) someone (or a program) offshore replied with a form letter rather than reading all the text. You may get a better reply to a written letter that will most likely be read by a UK staff member.




CISAS will not deal with the case over the price rise, make sure you don't make that the core of your complaint.

However I suspect paying the fee then suing them for it back will be the only course of action for you and that is not without it's risks.

OP said she had received a reply from the executive office and I believe they are uk based.

gjchester

oopsadaisydoddle wrote: »

OP said she had received a reply from the executive office and I believe they are uk based.

In the past yes, my reading of the last post was she'd emailed again for a deadlock letter to customer services, but reading it again I see it could have been to the Exec Office.

The OP has put I email and I called a few times and it could be I lost track of what was sent to who..

powerful_Rogue

Very interesting thread. My partner is with Orange and signed up during August 2012. We've sent off the template letter to Oranges Executive Office as could find no other way of contacting them that didn't involve using the phone or snail mail.

DamePeggy

gjchester wrote: »

In the past yes, my reading of the last post was she'd emailed again for a deadlock letter to customer services, but reading it again I see it could have been to the Exec Office.

The OP has put I email and I called a few times and it could be I lost track of what was sent to who..

I did request the ‘deadlock’ letter by email to the Exec Office, and have been corresponding with a Ms. McIntyre there . I’m assuming that it’s UK based, although their last email arrived at 7:15pm on Friday evening (hoefully they’re working late dealing with an influx of requests for cancellation). I have not been in contact with them over the phone for a while now.

I’ve re-requested a deadlock letter making it clear that it’s on the grounds of the change in contract and their failure to follow their duties under either the old or new terms.

I’m more than a little suspicious that they’re doing what they can to fob people off long enough for the price-rises to take effect and possibly to avoid them going through their arbitration service where a decision could be made and then relied upon by others in a similar predicament.

Definitely the £450+ fees we’d need to find to terminate our contracts before we take them to the small claims is a major disincentive.

Guys_Dad

Would it not be possible to take them to the SCC for the first month's increase being outside the t&c?

If you won, they wouldn't relish another x months court fees, month by month, for the increases.

That would protect your £450.00

powerful_Rogue

Emailed the Executives office and got a standard email back talking about the price rise and how they can do it. Totally ignoring that the complaint was about them changing the terms and conditions!

Sent the letter via first class recorded, think this is going to be a pen and paper job.

d123

Guys_Dad wrote: »

Would it not be possible to take them to the SCC for the first month's increase being outside the t&c?

If you won, they wouldn't relish another x months court fees, month by month, for the increases.

That would protect your £450.00

I had this thought over in the T-Mobile above RPI increase thread.

I would think they might find a large number of SCC cases on a monthly basis quite inconvenient.

DamePeggy

Guys_Dad wrote: »

Would it not be possible to take them to the SCC for the first month's increase being outside the t&c?

If you won, they wouldn't relish another x months court fees, month by month, for the increases.

That would protect your £450.00

That would be one way forward - I'll look into that over the weekend (although it sounds like it could be a lot of effort). I've put in a full, documented, complaint with CISAS now and will see what they say - I'd like to get them to make a judgment on the situation that could perhaps be used as a reference point for others. I've got a feeling that Orange are trying not to let anyone set any precedents in these cases though (it looks like they've not defended any of the small claims cases so far) - so it'll be interesting to see how they react to a CISAS complaint.


I'll be happy to share any results for others to follow as and when they get round to processing my dispute.

Using CISAS doesn't appear to affect my right to take Orange to court at the same time though, so I might do that if they seem like they're dragging their feet.

oopsadaisydoddle

DamePeggy wrote: »

That would be one way forward - I'll look into that over the weekend (although it sounds like it could be a lot of effort). I've put in a full, documented, complaint with CISAS now and will see what they say - I'd like to get them to make a judgment on the situation that could perhaps be used as a reference point for others. I've got a feeling that Orange are trying not to let anyone set any precedents in these cases though (it looks like they've not defended any of the small claims cases so far) - so it'll be interesting to see how they react to a CISAS complaint.


I'll be happy to share any results for others to follow as and when they get round to processing my dispute.

Using CISAS doesn't appear to affect my right to take Orange to court at the same time though, so I might do that if they seem like they're dragging their feet.

Have CISAS actually picked it up though? I thought it was out of their 'remit' so to speak with it being a 'business decision'. Or is that just what they told you, do you think?