Huge Orange bill, seems wrong, please advise!

bhamgirl_2

Hi there everyone.

I have been with Orange since 2000, and have been on contract with them for most of that time. I used to have 500 minutes, on a £25/month plan, on my latest plan, but my bills used to average £40-60 including insurance and some texts abroad.
I switched to SIM only in June, with 2000 inclusive minutes, for £18. My first bill came to £31, with only 1700 of the inclusive minutes used, with the call charges being made up of Answerphone charges (which I hadn't been informed about), 070 numbers, which I personally didn't know where chargeable, and 0845 numbers, which I knew to be chargeable. However, the most were Answerphone (29p x 17 calls).

Anyway, I don't mind a £31 bill, it's certainly lower than £60.

However, on my latest bill, due August 1st, I've checked my usage online, and there're £177+VAT worth of call charges. That's 7 times more than the previous bill, and made up of 400 minutes over my 2000 limit. (No texts/calls abroad) I called Orange, and they said it looks right to them, and it sounds like the best they can do is instalments, but they can't do anything until the 1st when the bill is out. I myself have looked at the bill, and there're a lot of calls to my friend, which I knew there would be, as I speak to him regularly. However, we have definitely NOT been speaking that much. Comparing with the previous bill, that's 700 minutes more. It's impossible. The thing is, I can't dispute it, because it's a number I often call. I am CERTAIN something has gone wrong, because I've experienced running around in circles with Orange before, and I have just noticed they owe me money from a previous SIM only mix-up.

What on Earth do I do? The bill just doesn't match anything I've ever had before. The thing is, if I refuse to pay, my credit will be affected. I'm trying to sort my life out, and my credit score is improving because I'm being careful. Even if I could afford to pay such a bill, I wouldn't because it doesn't add up. Something's not right.

I would be so grateful for any advice. Thank you.

StuC75

Paying installments would also mess up the credit file.

If your usage hasnt changed over the months, then there looks to be some flaw in how the billing is performed now on the current tarriff compared to the old deal (so wasnt a good idea to change)..

As orange round to minutes, if you called but got answerphone and hung up that would still count as a minute used.

bhamgirl_2

Thank you Stu.
Well, my usage did increase, when I received the new SIM only deal with more minutes (2000). Naturally, I made more/longer calls. However, the first SIM only bill came to £31. Now this second one is going to be £213 extra voice charges alone. I'm looking at a £250 bill altogether.
If I told them that I can and will only pay a set amount to clear the bill, what would happen? I'm trying to set up my own business, I have virtually no excess income, I'm living off my overdraft. Because for £18 I get 2000 minutes. I've gone 400 minutes over (allegedly). If I said £50 to clear the bill, and stood my ground, would that work? Has anyone else had success with this?
Thank you.

Cycrow

If you dont pay the full bill, they could default your account and screw up for your credit history for the next 6 years.

It'll be better to pay then argue for a refund (assuming you have the money to pay of course)

Can you actually prove you havn't used that amount of minutes ?
Do you have a call log on your phone which you can check.

Also get the itemised bill and check each phone call to see if there is anything you dont think is right.

bhamgirl_2

Cycrow wrote: »

If you dont pay the full bill, they could default your account and screw up for your credit history for the next 6 years.

It'll be better to pay then argue for a refund (assuming you have the money to pay of course)

Can you actually prove you havn't used that amount of minutes ?
Do you have a call log on your phone which you can check.

Also get the itemised bill and check each phone call to see if there is anything you dont think is right.

Thank you for the reply Cycrow. I don't have the money to pay now. And even if they gave me instalments, the most I could pay would be £25/month. The thing is, most of the calls are indeed to my friend's number, so it's hard to argue against that. I'll go through my call log and check every call. Pain in the rear, but if it saves some money, so be it. Thank you.

Buzby

No could about it - they will default you (automatically) if the bill is not paid by the due date. The billing systems are pretty robust and accurate, and you'll need more than a 'gut feeling' that you are being overcharged.

Switch to PAYG and this will stop your calls when the money runs out - it is also safer as there is no bill shock.

bhamgirl_2

Buzby wrote: »

No could about it - they will default you (automatically) if the bill is not paid by the due date. The billing systems are pretty robust and accurate, and you'll need more than a 'gut feeling' that you are being overcharged.

Switch to PAYG and this will stop your calls when the money runs out - it is also safer as there is no bill shock.

Thank you Buzby, I've spoken to them and they said to cancel the Direct Debit, and call them on the 2nd (bill is out on the 1st), to discuss the bill, payment, etc. I'm starting to get a bad feeling I did make all those calls. Such a waste of money, near £250 for absolutely nothing. I don't even go out any more, I don't go shopping, nothing whatsoever, because I have no money, and to throw £250 on talking...that's a bad feeling. I could've spent that money on my niece and nephew, and make them happy, I could've given it to my Aunt who can't afford anything. Sorry for the rant, getting more upset the more I think about it.

thegoof

Luckily i have never had to be vigilant, as i never get called or call anyone. But my sister ran up £1700 worth of a bill over a christmas some years back, her Boyfriend at the time paying her mobile contract was less then happy.

Most contracts we sign are flawed and have the ability to make the penny pinch. best thing to do is look at your account online as no doubt will have some sort of access to this. This should also hold your contract details. Using this you can probably work out what charges they are applying. and with any luck be able to avoid them or remove them.

anyway, i hope you manage to catch a break and work things out.
If credit could become an issue, might be worth trying out a 0% balance credit card to allow for spreading the repayments, but i don't do credit cards so am not the best person to advise on this.

I am sure some clever folks here will be able to advise.

anyone. What would be the best course of action next?

bhamgirl_2

thegoof wrote: »

Luckily i have never had to be vigilant, as i never get called or call anyone. But my sister ran up £1700 worth of a bill over a christmas some years back, her Boyfriend at the time paying her mobile contract was less then happy.

Most contracts we sign are flawed and have the ability to make the penny pinch. best thing to do is look at your account online as no doubt will have some sort of access to this. This should also hold your contract details. Using this you can probably work out what charges they are applying. and with any luck be able to avoid them or remove them.

anyway, i hope you manage to catch a break and work things out.
If credit could become an issue, might be worth trying out a 0% balance credit card to allow for spreading the repayments, but i don't do credit cards so am not the best person to advise on this.

I am sure some clever folks here will be able to advise.

anyone. What would be the best course of action next?

Thank you, Goof. It's a SIM only deal, I'll scour through the bill online, and see if there's anything that can be done. Thank you for the kind wishes too. I've been sorting my previous debt with 0% cards, and my credit score is improving, so I'll see if I can get a card to sort this bill out. Hopefully I'll speak to a saint when I call up, and he/she will drop the cost a little bit. Thank you again,

Earthworm

The newer plans charge 35ppm outside of your allowance. Maybe your last plan had an lower rate for out of allowance mins. I am sure when you were sold this the advisor would have offered you 2000 mins not expecting you to go over this. I would move to one of their unlimited plans personally and ask them to turn off voicemail. That should keep your bills down more than your current SIM only. If it is a 30 day SIM only look for the best price you can with unlimited minutes or ring Orange and speak to Retentions... They might give you a better deal.

Neil49

With regard to answerphone charges I got fed up with the excessive charge for these with Orange and now use a free Android app called Hullomail.

It is vastly superior to a standard answerphone system provided by any of the phone companies and I would recommend it even if your voicemail retrieval was free.

I don't know if it's available on iPhones etc but I am sure similar offerings are available.

Hope this helps.