HELP - Orange - £900 bill for a phone I don't have!

blurdamon

Hi guys


I need some advice please


After being an Orange customer for 12 years, paying each month on time everytime, I am due for an upgrade. Our good friends at Phones 4 u were my agents for the last few years and were in line to get me another good deal. What a mistake this was.


It's March 2014, I spoke to someone online and they talked me through upgrading my orange account, with a new HTC one. All was well, my new phone was due to be dispatched a week or so later once the early upgrade time came. Two days later, some absolute div gave me a call

Me - Hello?
Div - Hi Ant, you're due for an upgrade I see, can I take you through some options
Me - I upgraded online mate, I am good thanks.
Div - Oh, what you go for? In fact, I can take a look here and see your deal.
Me - OK?
Div - Oh, I see you have upgraded with Orange, I think I could get you a better deal than the one you have
Me - Really, how so?
Div - I can get the same minutes, data etc but with 4G if you migrate to EE, and it will be £2 cheaper a month with the same phone.
Me - Actually, that sounds good. What about my other contract.
Div - I can get that cancelled and open a new contract with EE
Me - Brilliant, that sounds a better deal, can you sort this then.
Div - Of course I will


After going through all the new details and having confirmation that the other upgrade has NOT gone through, I was one happy bunny.


Oh no....not so much.


About 7 days later, I receive not one, but TWO sims in the post for the same number, one with Orange, one with EE. I was a little confused. I phoned phones 4 you and they were 'investigating'


Then I receive TWO HTC ones, one for each sim. I again phone Divs 4 u to investigate.


They tell me the Orange contract is current and the EE one has not gone through, so to activate the Orange sim. No joy, it won't activate


After about 20 million phone calls between us both, they tell me to DITCH the EE sim and they sent me a pre paid envelope for the EE phone. All this time I have no working phone on either network. So I send the phone back, all whilst becoming more and more frustrated with no working phone.


So, now I am down to 1 x phone and 1 x sim, both on Orange.


After another 20 million phone calls over a week period, it turns out my ORANGE contract was CANCELLED and my account was actually migrated over to EE. Brilliant.


Well, as it happens I didn't ditch the EE sim. So I go to activate it. Nothing


After 20 million calls to EE, I still have no working phone. This is now 3 weeks of no phone.


Basically, somehow I was upgrade twice to both Orange and EE with the SAME NUMBER - apparently technically impossible, but somehow so in this case


So, we are at 4 weeks with no working phone at all, this almost put me in a grave with the amount of stress caused.


I requested to rescind the contract due to absolutely no service from both EE and Orange.


EE agree to cancel the upgrade, and the phone is sent back to divs 4 u in their pre paid envelope.


At last....that was one nitemare month I want to forget fast...


I was assured by the divs, it's all good and I can seek a new contract else ware


BUT NO


It's now May 2014, and I receive a Orange bill. Hold on a sec....why do I have a bill? The bill had a balance of £80 or so, and had ZERO usage on there...which isn't surprising. It was for 2 months rental.


After another 20 million calls to the divs and Orange, SOMEHOW the Orange account was reactivated WITHOUT my say so.


Can they do this? As far as I was concerned, I was out of contract and free from them both.


It's now March 2015, and I have had Orange chasing me through a debt agency for £900 for a phone and contract I DON'T have!!!


What makes it worse, Orange won't allow me to speak to a manager or they don't return my call, divs 4 u are gone, and the debt agency don't give a crap.


SO.....£900 for a contract that I don't have a phone for, a contract with ZERO usage and a contract that quite simply shouldn't be there!


Both Orange (EE) and divs 4 u would have a library worth of call data about this, and they both used to blame each other.


Divs 4 u would say that they have requested the cancellation and are waiting to hear


Orange would say they have had nothing from Divs 4 u, and that they need to hear it from them to cancel the contract


I just don't know what to do now?

mobilejunkie

Make a formal complaint to EE, count 8 weeks when they ignore it and then go to CISAS.

The fact you didn't take the contract out direct will be a problem, but if the Ombudsman considers that the errors are at their end EE will cave.

And the moral of the story is... NEVER agree to ANY deal with ANYONE who calls you. They have their commission and you have an expensive problem.

pepdavies

I want to know how you made 60 million calls in three weeks. That's determination!

spannerzone

60 million calls might account for the £900 charge

good luck though.