The Future's Bright.......the F£ck it is!

[Justthetip]

Just got my Orange phone bill, with £120 woth of call charges I feel are unjust.

Every month, I use the 150 dial option to check how much free talktime I have left. December was no different from my end, but unknown to me Orange had system issues which meant that the times they were giving as remaining were incorrect. They didn't have a message to advise of any problems, so every few days when I called to find out how much time I had remaining, I carried on as normal until my 'free' time expired.

Then the bill arrives - Orange have said that this information is "just a guide" and they are not liable for any extra call costs, as I know how many minutes I should have.

Is this legal? Anyone else have the same problem, and got any tips on how to persue the matter?

TIA!

[simpo two]

Cancel your DD NOW - because once they get that money it will be nigh impossible to get it back.

Then work out how to contest it.

[Justthetip]

Too late - they bill my amex card automatically.



Well they won't from now.....

>> Edited by JustTheTip on Tuesday 4th January 12:33

[Dr Strangelove]

Just another sympton of what happens when the 'Peoples State' is displaced by the 'Corporate State'. They can do what they want, when they want, and how they want. If it comes to a fight, it is now you against them, where previously they would be answering to the legislators who are all too busy being lobbied by the likes of ?odafone and the rest of the shiney shoe brigade.

[parrot of doom]

Well, the simplest thing to do is to complain. They will pay attention, it will just take time. They wiped off what I owed them when I transferred my number away, because it took them so long to calculate the bill, and they kept getting it wrong.

Also www.ofcom.org.uk/

[Don]

I can't believe anyone still uses a contract phone! What if you lose it! Someone enjoys calling India for a month and YOU are liable!

PayAsYouGo on Orange offers pretty much the exact same service and is MILES cheaper to run...partly as you are always in total control of the number of "minutes" you are using and buying...tends to sharpen the mind as to whether or not that call is really necessary etc etc

[arcturus]

Don said:

I can't believe anyone still uses a contract phone! What if you lose it! Someone enjoys calling India for a month and YOU are liable! PayAsYouGo on Orange offers pretty much the exact same service and is MILES cheaper to run...partly as you are always in total control of the number of "minutes" you are using and buying...tends to sharpen the mind as to whether or not that call is really necessary etc etc

er.. if you lose it, you get the sim card disabled by the phone company. It takes 30 seconds and you are then not liable.

PAYG is far more expensive to use as well.

On my contract I get 500 mins at any time of day to any network for £50. Since I make most of my calls during the day, this would cost £150 /month on PAYG

And if I go over the 500 mins, it costs 10p/min not 30p/min like on PAYG. No contest really.

(Prices taken from the Vodafone website)

[minghis]

arcturus said:

Don said: I can't believe anyone still uses a contract phone! What if you lose it! Someone enjoys calling India for a month and YOU are liable! PayAsYouGo on Orange offers pretty much the exact same service and is MILES cheaper to run...partly as you are always in total control of the number of "minutes" you are using and buying...tends to sharpen the mind as to whether or not that call is really necessary etc etc er.. if you lose it, you get the sim card disabled by the phone company. It takes 30 seconds and you are then not liable. PAYG is far more expensive to use as well. On my contract I get 500 mins at any time of day to any network for £50. Since I make most of my calls during the day, this would cost £150 /month on PAYG And if I go over the 500 mins, it costs 10p/min not 30p/min like on PAYG. No contest really. (Prices taken from the Vodafone website)

Yeah, and I'm always the one in the queue behind those people that get to the petrol station to top up their phones, which always seems to take ages.. People - petrol stations are for people buying fuel - if you want to do your shopping go to a shop, you sad fecks.

I thought that top up phones were only for people that can't get a contract phone due to credit ratings, a bit like those that have key meters for their gas and electric?

[anonymous-user]

Justthetip said:

Too late - they bill my amex card automatically. Well they won't from now..... >> Edited by JustTheTip on Tuesday 4th January 12:33

Unfortunately you cannot cancel a payment via a card in the same way as you can a DD. I ended up cancelling my VISA card completely to stop someone taking payments I had cancelled and Barclaycard still allowed them to charge it!

In the end I told VISA that these people had charged my card without my permission (true) and that I would not be paying a penny to Barclaycard as I had closed my account and that if they accepted any further payments it would be down to them. Eventually they credited it.

[Podie]

So how does this work with Ted's, "no name and shame policy"...?!?!

[Don]

arcturus said:

Don said: I can't believe anyone still uses a contract phone! What if you lose it! Someone enjoys calling India for a month and YOU are liable! PayAsYouGo on Orange offers pretty much the exact same service and is MILES cheaper to run...partly as you are always in total control of the number of "minutes" you are using and buying...tends to sharpen the mind as to whether or not that call is really necessary etc etc er.. if you lose it, you get the sim card disabled by the phone company. It takes 30 seconds and you are then not liable. PAYG is far more expensive to use as well. On my contract I get 500 mins at any time of day to any network for £50. Since I make most of my calls during the day, this would cost £150 /month on PAYG And if I go over the 500 mins, it costs 10p/min not 30p/min like on PAYG. No contest really. (Prices taken from the Vodafone website)

Clearly "contract" works for you.

I only every make mobile phone calls when there is no other way of communicating - horrid things! If you are the sort of person that can put £50 on once every six months to a year PAYG works brilliantly.

I used to do £1K per year for mobile phone calls. Now its £100 - £150 because of the way I use it.

It does depend on your usage I suppose. Oh - and the cancelling the sim thing may be better now - but in years gone by the phone companies were all shite at dealing with issues like that.

PAYG means if any company fails in its customer service to you you simply buy a sim card from someone else next week and give THEM your business.

It great being in control.

[rude-boy]

minghis said:

Something I deleted by mistake

1. Doesn't take anymore time than the idiots that wait till they get to the till before looking in evey pocket/handbag for their card.

2. If you'd said that about those paying their Idiot Tax (lottery tickets) you'd have a point.

3. Solid gold credit rating thanks and never bothered with a contract as one month I'll spend £0.40 and the next £15. Only time I ever spend more is once a year when i am making the guilt calls back home from La Sarthe!

[mcflurry]

Podie said:

So how does this work with Ted's, "no name and shame policy"...?!?!

There are only 4 mobile companies, o2, Vodafone, Tmob and Orange (the likes of Virgin, Fresh, Tesco etc just resell time)

Law of averages dictates all 4 will get positive and negative feedback depending on the ability of the call centre to sort out issues...

[Don]

Fair enough, mate. I was being a bit blinkered on that one...

Edited to say this was a response to a post that seems to have gone missing!

>> Edited by Don on Friday 7th January 12:50

[JustTheTip]

unrepentant said:

[quote=Justthetip]Too late - they bill my amex card automatically. Well they won't from now..... >> Edited by JustTheTip on Tuesday 4th January 12:33

Unfortunately you cannot cancel a payment via a card in the same way as you can a DD.

I mean they won't bill my amex card in future....watch this space for my complaint progress.....

[Hardcore2000]

this 150 service on orange is a VERY clever scam on their part, i always run over my minutes because they update it as of two days ago usualy so you think you have time left when you dont. They will never change it as this is where they make muuch of their profit!