orange put debt collectors onto me!

[spewy]

Hi, i had orange broadband for nearly 2 years. the last contract i agreed with them was for the home max package which was supposed to include cheaper phone calls. because i was on the light user scheme with B.T this never got activated. it took them months before they even found out that i wasn't getting the full service, then said it was up to me to sort it out. i asked for a mac code and moved to virgin, was then telephoned by orange saying that i owed them £30 to finsh the contract. i told them i wasn't paying because they had not been providing the service i was contracted for. heard nothing more for a couple of months then out of the blue get a call fom BCW debt collectors asking if i was in a position to pay over the phone.

can i fight this and is my credit rating going to suffer now these people are involved?

[locutus]

it's a good idea to watch your credit rating whatever. If anyone was going to publish anything bad on your credit rating it would've been Orange.

 

Good idea to read this :-

Orange Code of Practice

for Consumer Affairs

[spewy]

have typed up this letter to send out to orange and copy to debt collectors.

I am

disappointed that you consider this to be your course of action.

 

I cancelled my Orange broadband account with your company because I was not receiving the service that I signed up for. I therefore believe this to be a legitimate reason for not paying a cancellation fee of £30.

I was signed up for the Home Max package for which I was supposed to have no B.T line rental to pay. I had to pay all through my contract. I was also supposed to get free evening and weekend calls which I never did and therefore was billed for by B.T.

I know this was an ongoing problem which I was eventually told that I had to sort out myself with B.T. If informed of this at the time of signing up I would not have chosen your company.

Your company code of practice states:

“Orange has adopted eight business principles that guide how we do business responsibly

Wherever we operate, five of which relate to customer service.

•

We will deliver quality, value and excellent service to you.

•

We will deliver quality and value for money, and always endeavour to put customers first.”

I don’t believe you have provided me with these two parts of it.

 

Maybe you should send me copies of my bills through the entire contract and I will sort out a bill for you to pay the B.T line rental and the evening and weekend call that I have been charged for over the same period.

I am also disappointed that there was no warning of this being pursued. The only contact I had with orange over the matter was a phone call from someone telling me that I owed the £30 when I told him I was not paying it because of the reasons stated above, he said “ok”.

I will be deeply annoyed if my credit rating is affected because of your lack of trying to resolve this matter before taking this course of action.

I have sent a copy of this letter to BCW and would appreciate your quick response before this matter goes any further.

[locutus]

Look at the letter templates and edit one to suit to send to the debt collectors, Just make it clear that the letter states you dispute owing the money and you will deal with orange. It's against their regulations to collect when you dispute owing the money.

[spewy]

sent a redrafted letter to both orange and BCW collectors. have had a letter about 5 days ago from Orange agreeing as a "goodwill gesture" to forget the £30 fee and they said they would contact BCW. have since had several missed calls from BCW and a "FINAL NOTICE" letter from them threatening court action. hopefully its just delayed communication between orange and them. will give it till the end of the week see if there is any more commmunication from them.

[locutus]

Result!!! have you checked your credit rating?

[spewy]

no not yet. through experian and places like that? you can do it for £1 cant you?

[locutus]

Experian do something they call "credit expert" you can do 1st month free, and cancel any time during that month and you'll not be charged.

[spewy]

just checked credit report through Experian. never done it before. all looks ok. nothing negative at all. its amazing the information they keep on you.

thanks for your advice.