 Orange Broadband and BUCHANAN CLARK + WELLS :(
Hello I don't know where to begin with this one.
I had broadband service provided to me by orange. My understanding of a contract is that I pay them to provide a service to me. My broadband worked fine for a while but after a while it stopped working - it wouldn't connect. I called their technical helpdesk (in India I believe) and was talked through several options all in the hopes of trying to get my broadband to connect wirelessly. This included changing my adsl filters connected to the telephone sockets, and them guiding me over the phone. None of which worked. I was also told that there was a problem with the broadband mast for my area had problems and that could be why the problem could not be resolved. I continued paying for my direct debits while this was going on. At one point I asked to be transferred to someone higher than their customer services but I was told that because their customer services / head office was in the area of one of the serious floods we had a couple of years ago (I've forgotten the area) no one there would be able to speak with me. The annoying thing was that when I asked for a refund, I was told I would not be able to get a refund for the time my service was disrupted until the service was up and running, and even then, I would have to write in to request a refund!
This went on and on for a while and it didn't make any sense to me to continue paying for what i was using. I asked them how I could get out of my contract with them, and I was told if I had made three complaints without the matter being resolved I could ask for a MAC code in order for them to release me from the contract. I had complained more than three times at this point but the operator LIED and said I had only complained once - all this was done over the phone, so I guess they conveniently didn't record my previous calls. In any case I called again and the next attempt at getting my broadband up and running hadn't worked, so I requested a MAC code - I had had enough! I was given the code to enable me get another broadband provider and they sent me a FREE jiffy bag to return their equipment. I commenced my new service with BT and the supposed faulty mast miraculously repaired itself because BT had no problems at all with providing me with broadband, and I am still with them two years later!
About a year after this I get a phone call from orange telling me that I owed them money for cutting off the broadband when I had a contract - I was livid! I recalled the above as best as I could at the time and I believe the lady told me she had no record of all of this on her system. I told her that I wasn't paying for a service which didn't work and they gave me a code in order for me to leave the contract. I didn't hear anything else from them, and a year after I get a FINAL NOTICE letter from Buchanan Clark + Wells stating they are going to start legal proceedings against me with interest and costs added to the £148.94 they claim I owe them!
The annoying thing is that I made these calls from my mobile phone because they needed me to keep connecting and reconnecting my phone line so I couldn't call from my landline - I don't use the mobile phone any more and haven't kept the bills because I didn't think I would need them. I've also forgotten all the dates and didn't think I'd need to keep records because I thought the matter was done and dusted.
I am so angry about this and I have worked hard at keeping my credit quite clean for some idiots to either
a. bully me into paying them money just to keep my credit clean even though I don't owe that money or
b. don't pay and risk messing up my credit!
Please advise me on what to do about this, I am adamant about not paying for this but I don't want to mess up my credit history. I'm almost at my wits end, but not quite because I know for a fact I don't owe this money, and I'm so disgusted that orange and BCW can result to bullying me for £148.94!
THANKS FOR READING THIS VERY LONG POST. I REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE IT. | 
