Thanks for the apolgy accepted and no offence taken..as for the government...well don`t even get me started on that bunch of lunatics!

Hi There andypoth. I had the same problem with upgrading this time.I wanted the blackberry and was sent one.The pearl model.when the phone would not let me send or receive text messages of any kind I rang Orange and was told to send it back to appletree way Oxford (their warehose I believe)and a new handset would be sent by return post. Then I get a call telling me that I could`nt have a blackberry without taking this £7.50 per month charge for data usage.I explained that I did`nt want the phone for email and such .The reply was less than polite.why the hell do you want a blackberry then..was the question! I told them that I just like the phone and would they put me on to someone with a better phone manner.:? Any way 3 weeks later I received a new hand set. a samsung soul midnight..lol..I was at That point told that the terms and conditions had changed and They would be charging me £7 per month for non direct debit..what the hell is going on with Orange? My Advice Is SEND THE PHONE BACK AND MOVE YOUR SUPPLIER TO VODAPHONE OR O2.!

The views expressed above seem a little juvinile for in the Warsall County Court in Case No: 7WJ 02610 (Bond (nee Ferihough) -v- British Telecom) the Court has already ruled that the payment of £4-50 is not a penalty insofar as it is a core term of the service contract. Hi there well I certainly don`t appreaciate being accused of being juvanile.secondly It is not a case of British trouble It`s a matter of this I have two phones on one account and recieve one bill for both phones.But they want to charge me £7 per month to pay for someone to do their job.The reason I don`t pay by direct debit is for this reason:-Any company can make mistakes and as this site proves they often do.If this occours more than once per month then I have to do with out certain things including my kids going short of their nessecities.Now on numerous occasions i have been billed for things I have not been informed about or they have made a mistake in the billing therefore making the bill unacceptably high and I just can`t afford for them to do this.(BT raped my wifes bank account for £175 for something that was not even our problem!)so I told them when I signed up for a contract November 2002(I was working at the time) that I would pay my bill in store in the frenchgate center in Doncaster.No problem they said thats fine.After 5 YEARS OF DILIGENT PAYMENTS NEVER LATE they start charging me for not doing something that we mutually agreed before I even took the contract out. If these costs truely do represent and accurate cost of processing my bill then no problem! All i`m asking for is the breakdown of the cost and who gets paid to do it! Why do you consider this juvanile? If you think about it this way if they chaged everyone £7 per month exactly how much would they make on top of charging us extortionate amounts to use their service!?

Hi Chap and chapesses. I sent Orange the form about the unfair charges for non direct debit and have just recieved this email back from them !. Does this mean go away we are going to charge you what we want to charge you or am I just thick? Thank you for your email dated 23 August addressed to the Executive Office, regarding charges when bills are not paid by Direct Debit. We introduced the charge for payment by means other than Direct Debit in 2005. This charge genuinely reflects the costs incurred in processing payments and is no way a penalty charge. I refer you to the recent statement issued by the Trading's Standards Institute confirming that these charges are lawful:- "Trading Standards officers have received a number of complaints regarding the extra charge levied by some companies on consumers who pay other than by Direct Debit. These charges are lawful. The Price Indications (Method of Payment) Regulations 1991 allow differential pricing provided the indication of the higher price is expressed clearly, unambiguously, and that it's easily identifiable by a consumer as applying to the goods, services, accommodation or facilities concerned, and given prominently and legibly." I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy about the charge and feel that it is unfair. I trust I have explained the reason why the charge is applied. If you would like to discuss this issue further please call me on 0870 8700862 between the hours of 09:00 and 17:30 Tuesday to Thursday. I trust this is acceptable. Yours sincerely Pauline Roberts Executive Office what do you think guy`s? cos I think that it just gives them the right to charge what they want when they want to charge it!

the major problem with BT is that they are no longer BT!in 1967 they made a deal with some other country to buy their stock of copper..well it turns out the copper they bought was`nt the copper they thought they were going to get. so we ended up with the rubbish they have outside virtually every house in britain today(please note no capital B for britain) we are ritually being screwed over for £24.99 per month and being told thats the most the line will take when in reality the line will take what ever is being thrown down it!broadband is simply put.a lot of electrical signals being sent at once down the same line!if it was unsafe to do so the government being the idiots they are would ban it immediatley through health and safety legislation.if any one has any other explanation please offer it . I`m no expert but what they are saying defy`s the laws of physics! in Korea.one of the most poor countries in the world the average broad band speed is 16 meg!go figure!

I had the same problem mate.I paid by capitol one card every month but was being billed 2 or 3 times every month! treid cancelling 7-8 times but they would not listen saying that the monies would be sorted out "eventually!" so my only course of action was to phone capitol one and tell them I had lost my card!..end of problem then they started threatening me with court action if I did`nt fulfill my contract,What they failed to realise is that my contract with them was out of date by about 6 months! I can promise you this BT are not much better!

don`t worry about bailiffs.they are only doing their job! A visit to your home by bailiffs is a frightening prospect for anybody, but, in this event, you do have legal rights. You don't have to let bailiffs into your house on their first visit. They can't force their way in, though if you have left a window or door unlocked, they are within their rights to enter your home in this way. A bailiff must also show you a warrant from the county court relating to the debt. In certain circumstances, bailiffs can legally use force to enter your home. If, on their first visit, you grant them admittance in what the industry calls "peaceful" circumstances - usually to work out a repayment plan or to identify goods that could be sold to raise cash - it's in your interest to let them enter in the same way when they return. If you change your mind and decide not to pay, they have the right to break into your house and remove items, in what is known as a "walking possession agreement". There are certain items they cannot touch: anything you use for work is off limits, as are your basic living requirements, such as a bed or oven. It's important to distinguish between bailiffs and debt collectors. Many creditors use debt-collection companies, but their agents have no immediate legal powers to enter your home or take goods; they need a court order to use bailiffs. I really hope that this post allays some fears for some people.

hi there locutus I understand fully what was being said but while ever you are paying incorrect bills and bowing down and paying what you know you don`t owe the company they will never improve their services and just keep making a mess of your account.. ""i refused to pay, even though they said i would get it back in thirty days.""Quote postggj. If that was the case you are being harrassed for money they already know you don`t owe them, and in fact they are asking you to do their jobs for them by making it easier for them to clear up a mess of their making! could this not be construed as demanding money with menaces? if I did it in the street I would be arrested as doing such! just because they are big companies does`nt give them the right to bully people into parting with money they know is`nt owed to them. easier is`nt always the way to go. as a often quoted proverb says "the right path is`nt always the easiest!"

with the greatest of respect to yourself ..if everyone did what you are suggesting there would be bills for this that and the other because no one would complain and companies would walk all over people who are not able to or even willing to fight their corner..I can promise everyone on this forum...fight them at their own game..the county courts are there for you just as much as they are for the big rip of merchants companies..The last thing that big companies want is bad press and for them to drag people through expensive litigation when they know they are in the wrong would be commercial suicide..fight em herd and with all your might because as individuals we are just little people to them but if everyone fought them they would have to improve their services and make sure that they do not overcharge us and that the bill you recieve is correct and due!