Orange - Adding Money To My Bill - Advice Please

[redfox]

I wonder if anyone can help me on this one. Each month my bill with Orange is incorrect. Items get added to my bill increasing my payment without my consent and I have to pay the entire bill and then I get refunded on the next months bill! Surely, this is not entirely lawful and I don't want to pay extra and wait for it to be refunded next month.

Can anyone suggest anything or advise me please?

Thank you

[buzby]

Well, they do have many thousands of customers who are not suffering in this way - you have to ask them why these elements are seemingly added to your account at random and without your agreement. I think you are too understanding in paying for these additions and awaiting the the refund - if I didn't order it, I don;t pay for it - end of story!

Out of interest - what service(s) are being added and is it the same ones - or are these charges as a result of premium rated texts?

[redfox]

Last month they added Photography 30 - 3 times, whatever that is! Three text bundle 30's, I already have 1000 texts each month which I rarely use over 500 of them.

The previous month they took off picture messaging bundle without my knowing and had to pay me back all the money I ended up spending on picture messaging.

Every single month there is an issue with my bill but they take the money and do not return it until the following month. I think that is disgusting and it shouldn't be allowed.

[buzby]

I fully agree. In view of the track record with your account, you are perfectly at liberty to cancel your Direct Debit because you are unhappy at the cavalier attitude they have to your account. Until these charges settle down, you will review and pay your bill online - register on the website for access. You cna then arrange to pay online with a one-off debit card payment each month, but you must remember to to this shortly after the Invoice billing date.

[redfox]

I wasn't originally paying by Direct debit but now if I don't pay by direct debit they charge me £3 extra per phone and I have 2 phones - on the same bill mind you. I think this is all a bit damn cheeky.

[james141]

Am I not right in thinking they send you the bill 7-14 days before they take the money from you bank?

That should give you time to review it.

[buzby]

Not a problem - although there's less work if you put both phones onto the same account, there's onlyt 1 charge for non-DD to be disputed. Orange are required to to show care and accuracy in their deaings with you, which they have failed to do. You simply advise them that under the circumstances, you cannot let them have unrestricted access to your bank account, and you refuse to pay the 'penalty' charge of a non-DDM fee. Therefore you will arrange to pay your invoice via their website on receipt.

There may also be a possible dispute of the time it takes from you receiving the invoice to the funds being taken - it SHOULD be 10 days, but often is much less. If this has happened to you, their non compliance with the DDM rules gives you further leverage. Not be shy about coming forward, it's YOUR money, and if they cannot look after it, you will!

[demonbiker]

I have 2 phones on 1 account and they have been charging me twice for non d/d on both phones £6!
caled up the other month spoke to someone and got 1 set of charges deleted and credit for a couple of charges , also told that from then on only one £3 charge would be applied, get my bill today all the refunded charges have been addded back on and my wife called to complain and was told we have to pay its in your contract, but i have time and dates of calls and who i spoke to when i had charges dropped!!

To55er5

[buzby]

DOES's it actually specify the charges in the contract?

[demonbiker]

Spoke to Orange today and expressed concern that i was again bieng charged - nay fined! for not paying by d/d again!!

had charges removed in Jan and Feb and now put back on again!
Spoke to TS this morning too! got some info and asked orange to tell me where in my T & C it say i will be billed 2 non d/d charges for my 2 phones on 1 account???
There answer is section 6 6.3.1 " we reserve the right to charge an administration fee each month for payments not made by direct debit"

IT DOESNT SAY ANYWHERE IN THAT STATEMENT THERE WILL BE BILLING PER PHONE! They say they can change your contract and charge what they like when they like- CARTE BLANCHE - i dont think so !
so if you had 5 phones they would charge £15 for non d/d!! asked for the address of executive office and told them i would be contacting them and also OFCOM as i felt it was an unfair charg and penalty to loyal customers- been ther over 10 years!.
They are supposed to be calling me back later after talking to their contract people!

[buzby]

With BT now forcing the issue of price hikes for non-DD payments, and the Trading Standards saying it is unfair, hopefully this will only be a short-term blim and we get back to normality where the consumer is not expected to pay for the recipient's cost in accepting the payment.

Who would have thought after the credit card companies changed the rules to permit additional fees for usng plastic*, that we'd all be fined in this way, even for cash?


*When Barclaycard and Access launched the UK's first credit cards - Merchants had to charege the SAME price to CC users as those paying by other means.