Hi Andy, Is Orange playing with my connections now, as I have tried for a 2nd time to compose an email and it disconnected me AGAIN''!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whats going on?????????????????????????:!:do you know what, there will be a few celebrities soon who will be able to say 'I'm a celebrity get me out of here', well guess what 'I'm an Orange part-time connected broadband customer' 'LET ME OUT OF HERE':x regards chris

Sorry Andy, I was just emailing you and had almost finished it :Dwhen the connection dropped :(so now I have lost my whole story to you. I think I will have to do this at work:x, and even though my works server is in Denmark:eek:, theres probably a better chance of it staying connected. regards chris

Hi GASS, As it stands at the moment I would NOT recommend them to anyone due to the ongoing issues. It is now at the stage where they have requested a BT engineer to come to my home next week and change the main incoming BT socket due to a technical fault, and although the BT person said this would cost £105 for the call out and something else on top, the technical guy at Orange fault management dept has told them they will cover the cost, so I have to give them the opportunity to check this out. Unfortunately this means we have to put up with the drop in connections as and when (which they will) they occur, so until then if you can wait, I would look at other ISP's as there are some very good offers out there at the moment, and if this does not work I will plum for SKY as we are with them with our tv, so it may pay to go with them. Only regret is we should have stayed with AOL because they offered our old system with a better upgraded modem at almost 1/2 what we were paying previously. grrrrhh hope this helps regards chris

Hi Andy, thanks for that, just got new netgear modem from Orange to replace Livebox, but still got the issue, so when I have a spare 30 mins to chat will email you as above with my issues and what I beleive is taking far too long to either rectify or just to let me move on and go with another supplier. regards chris

Hi Andy, thanks for that, just got new netgear modem from Orange to replace Livebox, but still got the issue, so when I have a spare 30 mins to chat will email you as above with my issues and what I beleive is taking far too long to either rectify or just to let me move on and go with another supplier. regards chris

Hi Peeps, A bit of advice please, We have just left AOL (after a very long time) and joined Orange (may this year) plummed for the £21 per month with the all singing all dancing, full whistles and blowers type of service, but here's the issue. Since joining them, we constantly lose connection (usually at the important bit) we have requuested help and on every instant done exactly what has been asked. These are some of the advice received; 1. Seperate power supply- DONE, reason given by Orange - possible power drop from extension lead (not likely) still same issue. 2. Do you have sky if so disconect any telephone lines connected -DONE - no difference there either. 3. Try factory reset - DONE - you guessed it still losing connection. 4. Right we'll send you a new power lead just incase - recieved it DONE - getting a bit sarchastic now but yep that did'nt work either, 5. Replaced ALL the filters in the house, false alarm that almost worked but NAH. My suggestion, remove modem, cancel subscription, complain and go with somebody else, Guess what can't even do that as they say I will have to pay the remainder of the contract (18 months). So my needs are simple, what rights do I have to cancel the subscription without incurring any additional charges due to the fact I have no received a satisfactory service from Orange, I have made several telephone calls to the technical team with an average call lasting 30 minutes, I have only ever received 1 return telephone call back and that was for a billing queery!!!! I have rung them again today and was on the telephone for 18 mins and they put me through to the 'catagory 2 team' (next floor up) and they promised me a return call within 15 minutes (that was 47 mins ago) and they must have lost connection to me as I have not yet heard the telephone go yet:evil: Need some clout here What next guys Regards Chris

Hi Peeps, A bit of advice please, We have just left AOL (after a very long time) and joined Orange (may this year) plummed for the £21 per month with the all singing all dancing, full whistles and blowers type of service, but here's the issue. Since joining them, we constantly lose connection (usually at the important bit) we have requuested help and on every instant done exactly what has been asked. These are some of the advice received; 1. Seperate power supply- DONE, reason given by Orange - possible power drop from extension lead (not likely) still same issue. 2. Do you have sky if so disconect any telephone lines connected -DONE - no difference there either. 3. Try factory reset - DONE - you guessed it still losing connection. 4. Right we'll send you a new power lead just incase - recieved it DONE - getting a bit sarchastic now but yep that did'nt work either, 5. Replaced ALL the filters in the house, false alarm that almost worked but NAH. My suggestion, remove modem, cancel subscription, complain and go with somebody else, Guess what can't even do that as they say I will have to pay the remainder of the contract (18 months). So my needs are simple, what rights do I have to cancel the subscription without incurring any additional charges due to the fact I have no received a satisfactory service from Orange, I have made several telephone calls to the technical team with an average call lasting 30 minutes, I have only ever received 1 return telephone call back and that was for a billing queery!!!! I have rung them again today and was on the telephone for 18 mins and they put me through to the 'catagory 2 team' (next floor up) and they promised me a return call within 15 minutes (that was 47 mins ago) and they must have lost connection to me as I have not yet heard the telephone go yet:evil: Need some clout here What next guys Regards Chris

Hi all, back again, Sorry its been a while, but just got some news from the FOS and its not what I wanted to hear. Contacted them to see what progress was going on and it just so happened that the FOS had received correspondence from Blemain and would look at it and get back to me, well received the letter from them the following day to say that after several months of sitting on my documentation of when where and how much, the FOS decided that due to Blemain not being under the FOS rules etc before April 2007 (which just so happened to be when I redeemed the loan) they could not assist me any further as anything that had happened prior to this date was out of their (FOS) catchment. Well even though I have had success with the FOS assistance in the past, I feel a bit dissapointed with the outcome and the time it has taken the FOS to come to this decision. The FOS have known since I started my claim with them of the dates, and surely could have informed me of the complaint had no bearing with the FOS because of this. I would obviously like to take the matter further with possibly the FSCS (if thats who they are) but obviously am unaware of how succesful people are with them. At the end of the day I just want my money back which I have in my eyes overpaid. I am not really intersted in additional interest which would be awarded if the FOS wouyld take it on (though it would be nice) Its just so frustrating when you do all the chasing and within a couple of hours of a phone call, the decision is drafted and sent via a letter after a lot of waiting. The only benefit that the FOS has stated is that the originalk offer is still on the table. SO what do I do? accept or go on, any advice please would be very welcome. Regards as always Stay fresh Peeps Chris

Hi 4urbabies, Just to try to help you, I am going through the same thing as you regarding the Early redemption charge thingy and as I have looked over my tarriffs etc on the back of the usual letters you get from them there is NO amount stated on any of their original letters, yet on their Last correspondence highlighting the ERD it has a value on it, YET the tarriffs dated the same as my original WITHOUT the value and on a later dated tarriffs letter the ERD again does not state the value of an ERD so this is what I am contesting. On the Tarrif of charges etc it gives you a 'From' date when the charges come into effect, ie if your bank wants to change its Fees and T & C's it has to inform you of when the new 'Fees and T & C's' come into force. If you have any old correspondences fro BF which have the Tarriffs on the reverse then check the fees payable section to which it will state either a value for early redemption or it won't have a value at which case there is a very good case to have the fees refunded with the 8% stat interest from completion of the settlement to end of claim. I have found several discrepencies with the Tarriffs and charges from their so called telephone calls made and the rest of it so much so that when I made my 1st complaint last year that their reply stated that the costs were different to what I was charged, the total amount of arrears and fees I paid were different to what they had calculated and their ERD figure was advised on the Tarriffs and T& C's on the original agreement, well it just so happens that I could compare these and you guessed it, NO ERD was stated on the agreement and the fees/charges were different to what they had charged. Gotcha. So on we go and as I stated earlier, its now with the FOS and maybe soon it may be resolved, but I will not be accepting what they offer prior to finding the true amount due to the FOS will not recieve a figure as they rely on the 'Company in dispute' to be honest with their calculations, and having already been successful with 2 claims, I felt on one of them I should have requested a figure before agreeing to accepdt it without prior knowledge otherwise I would have held out for more. Learnt my lesson there. Anyway sorry to go on but I hope that somewhere in this lot I have helped you a little bit, but please don't be afraid to ask anything else if you need to. Pleasure to help in anyway. Stay fresh peeps, Regards chris

Hi all, I'm back again and guess what, I had a lovely telephone call from BF today, and before you all gasp to hear, I'm sorry to say it but it was a cold call asking me if I wanted to do business with them as I had been such a loyal customer previously Lol. Its a shame really because I had to inform the young chappy that I did'nt think I would be using them again in any form what so ever as I am currently claiming from them via the FOS over the costs and charges etc applied to my redeemed loan I had with them a couple of years ago. The young chappy did seem to understand my plight and without too much of a subtle hint agreed totally but could'nt say too much for obvious reasons. I just wonder if BF are touting for business as they may be going the same way as Welcome???. We shall have to wait and see. stay fresh peeps Chris

hi alalana, thanks for the advice, already on the ball with theFOS so thanks anyway. Well, hello again everyone. Hope you all had a good ish christmas and a happy new year so far. Gutted about how the Supreme Courts cried off regarding the bank charges. But other ways and means to follow. How quick for the banks to send out the letters to inform us, yet take a lot longer to start the process when 1st challenged. Anyway back to my plight, sent docs etc to FOS at same time as letter to Blemain as they had their time to offer but went past dead line, and guess what, they replied at the same time as I sent my letter. Offered me slightly less than I have calculated so have sent bit of a sarcastic reply asking if this was a typing error as there seems to be a zero missing. Obviously I won't be accepting it unless it is a deposit of 8-10% to which I may. So on we go, i'm not rushed for it at the moment as it was redeemed a couple of years ago, so its a bit of a bonus for me when it comes. Keep you informed asap. Stay fresh peeps Regards Chris

Hi peeps, Sorry been away so long, I also had a mortgage with GMAC and also out of the blue because of the FSA's rulings, received a letter with a payment to be sent for £205 for being naughty, but did not see anything about it being full and final payment so have already asked for an explination and a calculation as to how they arrived at this figure. Lol. Will see how it goes but will get ready for the follow up on getting the rest back. bye for now peeps stay fresh chris

Hi everyone, sorry its been so long since I last posted, but things seem to be happening all over and some out of the blue. Well started my 2nd stage of claiming against Blemain and others for PPI etc, but with Blemain I am going for a refund of the overpayment made to them and the charges they attached to my redeemed loan back in April 2007. Having read the recent advises from the FOS regarding PPI and the recalculating of redeemed loans etc, I beleive that the company are supposed to recalcuate the loan from its initial inseption (start date) without the inclusion of the PPI and what the monthly payments would have been excluding the PPI payment etc, what the loan would have cost, how much was actually paid during its term and what the early redemption figure would be etc. If this is right then I have used their calculations on the original figures of the loan and estimated the % of rebate etc and I calculate that they have overcharged me by about £3500 not including the statutory 8% interest the FOS usually advise on. They have also sent me a breakdown of their so called charges they attached to my account on top of the redemption figure, and because I have now got a complete breakdown of the charges I am now also challenging the discrepencies between what they originally sent and the differences the new breakdown shows, as my original loan documentation does not state a Early redemption fee (MEF) and I have queeried this. Their initial answer was that they have investigated this and as usuall say everything is above board and nothing else can be done, yet as soon as I replied challenging their final answer I quickly reminded them that I had already forwarded my complaint to the FOS and guess what, they have since replied (as my complaint as now esculated to the next desk) saying that they are still investigating my complaint and would write back within 4 weeks. Please make my cheque payable as usuall to my wife and I. merry christmas and its not been nice doing business. One small step for mankind One giant leap for victory. ding ding round 2. keep smiling, we can still beat the banks. regards chris

Well, contacted british gas again as they have just set an up todate bill for both my gas and my electric and the gas is currently @£22 debt (as I have paid £450 in 3 monthly instalements) and £135 ish on electric (having paid 3x£90 monthly payments). They reviewed my account and then wanted to put my gas up to £235 pm and my electric up to £146 pm. I again questioned the price incease and as to why when i queeried the initial price fixed garauntee back in May that no one had had the curtesy to contact me to let me know the outcome of the broken promise. Well after a little digging the chap at the other end of the phone actually stated that not only had I been paying for the increases that when I went back to BG my prices not only should have been fixed but prior to the garauntee we were on a pre-payment meter for both gas & electric, so that should have been about 4p per kwH for the 1st whatever then 2p for the remaining, then when we reverted back to a credit account (cleared the arrears) we should have then gone down to just over 2p per kwH for the first bit and just a little bit less for the remainder!! So the chap then said because of this they have to cancel all the past bills from mthe day we joined and re calculate them backdated to Jan 2006 and our dd will be ammended to suit. So not including the overpayment calculated previously, I think I should have a fairly small if any dd to pay for a while. fingers crossed. stay fresh peeps chris

Hi ATD, thanks for that, but the reason I came back to British Gas was the incentive they offerred , and at the time they persuaded me to rejoin. And although I have every sympathy with British Gas during this non-profit making era they are struggling with , I really do feel that they have mis-sold me a deal which seems to be non-existent!!!, and I think that I have every right to claim this back and whats more I am going to claim this back + interest AND that British Gas have to hold their promise to me as a returned customer that the deal was 'PRICES FROZEN TILL 2010 AND THATS A PROMISE!!!!!!!!' Stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi everybody, Just a quick question for you all, I went back to british gas for my supplier of Gas and Electrisity due to the fixed price promoise untill 2010. I went back with them in Jan/Feb 2006. I have been going over some of my bills from them since then and despite the original promise of fixing the price till 2010, this does not seem to be the case. I have so far calculated that on my electric alone I have overpaid by £237.40, and that does not include the extra VAT added @5%, nor does this include my bill between july 2007 and march 2008 (missing bill), and on my gas, this is currently £42.71 again this does not include the extra VAT nor the same period of missing info! I queeried this with British Gas and they said they would invstigate this and get back to me within 30 days, well it's been like waiting for my bank statements to arrive, and still no sign! I will be contacting them today regarding this and will also drop them a line as well. Anybody else had this issue, or have British Gas been sly in creepng up their tarrifs without us realising? stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi everyone, just an update. Got a reply from natwest saying that they do not hold data more than 6 years old and have returned my £10 fee accordingly. Unfortunatly the cheque was issued in September last year (2007) and was a none returnable cheque as it was already deducted from my account (as we don't have cheque book facilities) due to it being a bank counter cheque. I am in the process of writing them another letter regarding the fact that they do hold account details even if the accounts are dorment, which can be more than 30 years old. The point is I probably won't be able to claim anything back as the account itself was closed about 15 years ago, it would just be nice to see from the statements that we no longer have (we have some but not many) just exactly how much we had to pay in bank charges way back then, and then if on the slightest of chances the OFT,FOS and FSA decide that the statute of limitations does not come into effect and we can claim from the year dot then atleast I will be ready. stay fresh peeps regards chris

Update HALIFAX CC EXTENDED OF STAYS ON BANK CHARGES CLAIMS UNTIL 28th JULY 2008. Reason:- AWAITING OUTCOME OF JUDGES DECISION ON TEST CASE. ARRRGGGGH!!!!!! :mad: :mad: Stay Fresh Peeps regards chris

Hi Icy and everybody, Just an update, Halifax CC have extended their stay on all claims until 28th JULY 2008 until the Judge makes his decision:mad: , Stay in there guys we've waited this long and I think it's flown, so another 5 months worth of added interest won't go amiss now will it!!! stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi Caro, Not to worry, I have NO intention of accepting any offer unless it is the full amount including the interest which I am accruing every day it goes on:D, so if they pay up full to tomorrows date, then maybe just maybe I may accept, and as they say tomorrow never comes tee hee hee! we'll have to wait and see! stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi Kia, yes I think the banks are starting to fold with the inevitable outcome, so I'm going to confirm on the which banks are still going etc post to inform that Halifax CC has had an instruction from the higher end of things to extend the stays until 28th July 2008 exactly 1 year from the original aplication and acceptance from the FOS to grant the stays!!!!! stay fresh peeps and keep going. regards chris

Hi Hilary, Yup same here, called into the Halifax CC the other day and my Nationwide claim has been stayed until the 28th July also, and when I requested what about a possible new claim on a different bank account I was told it woulgd be stayed automatically. And I may waste my fee should the banks win (doubtful) so I am holding off on the others until there is a decision one way or another. The only advantage I can see is that although we have to wait a little longer the interest added on will make the result taste more sweeter. Hold on in there as I reckon the banks will start offering to pay out on a lesser amount as I think the Nationwide tried with me but I miss heard them and declined the 50% they offered me! Damn!! Should I have taken it? Nah it will be better at the outcome. Stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi ABG, If you used the calculator on this site, just change the date to the new date and hey presto! Have'nt got a court date yet, and as for the 'Test Case' I have recently enquired at the 'Halifax CC' regarding the situation, and as the case is now prelimilary finished and awaiting the Judges decision on the 'Test Case' the Halifax CC has extended the 'Stay's' until the 28th July 2008:mad: , (exactly 1 year to the date when the court case was anounced!!!! :mad: So it's going to be a long wait. On another note, the Nationwide telephoned me the other day regarding my current Overdraft and when was I going to pay it off, (as it is only a small amount) I told them that because the ODraft was solely made up of charges I have NO intention of paying it and would simply add this to my current claim which is with the court and because they put a stay on the claim, I would simply add further interest to the account and would claim for this as well. When the person toold me that the account would go into a default situation, I requested that they confirm this in writing so that I could then take legal action against the bank for doing this Knowing full well the account was in dispute and gave them some legal jargon regarding the same. At this point the lady on the other end of the phone did state that the Nationwide were offering to pay 50% of any claims as a one off opportunity, and not really thinking about it flatly declined the offer as I thought she only meant the Overdraft, maybe she meant the claim as well? who Knows.??? Anybody else had the offer??? on that note good night and god bless everyone, here's to the judges decision may we bask in his glory!!! stay fresh peeps regards chris

Hi Gaz2954 and Wobbles, The banks still have to provide you with all the relevant info on your account regardless of the so called 6year limitation act dispite them saying they don't, as you have or are in the processing of asking for youre SAR it might take time but as I have found out with the Nat West I have to supply a little bit more info regarding date the account was closed to help them, so I have done that anyway (should'nt have to but just passifying them) so here's to waiting for the SAR. Stay fresh peeps Regards chris

Hi all, thanks for your messages of well dones etc, It took some perseverance but i kept plugging and as I said in an earlier post, I think because I went to the Finanacial institutions and the Office of Fair Trading with my complaint I think that was the only way for them to sit up and take notice that I was'nt in it for the laugh:D and that did the trick. I could have held out for more but as this was very close to what I paid up front then for the sake of a few pounds more I was happy to take their offer and working it out only £2-300 shy so I think I can class it as a victory. On another note, imfedup, whom was your loan with? and what is youre actual question? Do you want the address of Blemain or of the broker you originally took the loan out with? and are you trying to claim a refund on youre PPI as a mis sold PPI of what? Will try to help, but need a bit more info. regards Chris