Hi,

I have a problem with Orange bill-wise on Imternet charges the companies are really bullies, and one person you talk to does not know what the other has said, I feel they are almost trained to give you the run around.

I was out is Saudi Arabia from 23rd Feb this year until May 2nd, I was back in the UK on May 3rd. , I had arranged for roaming charges with Orange before I left, but found their system would not connect, so I purchased a Saudi PAYG system called Al Jawal, and topped it up as one does here by buying tokens.

At around 15th May I received a bill from Orange for roaming charges from 8th to 12th May (4 days) at £2400.00 approx, I was firstly back in the UK on 3rd May and secondly never used their system, so I disputed their bill. Before I received their bill I took on a contract Blackberry with them on 14th May, because I dispute the Internet bill they blocked my phone

but still presently charge me the monthly fee for it, put a default notice on my Credit file and then a Debt collector on to me.

I proved to them by the invoice of buying the Al Jawal, by showing the dates of my flight home, by showing that I was at my local Bank on 5th May, so how could I be roaming on the Internet in Saudi. Then they told me that foreign services are delayed and the dates and times on their Invoice may not be accurate, I said but I was on PAYG and paid Al Jawal in full on a top up basis, so how can there be a foreign service sending bills to you, even delayed, show me the bill to you from the foreign service- no reply.

After 4 requests to Orange to give me their controlling body, they told me to write to CISAS, so I did so on the appropriate form, today I received a letter back from CISAS saying that my complainthas been rejected as I have not gone through Orange's complaints procedure, and they sent me back the 6-7 pages I sent to them saying they had no facility to store such ! In a large London office !!!!!!!!

I immediately scanned the letter, sent it by email attachment to Orange asking if I have been dealing with the Complaint Dept or not, if not why was I passed directly to CISAS and not to the Complaints Dept, I copied that email to CISAS

How for goodness sake to you win when innocent against such a set up ?

So I think there are lots of people in the same boat,all with default markers on their Credit Record that should not be there, so just like you I look for someone who can give the correct answer, and just joined this forum to-night.

When I find it I will let you know as I am a very determined person in my 60s, that does not lie down to these people when I know I am correct.

Hi,

When using your phone abroad charges can take upto 4 months to show on your bill. The networks can only charge the customer when they have been billed. If you havent used your orange sim, I would suggest you ask them for written confirmation on data used and also how the sites were accessed. Networks dont like to provide this and do sometimes try to fob you off saying that is infomation they cant retrieve, but this can be done. If it wasnt accessed via your orange sim, then no charges should apply.

Ill be honest, it wont matter to them when you went and returned. If your sim was used either in uk or abroad they should have details there to back. If it wasnt used abroad they wouldnt be able to "add" these charges on so I would certainly ask for them.

All companies have procedures you need to go through. Firstly I would request the written confirmation on the data used.Then ring with complaint.Then contact compaints dept.Then if no satisfied take further.Below is further details on complaints procedure.

Hope this helps and good luck.

C

If you would like to e-mail us, simply go to our help channel and follow the instructions. We aim to reply to all emails within 48 hours. However, remember that email is not a secure way to exchange personal or sensitive information.
• If you prefer to send a letter, then you can send your complaint to:
Orange Customer Care
PO Box 486
Rotherham
S63 5ZX

26. How we will deal with your complaint

This will depend on how you make your complaint. However, when you contact us we will need to ask for:
* your e-mail address
* the phone number you use for connecting to the internet
* your date of birth
* your full postal address
* your password

If you can have this information to hand or include it in your original complaint, it will speed things up.

Once we receive your complaint we will record it. If you write to us we will give you a reference number, which we will let you know and will ask you to quote whenever you contact us about the complaint.

We do try to settle all complaints immediately, but sometimes we may have to investigate the matter before we can get back to you. We aim to reply to complaints made by e-mail within 48 hours, and complaints made in writing within 5 working days of us receiving the letter.

If you’re not satisfied with the way we deal with your complaint, you should ask for it to be considered again by someone with more authority. You can do this immediately if you are on the phone or we will arrange for someone to contact you. If you have asked for this by e-mail or letter, you will receive a response within 48 hours for e-mails and for complaints in writing, within 5 working days of us receiving the letter.

If you are still not satisfied, ask for it to be considered again. If you still do not agree with what we have said or done, our Complaint Review Service will look into the matter. We’ll then give you details of where to send your complaint. See also Section 27 Useful addresses.

After asking us to refer your complaint to someone with more independence, you may also find it useful to speak to the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) whose contact details are in section 27 below. However please note that this does not affect your rights (as set out in section 26 below) to refer your complaint to an alternative dispute resolution service.

27. What to do if you are still not happy with us

If we reach a deadlock situation with your complaint, we will confirm that there is nothing more we can do and give you a reference number. You can then refer the dispute to the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS).

Or, if we have not given you a satisfactory response to your complaint after 8 weeks, you can refer the complaint to CISAS.
CISAS is an independent scheme, run by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, that deals with disputes.

When your dispute goes through the scheme, a person called an independent adjudicator decides how to settle it. Once the dispute has been referred to CISAS, any offers we have previously made to solve the problem will be withdrawn.

To get more details on how to refer a dispute to CISAS please contact them:

CISAS
24 Angel Gate
City Road
London
EC1V 2PT
Telephone 020 7520 3827
Fax 020 7520 3829
cisas.org.uk

If you are unhappy about the way we or CISAS have handled your complaint you can contact Ofcom at the address below.

28. Useful addresses

Ofcom
Office of Communications
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 9HA
Phone: 020 7981 3040
Fax: 020 7981 3334
ofcom.org.uk