I took out a contract with Orange for home phone and broadband a month before I went BR, fully expecting to carry it on through the year. However my situation has changed and I am leaving the UK, obviously not able to transfer my telephone/broadband services to my new address (it's 12000+ miles away).
There is apparently a fee of around £120 to end the contract (not an easy amount to suddenly come up with while an undischarged bankrupt!) and according to Orange I cannot include this in the BR or give them the OR details because "everything is done online, we don't produce paper statements, we don't deal with payments when closing accounts, check your statement online and pay it please".
The fee comes from the monthly charges left to run on the 12 month contract (something like £30 per month for the remaining 4 months).
Are Orange correct or is this something I could include in the BR? Or should I just stop stressing and try and find it?
If I were you I would just cancel the DD and move. They are not going to chase you over so little an amount when you are moving 12000 miles away.
If you want to settle the debt then you could call them, explain the issue and offer a settlement figure of maybe £50 but this would depend on whether you have any funds at the moment.
Also check you contract to see if the fee/early release is mentioned.
- Check the contract and dispute the £120 that Orange want - Speak to Orange, explain the situation and offer a settlement - Pay the full amount
I can understand you not wanting to leave any debts after being declared BR.
The Internet/mobile phone contracts normally have a clause saying that if you want to end the contract early you have to pay the additional amount so you will have to find the £120 to leave with a clean slate.
Prior to BR I had no end of trouble with Talk Talk on a similar issue. Personally I think they will chase you for ever as they only work on a press button basis and their staff do not "think." ie the Computer does this and the computer does that ! No !! you input the computer. No it will not allow me to---etc I was with Talk talk and for over a month I had no service due to a fault which they could not seem to rectify - kept ringing --call centre staff - no after care service .Eventually went back to BT Talk talk then wanted £70 for coming out of the contract! No you broke the contract by not supplying a service for 4 weeks etc etc Then they sent the debt to an agency-threatening. I should have got Watchdog or Ombudsnam involved but could not cope as everything else going wrong re BR My advice = offer them half to finish the matter. Should not be the case as these companies are some of the worst
Hi I would cancel the contract with Orange or at least stop paying your bill to them, and include them as an unsecured creditor with full address on your petition then inform the OR Examiner of the difficulties orange are placing on you, and that you feel that this is a luxury item and no longer require it and then leave it up to the OR Examiner to deal with.
Telephone contract pre-BR
Posted - 05 May 2009 : 15:29:28
