Jan n Neil

When I left the UK 19 months ago I tried to get out of my mobile contract with Orange. They wouldn't let me and so I was a goody two shoes and paid eighteen pounds a month for 15 months for a phone I did not use in New Zealand. They promised to cancel the contract, he said on the phone to me in August 2009 that they would text me in October 2010, he said he had written it all over the file. He hadn't.

I cancelled the direct debit and they wrote demanding payment. I phoned from the UK and they agreed to just charge me one more lot of eighteen pounds as they said I cancelled the DD too soon. I couldn't care less at that point, and asked they send the bill to New Zealand. They refused saying they had to send it to the address on the account. I could NOT get through to them that this meant I would never get the bill.

They have now put debt collectors on to me. For eighteen pounds, plus a massive collector fee I am sure though my friend who intercepted the mail has not told me the details.

I emailed the collection agency to explain the story above, expressed incredulity that they were chasing me for eighteen pounds, and I got this reply:




I refer to the below Email and would advise that I require your new full postal address. Please confirm your full address and post code to allow me to update the address details on the account and to enable me to issue any details you requested.

Kind Regards
Administration Department


Where to next, nice people?

Jan

MnB

Hi Jan
I had a similar problem last year with Tiscali won't bore you with all the details ..... I found 'google' was my friend, I've just 'googled' 'orange debt collection' & lots of links that may help you came up

Also check out your rights with regard to the debt collection company.....they have to stick to certain criteria once you've asked for the debt to be investigated....check 'citizens advice' or similar.

HTH & you get it sorted....by the way I got a call from debt collectors a week before we left for NZ....once in NZ Tiscali communicated via email.
B x

rick78

wouldnt this be covered by the consumer credit act? in which case dont worry about it... cancel direct debit and let them do what they will... they cannot get a ccj against you since you no longer live in uk and so they cannot legally enforce it as far as i understand.

DeepSix

have a check of http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/

these guys have all the info you will need to know

thedtb

I don't know much about it... but I understand there's something called a Statute of Limitations and I believe it only lasts for 6 years.

Somebody else may be able to explain far more accurately than I can, but I understand it means that a debt cannot be enforced more than 6 years after the debt was last acknowledged.

Do you plan on returning to the UK (to live) in the next 6 years? If not, ignore it and get on with the rest of your life. Any contact whatsoever you have with them would apparently class as an "acknowledgement" of the debt and the 6 years would start again.

A quick 'google' brought up this: http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/...tation_act.php

If you're intending to go back to live in the UK within the next 6 years it may be easier to just agree a settlement with them and pay it.

Jan n Neil

I did wonder if I had done something silly by emailing them. No we are never going back as far as we know. I think I will ignore it......

Charlie Paynter

You are too nice!

Even if you do return to the UK one day, there is virtually no chance of this debt ever being collected / enforced - and that is if it is a debt, which from the information you have given, I doubt it as you have a very good defence.

I assume that you have no property in your names now in the UK, hence in any event, Orange cannot serve a claim form or send round the collectors (and don't forget, this is a civil matter and without a CCJ, they cannot force you to hand over any money).

And in 6 years time, they will be barred from bringing an action.

Jan n Neil

I still have a house in the UK where this was redirected to i told her to tell them to f**k off as i did with vodaphone the robbing,theiving gits


neil

Wessa

Another case of uk people being unhelpful over something simple..

Id go with you outlook Neil tbh..

MnB

Forgot to add there was no debt and never had been, luckily I could prove it ....def thieving barstewards who were trying it on big time with lots of past customers.....some of whom paid up!!

Good on you for telling them where to go!!
B

selondon

Had the same thing last year for both me & the wife. Before we left UK my wife closed her account. I tried to close mine but they wouldn't listen to reason, so we just stopped our DD & left. Somehow they found our forwarding address(my sister) and we got all the threats. They threatened to send baliffs to my sisters which freaked her out a bit but I know they have no rights to enter a property under such conditions. It's gone quiet now and I don't believe they will continue to persue such a trivial amount and it would cost them to affect your credit rating. Just ignore them and I'm sure they will find someone else to rob!