dr_designer

I used to be subscribed to Orange's “Fijo/Internet” plan. This gave me 24-hour access to the Internet, on a single ISDN line, together with free calls to numbers in the province of Alicante (using a prefix).

On 27th April, I switched to a new ISP, and stopped using the Orange prefix on telephone calls. I looked through the direct debit receipts for a way to contact Orange, and also checked their Web site. There was no telephone number on the receipts, and no address to write to (though there is a PO Box number for France Telecom in Madrid). The only telephone numbers on the Orange Web site were for purchases. So I went in to my bank, and asked them how I could contact Orange. They had no idea.

As a result, I asked them to make one more payment—for May—and then cancel the direct debit. Since I was no longer using the services, this should have covered anything in April that I still hadn't paid for.

To my astonishment, I received a bill from Orange for June (for services I stopped using in April, and twice what I had been paying a month) and a series of telephone calls saying I had to pay the bill. When I said I was no longer using the services and that I wanted to terminate my contract, and I'd like to know how to make this formal, they simply ignored my questions. They gave me no other number to telephone, nor any address to write to. (And my Spanish is quite good enough for them to understand me.)

In desperation, I took the bill in to my bank and had them transfer the money—for which I had to pay a further 5 euros as a fee.

Then I received a bill for July, and another for August. Text messages and telephone calls telling me I had to pay arrived every day. In August, a friend suggested I should go in to our local Orange shop. They thought there might be a form I had to fill in. I went in to the shop. No, the girls said, there was no form. I had to cancel by telephone. When I said I'd tried this umpteen times, one of the girls found a number on a pad which she said I could call to cancel.

Naturally, I called the number as soon as I got home. There were a couple of hiccups, but eventually I pressed the right combination of keys and got through to someone who understood what I was asking for. By now, I was so shattered and depressed by this whole charade, that I asked her for a reference number, to prove that I had cancelled the plan.

Would you believe, today (a month later) I received yet another bill from Orange, together with an extra bill for interest on unpaid bills, plus a letter saying they were instituting action to have my name placed on a list of bad creditors.

I haven't used the services since April. I have paid for 3 months' services I haven't used. I have tried every way I know to explain to Orange employees that I no longer want the services. Nothing seems to work. Can anyone suggest what I can do?

Veleta

Might be a bit late now, but the best way to cancel these contracts is to say that you are moving house and returning to the UK (or anywhere other than Spain).

I've changed ISPs perhaps three or four times since living in Spain (including Wanadoo/orange) and I always use this line as it stops them touting for future business.

dr_designer

Thank you, Veleta. The problem is not what reason to give. The problem is to find someone who will listen.

When you split from wanadoo/Orange, what number did you telephone? Where did you write? That is my problem.

Veleta

I did it via telephone. I don't remember the tel number now but it was on the letter that I received from them when they sent me the router.

HBG

We had exactly the same problem around two years ago, just as Wanadoo became Orange. As we changed back to the all mighty Telefonica, they promised to take care of the cancellation with Orange, but we immediately cancelled our standing order with our bank

Telefonica kept their word and we even kept our Wanadoo email address, we still have it.

We changed from Wanadoo because of their appalling customer service. Then the phone calls and threats from Orange started. We decided early on that it was pointless to converse with these awful people and either put the phone down, or told them to F... Off, in both English and Spanish.

Unbelievably, some four months after we changed over, a contracted out engineer turned up at our house to repair our Wanadoo set-up. He was a young Spaniard from Alicante in an extremely flash car and I patiently explained that he was four months late and that we were now with Telefonica.

H still wanted to come into our house to do the repair, and asked me to wait while he phoned Orange on his mobile. My patience level was reaching an all time low, but I waited and even spoke to someone from Orange when he handed me the mobile. Funnily enough I thought I recognized the man's voice from an earlier call to their customer services, but he was suddenly extremely friendly and concerned.

I explained yet again and handed the mobile back to the engineer, who looked flustered and started to look through an untidy pile of papers. When he found the job sheet for us, he said 'Mierda' and I heard the supervisor using the same word, the mobile seemed to be suspended in mid-air between us. I used the same word too, and locked the gate to go back indoors.

The bell went ten minutes later. The engineer was full of apologies and asked me to sign his job sheet to say that he had changed our telephone filter. He explained that otherwise he wouldn't get paid.

He looked as though he was about to start crying, so I signed as Mr Donald Duck and he went on his way. There were no more calls from Orange.

Casa Santo Estevo

When we stopped using Wanadoos services for internet we had problems. After getting threatening letters we got our solciter, who knows all the right legal terms, to say we will see them in court.All letters stopped after that. Sometimes you have to pay a bit to gain a lot!

dr_designer

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far.

At least I'm not alone.