Is it legal for orange to do this?

Kinda like a tenancy contract really. Tenant and landlord agrees on a 6 or 12-month contract, and if they stay in the house longer than that then it becomes month-by-month contract until the tenant gives a month's notice that they're moving out.
 
To be honest, its perfectly legal and very underhanded, got stung on an O2 contract when I left the UK a few years back, the difference being I told them I was going and then they conveniently lost any documentation of this fact and charged me 100 quid for the privilege.

Life lesson really, dont trust a company without something to back you up.
 
There isn't a court in the land that will force you to pay this, as you received nothing in return for payment. Both parties need to benefit from the contract and the op never. Technically it is your fault, I would contact them and work something out which I'm sure they will.
 
It's not underhanded at all, it's perfectly legal and normal.

Nobody ever bothers to understand what they are commiting themselves to. It is not a 24 month contract, it is an indefinite contract with a 24 month MINIMUM TERM. It doesn't end until you or they give notice to end it - this is completely standard and has been since the dawn of time itself. The 24 months is just the minimum term you must serve before you can give notice to cancel. They don't just auto cut you off at month 24, that would be ridiculous!

You owe them the money, I suggest you pay it before they do any more damage to your credit rating.

You signed an agreement with a total value of at least £600! Surely you read what you were signing?
 
Locky said:
There isn't a court in the land that will force you to pay this, as you received nothing in return for payment.
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He received 6 months of service - he just chose not to use it. He signed an airtime agreement for ongoing service until such time as either party gave notice, subject to a minimum term. This is exactly what he has received. He is in breach of contract by not paying the agreement amount.

You can't just put a contract phone in a drawer for 3 months and then claim a 3 month refund because you 'didnt use it'!

You could use your daft logic to claim a refund on your AA cover after a year..
 
Edrof said:
Read your contract's small print. It's underhand, but then companies generally are.
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I don't agree at all. I'd be more annoyed if my phone suddenly stopped working on day 1 of month 25 because I'd forgotter to renew!
 
Lagmeister said:
To be honest, its perfectly legal and very underhanded, got stung on an O2 contract when I left the UK a few years back, the difference being I told them I was going and then they conveniently lost any documentation of this fact and charged me 100 quid for the privilege.

Life lesson really, dont trust a company without something to back you up.
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Underhand? Its a contract :confused: read it?

Your circumstances are completely different if you told them you were leaving the UK and that you wanted to cancel your mobile contract then they failed to do this.
 
~Divine~Wind~ said:
Underhand? Its a contract :confused: read it?

Your circumstances are completely different if you told them you were leaving the UK and that you wanted to cancel your mobile contract then they failed to do this.
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It is in the contract, and to be honest I should have read it in its entirety, but do you read every piece of small-print that comes across your desk?

Its underhand in the way that your compliance is assumed, when a company could easily choose any one of a number of communication methods, phone, email, carrier pigeon to inform you that your contract is running out and you will be charged after x date and then the onus being on the customer to inform them if you want the service to continue. But thats my whimsical view of the world I guess, where a company actually cares about a customer not its profit.
 
[TW]Fox;22395419 said:
He received 6 months of service - he just chose not to use it. He signed an airtime agreement for ongoing service until such time as either party gave notice, subject to a minimum term. This is exactly what he has received. He is in breach of contract by not paying the agreement amount.

You can't just put a contract phone in a drawer for 3 months and then claim a 3 month refund because you 'didnt use it'!

You could use your daft logic to claim a refund on your AA cover after a year..
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Think what you like, I know they wouldn't enforce it.

Op, phone them and sort it out.
 
I very much doubt Orange will care that he hasn't used the phone. Orange are the worst mobile provider in the UK. They will want full payment.

Good luck, you will need it!
 
Locky said:
I think he cancelled the direct debit after the 24months, so they left it 6 moths to tot it up and are now trying it on, nice under hand tactics.
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Yes, thats totally what they did, they said 'lets keep quiet for a bit and then whack him with a bill, lol'. This is far more likely than the system attempting to take the direct debit each month, failing and then generating a letter to the OP which he then either never read, or whatever.

It's all a big conspiracy by nasty Orange.

It's pretty straightforward. He took out a mobile phone contract, agreed to pay X per month and then when he didnt want it anymore he simply ignored it rather than cancelling it, meaning he is liable for the bill.
 
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Fox, how do you know that Orange sent out a letter after each failed payment? You are calling the OP a moron on your own assumptions!

I cancelled my 3 contract and years later received a request for payment out of the blue. Nothing at all since I cancelled it. I had to go through loops die to their system error!

OP. I would write a letter to Orange saying you called and advised to cancel the contract after the 24 months then changed provider. Say you don't understand why you have received the bill. They are so disorganised at Orange even if you had called they would probably have lost the note anyway! You may as well give it a go as you don't have anything to lose. If you can get Orange to admit fault and waive the charges you can sort your credit history out too.

Let's face it, mobile companies don't write to you or text you advising the contract is nearing its end because they want people like the OP to stay with them. I used to work in a call centre so know all about what goes on behind the scenes.
 
Totality said:
Let's face it, mobile companies don't write to you or text you advising the contract is nearing its end because
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.... its not actually nearing its end? The minimum term expired, thats all. Nothing in the contract stated it ended after 24 months. It continues until either party gives notice of termination!
 
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