Email the executive office: executive.office@orange.co.uk

Dave & Bill,   Thank you SO much for the advice and info.   I hadn't emailed as it was a very complicated situation and, after my post I did begin to make progress (or so I thought) via the Customer Services & Upgrades Depts (using the 0800 nos from the database - thanks!) the shop manager in Fitzroy Street being very obstructive.   However, it became apparent that, although almost everyone was very pleasant and tried to help, they seemed to lack the authority (I was appalled that their frontline staff have no external email facility, other than some supervisors, apparently because a while ago someone sent an inappropriate email - how does that help customers?) hence particular gratitude to Bill for providing a phone no so I actually managed to speak to someone very helpful who then emailed me confirmation of what actions had been agreed and the advice given (cancel the DD).

I would offer a bit of general advice to anyone signing a contract with Orange which may sound self-evident but is not - make sure you read everything and query, in particular, any boxes on the contract left blank.   The shop staff in our case tried to use a blank box as proof of what you may or may not have requested but, as the customer, you will not know this or its implications (eg a blank box by "current plan" does not mean that this is where your current plan is entered but that you did not request a change of tariff even though Customer Services tell me this is bad practice).  Ask them to repeat exactly what you are signing - tariff etc, even if they get irritated as you need to be certain.  I have spent most of the last five days trying to resolve this and over three and a half hours this morning continuously on the phone so, as I say, you cannot be too careful!  I hope no one else does have such problems & that this post may help them to avoid any.

I will post again when the matter is finally resolved - should the no be added to the database?

Thanks.

Yes, sorry, bit of a bad suggestion, I was just so delighted to have got the written promise of a result I got carried away - perhaps someone knows a geo equivalent?   I was asked by them where I had got the telephone no & said a forum (not which one!)   It seems Orange like to keep their tel nos a secret - a more helpful store manager said he was "not allowed" to give the area manager's no even though Orange Customer Services suggested I ask him!   All I was thinking was that the 0870 would give anyone as desperate as I was an option & I was anxious that the no should not be lost after a few weeks.

Oh, and another guy that might help is Ian Parker, Group Director of Customer Relations, 020 7984 1888 (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=179251)

Hi, thanks for all the options.  It may be a while before I can try them out as the man in the Executive Office was SO efficient and helpful I have no cause to ring!   He actually checked all that was necessary was being done, sent me the confirming email within the hour as requested AND rang me immediately to confirm that he had sent it, I had received it & was happy with it!  On my initial contact on the 0870, he did immediately agree to call me back on my landline.   I was also impressed that he did include in the email an instruction to cancel the DD and confirm he had coded the account so no bar will be imposed.   Also, complaints via this office are apparently reported to the relevant sections of the business AND reported at Board level.   Other than that Customer Services had done this in the first place & they should have a geo no, what more could I ask? Hence, I have no wish to be a pain  The problem is that, as it is is matter of a recalculation of two bills on which the wrong tariff was applied, this cannot be finalised until the next billing date of 12th Feb.   I will, however, try some/all of these numbers at the appropriate time and pass them on to my son for future reference.   Thanks again.

Have a few further comments which I thought I would add to this post rather than start another one in "Chat" which would split the info.   

Firstly, a WARNING - Orange are advertising "Unlimited Calls to Landlines" as part of at least their Racoon 35 package; during my exchanges with them on behalf of my son, I discovered this is subject to a "fair usage policy" which I was unable to find in their Terms & Conditions.   When I queried this, it transpires that the limit is 3000 minutes per month ie 50 hours or less than two hours a day!   Not my idea of unlimited by any means!   I will be raising this with the appropriate authorities.

Secondly, as part of their response, they said it applied to calls to "01/02" numbers.   Could someone please confirm that calls to 03 nos from mobiles are subject to the same OFCOM regs as from landlines?   I'm sure I have seen on here that they are but I can't remember where.   If this is the case, I will go back to them on that as well.

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for that, Heinz, have emailed them accordingly.  Will report back; in fairness, 03 may just have slipped the mind of the person in the Executive Office who was dealing with the major aspect of the problems but I think it is worth checking.