Talking Phones Direct - Upgrade con

I received a call on my mobile offing me an upgrade.
They said they were Orange and offered me an upgrade and a cheaper tariff.
As my contract with Orange is coming up for renewal it seemed like a good
deal.
I subsequently get posted a new phone, new number and an expensive tariff.
I try to contact them by phone, no response, I just got a continuous sales
recording I send them an email to cancel. No response.

My Orange bill turns up for my normal phone plus a bill for £55 for the new
phone. Orange tell me they understand but can not do anything. Ofcom tell me
that they do not regulate telephone traders like "Talking Phones Direct".
The Office of Fair Trading advise that I have to request a transcript of the
original sales from"Talking Phones Direct" before they can progress further.

I finally manage to talk to someone at Talking Phones Direct and they tell
me they don't accept emails for cancellation and besides because 7 days have
elapsed they will not cancel.

I definitely feel conned.

Anybody else had similar problems and how to resolve?

Thanks

Paul T

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› See More: Talking Phones Direct - Upgrade con

On 17 Nov, 17:29, "Paul T" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I received a call on my mobile offing me an upgrade.
> They said they were Orange and offered me an upgrade and a cheaper tariff..
> As my contract with Orange is coming up for renewal it seemed like a good
> deal.
> I subsequently get posted a new phone, new number and an expensive tariff..
> I try to contact them by phone, no response, I just got a continuous sales
> recording I send them an email to cancel. No response.
>
> My Orange bill turns up for my normal phone plus a bill for £55 for thenew
> phone. Orange tell me they understand but can not do anything. Ofcom tellme
> that they do not regulate telephone traders like "Talking Phones Direct".
> The Office of Fair Trading advise that I have to request a transcript of the
> original sales from"Talking Phones Direct" before they can progress further.
>
> I finally manage to talk to someone at Talking Phones Direct and they tell
> me they don't accept emails for cancellation and besides because 7 days have
> elapsed they will not cancel.
>
> I definitely feel conned.
>
> Anybody else had similar problems and how to resolve?
>
> Thanks
>
> Paul T

If it is a new connection you have 14 days as the distance selling
law!!!!!

On 2008-11-17, Paul T <[email protected]> wrote:
> I received a call on my mobile offing me an upgrade.
> They said they were Orange and offered me an upgrade and a cheaper tariff.
> As my contract with Orange is coming up for renewal it seemed like a good
> deal.

I recently had a caller to my mobile number who claimed to be 'from your
mobile phone company' and 'able to offer good terms for renewing your
contract' - which immediately put me on my guard; he then started to ask
questions and make statements which made it perfectly clear to me that he
had nothing at all to do with my phone company so I told him so - at which
point he had the nerve to sound offended! It was obvious to me though,
that someone had noted when a phone number had been 'ported' and to which
network, and had assumed that there was a 12-month contract associated
with it - so that I could be contacted shortly before the end of that 12
months. But my contract is not with that network, and my contract is not
for 12 months, so the attempted fraud was transparent to me.

> I subsequently get posted a new phone, new number and an expensive tariff.
> I try to contact them by phone, no response, I just got a continuous sales
> recording I send them an email to cancel. No response.
>
> My Orange bill turns up for my normal phone plus a bill for £55 for the new
> phone. Orange tell me they understand but can not do anything. Ofcom tell me
> that they do not regulate telephone traders like "Talking Phones Direct".
> The Office of Fair Trading advise that I have to request a transcript of the
> original sales from"Talking Phones Direct" before they can progress further.
>
> I finally manage to talk to someone at Talking Phones Direct and they tell
> me they don't accept emails for cancellation and besides because 7 days have
> elapsed they will not cancel.
>
> I definitely feel conned.
>
> Anybody else had similar problems and how to resolve?
>
> Thanks
>
> Paul T

Do you mean "Talking Mobiles Direct"?

A warning for all. See also
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/broadband/article2764946.ece>
October 29, 2007 "Ofcom warns of mobile phone scam" by David Budworth.

This sort of thing has been going on for years - and with mains gas and
electric supplies and fixed-line telephone contracts too, not only
mobiles. I've even had it tried on me with regard to my ISP.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for the info guys.
The lesson would appear to be; not to react to sales advances what ever the
source.

The company in question is FDUK Fones Direct / Talking Phones Direct/ Quaden
Telecom, it depends on which bit of paperwork you look at. They are all
based in Rochdale with coherent post codes and PO boxes.

I do not think they have any connection with "Talking Mobiles Direct"

What disturbs me the most is where I thought I was a loyal customer of
Orange and would have expected their support and action on my behalf instead
they refuse to do anything. As I understand the trader concerned is their
approved agent and as such Orange should be more proactive to counter this
type of con. Are any of the other network providers better?

Paul T

"Whiskers" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2008-11-17, Paul T <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I received a call on my mobile offing me an upgrade.
> > They said they were Orange and offered me an upgrade and a cheaper
tariff.
> > As my contract with Orange is coming up for renewal it seemed like a
good
> > deal.
>
> I recently had a caller to my mobile number who claimed to be 'from your
> mobile phone company' and 'able to offer good terms for renewing your
> contract' - which immediately put me on my guard; he then started to ask
> questions and make statements which made it perfectly clear to me that he
> had nothing at all to do with my phone company so I told him so - at which
> point he had the nerve to sound offended! It was obvious to me though,
> that someone had noted when a phone number had been 'ported' and to which
> network, and had assumed that there was a 12-month contract associated
> with it - so that I could be contacted shortly before the end of that 12
> months. But my contract is not with that network, and my contract is not
> for 12 months, so the attempted fraud was transparent to me.
>
> > I subsequently get posted a new phone, new number and an expensive
tariff.
> > I try to contact them by phone, no response, I just got a continuous
sales
> > recording I send them an email to cancel. No response.
> >
> > My Orange bill turns up for my normal phone plus a bill for £55 for the
new
> > phone. Orange tell me they understand but can not do anything. Ofcom
tell me
> > that they do not regulate telephone traders like "Talking Phones
Direct".
> > The Office of Fair Trading advise that I have to request a transcript of
the
> > original sales from"Talking Phones Direct" before they can progress
further.
> >
> > I finally manage to talk to someone at Talking Phones Direct and they
tell
> > me they don't accept emails for cancellation and besides because 7 days
have
> > elapsed they will not cancel.
> >
> > I definitely feel conned.
> >
> > Anybody else had similar problems and how to resolve?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Paul T
>
> Do you mean "Talking Mobiles Direct"?
>
> A warning for all. See also
> <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/broadband/article2764946.ece>
> October 29, 2007 "Ofcom warns of mobile phone scam" by David Budworth.
>
> This sort of thing has been going on for years - and with mains gas and
> electric supplies and fixed-line telephone contracts too, not only
> mobiles. I've even had it tried on me with regard to my ISP.
>
> --
> -- ^^^^^^^^^^
> -- Whiskers
> -- ~~~~~~~~~~

On 2008-11-17, Paul T <[email protected]> wrote:

[...]

> What disturbs me the most is where I thought I was a loyal customer of
> Orange and would have expected their support and action on my behalf instead
> they refuse to do anything. As I understand the trader concerned is their
> approved agent and as such Orange should be more proactive to counter this
> type of con. Are any of the other network providers better?
>
> Paul T

[...]

As the newpaper article I linked to suggests, mobile phone companies seem
to be more interested in revenue than in customers. If an agent manages
to get them increased revenue ... well, that is what agents are for, and
how agents get their commission. Customers are merely the raw materials
of their business.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~