Orange care not very caring

[Guest scaryscotsman]

Firslty my apologies for the title of this post.

The saga is that I was down in Sheffield on Wednesday night where someone happened to pinch my SPV. It was in a jacket pocket which was worn all night, so the phone was never left alone. I think I must have been a victim of someones light fingers. I phoned O care and they are refusing to replace the phone, the reason being that because a very similar incident happened a few months ago it meant I wasnt paying due care and attention since it happened twice. (just for the record, I've had care for 4 years and this is my second claim.) Going by there reasoning if I crash my car I could only do so once or they wouldnt cover me. I don't see how if they agree to a claim once that they cant agreee to a very similar claim. The person even on the phone even had the cheek to say that you shouldn't really take a phone out at night! To which I asked how he phoned a taxi, he replied that I should have booked one before going out!

I hate being smartphone-less! I hope orange sort this out because they are going to lose an £80 a month customer who had 3 years no claims untill very recently.

P.S. I also lost my 256mb card and the camera was attached....booo!

[Guest idavid]

i must agree that that sounds particularly unfair. i presumed that any claim you made with orange care would not effect their treatment of you in the future, it certainly shouldn't! i have had orange care for about five years and have used it perhaps into double figures to replace damamged phones, but i would hope that if i was the victim of having it pinched they would help me out as they have in the past.

make sure you registyer the theft with the police and then try orange again with the police report. i dont see how they can reasonably refuse your claim with a police report!

good luck

[Guest morpheus2702]

There was a similar case to this on Watchdog a few weeks back, Orange Care being arseholes. Someone got their phone accidentally buried in foundations or something. Orange wouldn't cough up because technically, the phone wasn't lost and the owner knew where it was.

Anyway the upshot was that after Watchdog got involved, they paid up.

If I was you, I'd write them a letter and cc it to Orange and see what happens.

[Guest midnight]

or maybe it was just a disgruntled employee, phone up again, this time get their detaisl, and ask to speak to a supervisor, this info is incorrect, there are people who have changed their phone several times due to dust, never mind being stolen. And next time they say you shouldnt take it out at night say, oh, guess the phone doesnt need to be mobile either, so why should anyone get an Orange mobile phone, would put you out of a job wouldnt it ;)

[Guest mcwarre]

oh, guess the phone doesnt need to be mobile either, so why should anyone get an Orange mobile phone, would put you out of a job wouldnt it ;)

LMFAO. Nice one Midnight!!!!

[Guest Firaas]

By the way, if all else fails with Orange, write to HSBC Insurance Brokers at:

HSBC Insurance Brokers Limited, Quay West, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester, M17 1PL.

They underwrite the policy so have the final say on what should and shouldn't be covered under Care.

[Guest scaryscotsman]

Thanks lads. My claim is away to be assessed by the brokers and they will get in touch with me within 72 hours. I've got my police loss number. Thanks for your help.

[Guest morpheus2702]

Be sure to let us know what happens mate!

[Guest scaryscotsman]

An update:

O are not going to replace my phone (well, not without me handing over £70 first). They say that I wasn't "paying due care and attention" and that I had left the phone unattended. They came to the conclusion because I had said that I had put my jacket over a chair (which I was sitting in). I was asked numerous times if I left the chair to goto the bar or toilet (which I know would instantly invalidate my policy). I said that I had once but that I had taken my jacket with me. So.......I finish explaing the story to the care guy and at the end he says I'm not covered because I left my jacket unattended! I DIDN'T! I was very careful when telling him what happened because I thought he was looking for a way out of not paying up. I try and tell him that I never left the jacket (I admit I may not have told him that I took it, but I never said I left it, he just assumed that I left it. He then says the claim is away to the brokers to be assesed.

The saga continues........72 hours pass and they hadn't phoned back. I phone up and I'm told that the brokers got back days ago (thanks for the phone call Orange) and that the claim has been turned down. I asked the guy why and he states the "wasn't paying due care and attention" stuff again plus the fact that I had left it unattended. I tell him I didn't, he phones the first guy I spoke to who tells him that I tried to change my story when I was advised I wouldn't be covered. I tell the guy that I didn't change any story, just tried to correct the inaccuracies with the first guys version. Basically I'm told that they only type parts of the conversation and whats typed is taking as gospel. I have asked for a recording of the conversation because I know that I am correct and that he has made a mistake and omitted some facts.

Basically Orange are going to lose a good customer because I caught some guy on bad night that couldn't be arsed typing the full story. I don't take kindly to being called a liar Orange!

P.S Sorry for the BigRon-esque size of this post!

[Guest scaryscotsman]

does anyone know if I threaten to cancel my contract if Orange would be flexible on the price of a replacement?

Thanks again lads.

[Guest idavid]

i think, at this point your only option is the small claims court (or, actually, you could ask orange to provide you with all the information they hold on you, as one of their customers. all companies are obliged to give you all the info they collect on you. it may come at a moderate fee (£10) but i dont think thi would contain voice recordings of your conversation, but it may help to convince them of your seriousness to push forward with our claim).

eventually you could push them with legal action, but this will take a long time, and to be absolutley sure of winning you will (i think) have to prove that you, at no point, even suggested that you were away from your jacket. tall, and long order in my opinion. if you want to stick to your guns, go for it and good luck, but personally, if the choice is sticking to your guns, and months of forms and court sh*t against paying them 70 quid and being done with it, i would pay them the money

but... it might be worth asking them to provide you with a run down of the info they hold on you. i forget exactly how to do this, but it can be easily done. it might motivate them into sympathy!

few! that was quite a rant, hope it helps, and hope it makes sense, damn these post-pub posts!