Three are charging me twice on the same phone

[JonGTFC]

Hi, i bought a deal online using Three and that came through but with a new phone number.   I rang Three to move my old number across and the operative told me i had a chance to move to a cheaper deal as i dont need the unlimited data. 
I agreed, they put me on this deal and moved my number across.

Now i realise they have not cancelled the old one and i'm being charged twice every month.  And as i've only realised through them SMS'ing the latest bill im being told im out of the "cooling period" by the not very helpful live chat feature.
How can i get 3 to correct their own mistake without them telling me i have to pay hundreds in cancellation charges?

[Stefan2]

Good luck , they done this to me for 2 years before I noticed , I had to pay a 150 pound fee for a contract I never even received , cannot wait for my actual contract to end so I can leave three and never look back 

[PeteG]

Hey.

It's not good to hear that's happened to you. It sounds like the team member taking care of it must have made a mistake, or there was a miscommunication. 

MZone suggested speaking to the complaints team and that is likely the best option at this point. It will allow the issue to be fully documented and also give the team the chance to sort things out. 

Pete.

[CarolineMcL]

The same thing has happened to me. I've been charged for 2 years for a number that isn't my own - in addition to my own monthly charge. I have spoken to people on the phone and found the language barrier was an issue, so I put it in writing to the Glasgow address. I've had a letter back rejecting my call for a refund. I need this dealt with. Three can confirm no one has used the other number that I've been charged for over the last two years. 

[KateS]

Hey @CarolineMcL,

I'm sorry to hear this.

You've mentioned being charged for a number that isn't your own - do you have any knowledge of who this number is for? Have you ever used the account in question? 

Thanks,
Kate

[CarolineMcL]

Thanks for the reply Kate. I have had the same number for all the years I've been with Three. I simply moved from then of my phone contract to SIM only (for the same phone). And a recent review of my direct debits revealed this second monthly charge for a number I've never had in my life. And the people in the contact centre confirmed this unknown number has had "no activity". 

[KateS]

Thanks for confirming, Caroline.

Are you able to view the additional charge when you download your full bill breakdown online?

Could you provide me with the Direct Debit reference if there is one, please?

Also - do you have an active complaint registered on the account?

Thanks,
Kate

[CarolineMcL]

Hi Kate. My most recent complaint ref is 241031102857388.

I have only ever had a bill for my own phone and own number - both of which I've had for years with Three. However, I can give you a direct debit ref for the unknown number. Thanks again for your help. DD ref = 984292204001

[PeteG]

The accounts can't be accessed by any of the team from here, this means we can't use the complaint reference number to find anything out. But since you said it was the most recent one, does this mean you had a previous complaint logged separately? The letter you received advising that the refund would not be done, that was the outcome of the complaint? 

The direct debit reference lets us determine if the payment was for a device finance account or a phone line, and it looks like that reference belongs to a phone line. It sounds like perhaps it was an older account that perhaps wasn't cancelled, or was supplied as part of a deal. 

If the complaint has an outcome, and was closed without the resolution of a refund being agreed, it's unlikely the team would change their decision on it without some kind of new information, sadly. 

Pete.

[CarolineMcL]

Hi Pete. Put simply, I joined Three and was given my current number and mobile phone as a contract. When this contract ended, I chose to stay with Three (with the same number and the same phone but on a SIM-only basis). It seems the other unknown number and monthly charge was introduced at this point. That is an error on Three's part - not mine - and I wish to escalate my complaint in order to be refunded for this unknown number and direct debit. I can get legal intervention, but I'd rather settle it simply. I remained with Three on a SIM-only basis and the company made an error by introducing a direct debit for number that is not mine and never had been mine. It is up to the company to refund the customer for its own error. Please advise how to proceed.