Carers running up massive bills using Mum's phone to log in!

My elderly mother has carers popping into see her twice a day every day as medicine prompt and help with prepping food etc. The carers are employed by an agency that provides the service to my Mum's local authority. My Mum's had carers visiting her for over 10 years.

Anyway since the new carers company took over (the previous company lost the contract with the local authority) every time a carer arrives at my Mum's they use her phone to call the office to "log in" i.e. indicate that they've arrived to their agency.

I hadn't realised until very recently that these calls were costing a fortune, I'd stupidly assumed that they must be calling a 0800 number (in fact I'm sure I have a vague recollection that one of the carers told me this when I queried them about using the phone). They're calling a landline from my Mum's BT phone line during the week and the calls can last up to 10 minutes!

My Mum's BT bill is higher than mine and she very rarely uses her phone except to call me occasionally. She has the lowest tariff they do and I have fibre internet and "all the toys".

Even just looking at only the itemised calls (the ones costing more than 40p) the vast majority of them are the carers logging in.

The care service user's manual (which I've only just looked at) states that the carer must never use the "service user's" phone except in emergencies and not for logging in.

My question is: what do I do to prevent this "abuse"?

I rang the number that featured the most and because it was this afternoon I got put through to the out of hours service of the carer's company. The person I spoke to basically fobbed me off and was very cagey. They wouldn't even divulge an email address of someone I could contact regarding this (I asked for the manager of the carers).

How do I tackle this problem and who do I escalate this to?

I think it's an absolute scandal! My Mum's phone bill Direct Debit has gone up from approximately £17 a month if that, to over £37 a month and she almost never uses the phone herself :mad:
Trying hard to be a good moneysaver.
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Comments

  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,522
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    edited 15 October 2016 at 9:04PM
    Ask for their complaints procedure and make a formal written complaint.

    You could also contact the local authority if they have contracted the service.
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • Spendless
    Spendless Posts: 24,110
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    The carers should have a line manager. Ring the agency again ask for the name of who it is and ask to speak to them.
  • just_trying
    just_trying Posts: 1,010
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    edited 15 October 2016 at 10:12PM
    A lady I used to visit and done more than the carers, it was the same they had to log in and out and this was through the local authority in Scotland, they knew if they were late etc, they done little anyway.

    I wouldn't class it as abuse as they have to do it, you assumed it was a 0800 number. Your mum would be better on a BT unlimited plan then they/she could make calls up to one hour for £6.00 I think, it is unlimited for normal numbers.
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,816
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    They may be do have to do it but they should never be using the clients phone, they should be using their own mobiles, let them get a phone plan where it costs nothing, or they should be using the
    phone and doing a reverse charge call, or paying the client for using the phone,

    I think its a damned cheek to be honest. When you complain, get some payback for your mum too.

    Cheeky sods !!!
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • just_trying
    just_trying Posts: 1,010
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    edited 15 October 2016 at 10:14PM
    Where we live the signal for mobiles was limited, sometimes they never arrived (carers). I was only pointing out a cheaper option.

    Most carers do a excellent job for little pay.
  • gundo
    gundo Posts: 249
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    Where we live the signal for mobiles was limited, sometimes they never arrived (carers). I was only pointing out a cheaper option.

    Most carers do a excellent job for little pay.

    The signal is excellent where my Mum lives and besides it clearly states in the service user's manual i.e. the contract they have with care agency that the carer must never use the "service user's" phone except in emergencies and not for logging in.

    They cost my Mum more than £200 a year for more than two years of logging phone calls that they should never have made. That's over £400!

    If my Mum was causing their company to incur an additional £200 a year cost you could be absolutely certain they'd be stopping it happening.

    My Mum's a pensioner and that sum of money isn't insignificant.

    As for how good a job they do that's another story for another thread. Some are excellent and some are not.
    Trying hard to be a good moneysaver.
  • just_trying
    just_trying Posts: 1,010
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    You just noticed this, I take it. You quoted my post based on someone I know. She was receiving free care and was happy to let them use the phone and was on a limited income and had unlimited calls due to staying in touch with people when she wanted. Noted I said most carers do a excellent job.
  • hardpressed
    hardpressed Posts: 2,099
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    As your mum's carers are arranged through the local council, I would speak to them first, the agency will probably fob you off. Your mum's Social Worker is the person to speak to first.
  • gundo
    gundo Posts: 249
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    had unlimited calls due to staying in touch with people when she wanted.

    So it wasn't costing this lady anything anyway to let the carers use the phone as she already had unlimited calls.

    My Mum doesn't have unlimited calls because she doesn't need it, she has no family other than me. Why should my Mum have to pay an additional £72 a year to stop people running up massive phone bills, when the carers know already that they shouldn't be using her phone?

    Looking at the calls many of them are 10+ minutes long which isn't just logging in (the shorter ones are mostly a minute).

    So essentially it appears the carers are using someone else's phone to save themselves money.

    Sounds distinctly unprofessional behaviour to me.
    Trying hard to be a good moneysaver.
  • just_trying
    just_trying Posts: 1,010
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    gundo wrote: »
    So it wasn't costing this lady anything anyway to let the carers use the phone as she already had unlimited calls.

    My Mum doesn't have unlimited calls because she doesn't need it, she has no family other than me. Why should my Mum have to pay an additional £72 a year to stop people running up massive phone bills, when the carers know already that they shouldn't be using her phone?

    Looking at the calls many of them are 10+ minutes long which isn't just logging in (the shorter ones are mostly a minute).

    So essentially it appears the carers are using someone else's phone to save themselves money.

    Sounds distinctly unprofessional behaviour to me.

    Oh my it was only a suggestion, if your mum's phoning you it may save her money as well.
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