Help my DD ran up a £240 mobile phone bill

GSXRCarlos

reehsetin wrote: »

texting a blank message to 20212 (i think thats the right number) so she has no excuse going over

The number is 21202

wept

We had very similar with my 12 year old son who we bought the phone as he was going to senior school and catching the bus. We needed to know if he was staying for after school clubs etc.
All was fine for about 5 months then I got a bill for £95....he had deleted the text saying he thought it was a mistake. After investigations we found he had a new girlfriend who was texting him all the time he was responding, plus he was calling 118 asking questions etc at £1 a text!!
We swapped his package back to pay as you go, his birthday party was cancelled plus we made him do certain jobs.
He learnt very quickly and have had no problem since...it was naivety as he thought 118 etc all came out of his free allowance. We got those type of numbers blocked on his pay as you go package.
OP you have done all you can and were right in the actions you took. I think they just forget how many calls/texts they make in a day and that it all just mounts up. My son sent and received about 15 in 10 minutes....all nearly rubbish lovey dovey gaga....luckily they finished pretty quickly as they do as its fashionable to dump each other at that age.

juliescot

red_devil wrote: »

Tiger woods gets paid to wear clothing etc.
And lots of people wish to emulate him and look like so they buy Nike clothes, and it is of course not just kids. So to stop some peer pressure would you stop Nike (and their ilk) advertising?

Looking like a walking advert as a child looks tacky and you are just lining the pockets of the company like Nike. Who wants to look the same as everyone else either! What like wearing school uniform?

lots of children do get things all year round. I have seen people say on parenting forums that their child gets something every time they go to the shop!:rolleyes: I suppose some do - and I guess some don't

The amount children generally get at Christmas has increased! People on parenting sites actually list their presents and say have i got enough! You can see that along with all the presents the kids will get from other relatives its far too much, and they will probably be overwhelmed! later on in the day they will be no doubt bored as well or things will be broken.:rolleyes: How many remember what they got last Christmas as well. Not all kids get bored easily or break their presents.

It would work if parents were stronger! How on earth does a parent afford everything for the home, everything they need, bills, food, and phones for the kids etc! Why should a child have a mobile phone and expect the parents to top it up! Where does all the money come from! If they can afford it then it is theirs as they see fit to spend it - even on their children

It dosent mean he can buy what he wants true but its his money now! He can make the choice! When your parents pay they decide! Not if you have sensible discussions with your parents first.

I didnt say this was the way it was for my family. I think i give an accurate view of how out of hand its all got with kids demanding this and that all the time and putting untold pressure on the parents all the time! And I agree parents need to be strong and teach value and values to children

Christmas meaning has also become somewhat lost with kids writing their expensive xmas lists and people having to go on forums and ask is this enough! Then next year of course you have to go one better and get more! I am all for cancelling Xmas

How can they not see that buying loads of gifts dosent equal happiness.A small thoughtful gift can bring a lot of happiness to someone. As they say it is the thought that counts.

I do love it when i see a post saying what can i get Freddy for xmas he has everything? Well dont get him anything then! Buy something for a child who hasnt got anything or sponsor a child in another country or a dog that needs a home etc! If they truly have all they need I quite agree. I stopped my family buying me presents years ago and getting them to donate to charity

So what is your answer - because the lets all stop buying branded stuff is not going to happen?

Amanda65

Can only assume Red Devil hasn't got children

Feefeedee I do feel for you - DD used her mobile phoen to access the internet while abroad as we had Wifi at the house we were staying at. We have come home to an additional £55 on her bill as apparently when the Wifi signal was lost, the type of phone automatically reverts to 3G (wasn't told this when I phoned up Orange and checked about usage in France before we went :eek:). There is a tiny tiny symbol on the top right of the screen apparently that changes but we weren't aware that this was even a possibility - OH's phone just dropped out if he went out of signal range.

As it wasn't entirely her fault, we have agreed to split the cost and just won't use the phone at all abroad again.

And as for getting a job, easier said that done atm. Aforementioned DD is 16 and went to a New Look recruitment evening in our local town on Tuesday adn there must have been nearly 150 youngsters queuing for what turned out to be about 5 part time weekend jobs !

Hopefully you're DD will have learnt her lesson (although I would definitely insist on the no phones in bedroom at night rule, especially now it's school again) and can come up with some ideas for paying you back. And thank the Lord for your lovely dad

Don't beat yourself up, despite some other comments I don't think your children sound spoilt - just loved, like mine are. And when you love someone you want to give them nice things .

Primrose

I don't know how old your daughter is but if she's old enough for you to give her a mobile phone she's old enough to start learning the value of money, especially in a recession, which she also needs to start understanding about. I think that her pocket money needs to be reduced to the minimum until the debt to your parents has been paid back because if the penalty doesn't hurt, she won't learn the lesson. Imagine what kind of debts she could start running up once she's old enough to go away to university if she hasn't learned any self-discipline over monetary matters. It's never too early to start.

DitzyTwinkle

If her friends are on 02 she can get a PAYG tarrif that may help in the future. top up £10 a month for free texts to 02 numbers or £15 a month for free calls and texts to other 02 numbers.


Personally I'd sell the phone for a lump sum and put the sim in a cheaper phone (Asda sell them for about £15 or a quick post on the phone board will help find a decent one for a cheap price), remove the entire pocket money for a month and reduce the sum by making her do jobs around the house (washing up - a pound, washing the car, five pound, getting up without fuss and getting ready for school, a pound) etc and then split it and get her to pay her grandfather back directly.

MrsTinks

ENOUGH!

Stop arguing about Tiger Woods and what not and please get back on topic Red Devil - I'm sure we all get your point of view on parenting and kids - if you have something constructive to add then please post it

Destructive critisism is not generally very effective - constructive critisism however...

And as already mentioned: Please be nice to all money savers - that goes for everyone!

OP - if it had been me the phone would have already been sold Make her work off the debt and pay it off... every single penny of it! If you don't then she'll never learn her lesson...

gwhizz75

Red Devil - So what? If people have the money and want to spend it on their kids then why on earth shouldn't they?

I would probably meet your criteria for spoilt as I always had a lot of money spent on me at christmas, I always got what I asked for and my mum often spent money on clothes and nice things for me throughout the year. Have I grown up into a materialistic, spoilt brat of an adult? No, not at all. I place very little value on material things and actually, I know of many people who never got what they wanted as kids who place a lot of value on material things and are all about money and expensive gadgets.

As somebody mentioned, I'm not sure that being "spoilt" is all about what your parents buy for you... I think it is much more to do with how they raise you and what they let you get away with in terms of your attitude and behaviour.

niceday999

gwhizz75 wrote: »

Red Devil - So what? If people have the money and want to spend it on their kids then why on earth shouldn't they?

I would probably meet your criteria for spoilt as I always had a lot of money spent on me at christmas, I always got what I asked for and my mum often spent money on clothes and nice things for me throughout the year. Have I grown up into a materialistic, spoilt brat of an adult? No, not at all. I place very little value on material things and actually, I know of many people who never got what they wanted as kids who place a lot of value on material things and are all about money and expensive gadgets.

As somebody mentioned, I'm not sure that being "spoilt" is all about what your parents buy for you... I think it is much more to do with how they raise you and what they let you get away with in terms of your attitude and behaviour.

Couldnt agree with you more. I know my 2 are spoilt but they appreciate it, and i love buying them everything . we both work hard and earn our own money and always have......so i wouldnt fream of allowing anyone to dictate how or what i spend it on........

System

I see it this way, if she can't act responsibly with this contract phone she shouldn't be allowed the repsonsibilty of it. Neither me or my 3 sisters and brother have ever had a contract phone. We all had PAYG. Mum would whack on a tenner now and then but for the most part it was up to use to use pocket money/other money to top it up.

May her use half her allowance towards paying it off. If needs be get a cheap payg and tell her she can use the other half on credit, until its paid off.