Help my DD ran up a £240 mobile phone bill

Pee

Well done. Sensible, well thought out, rational.

Just a thought - and I sound like a salesman for Orange now, but Orange PAYG has "magic numbers" of other Orange phones you can call for 20p for up to an hour and I'm sure other networks have similiar schemes.

LilDevil

If you normally pay the £29 per month, then she should pay whatever the difference is (seems a tad unfair to make her pay the full amount if you would normally cough up for the bill). Other than that, I think you've worked out a great solution!

iwanttosave_2

We have confiscated the phone for now, but haven't yet decided for how long (possibly a week...possibly more...we will decide tonight and tell her then) ....but she has spent the whole day crying and I'm sure if we give her it back and say text only....no calls she will stick to that. The phone will be taken off her at bedtime too.

Maybe I'm a mean parent, or maybe I just don't fall for the water works treatment but I'd not let mine have it for a month at least or until the debt is repaid. They could cry blood for all I care.

red_devil

Alikay wrote: »

Strewth!! What crawled up you and died!!!:rotfl::rotfl:

nothing i was answering your point!

Worse things happen than not getting the bike or scalextrix you wanted!

Dinah93

I think you need to really carefully look at the numbers she is calling. Is her boyfriend someone from school? Seems odd to suddenly be making all these calls. Personally I would want to go through the online bill myself to check no numbers are excluded. This only rings alarm bells to me because when I was 15 my best friends phone bill suddenly came in at over £600 for one month and her parents hit the roof. However she was okay about it because they got angry about the amount, but didn't realise it was run up calling her 32 year old boyfriend she had met online!!!! Her parents thought she was dating a lad at the local boys school at the time but had never met him.

I would take it off her for a month, and draw up a list of chores and how much each one is 'worth' to help her pay it off. For example washing the car £3, ironing a piece of clothing 20p, cleaning the loo £2, filling the dishwasher £1 etc.

Does she have a computer or access to one? I would introduce her to the joys of msn for texting her friends, and skype for making phone calls. If the person she is calling has a computer too (which most do) then her calls will be free from now on.

Very sweet son you have raised there too.

red_devil

niceday999 wrote: »

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........

Paul McCartney had pots of money but he didnt go overboard on his kids. Wanted to teach them the value of money!

I should feel too embarrassed to say my child was spoilt. Spolit with love yes but gadgets and gizmos and designer clothes and shoes and having to have the latest games system all the time etc yuk.

You just make a rod for your own back! What a sad statement i love buying them everything. Ever thought of donating some of this years christmas presents to children who dont have anything!

FabuLass

LilDevil wrote: »

If you normally pay the £29 per month, then she should pay whatever the difference is (seems a tad unfair to make her pay the full amount if you would normally cough up for the bill). Other than that, I think you've worked out a great solution!

Yes we have taken the usual monthly sum into account and will only be asking for the difference..........

juliescot

red_devil wrote: »

Paul McCartney had pots of money but he didnt go overboard on his kids. Wanted to teach them the value of money! !!!!!! has Paul McCartney got to do with anything?

I should feel too embarrassed to say my child was spoilt. Spolit with love yes but gadgets and gizmos and designer clothes and shoes and having to have the latest games system all the time etc yuk.

You just make a rod for your own back! What a sad statement i love buying them everything. Ever thought of donating some of this years christmas presents to children who dont have anything!

It is not a sad statement at all. Some people like buying gifts for others. Simple.

Tiddlywinks

Pee wrote: »

....... It would of course be silly to endanger her in any way by taking the phone off her.

Slightly off topic, sorry, but I have to point out that having a phone does NOT keep children safe and not having a phone does not endanger them - this is a dangerous misconception.

Kids need to know how to look after themselves and how to avoid situations where they need to phone for help not see it as a safety net that makes them bolder than they should be.

What did us oldies do to keep safe before the invention of the mobile:rolleyes:?

Tiddly

red_devil

juliescot wrote: »

It is not a sad statement at all. Some people like buying gifts for others. Simple.

There is a difference between buying gifts for people and going crazy about it people, just expect more and more then! Think back to the kind of gifts the average person might have got at Christmas years ago. Think what they get now and then think what your grandchildren will need to keep them satisfied! Horrendous.

Can you imagine a child being satisfied with a satsuma in their stocking these days! They would laugh. Says it all. People are also frightened their gifts look to small. You have already spent a fortune but oh it dosent look very much will have to get some other things. How you can say this dosent ring a bell at all or there is no truth in what i say is silly.

Daft people go on forums list all their presents and say is that enough! I would have been ashamed of my mother if she couldnt make up her own mind and had to discuss it with all and sundry. Whatever happened to people being able to make their own minds up!:rolleyes:

Also if her kids have got everything what do other people buy them then?
The expectations today are huge for parents. There is no doubt about that!