Mobile bill is a little high Dad!

rchddap1

If they have a friend in Aus then chances are they've been talking for ages on the phone whilst clocking up international rates. This is obviously going to be one heck of a lesson for her. I would suggest to her that she comes onto these boards herself and asks for help.

If she can rackup a bill that size then its about time she took responsibility for sorting things out too.

Gemmzie

I would imagine it would show as a default on her record, which would affect her credit rating (which seems a good thing for a bill like that!)
If you phone them, they maybe able to disconnect the phone and offer a month by month payment as I know Vodaphone have for a friend of mine in the past. Otherwise, it's going to have to be Payplan or similar if she cannot get a loan to cover it.

Glitterari

OMG.

That is shocking.

Definitely block the phone.

And sorry - but explanations from her have to be forthcoming.

I would also be putting blocks on your home phone (ie so she can't dial premium rate or international numbers if you can do that) plus keep your own and your partner's or anyone esle's mobile under lock and key.

Bestthingsinlifearefree

I suggest she gets down the job centre and starts looking for a job.


What ever you do don't pay it off yourself or you will be paying off the next big bill as well.

I think she is about to learn a few lessons at the university of life.

spud30

Sorry, I just re-read the first post.

Are you saying she already knows about the bill and just shrugs her shoulders when you ask her anything about it?

If that is the case, why on earth are you trying to help her? She really does need to learn a very quick lesson or two about money and life :eek:

System

Welcome Scocky to the boards. Just a few thoughts i have being a mum to adolescents myself.

I am wondering if the phone is faulty. I gave my son £10 to top up his phone yesterday, in the 150 yards it took him to get back to the house somehow he lost £8 of credit. He says he didnt use the phone after he went to the shop and for the life of him he doesnt know why this £8 has dissappeared. However, he has been complaining of a faulty keypad lock, so i can only imagine that in his pocket hes dialed it by accident.

Also, my eldest got into a load of debt about 8 years ago, he left it for me to sort out which i did but i worried myself sick about it. I wouldnt do it again though as he learned nothing from the experience and went on to run up more debt. Its only now that he has his own place, that he is finding it difficult applying for credit. What i am saying is, be careful you dont take all the worry and stress on your own shoulders, kids are very good at copping out of financial responsibility if they can get us parents to sort it for them.

Glitterari

She hasn't got .....

<sharp intake of breath>

credit cards, has she?

spud30

Glitterari wrote:

She hasn't got .....

<sharp intake of breath>

credit cards, has she?

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

scocky

Hi again, Thank you for your replies. Phone is already confiscated and she has been made to call the phone company and tell them she can't pay the bill (they don't seem to know what happens next either). I know this is a lesson she needs to learn and there is no way I will be helping her with the bill even if I could. However, I can't help but worry. Seems such a shame to have done this, which may affect her credit ratings for years to come, at such a young age. Even if it was a huge credit card bill at least she would have some nice clothes!! As for the job centre, that is apparently where she has been for most of the day! She is very worried about it all as well, but I am suspicious that she has some kind of problem with this kind of phone usage. Any psychologists out there??!! Once again many thanks.

sportbeth

?????????????????????/

Say it's 79p a minute to call Australia.

8510.63 / .79 = 10,773 minutes

/ 60 (mins in an hour) = 179 hours 54

even if you divide that by 4 weeks that's 44 hours a week.

Surely if your daughter had been using the phone that much you would have noticed!! (don't mean that to sound condescending, am just picturing the debate you are shortly going to have with the phone company)

You'd have to be talking on the phone for 6 hours a day to ring up that amount - TO AUSTRALIA. I don't think it's possible.

Am keeping my fingers crossed for you that everything is one big huge mistake