Mobile phones and a teenager

principalsec

Hi Guys,

I'm back... My teenage daughter turns 19 in November and decided to take out a 2 year contract for a mobile phone with O2. She has now realised that she cannot afford to pay for it!

She took out the contract on 1 September, so the 28 day cooling off period is over.

Has anyone out there any advice to help me cancel the contract?

DarkShadow

I don't think so. You could very well try to speak on behalf of your daughter but I doubt they would do anything. They may perhaps put her on a lower tariff.

Hadrian

Mind you don't end up paying anything related to this!

macman

There is no positive advice anyone can give you I'm afraid. 14 days cooling off only applies to internet or phone sales only-not if she bought it in the shop (unless the shop offers a more liberal returns policy of it's own).
If she cancels she'll pay the full ETC, same as keeping the phone until the end of contract except she'll save the VAT.
You can't do anything, as she is over 18 and agreed a 24m contract of her own free will. Unless you can prove that the phone was mis-sold, which does not appear to be the case.

f1re_cr4cker

does she not have a job she can pay it out of? personally id try and get the tariff lowered but i doubt they will do that, she is 19 after all and not a child

principalsec

Your thoughts all mirror my own. But as a dad, I always end up picking up the pieces.

I have found out that the shop recommended that she take the account as a business user as it was considerably cheaper. She doesn't run a business and has no intention of doing so in the near future. She's a student!!!

The advice given by the O2 operator today was to cancel the direct debit and negotiate with the debt collection agency. I'm sure that would cause problems with her credit rating.

The saga continues!

macman

You only pick up the pieces if you choose to do so. She made the committment of her own accord without checking the facts, so she'll have to make economies elsewhere no doubt. But I doubt that the business aspect makes any difference, as a lot of mobile contracts are now 24m. What it will do is ensure that there is absolutely no cooling off-aspect. Plenty of students run businesses these days, and selling her a business tariff does not on it's own constitute mis-selling.
Cancelling the DD is absurd advice, unless you want to end up with an even worse credit rating and a larger debt with the DCA fees added.
Assuming that this is an expensive phone, the best thing she can do is to sell it on eBay as nearly new and get a cheap £10 basic phone as a replacement, the revenue from that should pay for quite a few months on the contract.

principalsec

Sorted guys, it took a while - 02 changed the contract and phone to one she can afford, all hats off to 02 on this occasion...!!!