Urgent Advice on Landline for Daughter

GillyFlower

Our daughter now lives on her own, although in 40's, but she has Bi-Polar and has just come out of hospital. (She moved to London in October so now much further away from us.)

We admire the way she is trying to get her 'small' debts back on track but is managing just with a mobile phone.

She stopped a land line contract with the Post Office just before she went into hospital her son was living with her. He wanted broadband and she needed to do calls (when illness starts to kick in she becomes unware of costs, phoning mobiles, etc.) all started to get out of control. This line has now been disconnected and we have settled that bill for her.

So now she is stable again she is finding it difficult to manage with phone calls. At the moment I have her on a family O2 Bolt On so that means she can contact any of us to chat free and does not feel isolated.

As she is well she is determined, as she is on benefits, not to sign up to any mobile contract. Now her phone has stopped working (shop has said a fault with it) she phoned us from a call box. She said it was a different one from last night as the other one had been used as a public toilet.

NOW - my question -

We wonder if there was a way that we could get her a landline that we would be 'in control of' i.e. if she become ill again then we would not be faced with call bills out of control?

Have any of you got any ideas? I would be very grateful as I do not have time to read all through the possible posts that may have the answer.

crazyguy

I think the only way you can do this is to get a landline is with incoming calls only if they still do that, but then she cant ring you !

probably cheaper to get a pay and go phone and put some credit on it with O2, if she needs you then she can text and ask you to ring her back !

utilitybroker

Unless you made the landline incoming only she could always run up a fair old bill on calls not included in any inclusive minutes that you purchase. EG Mobile ,0844/0871,Intl and Premium Rates.

Something like a giffgaff sim that you control in a cheap payg phone might be a better bet.

https://giffgaff.com/orders/unlimited-web?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ps-brand&utm_term=giffgaff

GillyFlower

Thank you Utilitybroker that is really helpful.

Problem is I am in my 60's use a PAYG mobile with O2 and landline - keeping life simple.

The link looks as though this could work we pay Top Up etc and if she goes over each month that is still within our contol.

I will research further to see if there is a customer services number i could talk to questions are coming into my head now -

1. If she already has an O2 Sim Card on PAYG then it would probably best to have second mobile for this giffgaff option that means she could phone her GP & CareWorker, etc using landline credit.

P.S.

Found there web site and will post questions on there thank you.

2. Would it be best for it to be registered in my name so I can top up via my computer?

3. I take it if she did not use £10 Top Up Credit then it would not be carried forward to next month?

The best thing is no contract. Really grateful and I have just phoned my son who uses his mobile a lot and had different providers and he had never heard of them.

utilitybroker

They are in fact owned by O2 but run at arms length. If you want to control best you register sim. Yes the money is carried forward if she doesnt use it as long as she make one chargeable call every 6 months.

Note if you all were on it you would benefit from free calls etc to one and other, no bolt on to buy .:D

Giffgaff sim will fit in O2 Phone.You can port your existing numbers.


"Free to giffgaff:
You need to top-up at least every 3 months to receive free giffgaff to giffgaff calls, if you don't other UK rates will apply as above. The free giffgaff to giffgaff calls last for 60 minutes per call, so you need to hang up and re-dial if you want to keep talking."

http://giffgaff.com/index/pricing

poppasmurf_bewdley

Giff Gaff is excellent and you can get one of their bundles for £5 per month which gives 100 landline/mobile minutes and 300 texts. Extra minutes cost, I think 8p. You also get free GF to GF calls.

As has been said, it runs on the 02 network and is owned by 02.

GillyFlower

Thank you for this help.

I am trying to get my head around all this and Giff Gaff sounds the best idea we can do and if it doesn't work we stop - no horrible surprise bills. It is tough for her and this illness can be so cruel and when well she is so money conscious.

I am looking at site and trying to get my head around the bundles. My husband wondered what I was talking about when I said there is a Hokey Cokey goody bag for £5 per month and I think it said 60 mins,

poppasmurf_bewdley

GillyFlower wrote: »

Thank you for this help.

I am trying to get my head around all this and Giff Gaff sounds the best idea we can do and if it doesn't work we stop - no horrible surprise bills. It is tough for her and this illness can be so cruel and when well she is so money conscious.

I am looking at site and trying to get my head around the bundles. My husband wondered what I was talking about when I said there is a Hokey Cokey goody bag for £5 per month and I think it said 60 mins,

Sorry, yes it is 60 mins, not 100 as I said. Still good value though.

Heinz

If you and her speak on the phone regularly, it might be a good idea for you to have a Giffgafff PAYG mobile too - free Giffgaff to Giffgaff calls provided the caller has topped up in the past 3 months.

macman

Replacing her faulty mobile with a basic phone will cost no more than a tenner.

GillyFlower

Thank you for these helpful chats.

I will not change at moment to Giffgaff at moment as there are 3 others on my bolt on.

As for a phone for £10 is that off e-bay?