Pensioner paying amazing mobile costs!!

zagfles

philgadd wrote: »

Hi Everyone, thanks for the replies..

Ok, the texts are 15p each and he sends them to family and friends and also sends jokes etc (think its his way of communicating as he gets a little lonely in the daytime). As you can imagine, I now monitor his bills and have access to his bank account just to supervise where i can without being intrusive.

Surely the supplier has a 'duty of care' to its senior customers, hence a phone call to him 10 months ago to offer a change of tariff would have saved him 1100 quid?

No, that's only banks and financial services, for some reason. Sell someone an inappropriate pension or insurance and they have comeback, but a phone contract? No. Even if it's more expensive.

visidigi

philgadd wrote: »

Thanks again for the replies guys..

After his stroke, ne seemed to have the same common sense (being a brain injury) and when he told me he was getting a cheap phone I thought it was a good idea. But, he just assumed he had to pay those fees and never said a word.. Now we are aware of the problems we have put quiet processes in place to monitor his affairs.

The bank were try sympathetic to his situation so I am confident Virginmobile will assume the same stance.

Techead - great response, I have been pretty calm, although it is quite frustrating getting a response from call centres in India and south africa..

Again, santander, face to face were fabulous.

try social media, tends to extract a more personal response from mobile companies (some of them anyway) - i would certainly want to know why he was sold a tariff which cost significantly more than his current usage was being billed at.

Its really odd as most of the time commission is based on the monthly value of sale...unless this callers commission is based on % revenue and if it was that would explain everything...

grumbler

visidigi wrote: »

... i would certainly want to know why he was sold a tariff which cost significantly more than his current usage was being billed at.

Because his current usage is much bigger than it was a year ago?
5000 texts is a huge allowance, isn't it?

visidigi

eh?

My point was he was sold a tarrif that didn't meet his current needs, he was sold a tarrif with 15p per text charges - the OP has yet to reveal what the original contract gave for £10 per month.

But with the OP say £162 is the highest, that makes 1,080 texts, certainly not massive by current standards.

If hes getting bills like he is I suspect it includes very little - and thats the bit I am questioning - why he's being sold a contract which doesn't match his usage and which Virgin Mobile really REALLY should have questioned - its not a question of the MVNO not seeing the bill amounts, they have software to detect it based on their exposure to risk - and someone PAYING for 1,000 text messages individually...come on now, theres a responsiblity there in my opinion

he200hi

Hiya,

You could always try the citizen's advice bureau, you can phone or pop into your local office. The website has a section called advice guide which contains great template letters to write to companies to complain etc.

Hope that helps.

grumbler

visidigi wrote: »

eh?

My main point was that the usage a year ago was very likely to be very different from the current usage that you refer to.

5000 texts was a minor point. I cannot find this tariff on their website now. However, assuming that it was a sim-only deal I don't see any tariffs with less than 2500 texts.

visidigi

grumbler wrote: »

My main point was that the usage a year ago was very likely to be very different from the current usage that you refer to.

5000 texts was a minor point. I cannot find this tariff on their website now. However, assuming that it was a sim-only deal I don't see any tariffs with less than 2500 texts.

Its all assumption right now unless the OP is able to furnish us with contract details...

crazyguy

Virgin CEO'S

The e-mail address you require is
[EMAIL="neil.berkett@virginmedia.co.uk"]neil.berkett@virginmedia.co.uk[/EMAIL]

The e-mail address you require is
[EMAIL="graeme.oxby@virginmobile.com"]graeme.oxby@virginmobile.com[/EMAIL]

diamonds

Shocking ! get a letter from specialist at hospital (GP's charge) explaining the stroke & email it to Virgin & Ofcom asking to apply a duty of care and recalculate the bills on a priceplan that would have included the texts & send a refund given his background.

£162 at 15p is just over 1000 texts and that costs virgin less than £10 at wholesale - the cost of his contract basically, so Virgin dont take a loss but apply a duty of care.

useless_git_requires_wife

Best to put him on a prepaid mobile (PAYG) like giffgaff where you can't run up any debts beyond the credit in your phone.

No more dd's.