Verbal Agreement

focus888

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

I am very curious about this, is there such a thing as a verbal agreement by phone?

I was on the phone to a company and they were telling me about a product and i made the right sounds ummm and ahhh and uh huh etc. Anyway at the end of the call i cant even remember what they said. They were just saying about how i can find more about something. Anyway i dont want the product but was just listening to be polite. Anyway is there such a thing where you accidentally agree to something over the phone and that becomes a legal verbal contract? Or is it only a contract once you have signed on the dotted line?

vaio

verbal contracts are perfectly valid but some services have a cooling off period when you can cancel, DSR might another way out

What was the product?

focus888

It was something to do with mortgages. I was talking to an estate agent.

I am pretty sure i didnt agree to anything but i just wondered how strict the law is when it comes to these things.

bris

Just forget it, no mortgage is ever going to be binding without all the relevant signed paperwork.

focus888

So if it was something smaller I might have been liable for it?

Ectophile

If you agree to something, even if only verbally, then that's a contract.

If the people at the other end record the call (and most will) then they can even prove you agreed to it.

[Deleted User]

The only time to be worried about making verbal agreements is perhaps if you were to to upgrade your Sky or Virgin media services by telephone. This verbal contract normally ties you into a further twelve months minimum term.

mo786uk

contracts can be made on the phone - no need for paperwork

some contracts need to be on paper/signed- such as credit contracts or land sales.

in the event of a dispute it would be up to them to show somehow you agreed to the contract.