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Should you expect a refund for using your personal phone for work calls?

Just a quick one as the person in question doesn't have an account on here-

They were given a works phone which they left with their vehicle before they went on leave (holiday).
Other workers used this vehicle while the person was on holiday. This phone was certainly in the vehicle after the holiday began because i saw it myself.

When the person returned, the phone was missing. Person reported this to their supervisor & was told to go looking for it. They scoured the vehicle & also asked whether the companies repair department had removed the phone - no.
The supervisor called up the driver who was drafted in to drive while said person was on holiday - as you can guess, they'd either not seen it or didn't have it.

Person in question then told to use their personal phone for company calls as they had 'free minutes'. Unfortunately these minutes aren't unlimited.

So calls were made - to co workers, to supervisors & to company customers (all work related).

All went well until this last billing period when said person had gone over their minutes allowance & had been charged £20 for extra calls.

Worker then raises this with their supervisor & is told to bring in an itemized bill highlighting the work related calls & hand this to the payroll dept.
HOWEVER, supervisor said the worker may very well not get any refund at all because they left their works phone in the vehicle & didn't take it with them.

* Worker says they were never told to take the phone with them & thought it had to remain with the vehicle. Either way, clearly a breakdown of communication.
* Worker was told to use their personal phone as they had free minutes, but this was only a verbal instruction (& therefore, never happened!)
* What if the employer says that all calls to the customers are personal related? Despite being in works time etc. There's no proof these are customer numbers. Calls to other workers & supervisors can't be argued as the numbers will be recognised.


So should this worker expect some sort of refund they are asking?

If not, would it be unreasonable for them to then refuse to make & take any calls on their personal phone until they got provided a works phone which they now know to keep on their person?
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Comments

  • AP007
    AP007 Posts: 7,109 Forumite
    You do not have to use your personal phone for work at all unless they are going to pay for the call charges free of otherwise as the person is paying a contract for these calls so not really free.

    I wouldn't use a personal phone for work unless it was paid for
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  • I know that there's a few workers there who use their personal phone for work calls. I can only assume they get more free minutes than the worker in question.
    I know of one worker who does it who says they do it that way because 1) they don't like works phones. 2) they get free minutes so they don't mind & 3) the works phone they were given doesn't work, it keeps disconnecting.

    There's newcomers who say they're told to use their personal phone (that bit being true or not i don't know, but i know they use their personal phone). One has been there a while & uses their personal phone & complains to other workers they've not been given a works phone.

    I'm there thinking .... why use your personal phone then? Surely you'd just say - sorry, i can't call XYZ because i've not been given a works phone.
    If the company vehicle broke, i doubt they'd use their own vehicle to carry out the job, so what's the difference?

    Anyway, person is going to single out all work calls & hand this in & i suppose hope for a refund.

    My guess is they'll be told - you're not getting one because you were given a works phone.
  • RuthnJasper
    RuthnJasper Posts: 4,032 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Combo Breaker
    It might depend on what the policy is the other way 'round. If you made personal calls on a work 'phone would you be expected to refund the company? If so, they ought to refund you where the situation is reversed.

    With the issue in question, as the OP has already suggested, the 'phone holder ought to have clarified what they were to do with the 'phone before they went off on leave rather than just leaving it in the van where anyone could have picked it up.

    The fact that the firm have asked for the bill suggests that they are prepared to refund at least in part. Whether or not the person will achieve anything by refusing to use their personal 'phone depends on how they are able to do their job without it; if they can't fulfil certain functions of the job due to lack of a 'phone they might be setting themselves up for trouble - particularly as it was (inadvertently) their fault the work 'phone went missing. It might be deemed as being petty. Either way, the situation needs resolving - have the firm ordered a new 'phone for the employee?

    Hope it gets sorted without too much bother. x
  • burnoutbabe
    burnoutbabe Posts: 1,338 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    This should not happen. The "lost" work phone should have the contract cancelled or sim re-issued so that they can use this one. Else work is paying for a line and minutes off old phone PLUS all these extra calls.

    So why wasn't a new SIM/phone ordered when old one was lost?
  • Regards other way around - if an employee makes personal calls then this is taken from their wages. I believe an itemized bill is provided to show what they are billed for, but it comes straight out of the wages. Some people who have ran up bills on the 'dirty numbers' have had big amounts to pay.

    The employer hasn't asked for the bill to be provided. The workers supervisor has said it should be handed in to try & get a refund as they believe it should be refunded. However, what the supervisor believes & what the employer is willing to do MAY well be two very different things.

    No, they wouldn't be able to carry out their duties without a phone. It is a necessary part of their job. They do not have to provide their own phone, but since just about everyone these days has a mobile phone, you get people offering to use it & of course supervisor wont say no.

    The lost phone has been lost for over a month now. I've no idea if it's been cancelled or not. I've also no idea if anyone has tried to call it on a regular basis to see if it connects.

    There are many issued phones. I've no idea if there are any spares, but there's many of them issued so i would assume that there would be spares in case of loss/damage/faulty. Why another wasn't issued i don't know.

    As to whether the lost phone has been reported further up the food chain (i know this hasn't been asked yet, but...) - i don't know. It should've been, but what should happen & what has happened again, may be two very different things.
  • This phone, what do they do with it each night they are at work?
    Don't trust a forum for advice. Get proper paid advice. Any advice given should always be checked
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,714 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If the company (ie. supervisor) requested the employee use their own phone on a temporary basis, then the company should pick up the tab.

    If the company expects the employee to use their own phone on an ongoing basis, then it should pay a contribution towards the bill.
  • TrickyWicky
    TrickyWicky Posts: 4,025 Forumite
    First thing.. never let your company see your phone. IF they then demand you use it for work.. "What phone? - I don't have one!".

    It would seem incredibly rare in this day and age but there is nothing forcing anyone to own one.
  • This phone, what do they do with it each night they are at work?
    Some take it home with them so that they can be contacted. I'd say most do this.
    However i have seen others leave it with their vehicles.
    prowla wrote: »
    If the company (ie. supervisor) requested the employee use their own phone on a temporary basis, then the company should pick up the tab.
    Problem here is whether the supervisor said this with the employers blessing.

    As when a situation like this arises, the employer could say - we wouldn't ask you to do that & supervisor shouldn't have. It's your fault as you should keep your phone with you at all times.

    They also like to use the common sense line - in that, common sense would say to keep it on your person at all times.

    Problem is, people aren't born with common sense. People need telling so that everybody is on the same page (IMO). Maybe the common sense line is valid, i don't know.
    First thing.. never let your company see your phone. IF they then demand you use it for work.. "What phone? - I don't have one!".
    I am in 100% agreement. I've been asked for my personal number before but i never give it out. It's my personal phone. I've seen other co-workers give out their numbers & their supervisors misuse the number (IMO), they abuse it. If they want to contact me at work then they know where my department is. If they want to contact me outside of work then they have my landline which has an answering service. I think that's fair enough.
  • wiogs
    wiogs Posts: 2,744 Forumite
    Sounds about time this company had a proper, published policy which all staff could refer to regarding the issue, use and care of mobile phones.
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