Mobile phone "scam"

BobQ

hollydays wrote: »

!!!!!!, what would you suggest as a solution? Sending cheques out for. 39p -get real -it's business.
Bob -come up with a solution..

I proposed a solution in the message before the one referenced above.

BobQ wrote: »

If they said that they would repay sums over £10 if claimed and donate the rest to charity I would have far more respect. We could be talking about millions?

I do not really understand the abuse I have got on this thread just for telling people something of interest. One person even suggested I was a "bad person". Frankly I do not care what people think.

But I am sure that my aunt who died 4 months ago (whose phone I have just left in a drawer and checked this morning) would not think I was bad person for using the £47.34 credit I found on her phone to send text donations to charity. She would be upset if she thought I had taken the view its only £47, let Tesco keep it.

System

BobQ wrote: »

I proposed a solution in the message before the one referenced above.

I do not really understand the abuse I have got on this thread just for telling people something of interest. One person even suggested I was a "bad person". Frankly I do not care what people think.

But I am sure that my aunt who died 4 months ago (whose phone I have just left in a drawer and checked this morning) would not think I was bad person for using the £47.34 credit I found on her phone to send text donations to charity. She would be upset if she thought I had taken the view its only £47, let Tesco keep it.

If you're not the executor of your aunts estate then you've technically stolen from their estate.

Charity was not mentioned originally. You've dropped this into the thread to make yourself appear less mercenary.

BobQ

goater78 wrote: »

If you're not the executor of your aunts estate then you've technically stolen from their estate. .

I was and I have not

goater78 wrote: »

Charity was not mentioned originally. You've dropped this into the thread to make yourself appear less mercenary.

Charity was not relevant to the original post. I dropped this in in answer to a question. The fact remains that you criticised me for not offering a solution when in fact I had done so previously.

You on the other had have no constructive ideas and appear to be an apologist for the tax avoidance schemes of the likes of Vodaphone.

What is mercenary about wanting to ensure that a deceased's money is used in accordance with her wishes? What is mercenary about objecting to mobile phone providers making money out of people's ignorance of their terms and conditions?

System

BobQ wrote: »

I was and I have not



Charity was not relevant to the original post. I dropped this in in answer to a question. The fact remains that you criticised me for not offering a solution when in fact I had done so previously.

You on the other had have no constructive ideas and appear to be an apologist for the tax avoidance schemes of the likes of Vodaphone.

What is mercenary about wanting to ensure that a deceased's money is used in accordance with her wishes? What is mercenary about objecting to mobile phone providers making money out of people's ignorance of their terms and conditions?

You've got me mixed up with a different poster. I didn't criticise you for not offering a solution. I criticised you as it seems an odd thing to worry about in a time of grief.

hpuse

I also know happen to know another fact. Telecom giants account their recovered credits in their books from disconnection. So yes, the credit unused will be effectively adding back to to their profit in later years.
I personally think asking and making sure account balances of a deceased person is not a unethical or 'bad', not just his/her payg - what about gas/electricity/phone etc?
Why you want that money to go to corporate shareholders dividend funds?

hollydays

BobQ wrote: »

Statistics is ideally based on fact but sometimes can only be based on assumption. I have given you facts and a plausible assumption. You on the other hand have rubbished the assumption but made no attempt to explain why its wrong.

Do you have any evidence as to what the average credit is on a mobile phone?

No evidence m' lud.
!!!!!!!! baffles brains-allegedly

My favourite quote by George burns
" If you live to be 100 you've got it made. Very few people die past that age"

hollydays

I carry an organ donor card. Should I also carry a phone credit donor card?

BobQ

goater78 wrote: »

You've got me mixed up with a different poster. I didn't criticise you for not offering a solution. I criticised you as it seems an odd thing to worry about in a time of grief.

So I did, sorry about that.

I did not worry about it at a time of grief. I was simply reporting a story in Which? It applies to the situation when someone dies and any other situation when they stop using the phone.

Unfortunately the attitude you exemplify ("it seems an odd thing to worry about in a time of grief") is precisely what they want you to think because in most cases six months later is too late as by then they have confiscated the money.

janiebquick

That happened to me with O2 a few years back - they claimed it was in the Ts and Cs, but wasn't. After a while I stopped topping up and, lo and behold, the phone still works!

MissKeith

How do you propose they refund consumers if the phone has been forgotten about out of interest? In many cases, you do not have to register a PAYG phone in order to use it so how do they know where to send the cheque to? How would they prevent fraud? (little Johnny pinching grandma's phone and asking for a cheque to be issued to himfor example). How would they refund you? Cash, cheque, voucher etc. I think there's too many grey areas and complications, I think the suggestion of sending texts to a charity seems the most simple solution.