Mobile phone charge

superbigal36

Good news is you probably only have another 21 months of contract to go.

unholyangel

visidigi wrote: »

p.s. Like the OP asks, can we stick to the question of the problem, not a personal assessment of his parenting skills?

Just to be pernickety (you know what i'm like! ) surely that depends on your view of what the problem is?

The majority of people seem to think the problem is the OPs son taking advantage/not appreciating the consequences of his actions rather than the problem of a large bill.

And given that dealing with the bill wont stop it from happening again, it does seem the problem isn't the bill but rather the sons actions.

bod1467

unholyangel wrote: »

And given that dealing with the bill wont stop it from happening again, it does seem the problem isn't the bill but rather the sons repeated actions.

Corrected for you - it's not the first time he's done this.

whatmichaelsays

superbigal36 wrote: »

I assume as he cannot get credit till he is 18 it is your contract.
Regardless 16 is old enough to get married, have sex, smoke, join the army, vote in Scotland etc.

He's also old enough to get a job to repay the debt. Personally, that's what I'd be suggesting.

MamaMoo_2

Just to add, you also can't raise an indemnity with your bank with regards to the charges, as the costs were charged to EE, who passed them on to you via your bill. I think the advisor may be confusing your issue with one similar to that of an iPhone. All iphone in-app purchases are made using either an iTunes gift card, or a credit/debit card. In the case of using a debit/credit card, you would have paid the charges directly to the company, and you could try a chargeback, however the company would have every right to refuse the chargeback on the basis that they were authorised due to the password being entered.
You can reverse the DD to the phone company that paid the bill, but you would still owe that money to EE, along with the line rental for the rest of the contract, and they'd likely cut the phone off until you paid up.

I don't know what they're talking about with regards to credit rating. You won't need a credit rating or limit with the gaming company, as they won't provide the goods until they've taken the money via the mobile phone operator, so there's no risk there for them.
What the advisor may have meant is that you have a credit limit with EE, and they kept charging to your bill until your credit limit with EE was reached, which would be when your son was cut off.

superbigal36

One thing I noted is, he cant be very good at the games either if he keeps on having to buy new lives.

visidigi

unholyangel wrote: »

Just to be pernickety (you know what i'm like! ) surely that depends on your view of what the problem is?

The majority of people seem to think the problem is the OPs son taking advantage/not appreciating the consequences of his actions rather than the problem of a large bill.

And given that dealing with the bill wont stop it from happening again, it does seem the problem isn't the bill but rather the sons actions.

Oh I dont dispute that the responsibility lies with the OP, BUT - he's said he knows this. He understands this. He was asking if there is anything else that may assist him in lowering the charge.

These threads never end well - to be honest, OP this simple answer is no, there isn't any right to a reduced charge.

Elegantstorm

visidigi wrote: »

I'd love to know how the gaming company knows your credit rating...sounds to me like T-Mob/EE are trying to pass the buck on the fact they maybe should have suspended your account sooner - if the user is billing £36 a month consistently then surely EE should have noticed the pattern, especially with it being a non-roaming charge (where the 'timing' of the charge becomes an excuse...)

p.s. Like the OP asks, can we stick to the question of the problem, not a personal assessment of his parenting skills?

Thank you very much, indeed, for the constructive reply. We all know how extremely technically competent the game creators are and how easy it is to get lured into a fantasy world of bright colours, sories and sounds where the charge may seem like an 'add-on' - and that is not an excuse by any means as I know how focused and may be easily influenced my son is (so different to the other one...) and once he gets going with something he is focused on to achieve, he just seems to put the blinkers on...And an easy way to lure into those games is the added attraction of getting to a higher level, which is not possible unless you get an add-on, a pack or whatever of their 'creations' may be - then it creates a fantasy frenzy to go higher or achieve something -where the catch is! Don't get me wrong - I DO NOT play any games but have overheard about the levels etc they compete to get to or acheive something.

I must note that, indeed, it is out responsibility for what we do or allow others to do, that affects us. But let us not forget that there are powerful corporate interests out there whose sole aim is to create opportunities and 'feel-good' environment for welcoming the customer for making money with no limit and at all costs. I am not saying it is wrong - but as you mention in your post, how could they make a decision on my credibility and only disabling one of the phone features as a sign something is not right is beyond me. Just like the PPI and easy-money lenders, there are no regulations of which i am aware to ensure such situations are restricted and avoidable.
Many thanks again.

Elegantstorm

MamaMoo wrote: »

Just to add, you also can't raise an indemnity with your bank with regards to the charges, as the costs were charged to EE, who passed them on to you via your bill. I think the advisor may be confusing your issue with one similar to that of an iPhone. All iphone in-app purchases are made using either an iTunes gift card, or a credit/debit card. In the case of using a debit/credit card, you would have paid the charges directly to the company, and you could try a chargeback, however the company would have every right to refuse the chargeback on the basis that they were authorised due to the password being entered.
You can reverse the DD to the phone company that paid the bill, but you would still owe that money to EE, along with the line rental for the rest of the contract, and they'd likely cut the phone off until you paid up.

I don't know what they're talking about with regards to credit rating. You won't need a credit rating or limit with the gaming company, as they won't provide the goods until they've taken the money via the mobile phone operator, so there's no risk there for them.
What the advisor may have meant is that you have a credit limit with EE, and they kept charging to your bill until your credit limit with EE was reached, which would be when your son was cut off.

IN fact, when I asked what my credit limit was with EE they quoted half ofthat of the charge - there is a discrepancy?

Elegantstorm

superbigal36 wrote: »

One thing I noted is, he cant be very good at the games either if he keeps on having to buy new lives.

As per my original post - there ar packs, animals, etc, rather than lives - he is usually pretty good at games.
Thanks