Mother signed up to hard sales - how to get her out of it

jaffab

Hi All,

My mother and step-father are in their late 80s, and I am starting to worry about them. Up to now they have always been very self reliant, but over the last 12-24 months, they are making more and more financial mistakes.

This weekend their old mobile packed up and they went into town and ended up at the Car Phone Warehouse where somebody not only managed to sell them a phone which was beyond them, a plan which is not for them, but then went on to try and get them transferred for their (house) phone, broadband and a lot more.

They are now panicking that they have made another mistake - but how to get them out of it? They had to get the sim transfer code from EE to sign up with the CPW "ID" network - so to get them off this, what do I need to do so that they dont lose their old number?

The problems with the new service sold to them is:
1) They sold a smart phone - which is way beyond their understanding. All they wanted was a push button phone.
2) they got sold packets of data and calls - when they only make calls once in a blue moon and would very rarely use data
3) They came away with pages and pages of information which has confused them (I wont look at it till Saturday).

I think that they signed up for the phone in the store - so is there anything they (or I acting on their behalf) can do to get this all reversed?

Help?!?

mobilejunkie

No, unless CPW have their own (voluntary) cooling off period in-store or are extremely sympathetic.

grumbler

https://selfhelp.carphonewarehouse.com/SelfHelp/request.do?view()=c%7B11a18a50-bcb7-11de-e56d-000000000000%7D

Can I return or exchange the Pay monthly phone I bought in store?

I signed up to a new Pay monthly or 30 day rolling contract

Items bought at Carphone Warehouse stores can be returned or exchanged at any Carphone Warehouse store.

14 days for O2, iD, Virgin to cancel

NO for Voda and EE.


They are lucky that it's iD.

isabellac

As the poster above said, they have up to 14 days to return the iD contract to any CPW store with no penalty, although I would advise returning it to the originating branch.

In terms of the landline/broadband switch, CPW do offer some very competitive deals which undercut suppliers and uSwitch, but if the offer is no good for them then that would also need cancelling asap - likely within 10-14 days of it having been placed depending on the service provider. Just call up the proposed new supplier and cancel the order directly, if there were any setup fees they should also be reimbursed.


Edited to add:
Re: losing their old number, have they actually used the PAC code to effect the number transfer to iD Mobile yet? If not then they just need to call EE and let them know they won't be leaving. If so, when they cancel the iD contract instore they will need to retrieve their PAC code from iD so that they can move the number back to EE afterwards. I should also add that as all of this is contractual they will need to be present for the return, I don't believe you will be able to act on their behalf without them with you.

jaffab

Hi all - thanks. Looks like I will be taking my mother to the CPW on Saturday to get it sorted. As for the PAC code, yes, I think they got a pac code from EE and gave it to the CPW, so I will need to get another PAC code from the CPW.

techquest

Not sure they would issue a PAC but you could maybe get CW to convert to PAYG service until you get things sorted.

CapricornLass

If they are making more and more financial mistakes then maybe its time to sit down with them and discuss power of attorney - either setting them up, or else activating it?


Good luck - its not an easy conversation to have, but I think its one that you will need to have with them very soon.

mobilejunkie

jaffab wrote: »

Hi all - thanks. Looks like I will be taking my mother to the CPW on Saturday to get it sorted. As for the PAC code, yes, I think they got a pac code from EE and gave it to the CPW, so I will need to get another PAC code from the CPW.

If they didn't the EE contract (if it is one) will continue. I'd have thought it would have to be the customer who would ask for it and them who gives it to the new network. If it was a PAYG she will lose any existing credit once obtained and exercised. If it the number was somehow transferred I doubt she could keep it if the new contract is cancelled.

pmduk

CPW cannot issue a PAC. It will be either EE or iD mobile if the original number has already transferred over.