7 mobile phone contracts.. I'm screwed..

Acania

I need some help badly. I have 7 mobile phone contracts with one specific network. Now I haven't paid them last month. I can't pay them this month and I really dunno what to do. Yes I have 7 contracts cause I was paying for family members. Now with national lockdown and being furloughed they also cut my hours at work drastically when we do go back to work. I have been paying all my bills on time for the past year but now I'm literally stuck. All 7 contracts come to around about £400 a month. And I don't even earn much that's like 1/3 my wages that I been using to pay mobile bills but now it's come to a point that my hours are cut etc and I won't be able to even afford to pay that as have other bills. I'm not blaming the mobile company but they did allow me to have so many contracts without asking for any proof of income or anything or check my expenses per month.  If they end up disconnecting me due to non payment in a couple of months I'm gonna up with a £5000 bill or something and I'm only 25. Anyone know what I can do? I'm in panic mode. I'm not denying or trying to get out of this debt but as we all know what's happening in the UK and with work this is a unfortunate era in our lives that is unprecedented. I've always paid my bills. But now.. I'm screawed. Anyone know what I can do?

andys15

Get your family members to give you some money for them. 1/3 of your wages on mobile phones. Think some of your family members are too entitled. They must be all the latest phones. 

Acania

andys15 said:

Get your family members to give you some money for them. 1/3 of your wages on mobile phones. Think some of your family members are too entitled. They must be all the latest phones. 

None of them work hence why I took it out of them. Nothing to with "entitled". 

[Deleted User]

Write to the phone company stating you are having financial difficulties due to Covid and you can only pay a certain amount.
State the amount and ask to pay over a longer period of time.
They should oblige hopefully. Do not just ignore and let the bills pile high or they will blacklist the phones IMEI and you will have a bad credit rating etc.

hrb2306

“Entitled” means you feel entitled to something you don’t deserve. A mobile phone contract for an expensive phone when you don’t work is definitely entitled. 

Have you spoken to the mobile company and explained the situation? That would be the best place to start. 

ceremony

Is it possible to cut the cost of the contracts by downgrading the minutes/data?

Your family members might moan but it could greatly reduce the cost. Ask them to contribute some to the bills if they want more than the most basic package.

[Deleted User]

Acania said:

andys15 said:

Get your family members to give you some money for them. 1/3 of your wages on mobile phones. Think some of your family members are too entitled. They must be all the latest phones. 

None of them work hence why I took it out of them. Nothing to with "entitled". 

Working or not they must have some income so get them to pay for their own phone contracts. Then you only have to worry about paying for your own. When the other 6 contracts come to the end of the fixed terms switch then to PAYG and let your family pay become responsible for their own mobile phones. 

couriervanman

Acania said:

andys15 said:

Get your family members to give you some money for them. 1/3 of your wages on mobile phones. Think some of your family members are too entitled. They must be all the latest phones. 

None of them work hence why I took it out of them. Nothing to with "entitled". 

Well if they don't work taking out a phone contract  £57 a month is madness what's wrong with a cheap phone on payg......i think your family members are taking the p155

sourcrates

Try and relax, use your common sense, you can’t pay what you don’t have, they are all non priority, non essential debts.
Non payment will result in the accounts going into default, before being passed on to debt collectors.
Talking to the network will be fruitless, they won’t be able to do anything, you’ll just have to go along with the process unfortunately.
Collection takes quite a long time, offer a pound a month per contract if you must, usually defaulted phone contracts take a while to be chased.
In time the debts can be repaid, don’t be a helping hand for family again.

Retireby40

Let me get this right. Your 25 and were on around £1200 a month. You decided to take on 7 mobile phone contracts for family members? Which family members have the phones? 

Acania

Deleted_User said:

Write to the phone company stating you are having financial difficulties due to Covid and you can only pay a certain amount.
State the amount and ask to pay over a longer period of time.
They should oblige hopefully. Do not just ignore and let the bills pile high or they will blacklist the phones IMEI and you will have a bad credit rating etc.

My credit rating is bad anyway. Having a default on it from phone company won't change anything. 

I've never heard of the blacklist IMEI thing. Pretty sure they can't do that considering the monthly fee I pay is paying towards the cost of the phone. If they disconnected my Sims and ended my contract and asked to pay full remaining contract they can't block my phone cause they are asking me to pay for it otherwise why not just take phone back and minus it from my bill. 

From what I read they don't really do long payment plans. And next week I'll owe them £800..