Excessive (Vulnerable adult) charge - can anything be done?

macman

Tell him to take the 10% goodwill discount already offered, then to request his PAC and move to a much more economic tariff. That one is hopelessly uncompetitive.

simax

What I suggest is for this person to call the network and explain the situation and that they would be happy to re-upgrade and recommit to a new, better deal (one with unlimited minutes!) if they would look more sympathetically to the situation and maybe reduce by 50%.

If they don’t realistically up the offer then leave and go elsewhere. It’s more about damage-limitation now.

SomeMadeUpName

The provider has clearly done nothing wrong.
That said the charge of £760 for the usage is hugely profitable for them (nil marginal cost of sale) and it is entirely within their gift to reduce it. I would proactively contact them again and explain the situation in the same way you have done here. Nothing winds me up more than being on the phone to someone and asking for an element of customer service to be greeted by the response 'we can't do that' when the fact of the matter is they mean 'we won't do that'. 
The provider does not have to do a thing, but they could if they chose wipe the charge completely. So push them.
Best of luck
PS if it doesn't work (ie they are not reasonable and offer a decent discount) then you could set up a 'go fund me' page expalaining the situation and naming the provider (whilst pointing out they are only enforcing the terms of the contract) and then share it widely as poss on socials.

[Deleted User]

I have to disagree with the group consensus - make a formal complaint and if not satisfied, take them to the ombudsman. The network is required to treat the customer fairly and with good faith. They should have put an outgoing call bar on the connection well before £760 incase of theft alone.

Check if he was allocated a credit limit if he still has his original paper work and if so, I would aim for that as the maximum payment. He will likely have to pay the disputed amount in the interim unless they agree to freeze it.

Going forward should be able to get a cheap contract with unlimited minutes from £5

Tokmon

Deleted User said:

I have to disagree with the group consensus - make a formal complaint and if not satisfied, take them to the ombudsman. The network is required to treat the customer fairly and with good faith. They should have put an outgoing call bar on the connection well before £760 incase of theft alone.

Check if he was allocated a credit limit if he still has his original paper work and if so, I would aim for that as the maximum payment. He will likely have to pay the disputed amount in the interim unless they agree to freeze it.

Going forward should be able to get a cheap contract with unlimited minutes from £5

They could see that the OP was ringing a mobile number that he would have had quite a history or ringing before considering that it's wife number. So considering no thief would steal someone's phone and ring a number in their contacts and talk enough to that person to generate such a large amount of calls it would have been pretty obvious to the phone network that the calls were genuine. 

He also received a text message saying he had used up all his minutes so if he chose to continue to make calls then that's up to him as far as the phone network is concerned.

But imagine if they did cut him off i can see the headlines now: "Elderly man cut off by phone network for making too many calls to his wife in hospital who was unable to ring him even if she tried". Then the story would contain information about how distressed this made both of them by being out of contact for so long. So that certainly wouldn't have been the right thing for them to do. 

warby68

This is one where you have to work hard to obtain a goodwill concession.
Find the more formal complaints process (not just a regular call handler who won't have much discretion) and plead the case. In writing.  No blame on the provider, simply explaining as you have here,  the lack of understanding of the extent of the overuse and the stressful circumstances behind it plus the willingness to take a new more appropriate contract for the future. If true, also point out the financial hardship angle as its a chunky amount.
Appealing for a concession without blame is more likely to obtain it than a full on complaint full of threats etc as that puts them in defensive mode as its fairly obvious they haven't done anything wrong although the charges are ridiculously expensive. You want the complaint handler onside and sympathetic so they recommend a generous concession to any decision maker.
Its the honey and vinegar argument.
If you don't get a decent result nothing to stop you complaining more forcefully until all avenues exhausted.

Andy5H

Thanks all. He has drawn a line under it now and accepted the provider’s concession. 
Appreciate all the advice, cheers.