Vodaphone overcharging 85yr old after contact ended

Neil_Jones

frible said:

Advice on tactics talking to vodaphone. My elderly mother took out a 2yr iPhone contact with vodaphone in 2018 for £30 p.m.

She just called to say they increased it to £40 per month. She didn't realise she was still paying. 

Her usage is minimal as she is mostly at home.

I'm sure they would have contacted her at some time, but this seems very unfair to charge the full rate for the past 4 years. 

Has anyone got advise on how best to try and get some of the charges refunded. 

Thanks

Mine

On what basis do you think you should get charges refunded?  Age doesn't count and by your own admission the phone has continued to be used so...  The norm is for it to carry on after the initial period ends, not just end as you have to take action to cancel it.

Maybe you should have become involved sooner.

Hoenir

frible said:

I hear what everyone is saying, in essence she should have left at the end of the contract. However I do believe they have a duty of care and they have been ripping her off for 4 years. So I will speak to them, that costs nothing and at least I feel better trying. 

A Duty of Care describes a situation where there is a responsibility to maintain the health, safety and well-being of others. Absolutely nothing to do with a contractual arrangement that someone has overlooked reviewing. Then with hindsight demanding financial compensation.  

savergrant

They have two responsibilities, the first is as a lender as the contract would have included a loan to cover the cost of the handset. Their responsibility is to ensure that the repayments are affordable and that the loan and charges are not going to cause hardship or likelihood of default. The second responsibility is the more recent responsibility to inform customers once the minimum term ends. From the op's post there is some confusion over this as the op's relative did not realise charges were still being taken, so perhaps some attempt was made to change tariff but did not work. It may be worth digging deeper into why she thought she was no longer paying.
My guess is that in 2018 the customer was able to manage her own finances, has anything happened since, and were companies with financial contracts informed? I am not sure how it works but would guess that if someone was no longer able to manage their own finances (eg after a stroke) the company would be instructed to route all communication to the person with lasting power of attorney.
Is there any reason why you believe vodafone (or the retailer) acted inappropriately in 2018 by signing her up to the deal?

PHK

savergrant said:

They have two responsibilities, the first is as a lender as the contract would have included a loan to cover the cost of the handset. Their responsibility is to ensure that the repayments are affordable and that the loan and charges are not going to cause hardship or likelihood of default. The second responsibility is the more recent responsibility to inform customers once the minimum term ends. From the op's post there is some confusion over this as the op's relative did not realise charges were still being taken, so perhaps some attempt was made to change tariff but did not work. It may be worth digging deeper into why she thought she was no longer paying.
My guess is that in 2018 the customer was able to manage her own finances, has anything happened since, and were companies with financial contracts informed? I am not sure how it works but would guess that if someone was no longer able to manage their own finances (eg after a stroke) the company would be instructed to route all communication to the person with lasting power of attorney.
Is there any reason why you believe vodafone (or the retailer) acted inappropriately in 2018 by signing her up to the deal?

Vodafone didn’t offer split handset loans / airtime contracts then. 

But since well before then they have written and texted when the minimum period is coming up and yearly. 

Also, The OPs mother is still making minimal use so it’s hardly likely they thought it was cancelled.