O2 mobile missold/upgraded

LizzieWalton

My mother-in-law attended an O2 store intending to upgrade her existing mobile phone contract. However, instead of upgrading her existing account, a new contract with a different mobile number was opened. The original contract remained active, resulting in two contracts running simultaneously for approximately three years.

This issue was not discovered until June 2026, when the duplicate contract was identified and subsequently cancelled. During that three-year period, over £1,000 was paid from a pensioner’s income for a contract that she did not believe she had intended to take out.

Since raising this complaint, we have repeatedly explained that the issue relates to the original account and the circumstances surrounding the opening of the additional contract. However, responses have continued to focus on the newer mobile number rather than addressing the underlying complaint.

It’s rather frustrating that they will not talk to me as she is too unwell to sort this herself

Grumpy_chap

If she had two contacts for three years and only ever wanted one contract, why weren't the duplicate payments not noted for three years?

elsien

Does she not have an LPA in place? O2 do allow a third-party mandate for you to talk to them but she has to be able to pass security and for you to be with her at the time. Is this a possibility? Otherwise under GDPR their hands are tied.

And if she has been paying for two contracts for three years, then perhaps she needs the support of someone else to check if there’s anything else on her bank statements that she may also have overlooked checking.

JSmithy45AD

After 3 years it's going to be 'he said, she said', if she had a new number plus 2 phones, then surely at some point both would have had calls, texts or whatever come through? Her being a pensioner isn't relevant.

LizzieWalton

the old phone was turned off in a draw and she said the bill seemed high but never told us about it it until her phone was infected by a virus or some sorts and I had to log in and reset her phone and then added o2 app to her phone and then I picked up on the extra mobile phone

We don’t have LPA as she won’t allow it but will have to soon as her health is bad and she never checked her account so I will have to check that this weekend when we go over

o2 will not speak to us even with her clearing security they will only talk to her

Salty she lives a two hour drive away so we can only get there on a Sunday

LizzieWalton

sadly

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82062493#Comment_82062493

sadly we didn’t see her bank account and she has been in an out of hospital for last three years with some times being in there for a month at a time so no we didn’t look at her accounts just needed her better to be home