Can anyone help please

[ClairexJx]

Hello I wonder if anyone has been in a simular situation or can advise me please, after my dad went into a care home me an my mum went to the bank and cancelled all nonessential items from my dad's bank... I'd set up both my mum & dad with £10 bundles on their phones, sadly my dad soon found his phone an obsession and then he lost the the ability to use or even recognise what it was, I found out during his dementia transition he'd changed his phone to a contract of £25/month direct debit I tried cancelling by ringing on his phone they told me I couldn't cancel and were very rude so upset at my dad going in a home I left it but after taking the power of attorney to the bank an cancelling it 02 are threatening legal action even though I've sent a screen shot of the power of attenoy to this debt collection email my mum was sent.
They seem so dismissive of the fact my dad hasn't the ability of being able to speak to anyone and is in a home.
Should I just advise my mum to pay whatever outstanding charges they say there are even though the phones not been used for almost a year? I hate seeing my mum so upset when she herself is poorly.
Any advice would be very gratefully received... Thank you
Claire 🤗

 

[Monday’s child]

Hi Claire I think the issue here may be that the POA has not been registered with O2 so as far as they are concerned your father has broken the contract. If it was me I would contact O2 and try to register the POA with them: They may have a dept that deals with POA, tell them it is urgent, if the phone contact is proving difficult email them or do both. I would also ask if they could call off the debt collection until the POA is registered, cancel the contract etc as your father no longer has capacity. They should be able to see this if they look at the usage of the phone. I am sure others may have more suggestions. Also there is a site called resolver where you can register a complaint; companies seem to be more responsive when you go on there. https://www.resolver.co.uk this is a free service.

 

[DeeCee7]

Hello @ClairexJx I am sorry to read of your Dad’s dementia, and the issue you are having with his mobile phone provider. Good advice from @Monday’s child. My friend with dementia is also now in a care home and I have found very mixed experiences when dealing with cancellations with companies, even with POA. His phone and broadband provider were very efficient and sympathetic ( different company to yours), only wanted a written confirmation from his care home that he had been resident there for some while. His TV licence was another matter. They owe him some money, and so far two cheques have “gone missing”, the only written communication from them was a threat of a £1000 fine and the intention of someone accessing the house to see if a TV was in use!
Trustpilot is a good vehicle to use, as most companies don’t like bad publicity. I have also found communication with companies via Messenger very effective. Good luck!

 

[ClairexJx]

Thank you both Mondays child and DeeCee7 so much for your advice the poa has been screen shot and sent yet more letters have arrived I will look for the trust pilot messenger & resolver is something my mum may want to do with my help as shes not so well, but feels very strongly about the way theyve handled this, i guess it all depends who picks up youre call on the day you ring.
Thank-you for helping.
Hope you both have as lovely day as possible
🤗✨️

 

[DeeCee7]

Thank you both Mondays child and DeeCee7 so much for your advice the poa has been screen shot and sent yet more letters have arrived I will look for the trust pilot messenger & resolver is something my mum may want to do with my help as shes not so well, but feels very strongly about the way theyve handled this, i guess it all depends who picks up youre call on the day you ring.
Thank-you for helping.
Hope you both have as lovely day as possible
🤗✨️

Thanks @ClairexJx . Yes, forgot about Resolver. As you say it depends on who picks up the call. My experience has been, if you talk to someone unhelpful, graciously extricate yourself from the call, wait 10 minutes and phone again. Usually it’s someone else who’s a lot more helpful. Good luck!

 

[Jaded'n'faded]

You can also get the direct email for the CEO of any of these big companies if you look on online. You will find that if you email the CEO and describe exactly how appallingly you have been treated and how a company like that should be thoroughly ashamed of treating vulnerable customers in this way... Then mention your intention to repeat your story on social media, their facebook page, etc.

That will get you some attention.