Expensive Phone Bills

[Neetynoo]

Hi All,

Newbie here. My Mum has recently been diagnosed. My current nightmare is her rising phone bills as a result of entering competitions/ordering on premium rate numbers. With Virgin Media who offer no help. I see BT have a couple of outgoing call packages for dementia suffers but that means changing her TV and everything over presumably. Anyone else had an issue like this please? Before she bankrupts herself please!

 

[Helly68]

I am afraid Virgin aren't all that good at customer service, broadband speed excellent but everything else, rubbish.
BT offer various call blocking packages - so that you can only dial or receive calls from certain numbers. My Dad has this, but a word to the wise, set it up yourself. My Dad is so zealous in blocking numbers - any numbers, that he frequently blocks my sister and I and then is irate that the phone "doesn't work". He doesn't have dementia but isnt great with any kind of technology.
I think you may have to supervise a changeover here unless you can get control of the Virgin account and put limits on calling premium rate numbers. You may need Power of Attorney to do this on her behalf.

 

[Sarasa]

Hi @Neetynoo . If you have Power of Attorney I'd get on to Virgin and see if you an sort things. We are Virgin customers and they aren't great I must admit. I'm deaf and trying to get them to talk to me via text rather than phone was impossible! Mum was with BT and they actually phoned me up when they were concerned about her phone bill. I then 'managed' her account. When I had bother with them not wanting to talk to me via text when closing the account, customer services were brilliant, and they waived mum's last bill as compensation.
I know with mobile phone companies it is now easy to switch, maybe contact BT and see if the same is true of landlines and broadband.

 

[lemonbalm]

Hello @Neetynoo . You shouldn't have to change supplier to control outgoing calls. There are products you can buy and The National Trading Scams Team is apparently launching a scheme tomorrow, making available some free units which you can program to control outgoing calls to certain numbers or number ranges. There won't be many free ones but I will send you a link in the morning when it is available.

 

[Chaplin]

Hi All,

Newbie here. My Mum has recently been diagnosed. My current nightmare is her rising phone bills as a result of entering competitions/ordering on premium rate numbers. With Virgin Media who offer no help. I see BT have a couple of outgoing call packages for dementia suffers but that means changing her TV and everything over presumably. Anyone else had an issue like this please? Before she bankrupts herself please!

Hi, all utility companies have dedicated accessibility services/ priority services departments. You need to speak to them so they can help you manage your mum’s account. I do my dad’s because he’s deaf and didn’t need POA. Hope you get some support quickly!