Elderly Grandparents being manipulated and grossly overcharged

[hgrundy]

My elderly grandparents have recently shown me their broadband package as they believed it seemed a little higher than they thought it should. 

What i have found is outrageous! they are being charged £75 per month for a 40mbps download speed and full fibre set up. not only is this a terrible offer (for reference both bt and competitors offer much better deals in this area) but also complete overkill on their needs. 

They are not currently aware on everything they pay for, and said the agent on the phone insisted they needed everything offered which is just untrue. they are being charged for 700 minutes of phone calls a month when their average need is no more than a 100 minutes and heres the kicker, are bing charged to call 1471 if they miss a call. 

i have read multiple posts on this board around elderly parents being oversold so it is quite obviously common practice to target people with little understanding of technology. they are on a fixed income and this seriously affects them.

i have looked on their account with them and of course bt only offers options to upgrade further. seriously disappointed and need help! 

[imjolly]

when was the contract renewed.  to speak on their behalf you need to get appointed account manager

you will find that the cost of the 700 minutes package is cheaper than about 100 minutes on PAYG

[hgrundy]

Hiya,
how would i go about this?
i see your point regarding the minutes package. my main concern is the broadband package they have been set up with. how can anyone justify charging such a high fee for such a basic package. overselling on halo 3+ when they did not even know what this is

[naylor2006]

Seems alot of people with Halo3/+ dont really know what it is and dont really need it.

I might regret saying that if my net goes down for a few weeks and a mobile backup would be beneficial, although the mobile coverage is so rubbish where I am it wouldnt matter anyway.

[garybs29]

As much as they've been oversold by the looks of it they're not being charged for 1471, what it'll be is they'll be pressing 3 to return the call when dialling 1471 which is chargeable

[cassac]

Omg. My ma is 86 and very on the ball but not techy and Pa almost 90 and was techy. My parents are being charged £120 for halo3 they dont have fibre. My father seems to have been sucked in- he has been slightly off his game for the past few yrs as imagine I maybe at that age. They were cut off this morning hence I found out how much they paid. They also pay £12 for unlimited calls plus vat etc which is fair. But what are they paying that amount for on bb I ask??? They have a tv and laptop and not great tv signal. They only use the laptop for emails and bills. I’m so upset they have been taken advantage of. BT can see their usage. They have a call back on Tuesday to try and help lower this. Unfortunately I can’t be there but will see what they are offered and then spk myself. This is diabolical overselling customers. I pay £62 inc vat and have entertainment my bb is around £40. Who convinced them they needed to pay this much and for what 🥲. I’m so sad for them as pensioners and that bt have rinsed them.

[edbostan]

Go on to the Ofcom website where there is a section regarding vulnerable subscribers. I have found that there is valuable information on renewing contracts, etc. When your contract expires you do not have to renew at higher prices and they could offer cheaper deals. 

[cassac]

Thank you I will.