UKC

An elderly neighbour is being plagued by telephone calls from a firm (they are legitimate) that provide breakdown cover for television.

Last year, after asking me to help with some personal papers, we found out that he was in fact subscribing to two such firms. I told him to decide which one he wanted to retain and to then cancel the Direct Debit with the other firm and send them a letter notifying them. As far as I know he did so.

However, since then, he has had about six calls from the firm saying that they have not been able to take the money out of his account and that if he did not sort out the DD he would not be covered. He told them on each occasion that he had cancelled the cover that they provided and that he was covered elsewhere. They kept on saying that he was not covered.

As said this has happened about six times and, poor chap(he's in his eighties), he's getting a bit fed up with it.

I'm sure these calls now amount to harrassment and have suggested he reports them to BT.

Any advice appreciated

In reply to FesteringSore:

I agree, call BT.

In reply to FesteringSore:

Yes, this sounds very much like harassment. I would suggest:

1. Speak to BT on his behalf (they'll need him to confirm you can speak for him) BT will be able to block the number.
2. Write a strongly worded cease and desist letter to the company involved - send it signed for so you have proof of receipt
3. Report the harassment to the police via a non emergency number.
4. Send the details of the company and behaviour to bbc watchdog - they are doing a thing about companies targeting vulnerable people and pressure selling unwanted goods and services
5. Speak to your neighbour about why he needs a tv breakdown contract in the first place and get the other contract cancelled (unless he's adamant that he wants the cover). TVs are cheap as chips if you don't want the latest 56k 4d 300inch screen and as result he's probably paid for a new TV several times over

In reply to marsbar & balmybaldwin:

Thanks. Much what I thought. He insists on having cover(I think it's a sort of reassurance)

In reply to FesteringSore:

Agree with all the above, this is arguably borderline financial abuse - they've obviously Sussex that he's elderly and a wee bit vulnerable. They want to badger him into renewing his DD whether he needs to or not.
The other thing that might be worth doing is talking to the local Consumer Protection folk in the council, they've nowadays got great intelligence about e firms that do this stuff. It seems there are "soft target lists" of folk who sign up for things - and they can find their junk mail, begging letters etc getting more and more obtrusive. Does your neighbour seem to get a lot of stuff like that?

He's got a good neighbour, by the way.

In reply to colinakmc:

Thankfully not

Thankyou. Lovely comment

In reply to FesteringSore:

I'd contact trading standards. BT can't do much about the harassment

We did that for a elderly gent who was getting continued calls from a wine company who kept sending wine and invoicing for it even though they'd been told a few times he no longer wanted to receive any wine. trading standards made sure the company got the message!

(The wine was crap! Even I couldn't drink it).

In reply to FesteringSore:

Is he on the telephone/mailing preference lists? Easy and free to sign up to online. I would do that for him too, to try to prevent any more calls from these unscrupulous companies

In reply to RockAngel:

TPS won't apply; he's had previous dealings with the company, so they have a 'legitimate reason' for calling.

In reply to FesteringSore:

We have elderly neighbours who are unwell and depressed; they are shelling out far too much money for all kinds of things they don't need. Mrs RR has been over and tried to sort them out but the husband is too depressed to want to bother doing anything and the wife has dementia. They have plenty of cash; it's people like them who attract sharks and parasites.

In reply to Rigid Raider:


A sad sign of the times I'm afraid.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

My Dad's situation was similar. The solution in the end was to invoke the enduring power of attorney that my sister and her husband had (thankfully) set up with him some years before. In the absence of caring, involved (and informed) relatives like that, though, many older folks are hugely vulnerable to this sort of thing.

IMO this kind of practice is tantamount to mis-selling, since the customer cannot realistically be regarded as properly understanding what they are buying.

It must be very difficult and upsetting for people to have to accept that they are no longer capable of managing their own affairs.

In reply to Rigid Raider:


Try a referral to your local Carers Centre. Someone who is caring for a dementia sufferer is very likely to be over stretched and isolated and a Carers Centre could well make a major difference to him for himself, as well as signposting the right local services for the lady. Plus -again - consumer protection may well have an outreach service for older vulnerable folk.

In reply to Martin W:

It is a form of mis-selling, its called an "unconscionable agreement" and its unenforceable under English law as far as i know.
I was a salesman briefly and during training they told us we couldnt form contracts with the Elderly or other vulnerable persons for this reason


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscionability_in_English_law

In reply to WildCamper:



Which is surely why Trading Standards need calling.

BT cannot take action under these circumstances.

In reply to FesteringSore:

BT have a new product called Call Protect which will stop a customer's specified numbers (plus BT's blacklist) from getting through. It's free for most customers I think.