[Closed] £2000 mobile phone bill - any options?

I generally fall on "should have known and should pay" side of the fence however it may be worth speaking to Orange, seeing what kind of credit limit you/her have (pretty sure there should be one) and why it wasn't enforced or even notified.

And ffs, she's an adult, why does she have phone contracts and DDs in your name?

I'd be putting the for sale signs on her car. £2k is essentially an unpayable debt for a 19 year old if they're going to uni.

I've also seen a few people who repeatedly run up big lines of credit and then go back to their parents, who pay it off, and the cycle continues. Be very careful. At 19, if I'd ran up a £600 phone bill, I'd have not used the phone at all until I got back home. Everyone knows roaming is expensive, everyone knows about skype.

Cheers - she's at 6th form, working part time, and off to Uni in Sept. My deal with the kids is that we pay their basic phone contract, feed and cloth them until they are earning full time (or if they can't get a job, in full time voluntary jobs).
Trouble with the bills was the first came in and I knew from the bank statement. When I went in to the Orange account the 2nd was sat there waiting to be paid in a few days time (so the warning shot had landed after the 2nd shot had been launched).

She has no car or other assets to sell. And the boyfriend will be contributing. That discussion is happening tonight.

And she has spent more in phone bills than our holidays for 3 years. Like I say, she will be paying, just got to work out how.

And the boyfriend will be contributing.

You'll either get your cash or your wish of a single daughter 😆

If you do put a decent amount of business Orange's way, pleading has to be worth a try. Does your entire house have Orange contracts?

Your daughter pays is the best lesson IMO.

She has been irresponsible and expects you to pick up the (known) high overseas call charges/tab for her.

So you then want to pass the buck on again to someone else?

Marvellous.

Yep, have 2 mobile contracts, 3 PAYG and a home broadband with Orange, so probably £110 a month. I'll call Orange anyway, despite the naysayers, even if only to explore the possibilities and see if there's a cost spreading option

Ask orange for evidence of use from the SA telecoms provider - there won't be any. the overseas providers send a 'non-itemised' bill to uk providers. Ask for the details of the SA usage. They probably can't provide it. Challenge them on that basis. This is a PSA for everyone, not just the OP. I had the same issue with a Spanish provider - t-mobile couldn't show the use, but only the charges. I paid half.

Funny how many people jump to the conclusion that my daughter is a spoilt princess, and her parents are soft and lack parenting skills. If you knew her or us you probably (hopefully) wouldn't jump to that conclusion

People are looking at the information you've posted/protrayed and drawn conclusions from that.

Surely after the first bill received she would have calmed it right down?

I know my girlfriends dad would do anything for her- always offered to pay for things etc (a real Daddies girl)- she always tempered what she actually took though and worried about it.

What is her attitude to credit? 😉

You could discuss with Orange - nothing to loose. I was under the impression they had to warn you when your usage exceeded a preset amount, although that might be data use.

the overseas providers send a 'non-itemised' bill to uk providers.

how does it end up itemised on the phone bill? where do they get that information from?

Thanks iDave - useful help there.

Hora, the first bill came through just as my daughter came back and I actually thought that bill covered most of her trip. From phone call to phone bill can be up to 4 weeks, then phone bill to bank statement is a 3 week delay, but I hadn't really considered this beforehand, so was a little shocked by the 2nd bill. The 1st bill was going to be a 50:50 split with daughter, the 2nd kind of changed our perspective on that!

Tron,
maybe that's the deal - they finish and he walks away without coughing up, or he pays and they last a bit longer. Makes sense to me but I can't see her buying into it (maybe she did that with £2k of phone calls though)

If you can afford it...pay the bill, she's your daughter not some random acquaintance. Nothing wrong with chasing Orange and pleading - haggling seems to be a part of modern life and there has been the odd bit of good advice on here - especially the proof of usage suggestion. I assume you will ensure that the same mistakes are not made again as there are ways around situations like this but we all balls it up sometimes...

Funny how many people jump to the conclusion that my daughter is a spoilt princess, and her parents are soft and lack parenting skills. If you knew her or us you probably (hopefully) wouldn't jump to that conclusion.

All evidence thus far points to that. FFS - a mobile phone roaming in Africa?!? There has been enough publicity over the years over roaming costs in Europe never mind Africa!

[url= http://www2.orange.co.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=PersonalIR&c=OUKPage&cid=1123171273258&mid=1123171272053&extarg4=1123171272053&extarg1=PAYM&extarg2=1126544428406&extarg3=&x=23&y=3 ]Orange Roaming Charges SA[/url]
Just so you know - that page was a couple of clicks away from 'orange roaming charges' on a Google search. Not difficult to find at all - not hidden.

You had 2k to be pulled straight out of your current account? Are you one of those 40% tax rate payers who milked the CTW scheme?

You ought to get Orange to set a credit limit on her mobile. Assuming her contract is around £25 p/m, arrange for the phone to be disconnected the moment the bill passes £50.

It's not that long since I was 19 either and I remember what phone calls with 19 year old girls are like, ****ing pointless!

My ex used to go all teary when I sought to end the daily call at any point prior to the one hour mark, even if I'd seen her earlier in the day.

Hora, the first bill came through just as my daughter came back and I actually thought that bill covered most of her trip. From phone call to phone bill can be up to 4 weeks, then phone bill to bank statement is a 3 week delay, but I hadn't really considered this beforehand, so was a little shocked by the 2nd bill. The 1st bill was going to be a 50:50 split with daughter, the 2nd kind of changed our perspective on that!

Ah understand. You could look through the T&C's in regards to unanswered calls costing you. Rather than pleading for a reduction I think you should look into this side more. Why should unanswered calls cost you? Speak to the Ombudsman and pop onto this http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/ and ask how to approach the heinous charges.

Would they just refund the unanswered calls though? (drop in the ocean). You could angle it that you are looking for a review of the bill and angle for a better discount due to time involved etc.

I'd approach the subject from unfair charges rather than asking for assistance.

Check the Times (think saturday's) They have a thing about call costs. Was she using Facebook which is expensive as it "streams data constantly". I would have thought they have a preset limit of acceptable use and then would contact you/her. Ask them why this is not the case.

According to the times (possibly financial pages) thay do give "goodwill" gestures.

I am annoyed that even unanswered calls cost £1.45, and that is not clear in any tariff listing (and there were quite a few of those).

Why? This is how it works, isn't it? Even if you don't get connected you are still using the mobile network and get charged for that.

Quirrel, yes, we go even further into the red, so I have used the banks money to pay Orange, plus the charges on that. We have some savings that have been used as a temporary plug.
And the place I work has only just (last week) signed up to C2W, and yes I commute every day by bike and was looking for a new bike on it, but that isn't really relevant I think.

Credit limit on her phone sounds good, but every other month she's within her contract, so the horse has bolted so to speak.

Cheers Hora, good advice.

don simon, thanks for the constructive comments. It doesn't work that way on a landline and resources are still being used. Only seems to work that way on mobiles (and probably only abroad, but I've never looked into that)

Life's changed..!

I went travelling aged 19, first stop Sputh Africa. The [b]first[/b] call I made was after 6 weeks, and that was only to make contact with my mother to let her know I was OK.

But that was 15 years ago, and plenty of adults didn't have mobile phones then.

Anyway, I think it's worth contacting Orange and asking:

1. About them not making any contact to raise a concern with the sudden and significant increase in cost; and
2. Details of where all the charges were notified to you/her in advance.

In both cases, the implication is that they have some responsibility. Tell them you're not happy and want to do something about this.

Then, tell your daughter she's paying £1000, her bf £500 and you £500.

I always aim to please. 😆

I also don't see why the boyfriend should pay. Take responsibility for your own actions, ffs!

ourmaninthenorth I once helped myself to a girl whose boyfriend was doing Peacework out in Africa. In an unusual way we were both helping others out 😯

hora - selfless and altruistic to the last. STW salutes you 🙂

T'was hardwork but ultimately rewarding 8)

By "unanswered" you presumably mean gone to voicemail rather than genuinely unanswered calls.

Call gets placed to roaming UK number - UK network knows it's out of the country, connects to destination country, phone rings, gets diverted after x seconds to a UK voicemail number, call gets routed back to the UK to play the VM message to the caller.

That's not an unanswered call. As a landline analogy, it's like calling someone who's got an answerphone plugged in - that picks up the line, you start getting charged, wheras if it just rang and rang then you put the phone down you wouldn't pay anything.

Slight hi-jack.

Do mobile providers allow you to set a credit limit for contract phones used by less responsible family members?

My lad is pestering for a new phone for his upcoming birthday and I was thinking about a contract option as the handsets are better but am worried about the phone being lost/stolen or him going over the limits especially data if he has Spotify or similar installed.

don simon, boyfriend was playing silly bu66ers by not answering phone calls from her. So she kept phoning. Not sure if they all went to voicemail, or were unanswered - either way his messing around has cost someone lots of money.

Cletus, learn from my daughters mistake. PAYG only.

hora,
almost glad my daughter was out of the country. Your reputation seems to precede you!

should have used telediscount.com when my girlfriend was in oz i was making mobile to mobile calls to her for less then 10p per minute
http://www.telediscount.co.uk/index2.php

She's 19????

I hope you dont pay for her phone, and her living costs..

The world will be a shock if/when you stop paying for her..

She's 19????

I remember when I was 19 🙁

When I got a contract there was a limit for the first couple of months. It was somewhere around £80-90, that then goes up to under £300 if You pay the bills on time. A friend managed to get his phone blocked once he reached the £90 limit and had to phone them and ask to increase the limit. There should be an option of limiting how much above the contract price You can spend.

I always turn my voicemail off when going abroad as I got charged couple of times for people getting caught on my voicemail.

As others suggested try and speak with Orange why no one ever contacted Your daughter (or You, if the contract is in Your name) about the spending. It is not reasonable to just not notice someone who managed to get fine with a £25 contract to rack up a £600 and £1200 bill. I do feel for You as it is a lot of money but it probably might finally end Your daughters relationship if You talk with her boyfriend. But then watch out as Hora might be there to comfort her as she is back in the country now 😉

Funny how many people jump to the conclusion that my daughter is a spoilt princess, and her parents are soft and lack parenting skills.

From what you've said you create this image tbh...she is an adult and really shouldnt (IMHO) have DD and contracts in your name...

can you pay for mine too please? im only 29..

scotia, she has minimal income. She is a student and off to Uni soon. We will not let her claim benefit as I feel very strongly that she should not without contributing first, and up to the point she contributes her parents are financially responsible. She is an adult and is treated as such, and to be honest, her phone contract is in my name as it's the same contract she had from before she was 18. The issue in my OP though was not whether my parenting skills are up for debate, more whether I should just pay the bill (from within my families income), or contest it. The more constructive feedback on here is that I could contest it, but there is also some feeling that the bill should just be paid. If you are presented with a bill though, and you don't feel as though you had value for money, do you pay it and learn that lesson, or contest it?

I'd still put contracts etc in her name otherwise she is going to run up (potentially) monumental levels of debt at uni.

Its only a small lesson! 🙂

mieszko- strangely always comes across as sorted/well thought out. mieszko are you a groomer on here of older-males?!!! 😉

She is an adult and is treated as such,

Junkyard, would love to adopt, but can't afford any more kids (see my OP). You probably wouldn't appreciate being part of my family anyway......

Does anyone with student kids fund them? I suspect many many people do (and it is what the government force, as they only loan a certain amount of required funding). I can't see anything wrong with that.

So shes, 19 off to uni and not got much cash - how does a job sound?

I know it might not fit with teenagers now-a-days, but hey thats life.

How about she defers for a year, gets a job, saves some money for uni and pays you back the £2k.

While she was out in SA she would've had update texts as to the current level of her bill, I know I did in Argentina the other month, so I very much doubt she knew nothing about it.

Does anyone with student kids fund them?

As someone who was fairly recently an undergrad student, I can tell you that it really, really varies.

As a rule, I'd say most people get their accommodation paid for by parents, and get some sort of an allowance as well. Others pay their way via student loans and part time jobs. Some can study, get good marks and work full time. But they must have less need to sleep / more will power than me. And it really varies by course - someone taking engineering has far less free time than someone doing cultural studies.

I suspect some of the people on here saying "Oooh, I had to scrape the ice off the inside of me cardboard box" etc. went to uni before fees and the abolition of student grants.

Does anyone with student kids fund them?

I really don't want to slip into attacking you- that isn't fair. full stop.

There is providing assistance and there is funding their lifestyle.

Everyone is different but I was encouraged to find a part time job at uni. Acommodation - yes however bills is a different matter.

It didnt hurt me and I paid my bills.

What I will say is though shes not even at Uni yet and shes landed you with an explanatory-high bill.

Being a student is about learning ones self, about learning life, not starving but not living freely either.

either way his messing around has cost someone lots of money.

damn
Hassling him for supporting a child at Uni is well out of order ....given no grant and level of loan/fees not sure how else to expect a child to get throgh Uni even with a PT job if they can get one....anyone seen the under 25 unemployment rate recently [33%]. Supporting you chid is one thing paying a 2k phone bill is [imho] enabling them to remain a child/not take responsibility for own actions [payg phone contract in her name@18 for example]. We all do things for our kids that are daft as we love the but dont let them take the pi55 /advantage of this..only you know whether she is doing this.

Seeing people who got grants and did not pay fees giving advice is rather strange. The costs are not what they were when we did degrees now there are no grants and course fees.

I think you need to go to parenting classes and learn how to deal with that spoilt madam you have as a daughter, why are you subsidising her relationship with so called boyfriend, why wasn't he making the calls, and leaving it up to your daughter, strikes me she is immature and knows how so play/manipulate you.

I would put a limit on her calls arrange with orange for her phone to be blocked if she reached a predetermined limit.

This HAS to be a troll?

What a numpty, you knew the cost of the calls, so surly should of mimited her?

Oh shit, I spent £1000 this weekend on shite on a credit card, I wonder if ill get it back

Numpty 🙄