Help with mums account

[Jgoods63]

Can anyone help / advise my elderly mother lives alone and is with talktalk and only use it for home phone. She suffers with dementia so finds it difficult calling up customer service and understanding things unless she's having help from me. I'm a 3rd party on her account as I'm still waiting for a power of attorney to be processed 

At present she can't make outgoing calls  which is extremely worrying seeing as she is elderly has dementia and the phone is a life line .It appears she has a call limit in place of £17  which she has already reached.I never knew she had this nor did she but she could of easily forgotten.

I've called talktalk who said they can remove it and put mum on an anytime call plan at £12 month but I can't do it on her behalf they need to speak to mum. An advisor did say she would call mum but they didn't plus I also explained if they did mum my not fully understand what they are talking about

I'm about hour an half away from my mum and now have to take a day off work to go down and try and sort this out tomorrow (wed 10 sept.)

I guess my question is if mum is with me when I call them and she speaks to them with me there and  gives permission for me to change her account details will they accept it. This is causing such stress as until this is changed mum can't make outgoing calls until her next bill comes in which is another 2 weeks time 

Also a part 2 of this sarga is , I can't set up an online account for her as it says an email is already registered on her account.Mum hasn't a clue what it is nor do I I think she must of got some help a very long time ago from a club she went to who help senior citizen with bills etc and they may of done something.

I've tried doing the forgotten email thing but it then ask for the mobile number that's also registered to mums account again no idea what that is.

Mum did have a mobile a long time ago but lost the ability to use it and the phone has also disappeared so even if it was mums mobile number there would be no way of  retrieving the txt 

Help asap please 

[kanya-TT]

Thanks for reaching out and we are glad the issue has been resolved. You most welcome anytime should you require assistance.

Kanya

[Jgoods63]

Thank you yes but  tbh my 1st attempt at calling I was meet with " we can't do that " which i wasn't at all pleased about even though I explained everything and had my mum with me.I got a bit frustrated and hung up .

I gave it 5 mins and called again fortunately this time the gentleman that dealt with the issue was very helpful and sorted everything out for us .

Mum now has a fully working phone , the restriction lifted and put on the anytime boost package.Also I've now managed to set her account up online to make it easier to manage.

Thank you for your assistance yesterday you helped a great deal.

[Mandisa-TT]

Hi @Jgoods63 I do see that you contacted us this morning and you were assisted accordingly, will there be anything else we can assist you with?

[Jgoods63]

Thank you I was aware it was an hour duration then redial or be charged.Its only a few people she calls anyway due to her condition.

I think in the long run it should work out  cheaper as this restriction she had in place of £17 of calls that she had no idea about neither did I has obviously been reached and her next bill isnt due for another two week so it makes sense to put her on anytime 

[Gliwmaeden2]

@Jgoods63,

You'll need to try to explain to your Mum that with the calls boost she must finish the call within the hour.

After one hour it is charged at the full rate.

She can however put the phone down and redial to continue the conversation as many times as she likes.

It also covers only 01, 02 and 03 landline numbers and ordinary mobiles, as well as the obvious free numbers, so she still needs to be wary of 084.... or 0870 numbers etc.

[Jgoods63]

Again thank you so much 

[Mandisa-TT]

You're very welcome! I completely understand how challenging it can be to manage everything from a distance, especially with the added complexities of data protection. Please know that we're here to support you. Your mother's well-being is important, and we're committed to helping you through this process. feel free to contact me if you need anything else.

[Jgoods63]

Honestly thank you so much.It is so difficult trying to manage things from a distance and all this data protection now makes things even harder when your desperately trying to help your mother .

 I hope I don't encounter any problems tomorrow but if I do I'll definitely respond and ask for a call from welfare Thank you so much 

[Mandisa-TT]

I completely understand, you can also just respond on this thread tomorrow when you get to her if you encounter any issue and we will be able to get someone from the Welfare team to call. Once you have consent tomorrow, you will be able to change account details, and you will be able to setup myaccount to manage her account until the power of attorney is completed. 

[Jgoods63]

I'll have to take a day off tomorrow and go down If your sure they will allow the changes if I'm with mum and she gives consent then I'll call them once I'm there myself as I can't be certain when I'll get there as I'm a long way.

lAso the matter of setting up her account online so it can be managed more easy will they be able to remove the email and mobile number associated with her account and add the one I'll provide so her account can be managed online.

The email and mobile number registered to her account at the moment i have no idea what it is neither does my mum I think it was something to do with help she was getting regarding bills etc from a senior citizen club before she got dementia 

[Mandisa-TT]

Hi @Jgoods63 I have found your mother's account, and I see that you are currently listed as a nominated user. This is why we cannot make any changes to the account without her consent. Once the power of attorney is finalized, you will be able to make changes on her behalf. I spoke with my manager, and if you call with your mother tomorrow and she provides her consent, we will be able to make the necessary changes. Alternatively, she can arrange for a callback from someone on the welfare team to assist you with your query while you are with her. You can provide the time you will be with her and your contact details privately if you want to be contacted. 

[Mandisa-TT]

Thank you, you have provided the details, I will reply to you shortly I am having a word with my manager for you.

[Jgoods63]

I think I've sent it to you ,?

[Jgoods63]

I know my mum's account number as I have her paper work but she wouldnt be able to recall it if I wasn't with her .

How do I do a private note ....

[Mandisa-TT]

I understand how stressful this situation must be, especially considering your mother's needs and her condition. If your mother is with you when you call TalkTalk, and she is able to provide verbal consent for you to make changes to her account, they should accept it when you call through. It’s important that she clearly states her permission during the call. However, you have mentioned that she does not remember her account details, I will consult with my manager now and see what we can do for you. Can you please add her landline number and her names as per the account on your private note on your profile and let me know when done.

[Jgoods63]

Thank you it's causing us both stress and a huge worry as she lives alone with dementia  I understand it's all about data protection but I am her son and a 3rd party on her account I'm also paying her bill too She happy that the restriction is removed and I put her on the anytime call package but talktalk won't let me do it By the way this is my account I'm messaging on not my mums

[Mandisa-TT]

Hi @Jgoods63 I'm sorry to hear this, I will look into your case and assist you with your query.