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Elderly parents
Original poster

Can we cancel charity direct debits? If so, how?

66 replies

WhiteboardMarker · 04/11/2024 17:44

I’d really appreciate some help on this please

Dad has dementia, he’s got several DDs set up for charities but he needs carers, which obviously he’ll have to pay for and he just can’t afford the charity payments any more

If I ring his bank they won’t speak to me will they?

OP posts:
MidLifeMayhem · 05/11/2024 07:37

Who does your dad bank with? Most banks have specialist teams who support vulnerable customers who will understand and help.

TheGreatScotchEggControversy · 05/11/2024 07:13

Get online banking sorted, it doesn't matter that you bank with them as well (why would it?)

It will help in future as well

Original poster
WhiteboardMarker · 05/11/2024 07:11

Thanks everyone, some good suggestions here. Definitely no online banking

Going to try the bank after 8 but I’m not holding my breath with them. I’ve got numbers for the charities (all 7!) and will go to them direct if I don’t get anywhere with the bank

OP posts:
Worsethingshappenatsea · 04/11/2024 18:33

You could draft a letter to the Bank for him and get him to sign ? Banks will usually action postal requests for elderly customers.

PrincessAnne4Eva · 04/11/2024 18:04

Is there any chance he has online banking? My elderly PILs do, which is why I'm wondering. You can usually cancel them via online banking but I appreciate this might not be an option.

Dearover · 04/11/2024 18:02

I did the same. My IL's had been taken advantage off by tele marketing calls, with their initially low DDs increasing tenfold. The charities cancelled them without challenging it.

KoalaCalledKevin · 04/11/2024 18:01

WhiteboardMarker · 04/11/2024 17:55

No POA unfortunately

I could try ringing with him there but he won’t know what we’re talking about so I don’t know if they’ll accept that. Worth a try though

Setting up online banking would be great but I bank with the same Company so I don’t think that’d work, which is a shame

My dad rang up pretending to be his FIL once. His MIL, my grandma, was standing there feeding him any answers he needed - she'd have done it herself but just needed a male voice. It was when grandad had severe dementia, and grandma needed something doing - I think it was to do with the electricity bills or similar, where only grandad was on the account and a bit silly they'd never changed it.

stichguru · 04/11/2024 18:01

I'd do it through the charities. I would think you will need to get legal power of POA before the bank will speak to you. This is kind of why POA exists. If you could meddle with someone's legal and finical stuff without it, then why would it be needed?

Changingplace · 04/11/2024 18:00

If you don’t have POA you can apply for guardianship- not sure how quickly this can be arranged but you might find it useful going forwards.

Abra1t · 04/11/2024 17:59

Yes. Admittedly probably a decade ago now, for a very elderly neighbour I was keeping an eye on. I just explained I was a friend, he was 96 and I wasn't sure he knew what he was doing and they cancelled it.

He had no idea how much money he was spending and the charities had telemarketed him.

TheSilkWorm · 04/11/2024 17:58

You may be able to register for online banking with him then you can cancel online

Original poster
WhiteboardMarker · 04/11/2024 17:57

Really Abra1t?

Thanks for that, again worth a try. Will take me ages but I’ll do it if I have to

OP posts:
Original poster
WhiteboardMarker · 04/11/2024 17:55

No POA unfortunately

I could try ringing with him there but he won’t know what we’re talking about so I don’t know if they’ll accept that. Worth a try though

Setting up online banking would be great but I bank with the same Company so I don’t think that’d work, which is a shame

OP posts:
Abra1t · 04/11/2024 17:55

I have in the past just rung the charities themselves up and said there is a problem with dementia and they have cancelled the debit just like that.

YouAreExtraExtra · 04/11/2024 17:46

If you phone them with him there they will ask for his permission to speak to you. If you do it on a mobile you could then wander to another room so he doesn’t hear/get distressed.

Can you set up online banking on his accounts so you can do it that way?

Floralnomad · 04/11/2024 17:46

Do you have POA over his finances ?