AIBU to think companies should help elderly people so they are not on high bills

[Pringlemonster]

Having taken over for a relative who is now in a home ,I’ve had to sort out all their finances.
Some of the bills were shocking
So water was higher per month than my family of 6 with 4 kids
Pet insurance was £100 a month ,I got It down to £50
Gas again higher than 6 peoples bill per month
BT charging ridiculous amounts for just a phone line ,when no phone calls were being made when the house was lived in
All of these ,could of been lower ,and I think companies should have a responsibility to the elderly to not fleece them.
The younger generation are able to look round for better cheaper companies to get their utilities from ,elderly people still living at home ,with no relatives near ,or help ,can’t do this
And I just think it’s a shame companies don’t be more responsible.
Before people jump in saying i should of done that myself ,firstly not a chance in hell would this relative of let me look at the finances,and secondly ,I’m to far away ,and very distant relative

It depends - not all elderly have cognitive issues and if they don't then they are perfectly capable of looking around for better deals. If they are diagnosed then relatives should probably take charge. Businesses probably should have some responsibility to ensure that expensive tariffs that skew the distribution are not charged for anybody, not age related.

I believe elderly people are now the least likely to be living in poverty in the UK.

Frankly I'd prefer to renationalise utility companies and not have them profit making private companies. For one think, then we wouldn't have to worry about shopping around for better deals etc.

Oh, and is there any evidence older people shop around less than younger people?

I would say from the eldery people I knew In their 80s none of them Had internet ,or sky or Netflix .So would not of been able to shop around for the best deals ,so yes I do think companies have a responsibility to their older customers

I know it’s too late now, and you may be aware anyway, but just to let you know to be careful changing pet insurance companies as the new company usually won’t pay for any pre-existing conditions, including things you wouldn’t consider to be a “condition” - if they’ve been seen by a vet for it in the past, it may well not be covered on the new policy. So although it seems a lot cheaper, it could work out more expensive in the long run.

I agree OP. I used to work in insurance underwriting and would often come across policies that had been running for 30+ years that would have monthly premiums of over £100. It was always elderly customers who had stayed loyal to the company for years and just weren't aware of the concept of shopping around. I hated seeing it and was always tempted to contact them and tell them that if they took out a brand new policy with us that day they would reduce their premiums by about 90%.

That’s sad name change the world