Big Companies praying on the elderly ?

[hattie43]

I am really frustrated with some big names taking advantage of my 80 yrs mum because she isn't tach savvy.
One massive buy anything internet company insists she took out their special delivery option , her TV / WiFi company insisted she had a Netflix package despite the fact she doesn't know what it is and recently she went to a mobile phone shop to buy a very basic mobile phone only to come away with a smartphone on an expensive tariff , the features of which she'll never use .

I'm feeling the staff are more interested in their incentives and commissions rather than what's best for the customer.

Mum is living of a small pension and all these unnecessary packages are placing a strain on it.
Anyone else ?

Yes. I’d love to start naming and shaming!

DF has been upsold for years. I think he bought things because the nice person in the shop talked to him like he was sane and reasonable. Things like ending up with a phone, a tablet with a SIM card and insurance for everything. When he was retired, at home a lot with WiFi etc.

Product protection insurers should be hauled over the coals - e.g. I cancel the TV insurance which has been in place so long a new TV could have been bought for the premiums (and DF has moved home twice so it’s unlikely he’d be covered?). Firm make a phone call to DF (no idea what they say and he doesn’t answer calls generally now) and reinstate the DD. Twice so far, vultures.

I think it comes from their generation believing people are good and honourable and have their bests interests at heart whereas we're wise enough to trust no-one in sales .

I used to work for Phones 4 U, and I made myself unpopular with the manager early on, because I wouldn't let the staff chivvy pensioners into crazy phone tariffs, etc, that they obviously didn't understand.

I didn't bloody care. I told him 'i have to sleep at night', and I wouldn't be able to if I was taking the piss out of more vulnerable customers.

The perfect example of this is when we were still selling landlines, but only had a few left. Which were really complicated models, that could download games and shite onto.
The lovely old couple came in, and I suggested that Argos (it was next door) would be a better fit, cos they just wanted your common or garden landline.

So, Mr Manager didn't get his poxy commission.
I couldn't have cared less.

And it did mean that I had lots of older customers come in to talk to me about their phones, and whatnot, cos they knew I wouldn't try to bamboozle them with shite.

Sounds like you were one of the good guys .

EE are slippery bastards.looking at Bon accord centre branch.

I just imagined it was my parents that some little shit took advantage of.

I pretended to be my Mum once when I had to take out basic house insurance with Saga. I was surprised that the member of staff started trying to put the frighteners on by asking how I would manage if this or that happened and was pushing for a more comprehensive package that she certainly didn’t need and hadn’t asked for.

My 80 year old in laws are very savvy and actively brained

BT - horrendously stitched up my FIL. He has faster broadband than us and doesn’t even have a laptop anymore.
Tried to get them to change the package - not interested. Am counting the days until he’s out of contract.

They are a disgrace. Halifax were charging my late Mum £500 per year for house insurance on her small place (I got it renewed somewhere else at £120!). They claimed they had written to her and said she could go online and compare pricing.

Mum didnt have online access and its only when I took over her finances that I discovered what was going on. I made a formal complaint to Halifax and they gave us £300 in compensation which was better than nothing I guess. Mum was horribly embarassed by it all.

Various charities preying on these old people. Mum had various small DD contributing to some. I suspect any large amounts would have triggered Mum to refuse but smaller amounts went through. Wonder if that was the objective of the charity!

Various charities preying on these old people Absolutely! They donate to one charity, then their name is on a “suckers list” and all the other charities come in for their bit. The idea of a charity for elderly people inviting a 95 year-old to donate!