@VodafoneUK harrassing widow of deceased man .... for £40!! *** Resolved***

[essjaydee]

Hi, just wanted some advice on this situation...

My father passed away earlier this year and after several months of nothing, my mother has suddenly been contacted by Ardent Credit Services on behalf of Vodafone, who are claiming that my father owed ~£40, even though (as far as we can see on his bank statements), he always paid his bill via monthly direct debit.

They are starting to harass my mother - so far in the space of a few days, she has had 3 emails, 2 phone calls and a letter. What should we do?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[essjaydee]

As far as I know, Vodafone were informed - my mother took care of cancelling all bills, accounts, direct debits etc that were in my father's name or were no longer needed.

 

As I mentioned, we did check back on his bank statements, and the phone bill was paid right up until the month that he passed, so I can't see where this debt has come from.

 

Also, the amount they are chasing for does not match his monthly bill (nor any multiples of it), so it really makes no sense.

 

My mother is the Executor - she has been given a number to contact within Vodafone, so hopefully it can be sorted out asap. I've told her to not contact or deal with Ardent at this stage.

 

Thanks again everyone.

[essjaydee]

my Mother was able to speak to someone in their bereavement department - as you mentioned above BankFodder - and they have now resolved the issue and were extremely apologetic about everything that occurred.

 

We're still convinced that my Father's account shouldn't have been billed after the month he passed (my Mother had a list of companies that she had contacted with Vodafone ticked,

 

whilst she can't 100% remember the conversation with them, she is almost certain she had cancelled the phone account), but even if it had been charged correctly, Vodafone told her that after only 1 month's missed payment, they automatically pass it to a collection agency and start adding interest. My Father's account was only around £10 per month! What an insane way to do business with your supposed 'valued' customers.

My Mother is now considering whether to make a formal complaint, but she isn't sure if she wants all of the hassle.

I said I'd do it on her behalf, so I'll keep you updated if and when we go ahead.

Thanks again everyone. Appreciate the kind words and helpful advice.