Be sure ATT is not ripping off your elder family members.

[Ingomike]

A recent post about old technology reminded me of this. When Grandma couldn't handle the bills any longer the family took care of them for her. The phone bill seemed high, it was. She had one old rotary phone and one touch tone, both the 15 pound versions from the early 70's. She was still paying $4.95 each plus a "wire maintenance" fee and had payed that for near 40 years. We estimate she paid $3000-$4000 for these phones. They were removed from the bill and they did not even want them back. They were replaced by a $10 phone with extra large buttons she could see better.

other friends have told of how Indystar charges seniors that do not understand today's ways 4-5 times what you or I would pay for the paper.

Any other tips you can share like this?

M

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

When I started going over my mom's bills, some time after dad died, I discovered that AOL had still been deducting $24.95 every month for dial-up internet. Mom had never used the computer and dad had died in 2008, and I made the discovery in 2012. I didn't even try to contact AOL, I just called the bank and stopped the auto-pay for that one.

I'm sure there was an announcement at the following AOL share-holder's meeting about loosing their last dial-up customer.



Other things I've found with my mom's stuff include her having way more coverage than she needed on her home-owner's insurance and still giving the church what had been 10% of her and dad's combined income even after he died and her income was reduced.

 

[littletommy]

My mom died in 2009, we never really found any blatant cons against her, but she did donate to a few charities for many years before her death. I suppose most/all charities share info because good god, moms phone would ring off the damn wall with people bumming money! You could not walk in the house for 30 seconds without the frikken phone ringing. The last several years she was alive I would just unplug the phone when I walked in, and plug it in when I left.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I've tried to keep an eye on my mom's expenses, so I don't expect any big surprises. She just argues with me about things that would save her even more. For example I could get her cell service unlimited/unlimited for $25/mo vs the $20/mo she's paying for a few minutes a week, and she could stop messing with the xfinity phone that's usually the cause of her going over her minutes every month. She could even keep her flip phone. She argues with me about wanting a "land line" and I try to explain VOIP and how it's all coming down the same DSL with the two TV's they let her have and the suck internet I have to keep fixing. I can't fix her rent going up $60.

 

[rhino]

A recent post about old technology reminded me of this. When Grandma couldn't handle the bills any longer the family took care of them for her. The phone bill seemed high, it was. She had one old rotary phone and one touch tone, both the 15 pound versions from the early 70's. She was still paying $4.95 each plus a "wire maintenance" fee and had payed that for near 40 years. We estimate she paid $3000-$4000 for these phones. They were removed from the bill and they did not even want them back. They were replaced by a $10 phone with extra large buttons she could see better.

other friends have told of how Indystar charges seniors that do not understand today's ways 4-5 times what you or I would pay for the paper.

Any other tips you can share like this?

M

Oy! Was it my story about our wall-mounted ringer?

Did ATT refund any of the old charges?

 

[Ingomike]

Oy! Was it my story about our wall-mounted ringer?

Did ATT refund any of the old charges?

It was your story that made me think of this. We did not try to get anything back. Just hope others will check their families.

M

 

[rhino]

It was your story that made me think of this. We did not try to get anything back. Just hope others will check their families.

M

Thank you for spreading the word!