Can I switch my mother’s home phone service?

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Our expert says...

Dear Alison, thanks for your email regarding changing your mother’s home phone service to the Primus Saver package. Switching on behalf of an elderly friend or relative is a good idea if:

• You want to manage/receive their bills
• You want to pay their bills
• You want to reduce their bills.

Most landline providers will allow you to take control of a relative’s utility bills, and it is possible for you to place an order online with Homephonechoices.co.uk to switch your mother’s home phone service. However every provider has different policies on how they manage this.

Below is some more information from the providers on how to switch your mother’s line rental and calls:

Switching a relative’s line rental to Primus

If you’re looking to reduce a relative’s home phone bills, consider switching to the Primus Home Phone Saver package. This costs just £7.99 a month for line rental and free evening and weekend calls to local and national landlines in the UK.

You can place the order online via Homephonechoices.co.uk. Just fill in the order form using the name, address and landline number of the person you’re switching on behalf of, eg your mother’s name, her address and her phone number. The contact telephone number you supply can be your own home phone number, your mobile number or a work number however, and you should give Primus an email address that you check regularly. Have a look at the example below:

You should then fill in the payment details, using your bank account to set-up a monthly direct debit (if you intend to pay for your relative’s phone bills). The account holder name should be your name, and the account number and sort code should be those of your bank account. Take a look at the example form below:

Then simply click “PLACE SWITCH”, and your order will be submitted online to Primus. You will receive a confirmation email from Homephonechoices.co.uk, giving details of your order.

If you have any further questions about switching a relative’s home phone service to Primus, call 0800 036 0170 or visit www.primusconnect.co.uk.

Switching a relative’s line rental to YourCalls.net

Calls to international destinations can be expensive, so an elderly relative may be reluctant to pick up the phone and call you if you’re living overseas. Switching their phone service to cheap provider YourCalls.net (www.yourcalls.net) could save them money, and mean you worry less about them staying in touch. With its “Golden Destination” feature, customers can get huge discounts on international calls.

A switch to YourCalls.net on behalf of a relative can be done online in minutes. You should fill in the order form with your own name, including your own bank details, but use your relative’s address and phone number. For your example:

Susan Smith would like to take over and manage her mother, Edna Brown’s phone bills. When switching online Susan Smith should include her own name, bank details and email address on the online form - this will indicate that she should be the primary account contact. She would need to use Edna Brown’s telephone number and address so that YourCalls.net can switch the line from Edna’s existing supplier.

By doing this, the bills for Edna’s service would be sent directly to Susan (via email) and the payments would be taken from Susan’s bank account.

Switching your mother’s home phone service to YourCalls.net online is quick and easy, and as line rental is cheaper than BT (www.bt.com), it’ll save money too.

Switching a relative’s line rental to TalkTalk

If you have an elderly relative whose phone bills are constantly being hit by expensive rates to premium 0845 and 9870 numbers, consider switching their landline service to TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk). TalkTalk offers free calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers, within its call plans.

Switching to TalkTalk on behalf of a relative is easy, and you can arrange to have the bills sent to your own address. TalkTalk says: “As long as TalkTalk has an agreement from all the parties involved, there will be no problem switching the account.”

You can apply to manage the payments of your elderly relative’s service over the phone, but your relative needs to be heard on the call agreeing to the transfer of their services. You can also request to change the payment details in writing, though you will need to demonstrate “proof of authority” that you are allowed to do this on your relative’s behalf, such as their signature.

The first bill will be sent to the address of your relative, however after this you will be able to have future bills sent to your address - this can be requested over the phone.

Switching a relative’s line rental to Virgin Media

Cable phone line provider Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) also allows you to manage an elderly relative or friend’s phone bills, if for example, you’re worried about their missing a payment. Virgin Media says:

“A customer’s bills can be paid by a relative or someone else, and the billing address can be changed to theirs so they receive the bill, if the customer would like to do this. However on these occasions, Virgin Media isn’t able to set-up a direct debit over the phone, for security purposes.”

If you want to take over the payment of a relative’s Virgin Media account, a direct debit mandate will be sent to their address for you to fill in. You will need to complete this, with your bank details, and your relative must also sign it to validate it. Your relative would also need to give authority for the billing address to be changed, which can be done verbally, over the phone or in writing.

I hope this helps you to switch your mother onto a cheaper and more suitable home phone tariff, Alison. Managing an elderly relative’s landline bills can save both you and them time, stress and unnecessary worry.

Ask us a question

If you have a general switching or provider query please email us at ourexpert@homephonechoices.co.uk