A mobile phone firm tried to take money from a dead man’s bank account - and sent him new phone bills TWICE – even though his daughter had gone into its store with his death certificate.
Orange has now apologised to Carnie Cooper, 20, for the catalogue of bungles, and promised to raise a “training issue” when it comes to staff dealing with deceased customers’ families.
Miss Cooper, from Woodlesford, said: “They just need to get their act together. They need a bereavement section and to train people to talk to people properly.”
Michael Cooper died in September last year, aged just 63.
In October, having paid off his final bill, Miss Cooper went into the Orange store in the White Rose Centre to cancel his account, taking along his death certificate. However a month later, the family received another bill for around £90. The firm also tried to take money from his bank account. “I do not see how this is possible as Orange was notified my father was deceased,” she said in a letter to the firm. “I then rang through to the overseas contact centre and was treated appallingly. I kept explaining that my father was deceased, and she refused to take my call unless ‘Michael Cooper’ could answer the security questions.
“I took the death certificate in again. The following month I got yet again another phone bill for my father.”
Office worker Miss Cooper says she also had to suffer a stream of distressing incidents linked to her own Orange account, which had been held jointly with her father.
A letter from the company acknowledged Miss Cooper felt she had had “poor service”, adding a “training issue” would be raised with the manager of the relevant department. “I can assure you that any action deemed necessary will be taken,” the letter added. “Please accept my sincere apology for any upset you feel this matter may have caused you.”
Phone contracts, data protection and consumers. See Consumerwatch in Style supplement.