A family has accused BT of leaving a 70-year-old woman with terminal stage four cancer waiting weeks to resolve a billing dispute involving almost £1,000 in alleged overcharges. The woman, who has been a loyal BT customer for more than 25 years, is receiving palliative care after being diagnosed with advanced gallbladder cancer. Her family say they recently discovered she had allegedly been paying for a SIM card that was added when she renewed her BT broadband contract in July 2022, despite already having a separate EE mobile phone contract.
Charges allegedly went unnoticed for years
According to the family, the additional monthly charge continued to be collected by Direct Debit for around four years, building up to almost £1,000. They believe the charges went unnoticed because BT had stopped sending paper bills, with payments simply leaving the customer’s bank account each month. The family say the SIM card was never requested or required, as she already had an existing mobile contract with EE.
Family say BT refused immediate refund
When relatives contacted BT to question the charges, they say the company opened a formal complaint but informed them that they would have to wait until 4 August 2026 before a refund request could even be considered. The family say they were left stunned that a vulnerable customer with a terminal illness could not have the issue dealt with immediately. They claim the response caused unnecessary stress at a time when the family should be focused on spending precious time together.
“Compassion should come first”
Relatives say they believe BT should have exercised greater compassion given the customer’s medical circumstances. They are now calling on the telecommunications giant to urgently investigate the account, refund any money that has been wrongly taken and explain how the additional charges remained on the account for several years. The family also want BT to review its procedures for identifying long-term billing issues affecting elderly and vulnerable customers.
BT approached for comment
UKNIP has approached BT for comment regarding the family’s allegations, the handling of the complaint and the reported delay in processing a refund. At the time of publication, no response had been received. This article reflects the allegations made by the customer’s family. BT has been given the opportunity to respond, and this article will be updated if a statement is received.
A BT spokesperson: “We’re sorry for Mrs Jackson’s experience, we take the welfare of our customers very seriously and we’re sorry that on this occasion our service fell below the high standard we strive to deliver to our customers. After thoroughly reviewing this case, we have provided her with a full refund to acknowledge her experience”.
On background:
- We’ll be addressing Mrs Jackson’s complaint resolution experience with internal guide retraining.
- Bills have been produced each month detailing the mobile service and associated charges, we recommend for customers to monitor their bills and contact us if anything appears incorrectly.
Originally published by UKNIP.
