More scamming cold callers

Alzheimer mother was getting pestered by some company (I wrote the name down but can't find it now). They phoned up and presumably went through a list of building items before they hit upon a back door, which she wants replaced. Most of the time she tells them to ring back on a specific day and time when she knows I'll be here.

Anyway, they phoned back and spoke to me, the lady said they were a "Government Approved" company who fitted doors and windows, and that because mum is over 65, it's "subsidised" for about a third off. She kept using the words Government, scheme and subsidised in the same sentence. So I asked what specific Govt or local council scheme this was part of. She couldn't answer. Long story short, she admitted that the "subsidy" was just that their supplier sold them doors and windows at bulk discount because they bought huge amounts. The "Government scheme" didn't exist, the only link to the Govt was that their windows and doors met efficiency standards. She disappeared and passed me on to her manager in the end, who pretty much repeated what the saleswoman had said.

I asked them not to contact again, and touch wood they haven't yet. But to a (confused) elderly person, it must have sounded like this was an official scheme, backed by the Government and subsidised for old people like the insulation/central heating stuff used to be. Disgraceful.

Reply to
Mentalguy2k8
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+1. My late mother suffered from these for a while. I'm worrying about how I will cope when the time comes. I'm tempted to get some cards printed to hand out, which just say "F*** off", perhaps with a backup with the kids' phone numbers for the really persistent.
Reply to
newshound

Out of interest, what is the legal situation, had your mother "signed up" ? In the same way a contract with a minor would be invalid, assuming someone has power of attorney for your mother, would any contract with her be similarly invalid ?

Reply to
Jethro_uk

Giving someone power of attorney does not remove your ability to make (daft) decisions yourself. You would need someone to declare you incapax so that your decision were null and void. I run my mother-in-law's affairs under POA but she can and does still sign cheques - she is not gaga.

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

To expand: Whether the OP's mother has mental capacity to enter contracts and whether somebody has power of attorney are two independent questions. All four combinations are possible.

Note also that normal power of attorney (the power to act on someone's behalf) lapses as soon as the donor loses capacity. It is only Enduring (new) or Lasting (old) powers of attorney that survive the loss of capacity.

Note also that "No, she doesn't have mental capacity" and "No, nobody has lasting/enduring power of attorney" is an inconvenient and expensive position to get to. It is possible to go to the Court of Protection and gain the necessary powers, but it is worth avoiding.

Reply to
Martin Bonner

Given the hassle we've had with my MILs affairs given that we *do* have Enduring PoA, I can't imagine the pain if you don't.

Reply to
Huge

I think if my mother were to start losing her marbles I'd buy her a Truecall unit and set it up to *only* pass calls through from a "white list" and not ring at all for un-recognised numbers.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

Indeed. I have had enduring powers for several people - some with capacity, others not. Everyone should set up am enduring/lasting power for the day you don't know yet is coming.

Reply to
Geoff Pearson

Er, arse about face with "enduring" and "lasting".

The old system was "enduring", they can still be used if made and signed before Oct 2007. The system now is for "Lasting Power of Attorney" in two forms "Property and Financial Affairs" or "Health and Welfare". The Health and Welfare one can only be used when the donor has gone gaga.

Each LPA has to be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian and costs £130. So for a couple taking out both forms of LPA mutually the bill is £520.

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Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Hear, hear!

Reply to
Huge

But then she would not be able to receive calls from the Police, Doctors or Hospital if she needed to.

Reply to
Mark

How often do the police need to ring her? Doctors and hospital should give out a switchboard number at the very least.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

How long is a piece of string? ;-)

They should, but they don't.

Reply to
Mark

Doctors and hospitals here come up as 'number withheld'.

Reply to
F

Which is disgraceful.

I've never understood why it's considered okay for some hospitals (and other institutions) to withhold their number. If I were to go around ringing folks' doorbells wearing a paperbag over my head or a balaclava it would be considered unacceptable.

The simple answer is to block all such calls and force the institutions to change their policies. If it can work in Ayrshire (when hospitals discovered that they couldn't contact patients), it could work anywhere.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

She can still ring them though.

So force them to change. Block all withheld numbers. Worked in Ayrshire.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

And here.

I totally agree. However I have had this discussion with many people and consider we are in a minority. I have heard all sorts of lame excuses for why they withhold their number such as:

- Their call might alert someone else that the intended recipient has been contacted by a medical organisation and they might want to keep it secret.

- Their switchboard can't (present a number).

- Their switchboard can only present one number and not their direct dial number.

I don't accept any of these as valid reasons for withholding their number.

It hasn't worked here.

Reply to
Mark

Yet. It takes time but when our hospital realised how many folk were missing appointments or were unable to take advantage of cancellations they started presenting a switchboard number. Problem solved.

Tim

Reply to
Tim+

I wonder how many hospitals would figure this out rather than just accept it as unexplained.

Reply to
Mark

But wear a burqa and apparently it is

Reply to
The Other Mike

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