Mother has dementia, can her calls be limited to 59 minutes

[#1]

Hi, my mother has dementia and is currently living on her own. I pay for my mother's phone and broadband package, and she uses the phone a lot and she can talk to someone for well over an hour. I try to call her back to prevent incurring ridiculously high extra charges for her going over the hour marker but this doesn't always happen with others- or me if I lose track of time. Is there away to cut the call off after 59 minutes and force a redial? I've tried putting a budget on the account of say no more than £5 in extra charges but without success. Allowing someone to notch up significantly high over payments is very poor, and especially when it's the result of a severe cognitive impairment

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Thanks a lot for your time on the phone just now, it was lovely chatting with you. 

We don't have a way of limiting calls but as mentioned we can get the credit limit changed for you to restrict any extra costs so I'll get back to you to confirm when that's been done. 

Just to mention on here to as it might help others, one of my team mates helpfully suggested that setting up an Amazon Echo or a Google Dot might be a helpful thing to do so you can set up scheduled reminders along with a few other benefits too. 

Adam

[#3]

@adamwalker, is this on a landline or mobile? I was assuming landline.  Won't exceeding the credit limit stop any calls being made and direct you to the call centre where you'd have to pay £5 something to be able to make any calls again?  That doesn't seem like what the OP wanted.  Or has the way credit limits changed?

Edit: Found the link.  It's here, then expand the "What happens if I go over my credit threshold?" section.  The cost is £5.76 to restore calls after exceeding the credit limit

[#4]

Hi @pjmarsh I've covered everything off with the OP over the phone so I've not disclosed everything discussed on here. It's all been resolved now. 

[#5]

Is it possible to add a FAQ or a fixed topic to describe how to deal with this issue - it seems to be something that other people will encounter.

(Of course, the issue will go away by the end of 2025)

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

[#6]

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): The fix has been changed to @adamwalker as per message #2.