My mother has Alzheimer’s but O2 won’t refund unused phone contract

A reader questions why O2 did not spot the years of inactivity on her mother’s phone. Photograph: Valery Voennyy/Alamy

Last year I discovered that my mother, who has Alzheimer’s, had been paying £21 a month for a mobile contract she hasn’t used since her diagnosis in 2020. That’s more than £1,000 for a phone she hasn’t used.

When my sister first tried to cancel it in February 2024 we were told we couldn’t. It had to be done from her phone even though we have power of attorney to manage her finances.