A friend of mine has over the last year or so taken out multiple contracts with Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile. This would not be a problem only he had been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). So he was not in a fit mental state when he took out the contracts. Is it just a case of paying the contracts off or is there anyway of getting the contracts reduced/cancelled due to his mental health ?

Your friend has my sympathy but it is not the fault of the networks that your friend has done this. If they have a good credit record and pass the network checks then they have no reason to refuse your friend a contract.

I'd say your friend is bound by the terms but it may be worth firing a letter off to each network explaining the situation to see if they are willing to help out.

There's a similar thread on MoneySavingExpert but with slight differences?

Perhaps there is an issue with contracts being bought by persons unable to make a considered decision? Or is this thread inspired by the other one?

A doctor's note would help any attempt to cancel, alond with a return of any phones, and maybe copies of the multiple contracts to show what he had done

Hi old bill2,

I’m sorry to see the problems your friend has faced here and I appreciate how concerned you will be.

If you can email us via here we’ll be able to look into this further for you.

(When contacting, please quote the code WRT135 in the subject line. In the main message body, please include a link to this thread and your user name. This will ensure that your message comes directly through to my team).

Best wishes,

Jenny
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

If you can prove that their mental state did not allow them ability to fully understand the terms under which they would be bound then the contact could be made void with the return of all goods and services.

Very difficult to prove though

I think what you mean is that the contract would be unenforceable. That has slightly different consequences. If the person stopped paying for the contract then the service provider would not be able to take legal action to enforce the contract. BUT, as you say, proving that would be very difficult.

On the other forum, the consensus seems to be that a proper assessment of the person needs to take place, establishing whether the person is capable of making their own decisions. This would mean that someone else could legally make decisions on their part and they could be monitored very closely. Once this has been proved then write to the service provider with the documentation (allowing the provider to talk to the guardian/carer) and asking for a way forward.