Refund after disabled man signed up

Sa'aga and Toreka Grey. Photo / Jason Dorday

Telstraclear has cancelled a mentally disabled customer's bill amid claims a door-to-door salesman duped him into changing providers.

Toreka Grey says her son Sa'aga was made to sign a home phone agreement he could not understand, which cancelled his Telecom contract.

The 35-year-old Aucklander suffers from epilepsy and an intellectual disability and was unable to call out because the bill had been unpaid.

Grey contacted the Herald on Sunday after a Consumer Watchdog investigation into the behaviour of door-to-door salesmen. She said the salesman "should have noticed Sa'aga wasn't mentally able".

Her son alerted her to the problem on New Year's Day when he brought her a TelstraClear bill for almost $300, believing it to be a cheque for her to bank. She said he told her a salesman had visited his flat and made him sign something he didn't understand.

When Grey complained, TelstraClear said it was unable to investigate fully because she didn't have power of attorney. The company asked for written confirmation from mental health staff as Sa'aga was in their care, and in the meantime the bill rose by almost $100.

After Grey provided a letter from Sa'aga's support worker, TelstraClear agreed to cancel the contract, wipe the charges and reimburse Sa'aga for the reconnection fee with Telecom.

Spokesman Chris Mirams confirmed a TelstraClear salesman talked to Sa'aga in October but said he had been unaware of his intellectual disability.

"He invited our agent inside and was happy to show him the Telecom account in his name and talk about what he wanted. He then agreed to a suitable plan and signed it, printing his name clearly."

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Email consumer affairs reporter Alice Neville at alice.neville@hos.co.nz.