Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Handling the debts of a deceased family member can often become a stressful ordeal, particularly when creditors insist on speaking with someone who has passed away. Recently, Reddit user u/georgetgwtbn shared her unusual experience, detailing how she carefully managed almost all of her late father's financial obligations. However, things took a strange turn when a debt collection agency demanded to speak directly to her father—despite him having passed away several years earlier. This peculiar insistence prompted her to grant their request in a uniquely memorable way.



media3.giphy.com

"Some months after my mum sold up and downsized, I got a letter from a debt collection agency saying I owed them £134 (approximately $174) and some pence, including interest and fees," she recounted. Bewildered, she reached out to the agency, having "no idea" what the charge was for. During the call, it became clear the outstanding charge related to broadband services at her mother’s previous residence. She explained that the broadband was bundled with the phone line—services she had canceled before her mother moved out.


Representative Image Source: Pexels | Anna Shvets

Her explanation initially fell on deaf ears. According to the collections agency, the broadband service had not been properly canceled "because the cancellation had not come in from the account holder," the Redditor explained. She was certain all accounts had been transferred into her name after her father’s passing. However, the agency disagreed, claiming the account was still registered under her deceased father’s name. "I explained that there really must have been a mix-up as he had died a few years earlier," she noted.


Representative Image Source: Pexels | Ivan Samkov

She clarified further, "I took over control of the telephone line and broadband account, paying that single bill for my mother since she no longer had my father's income to cover expenses." Still, the representative insisted on speaking directly to the account holder—her late father—and refused further communication with her.

Repeated collection letters, legal threats, and ongoing frustration led her to creatively address their demand. At her father's graveside, she placed a call to the agency, announcing that the account holder was now available to talk. "I left the mobile by the gravestone while I wandered around the quiet," she wrote. "I heard some irate voices at the end of the line, so picked up the phone and asked if they'd had any joy speaking with the account holder."


media1.tenor.com

"An angry voice asked what was going on, so I explained where I was and that I would love to know if my dad had said anything to them. I had been unable to reach him under six feet of churchyard dirt since we buried him a couple of years earlier," she shared, leaving the agent speechless. The situation was quickly escalated to the agency’s senior manager, who issued a swift apology and assured her the matter would be fully resolved. About a month later, she received official confirmation from the creditor that no debt existed.

media1.tenor.com

When questioned about why she didn't simply pretend to be her father, she mentioned feeling uncomfortable with the idea, even humorously using voice-altering software or a friend. User u/Honigmann13 related, "I had a similar experience with my mother, who had been deceased for four or five years at that time. Some companies insisted that they needed to contact my deceased mother. Fed up with this, I provided them with the address of the cemetery." Similarly, u/Diligent-Touch-5456 shared, "I occasionally receive offers for life insurance for my mom and dad. First, they have been gone for over 25 years, and second, neither of them ever lived in the house where I currently reside."

More For You

Widow keeps entire inheritance while stepdaughter faces eviction. She just got a reality check.
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Mikhail Nilov; Reddit | u/Spiritual_Alps3413

Widow keeps entire inheritance while stepdaughter faces eviction. She just got a reality check.

Inheritance disputes often lead to heated debates, especially when a family is divided. One woman recently sparked outrage after revealing that she inherited her late husband’s entire estate—nearly a million dollars—without leaving anything for his 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

Posting on Reddit as u/Spiritual_Alps3413, the widow asked if she was wrong for keeping everything while her stepdaughter and her mother struggled to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Man cancels wedding after fiancée refuses to include his daughter
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | TranStudios Photography & Video; Reddit | u/whoevenisthat5

Man cancels wedding after fiancée refuses to include his daughter

A wedding is supposed to be a celebration of love and family, but for one man, it became the breaking point in his relationship. Reddit user u/whoevenisthat5 shared how he was forced to call off his engagement after his fiancée refused to include his 11-year-old daughter in their wedding.

At first, he thought it was just a disagreement over wedding roles—but when he found out her real reason for wanting to leave his daughter out, he realized there was no future for them.

Keep ReadingShow less
9-year-old with autism stuns the world with an IQ higher than Einstein
Cover Image Source: Instagram/Adhara Maite Pérez Sánchez

9-year-old with autism stuns the world with an IQ higher than Einstein

At just 9 years old, Adhara Pérez Sánchez has achieved what most people can’t even imagine. The Mexico City native has an IQ of 162—higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, who were both estimated to have IQs of 160, according to PEOPLE.

Despite facing relentless bullying due to her autism diagnosis, Pérez has not only graduated high school but is also pursuing two college degrees in systems engineering and mathematics.

Keep ReadingShow less
kimberly dowdell, reunion, down syndrome

Brothers Blake and Jack have an emotional reunion.

thekimberlydowdell/Instagram

Teen with Down syndrome travels hundreds of miles for incredible reunion with brother

Going off to college is the break-free moment that most young adults long for. While the newfound freedom is an amazing change, it is also a time of transition--which can bring a lot of uncomfortable feelings with the adjustment. It can be overwhelming, scary, and unfamiliar. So when mom Kimberly DowDell (@thekimberlydowdell) received a message from her son Blake that he was feeling anxious and overwhelmed during his second semester at college, she knew exactly what to do. She loaded up the family, including her husband and Blake's brother Jack (who has Down syndrome), and got on the road to go see him. And the brothers had an emotional reunion that was shared on social media.

"Blake is in his second semester of college, and being away from home can be hard. When he told us he was feeling anxious and overwhelmed, we didn’t even think twice—we jumped in the car and drove 286 miles just to be there for him," she wrote in the post's Instagram caption. "To remind him he’s not alone. To give him words of encouragement. To wrap him in a hug that says, we see you, we love you, and we’re always here for you."

Keep ReadingShow less
Teacher unleashes glorious payback against school after forced to pay for class trip himself
Representative image by Canva

Teacher unleashes glorious payback against school after forced to pay for class trip himself

School excursions often provide unforgettable experiences and bonding opportunities for students, but for teachers, they can be loaded with logistical headaches. So when a teacher was asked to single-handedly finance a field trip—with zero compensation—Reddit user u/Unfunded_Teacher took to the platform to vent about this bizarre demand.

Representative photo by Pexels | Anny Patterson

Keep ReadingShow less