A Winnipeg mother says she was on the hook for her deceased son's phone bill.
In June, 30-year-old Michael Flett was murdered.
His mother believes his killers had gang ties, so doesn’t want to be identified.
She said soon after her son’s death, she discovered he had an outstanding phone bill from Rogers for about $500.
She contacted the company to inform Rogers her son had passed away.
Even though she never appeared on her son's contract, she said Rogers told her to pay up.
"I flipped, I thought, ‘Oh my God, how am I going to pay this?’" she said.
After months of pleading, she said Rogers eventually reduced the charges to about $360.
"They said usually the estate must pay the bills,” she said. “I said, ‘There is no estate. He had no will or estate he didn't have very much.’"
A spokesperson for Rogers said if there are outstanding charges when a customer passes away, it works directly with an account co-signer, family member or appropriate person to find a resolution. Other providers such as MTS, Bell and Telus said those payments are the responsibility of the estate.
Lawyer Caroline Cramer with Manitoba Estate Attorneys said even without a will, living relatives are not legally responsible to settle any debts of a deceased loved one.
“There's no obligation for that lady to pay her son's debts,” said Cramer. “This poor woman should have gotten some advice and said, ‘Sorry my son has died with these debts outstanding, but I'm not responsible and I won't pay you.’"
Soon after CTV contacted Rogers about Michael Flett’s bill, his mother said the company called her and dropped the charges.
Rogers confirms it resolved the matter and apologized for any added stress and inconvenience this may have caused Flett's mother
