Cuckoo Power of Attorney & Third Party Policy

Last updated 16 December 2024

A downloadable version of this document can be found here

Who this policy is for?

We understand some customers may need a bit of support with their day-to-day tasks, including managing their broadband account. This policy is designed to make it easy for someone else to take care of their account, whether it’s through Power of Attorney, Deputyship Order, Benefits Appointee, or a Third Party Account Holder.

Types of Power of Attorney and Third Parties we accept

Power of Attorney or Deputyship Order

These are legal docs that give someone else the authority to manage your account for you. It’ll need to include explicit permission under ‘Property and Financial Affairs’ decisions, rather than ‘Health’ or ‘Welfare’ decisions only.

Third Party Account Holder

This is where a trusted person is chosen to manage your account, without the need for legal docs – such as a family member or carer.

Benefits Appointee

If a Cuckoo customer is mentally incapable or severely disabled and receives benefits, the Department for Work and Pensions can approve someone to act as their appointee. This means the appointee can help manage their benefits (like paying utility bills) on their behalf

Get in touch

If you want to discuss either of these options in a bit more detail, email us on customercare@cuckoo.co or give us a ring on 0330 912 9955.

Next steps

Setting up a Power of Attorney, Deputy or Benefits Appointee

If you use a Power of Attorney, a Deputy or Benefits Appointee to manage your financial affairs, we’ll need the following:

A copy of any legal docs so we can check what’s needed to manage the account
A copy of their ID (like a passport or driving license)

Once all that comes to us and we verify it, all related account info will be sent to the Attorney, Deputy or Benefits Appointee, unless we’re told otherwise.

They’ll also be able to:

Manage the account, make payments, update details or change services
Transfer or close the account if needed

Setting up a Third Party Account Holder

If you’d like someone you trust to manage your account for you without any legal docs, you can nominate a Third Party Account Holder. Just pop us an email on customercare@cuckoo.co or give us a ring on 0330 912 9955.

Once they’re nominated, they’ll be able to:

Access the account, make payments, update details and handle any service issues

But, importantly, they won’t be able to:

Close the account or transfer the account

You can change or remove details of a Third Party Account Holder at any time. We will keep both of you in the loop about your account with info and updates.

Updating our records

We’ll update our system, so that it shows your account can be managed by another party. Any info and docs you share with us will be stored securely and in line with the Cuckoo Privacy Policy. Only authorised staff will have access to your info, and any changes to the account will be confirmed in writing.

Customer communications

This policy aims to give you all the info you need on how to appoint a Power of Attorney, Deputy or Third Party Account Holder. You can also talk to our Customer Care team about it by email at customercare@cuckoo.co or by giving them a ring on 0330 912 9955. We’ll always make sure all communication with third parties is confidential, and treated with respect.

Training our team

Our team is fully trained to handle accounts managed by third parties. They’ll follow the correct procedure to make sure everything’s handled smoothly and securely. If any issues or concerns come up, they’ll be raised with the relevant team.

Sorting out disputes

If there’s a disagreement about the authority of a third party, or questions about the documentation, we’ll raise the matter to our legal team. We may temporarily pause the account until the issue’s resolved.

What to do if you’re unsatisfied

If you’re not happy with how we’ve handled things, you can file a complaint through our usual complaints process. If that doesn’t resolve your issue, you can take your complaint to the Communications Ombudsman.

Reviewing this policy

We’ll review this policy each year or when needed to make sure it’s up to date with UK laws and best practices. Any changes will be communicated to our team and our customers.