topic Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages in Mobile Services

EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Tue, 13 May 2025 16:16:17 GMT

13th May 2025: My EE PAYG mobile suddenly stopped receiving SMS messages, so I phoned CS. The mobile can send texts and make/receive calls, but not receive texts. After some troubleshooting, CS said it was a known, technical issue which started on the 10th May 2025 and should be fixed in a couple of days.

Does anyone else have this problem? Surprised there's no reference to it on the Web.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

bristolian — Tue, 13 May 2025 17:01:02 GMT

Does the phone receive a text message sent from itself, to itself?

The "known technical issue" sounds hard to believe. If it's genuine, they should have given a fault reference number on request.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

Northerner — Tue, 13 May 2025 17:38:19 GMT

Hi @rickybicky47

What device and are you using and which messaging app (WhatsApp, Google messages).

What PAYG pack are you using.

Thanks

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Tue, 13 May 2025 17:42:54 GMT

Hi,

Just tried texting myself and got the usual response "Can't send a message." I've tried using a different mobile phone and went through a lot of hoops with CS to no avail. CS contacted level 2 support who said this was a known problem and they were working on it as a top priority, hopefully with a fix in a couple of days time.

Thanks for your input.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Tue, 13 May 2025 18:22:46 GMT

Hi,

The SIM is in an older Alcatel phone but I've also tried using the SIM in a Samsung Galaxy M13 without success. I'm using the standard messaging app that came with the phone. There are no after-market apps on the phone; it's a vanilla setup. I've had the same phone for over three years without problem. It's an EE PAYG SIM that I top up as and when. I can receive text messages from 150 (which is why I know I've got £40 credit on it) and messages sent directly from EE (e.g. customer support), but no one else.

EE support have said this is a known problem that started at the weekend and they are looking to fix in the next couple of days.

Thanks.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Fri, 16 May 2025 07:17:19 GMT

16th May 2025 update: This is getting critical now. Despite everything else being fine, my EE mobile still can't receive SMS messages. This has been going on for a week now. I can't do any internet banking because of this issue and there doesn't appear to be any solution in sight. EE have said they know of the problem which is affecting a number of customers and are looking for a fix. But a week is a long time.

I'm beginning to think that they've given up on the situation and for some reason would prefer EE customers on certain plans to become so disaffected that in some kind of "cost-benefit analysis" they'll just leave EE and the company won't have to bother looking into the problem any further. I hope I'm wrong.

Should I get a lawyer involved for breach of contract?

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

bristolian — Fri, 16 May 2025 07:21:07 GMT

Have you requested an INC fault reference from EE-CS?

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Fri, 16 May 2025 11:31:00 GMT

EE has a fault number for this issue and my mobile number is on it along with other customers affected by the problem. It's been going on for a week now.

The hint I'm getting is that I should transfer my number to O2, Vodafone or Three so I can move on with my life and not worry about the SMS messages I'm missing. It's disheartening but a reflection of how we do business these days.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

bristolian — Fri, 16 May 2025 12:24:39 GMT

Your conspiracy theory about a cost-benefit analysis dictating which fault tickets are attended to, is an interesting one.

Only you can decide whether to use a PAC to migrate your number - but be sure to test out any prospective new network before moving, check that coverage matches your requirements. I'd be amazed if that fault tickets wasn't a high priority one.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

Sarah127127 — Fri, 16 May 2025 14:42:18 GMT

I also have this problem. I phoned ee. Was told it was known problem by Level 2 Customer Support & they are looking in to it. I wish they would hurry up. I don't even receive text messages from ee

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Fri, 16 May 2025 19:33:02 GMT

As I understand it, it is a high priority ticket, but having worked in IT for many years, I have often heard a manager say "move on from attempting to fix a persistent problem and do something more productive", hence the "cost-benefit" theory. Of course, I've no idea if that's what's happened in this instance, but not receiving SMS messages for a week is kind of a show stopper for a mobile phone user. Better to cut my losses and stop flogging a dead horse, pragmatism always wins out.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Fri, 16 May 2025 19:50:01 GMT

Hi Sarah,

Yes, it's very frustrating. I can only receive SMS messages from 150, EE's Customer Support and by logging into my EE account online. Otherwise, sending a message from another EE phone returns the message "Can't send message." It's been going on for a week now. It's bizarre that as a country we want to plough billions into researching Adaptive AI, yet tracing an SMS message as it works its way through a fully logged network is beyond us.

My guess is that some change has caused an accounts issue, and that more has subsequently gone on than meets the eye - and some EE customers have ended up as collateral damage.

You are not alone.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

Leanne_T — Sat, 17 May 2025 08:46:32 GMT

Hi there @rickybicky47

Thank you for coming to the community and letting us know you're unable to receive texts.

You have done the right thing reporting this to our tech guides and get the issue investigated. If you would like an update on the ticket, please give us a call on 150 and the team can check this for you and see the latest information from the support team.

I hope this is sorted for you soon.

Leanne.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Sat, 17 May 2025 11:16:39 GMT

Hi Leanne_T

Thanks for getting in touch. I've been on the phone to EE's CS several times and told EE is "working on the problem" as a top priority.

As a techie, my gut feeling is that the problem lies in the SMSC. The SMSC receives the SMS message from the sender, then checks on the recipient's details. My guess is that in reconciling my personal account information held in a database somewhere, the SMSC erroneously rejects the SMS message and returns a "Can't send message" message to the sender. In part way proving my point, when EE's CS directly sends me a SMS message, it cuts across a lot of middleware and I receive the message fine.

My second guess is that the problem likely started when a change was made at the SMSC, which has inadvertently impacted a small number of customers. We see this kind of thing happen in IT departments constantly. (Software rollouts that suddenly impact a bunch of customers who then complain that they can no longer access this or that). But this has been going on for over a week now, which begs the question - what do I do next? There is no date for when the issue will be fixed.

Which brings me to my third point - customer service. There are no workarounds. There is no timescale. There is no personal apology. This is how business works these days. No one cares about the individual. No one cares about the impact they are experiencing. I'm just a very small cog in a very large machine. The easiest thing to do is leave, and perhaps that's what they want.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Sat, 17 May 2025 12:16:53 GMT

Maybe next time I'm up in E1, if I bump into Claire Gillies I'll ask her about it. I think Marc's gone now.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

Leanne_T — Sat, 17 May 2025 13:43:58 GMT

Hi there @rickybicky47

Thanks for coming back to me.

The team will be working to get your incoming texts restored as quickly as possible and I am sorry this is taking time to resolve.

You can open a complaint using the Make a Complaint form if you would like the complaints team to get in touch and discuss the text message issue.

Thanks.

Leanne.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Sat, 17 May 2025 15:21:02 GMT

Hi Leanne_T,

Thanks for the advice, but I've often found it easier to cut across convention and claim a chargeback under section 75 of the consumer credit act for contractual non-compliance, or more pointedly get in touch with one of the BBC's consumer affairs programmes like Money Box.

Thank you.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

bristolian — Sat, 17 May 2025 16:00:32 GMT

@rickybicky47 wrote:

Thanks for the advice, but I've often found it easier to cut across convention and claim a chargeback under section 75 of the consumer credit act for contractual non-compliance

Technically, Section 75 & chargeback are two separate processes. And you need to be sure on which contractual clause you're claiming a breach of - it's quite a common theme on this board to claim "this must be a breach" for the most basic issues that are easily resolved.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Mon, 19 May 2025 07:24:46 GMT

Setting aside the T&Cs of a contract, what should a long term customer "usually" expect from a mobile phone service? What would be the "usual" expectation? A functional SMS service, most likely. For example, if you signed a contract saying you'd buy a biro pen from me for £5M, that would be "inequitable" and unenforceable, no matter what the T&Cs. It's what "usual" that matters.

As for asking a credit card company to perform a chargeback, it's generally pretty easy if you have a reasonable case. The credit card company will reverse the charge and wait for the other party to reply. I've done that successfully before with an airline company. What would be difficult in the loss of a SMS service is the appropriate amount.

Re: EE Android PAYG mobile phone stopped receiving SMS messages

rickybicky47 — Tue, 20 May 2025 09:22:28 GMT

There's a theory doing the rounds that a few years ago EE's web portal allowed some customers to inadvertently register a mobile phone number under two, different accounts, but this wasn't a problem at the time since one account would be marked as inactive.

However, recently EE tried to reconcile inactive accounts and in doing so unwittingly deactivated a SMS element on some active accounts, thus impacting the ability of affected customers to receive SMS messages.

I don't know if that's true or not, but it sure is taking a long time to fix for such an fundamental service. Hopefully, Three will prove a bit more reliable.