topic Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb in Pay as you go

Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 09:12:21 GMT

I’m quite upset. I live in Ukraine and my phone has given me free data for almost two years, which is vital to me with local networks patchy. It has just been cut with no warning. I would be happy to pay for the connection it’s not about it being free - it’s that it’s been cut with no warning leaving me stuck near the front line with no internet at all. I topped up and that doesn’t work (so now I wasted £10 for no reason at all) - it says I have to buy an add on for over £5 for 15mb that lasts 24 hrs. How can it go from free to £5 per 15mb plus pack!!!!? This is incredibly expensive and I can’t afford that. You’ve really left me in the lurch with currently no way to even access a local sim. I’m sorry by who can afford this rate?

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

XRaySpeX — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 09:22:03 GMT

EE stopped free calls, texts and data usage whilst in Ukraine, on 10 January 2024. They made these charges free from February 2022, but are now charging normal international rates. Please visit Roaming Costs | Help | EE for more information.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Poprocks_CA — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 00:41:18 GMT

If you live in Ukraine you are not connecting to EE. Go get a sim from whoever provides your cell service that you're tapping into.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 10:08:46 GMT

Thanks for not understanding the post but commenting anyway!

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 10:11:35 GMT

Ok, thank you. But mine worked until a few days ago, when I was on assignment near the front line and it cut off and a pack plus £5 for every 15MB is just beyond expensive. I am stuck in the middle of nowhere with connection unless someone can hotspot me until I can go somewhere to buy a sim. Some warning would have been nice, or at least not charging the insanely high add ons.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Leanne_T — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 13:00:25 GMT

Hi @Username1384

Do you have signal showing or has the SIM lost service?

We made these charges free from February 2022, but are now charging our normal international rates. Please visit Roaming Costs | Help | EE for more information.

Leanne.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

bristolian — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 13:27:35 GMT

@Username1384 wrote:

I live in Ukraine

EE is a UK operator and roaming services are intended for short trips abroad, not long-term residents.

You should have a subscription from a Ukrainian operator as your primary connectivity.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:06:02 GMT

Ok, but wanting would have been nice. It suddenly stopped giving me internet at the worst possible time and only offering the highest charges which I can’t afford. If you at least sent a text telling me I wouldn’t have been stuck near the front line with no internet, and I wouldn’t have then put a pack on my phone hoping it would fix it (that is now a useless waste of money as I won’t be back in the UK for the next month) only to find out I can’t use it because the add ons are prohibitively expensive. Basic courtesy would have been to let people know so they’re not suddenly stuck with no internet.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:08:44 GMT

I’m British. I work in Ukraine for long periods at a time and need to retain a British number for my bank. I had a local number but I can’t used banking apps etc with it and seen as my UK one was free there was no point. I think there should have just been a warning so I wasn’t stuck suddenly without it. Thank you, though, for mansplaining my phone to me. Glad you have so much free time.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:11:48 GMT

*without warning.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

XRaySpeX — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:12:17 GMT

PAYG packs are useless in the Ukraine anyway as it's not in EU.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:15:24 GMT

I refer you again to my original post.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

bristolian — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:17:23 GMT

The published charges were zero-rated for nigh-on 2 years, I would be interested in seeing any promo material that suggested there was never an end-date for the promotion or that it was an indefinite offer.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

XRaySpeX — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:18:44 GMT

Yes, what about it? You said "packs"! Only PAYG has packs. So why buy 1 in Ukraine?

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:28:41 GMT

No one is calling it a promotion. What is hard to understand about this? I live most of the time and work in a war. Changing sims all the time is a pain - my bank and security apps only work with the UK sim. I have been locked out of my bank so many times as result, something that could have bad consequences. For the last two years my UK sim working here was an amazing lifeline for me. Now I am out in a dangerous place and suddenly with no warning no internet. IF THEY TOLD ME BEFOREHAND I WOULD HAVE MADE SURE I HAD ANOTHER OPTION, OBVIOUSLY. And to add to it, the only option they offer is wildly expensive and out of my price range. All they had to do is send a text to let people know so they weren’t suddenly left with no internet in perhaps a dangerous situation.

it’s not about free, it’s about it working. I’m happy to pay, hence why I bought a pack to try and bring it back, but to go from free to £5 per 15MB with no warning is insane. Who can afford that? AGAIN, WHY WAS THERE NOT A TEXT OR COMMUNICATION JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THE CONNECTION WAS ENDING?

additionally, I have now wasted money on a pack that is useless to me BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THE INTERNET CONNECTION WAS ENDING so I bought one to try and revive it - my previous pack from a trip to the UK ran out on the same day it stopped working. AGAIN, WHY WAS THERE NOT A TEXT OR COMMUNICATION JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THE CONNECTION WAS ENDING? Seems a basic consideration, especially considering the war situation people in Ukraine live with.

Re: Ukraine sudden price change - free to £5 per 15mb

Username1384 — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 14:29:16 GMT

Oh god. Go away.