topic Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT in Contracts & Billing

Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 12:47:46 GMT

But surely you have repaid the hardware cost after your minimum contract? Why is EE continuing to charge me for hardware after I have paid it off? Why doesn't my rolling contract revert to network fees only?

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 12:50:32 GMT

So why continue to charge people for hardware after the minimum contract ends? Why not revert at that point to charging people the ongoing network charges they agreed to? This is still a bit sharp IMO

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 12:54:04 GMT

I would be very happy to join you in a legal case against EE. It appears that customers at the end of their contract ( a mix of hardware costs and network charges) are continuing t be charged for their device long after they have repaid it in full. This seems very wrong to me.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

XRaySpeX — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:10:33 GMT

@beddington : EE's contracts have no concept of paying off the handset. You agreed to pay the same price for the full duration of the contract.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:22:08 GMT

that may be what the contract says, but it is not a sustainable business model for EE, especially when competitors such as o2 don't do that. This needs taking much further ....

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

XRaySpeX — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:35:12 GMT

@beddington : EE's contracts have no concept of paying off the handset. You agreed to pay the same price for the full duration of the contract. There will however be a 10% discount 3 months after the end of min. term. You may always choose to upgrade your contract to a cheaper SIM-Only contract from the last 45 days of your contract term.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

bristolian — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:40:57 GMT

Every customer is free to move to SIM-only at the end of the minimum contractual term if there's no wish for a new phone, that reduces the monthly cost substantially.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

XRaySpeX — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:45:27 GMT

@beddington : It's for EE to determine whether it's unsustainable. They obviously don't. It's certainly not unlawful.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

bristolian — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:46:02 GMT

@beddington wrote:

So why continue to charge people for hardware after the minimum contract ends?

Posting the same comment across every forum thread you can find with a similar query is unlikely to change EE's commercial position that's already been explained elsewhere - there is no concept in EE's T&Cs of a device cost, just an agreed monthly charge that you accept.

You are free to change to a SIM-only plan at the end of your minimum term.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

chistery — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:48:45 GMT

EE text you an end of contract notification. if the user ignores it and just continues paying the same price, that's up to them.

https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/managing-and-using-my-account/leaving-ee/end-of-contract-notification-and-out-of-contract-discount

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:49:05 GMT

With the greatest respect Bristolian, I think you are missing the point. EE's contracts are sharp practice at best in my opinion, especially when compared with competitors who AUTOMATICALLY switch their billing down to network use only at the end of their minimum contract. Interestingly, I didn't get a 10% reduction after 3 months, I got a 10% increase.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:52:57 GMT

Interesting, thank you for confirming that chistery. A FOI request will confirm that they sent that text won't it?

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:57:05 GMT

In fact, does that text also relate to Apple Watch? I 100% did not receive a text. As I say, a FOI request will hopefully show this

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

chistery — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 13:59:59 GMT

Not sure what you get with a FOI request, sorry.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

bristolian — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:05:42 GMT

The Freedom of Information Act only applies to governmental & public sector organisations, not the private sector.

It's the GDPR regulations that cover the private sector, but the content of text messages is not covered by that.

Edited to add that @beddington has replied to this forum thread, presumably using their phone's email app - this has included their signature with all contact details now posted on this internet forum. I would recommend they edit their post via the forum unless the site admins beat them to it.

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

XRaySpeX — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:04:59 GMT

@beddington : I think you mean a SAR (Subject Access Request).

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:39:01 GMT

I’m trying to get hold of contracts at the moment.
Andrew Burnett

[Mod edit: Please do not post personal information, such as your phone number, in this public forum. Thanks]

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

beddington — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:13:57 GMT

You are right XRaySpeX; thank you for clarifying

Re: Re: END OF CONTRACT

bristolian — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 14:53:23 GMT

@beddington wrote:

competitors who AUTOMATICALLY switch their billing down to network use only at the end of their minimum contract.

The competitors you mention, have 2 separate contracts.

1: There is a handset element to your monthly payments that is a fixed-term contract, either 2 or 3 year terms

2: The airtime element is a fixed price which doesn't then reduce and has a minimum term of 2 or 3 years.

Every customer is free to choose the best network for their individual needs, taking all factors into account - however it's already been mentioned several times that SIM-only is freely available at the end of your minimum term.