topic Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended in Contracts & Billing

Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 01:48:13 GMT

I completely agree - and after my own experiences I now believe that EE should be regarded as an organized criminal company. Only being able to close a contract by phone is completely unacceptable (and I'm surprised it's legal, if it indeed is). I've always thought 'in writing' was the standard way to close an account or cancel a contract. They'll probably claim they are so big that this is not practical for them, which conveniently exposes little Joe Public to the scam of being falsely (or in error) told over the phone that cancellation is done. Even if it is an accident, the company as a whole does not care, as they send a further string of bills which probably a lot fo people will pay out of awe of such a big name, and for a quiet life. This is how they make their money, the people sitting at the top of these companies are nothing less than criminals who get away with it.

I was told an old dongle contract of mine was cancelled over the phone, but then I notice the next 2 months my direct debit being taken as usual, so I stopped it at the bank. Then I get 3 reminders threatening 'termination' of my account and debt action. After the first reminder, I wrote to customer care explaining I wanted it cancelled and had done so over the phone, and they merely sent a standard letter telling me I 'needed to call them'. Now I get a final reminder. In response to this I've send a Pre-action Letter of Claim (for harassment), my warning to THEM I wil take court action if this is not resolved. I believe I do NOT need to phone them, why the hell should I have to waste my time on their automated lines attempting to get through to the right place, when I've told them clearly in writing. We'll test that principle in court if they want. I'll be making my Court application if they haven't dealth properly with my last letter within 28 days. Check out Ferguson v British Gas - we have a case, under the harrasment act, it's very clear. EE have no excuse and can't hide behind any excuse about the size of their comany, and not being able to respond to letters. It's pathetic, if not wilful scamming.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 07:13:09 GMT

Why should we have to?! It's already been shown not to be trsutworthy anyway. Anybody has a right to cancel in writing. If you don't have the staff to deal with that, it's your problem. I for one am goijng to get that prinicple tested in Court

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

Katie_B — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 07:35:24 GMT

Good morning @englishalpinist.

Welcome to the EE Community.

I am sorry to hear your direct debits continued after writing to cancel your contract.

Could you please confirm the address which you posted your letter to?

When you received a response did you call the number provided? Cancelling a direct debit will not stop any bills being produced.

Speak soon,

Katie

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:32:14 GMT

I wrote to 1 Braham Street London, and got the reply saying I needed to call 0800 956 6000. I tried, but wasn't able to find the right option for my issue. Now I have written again to 6 camberwell way Sunderland this time. I'm simply asking my account closed and no more bills sent. If I owe one month (£25) for notice of closure I'll accept that. I gave that notice over the phone. Certainly not paying a further 2 months because of EE failure to action my request, especially as I've put it in writing since. I've used up part of my life writing this even. So I'm done now. It's over to EE, Court action pending if I get further bills.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

Leanne_T — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:41:44 GMT

Hi @englishalpinist

I am very sorry to hear this.

To get the cancellation request looked into and the bills you have recieved, I would advise to contact us by phone, full contact details can be found on our Contact EE page.

The team will get the account checked and let you know when the last payment would be and get everything you have experiened looked into.

Leanne.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 04:08:38 GMT

I've written (again). That's that. Sort it. Next is Court application. They'll sort it.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:25:19 GMT

I'd like to say this has been sorted now. I got a very nice efficient customer care call this morning (pretty much the next working day after my letter). The error balance of £75 wiped off, and admission of technical mistake, and my phonecall of a few months ago to cancel was tracked down. I'm happy, and was asking for nothing more. Maybe I was too angry, but these things are stressful especially when you get to a certsin age. When I was young, I would have just shrugged my shoulders and paid it, even though I didn't owe it. Too distressing these days, with all the other cost of living stuff to deal with. Anyway, it's restored my faith in customer care, and EE is not a bad company. I continue to use your services on my smartphone as payg customer, but simply didn't need or want my silly old dongle anymore much less to pay for it while it's been sitting in my junk electricals box for months. Mistakes happen, alls well that ends well.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:28:39 GMT

My issue of 'reminders' and £75 bill demand for an account I thought I had legitimately phone-cancelled has been sorted now. I got a very nice efficient customer care call this morning (pretty much the next working day after my letter). The error balance of £75 wiped off, and admission of technical mistake, and my phonecall of a few months ago to cancel was tracked down. I'm happy, and was asking for nothing more. Maybe I was too angry, but these things are stressful especially when you get to a certsin age. When I was young, I would have just shrugged my shoulders and paid it, even though I didn't owe it. Too distressing these days, with all the other cost of living stuff to deal with. Anyway, it's restored my faith in customer care, and EE is not a bad company. I continue to use your services on my smartphone as payg customer, but simply didn't need or want my silly old dongle anymore much less to pay for it while it's been sitting in my junk electricals box for months. Mistakes happen, alls well that ends well.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

Katie_B — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 07:17:09 GMT

Hello @englishalpinist.

Thank you so much for coming back and letting us know this is now resolved.

If you have any other queries in the future please be sure to let us know.

Have a great day,

Katie

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:39:42 GMT

Hello, I'm sad to say that today I got a letter from debt collection agency, 'advantis'.. on behalf of client EE claiming £87.29 (which I presume relates to the £75 Ee chased so far). This was dated 20.Feb, which is the day after I got my phonecall from EE customer care, admitting the mistake, and assuring me everything had been resolved and the £75 is scratched.

Of course they might have been a cross-post issue, and I can disregard this letter, but how can I be sure? Of course, I cannot. I can only assume I am now going to get one advantis letter after another month after month, exponentially increasing the amount I am allegedly in debt by, I can only assume EE has not sorted my closed account, I can only assume I have been lied to. Therefore, I sadly have to commence the Court action I spoke about now. Recieving these letters is deeply distressing, they're sent on false and criminal grounds, so Court action is the only way I can go. I will NOT simply resign myself and pay it just to shut tghe process down, when I don't sodding well owe anything. This is EE's responsibility to communicate with advantis and ensure I don't recieve any more letters on this issue, except for one that confirms in writing the matter is closed. My step is the national newsparers are going to hear about it.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:26:36 GMT

I do not choose my words lightly.

The story is, on 14 Oct I phoned EE (on the number provided for account cancellation ) to ask for the closure of a number & account I had for a mobile internet device, which I no longer used. I was told it had been done, account closed, which all seemed very simple ('too simple', as we shall see) and proper.

Then I see that over the next two months my direct debit was still being taken, as if account not closed. Therefore I shut down my direct debit at the bank to protect myself, as clearly either a mistake had been made (not jumping to conclusions at this stage) or I had been simply lied to, as part of an EE policy to make it hard for people to close their accounts and accidentally-on-purpose continue to charge them and chase debt, which many people would simply fold to and pay.

Then I get an EE reminder, £50 now (two 'unpaid' months). I reply to this in writing to customer care to explain how I had phoned to close the account and had been told it had been done, and please see to it finally. I merely got a brief letter back telling to phone them and I get a third and final reminder, before threat of account termination.

I this point I have a chain of written proof, so I send a Letter of Claim before Court action letter, giving EE a last chance to sort this out or face harrassment action. It is simply too difficult and too stressful to keep chasing this by phone, and I actually could bnot even figure out my way through the call centre to get to the appropriate department, and why the hell should I have to keep spending my life this way?

Within 2 working days, EE customer got back to me (on the phone) to deal with my complaint and, once again - finally??! - I was assured the account is now closed, my original phonecall had bene tracked down to 14 Oct, I recieved apologies for the technical blip that failed to close my account in the first place, and I am assured the account is closed now and the amount 'owed' of £75 scratched off. I felt a bit embarrassed and was grateful. However...

Today I recieve a letter from debt collection agency Advantis, 'on behald of EE', to demand £87.29, which 'their records (EE's) show as being outstanding'. This can only relate to the same issue, as I don't have any other account, except a payg sim card for my phone, never in debt. So, I was correct to put my foot down and threaten court action, wasn't I?

It's possible this debt letter is another technical 'blip', as it was dated the very day after my last phonecall from EE. However, my problem is how can I be sure? I can only assume that I am now 'in the system' of advantis, and that letters threatening debt collection are going to continue month after month unless I take action to stop it, because EE has clearly not communicated with advantis - either accidentally or deliberately. It hardly matters which, because this is indeed harassment and it's their responsibility as clients of advantis.

The only thing I am not sure about, is whether it is BOTH of them I need to take to Court, or just EE as the instigators behind it. One thing is for sure; we're in the realms of criminal activity now, plainly fraudulantly claiming and pressuring me for money I simply do not owe. And I am fast acquiring a chain of hard proof to criminal court standards (as opposed to civil court, which I am certainly ready already to proceed at).

My application to civil court does goes in this week, as of Mon 26 Feb , and the only thing that will repeal it is if I recieve confirmation in WRITING that both the EE contract is cancelled with £87.29 scratched off, and that advantis have removed me from their system so that I don't recieve any more threats and the false accustion of being in debt. In addition, I'm off to a string of national newspapers explaining how EE is a criminal organization, if such letter of confirmation is not forthcoming. I hate to take this tone, but I can't seem to get myself out of this false accusation of debt. The whole thing stemmed from a simple phonecall on 14 Oct 2023, just to close a £25/month contract, which did not get actioned

[Mod edit: Please do not post your phone number in this public forum. Thanks]

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

James_B — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:24:52 GMT

Hi @englishalpinist,

I'm sorry to hear you have received a letter from a collection agency.

As this is dated the day after our Customer Care Team took action to resolve this for you, it's likely that the letter was sent out before the update of the agency's records had been completed.

Our team will be happy to confirm in writing what was discussed on your last call if you get in touch on 07953 966 150.

James

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

englishalpinist — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:32:30 GMT

OK, I'll get in touch by Monday and hope to resolve it. I hope this is the case. Thanks James, and for clarification of the number I need to use.

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

James_B — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 17:37:26 GMT

No problem, @englishalpinist

Don't hesitate to get back to me if you have any issues.

James

Re: Re: EE is harassing me with bills after the contract ended

Mel1407 — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:51:26 GMT

Organised criminals that aren't that organised. Complete frauds in my opinion thst seem to get away with it. If small businesses treated customers like EE does they'd be sued/closed yet EE gets away with it..... probably because they have so much money from scammers multiple thousands of customers.