topic Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥 in Contracts & Billing

Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 11:17:45 GMT

Please bear with me here I upgraded my iPhone XS Max in 2023 like I usually do every two years. I was under the impression that come 2025 I would be able to upgrade but even though my air time contact runs out next year my flex pay contract runs out next 2026. I’ve tried to get some clarity with EE and I requested a transcript of the call back in 2023 but the rude lady at the complaints department said that wasn’t possible. I do suffer really badly with ADHD and she’s just basically hung up on me. And the outcome was this is all my fault. Since when was a phone contract 2 years and the phone contact 3 years. I’ve been with EE 18 years and always upgraded every two years I pay EE £90 a month for my iPhone and iwatch. This flex pay thing wasn’t explained to me on the phone I’ve never had this before ever. What can I do if I have to pay £500 to get out of this flex pay thing I’m leaving EE for good please help me

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

bristolian — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:19:18 GMT

The basis of FlexPay is that you have 2 separate contracts, each with their own monthly payments.

The rolling contract for airtime continues until you explicitly stop it or make change, but has a minimum term. The fixed-term contract for your phone has 24 or 36 equal monthly payments and ends once the interest-free-loan is repaid.

Part of the process for a FlexPay plan is that you accept the legal documents where the structure is outlined.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 12:43:05 GMT

Why isn’t the airtime agreement 3 years then? Wouldn’t that make more sense and why isn’t the transcript of my original telephone conversation available when I upgraded.

when I complained 6 months ago I was assured that I can upgrade next year but now I can’t when I was assured on the phone that I could. And the transcript of this conversation isn’t available either. I’m only going off what I was told on the phone.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

bristolian — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 13:34:50 GMT

It's the customer's choice when going onto a FlexPay plan, whether the finance agreement is a 24 or 36month one.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 13:38:46 GMT

Well i wasn’t given a choice

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Schockwave — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 14:51:11 GMT

@ste2 , if you want to upgrade with a new phone, then you have to pay off your flex pay first, which you can do anytime, if you want to upgrade your plan, you should be able to do that and continue to pay for your phone as flex pay.

Flex pay is relatively new, as before the plan included the both phone and airtime, but now you have a choice, which is much better.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 15:01:42 GMT

I was never told on the phone when i upgraded that my phone would be on a 3 year flex pay contract. I struggle to read things and my ADHD is bad.

I just thought when I signed the agreement it was a 2 year deal they won’t give me a transcript of the original telephone conversation stating that the phone I would be stuck with for 3 years and the airtime agreement was only 2 years. By the sounds of things yes it’s all my fault and EE are so perfect. I’ve never had a so called contract like this before ever 18 years is a long time to be with a company. But the rude lady this morning just put the phone down went I got upset. There a terrible company or I’m just plain stupid

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Chris_B — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:02:40 GMT

@ste2 Your contract is on your account so you could of looked at this. This is both the airtime and the device contracts.
With a flex pay tariff you can see how long you have left on each contract on your account so you could have got this sorted had you looked at that within 14 days of taking out these contracts.

You click manage/billing/see your plan and device details.

And you’ll never of had a contract like this before as it’s wasn’t offered before. With a flex pay tariff any yearly price increase is only on the airtime contract not the device contract as it would of been on the old style contracts

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:27:27 GMT

I’ve never had two contracts before so no I wouldn’t have looked. Mobile phone contracts have changed massively it seems since 2023. I thought I have a phone and I just paid over the 2 years then upgraded as I’ve done for years and years. Why doesn’t the flex pay contract match the air time agreement?

look I’m sorry I’ve came on here asking for help it’s clearly full of EE staff in here it’s clearly my fault I’ll swallow the £500 to get rid of this stupid flex pay contract and I’ll find another mobile phone operator that will allow me to have one phone over a 2 year deal with out having to pay for the phone for a further year.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

bristolian — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 17:29:19 GMT

@ste2 wrote:

look I’m sorry I’ve came on here asking for help it’s clearly full of EE staff in here

Every reply you've had so far on this thread, is from other EE users - EE staff are identified by "community support team" in their forum title.

For many years, there's been criticism of the mobile industry for having the traditional contracts such as what you're used to, that require user intervention to reduce in price after "finishing". The response to this apparent customer demand are these FlexPay plans, where the phone loan & airtime payments are legally separated. Yours is an example of why the networks are sometimes in a no-win situation with how they structure customer plans.

If you are on a FlexPay plan, then you will have had 2 separate agreements and 2 separate monthly payments - this would have been evident on a review of your monthly payments. There is rarely an excuse for CS agents to terminate calls in the manner you imply, but equally customers taking out monthly contracts need to have some understanding of what they're signing.

Do you have any friends or relatives you could ask, to perhaps help you understand your next steps a bit more?

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:32:22 GMT

So if I'm not mistaken I could take one of these new double contracts out. Or get miss-sold one like I did! sign up to a 24 month airtime time agreement and then a 36 month flex pay agreement. Is there anything stopping me from not paying the 24 month air time agreement and just going to PAYG? As long as I pay the flex pay agreement the phone is mine. Yes i know none payment for the airtime contract affects the ability to get credit. My airtime contract is separate to flex pay according to everyone on here

I didn’t realise EE has turned into a catalogue company and offers flex pay for all these other electronic devices

My first contract I was sent to sign was my airtime contract not my flex pay contract. And despite repeated response they have don’t have my original transcript of call when I upgraded. It’s a sneaky underhand way to get you to be stuck with a phone longer than your airtime agreement. I was never offered any terms on my flex pay agreement over the phone.

I must come across pretty stupid on this forum but I’m still at a loss of why having a 24 month phone contract is usually 24 months but it’s now 36 months well the phone bit is.

I'm now left in a situation when I'm out of contract in January 2025 my iPhone 14plus is in excellent condition and im still owing over £500 my iPhone isn’t even worth that but I still have to pay for it for another 12 months.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:41:37 GMT

Every new iPhone it seems you get lumbered with it for 36 months now it seems least it shows you on there website they don’t tell you this on the phone like they did to me last year. 😩

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:48:17 GMT

same iPhone direct from Apple is £1599

but with EE I pay a year longer and it cost me £1734.84

it’s good Business sense by EE mind I’ll give them that

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Matt_124 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:54:09 GMT

On Flex Pay agreements the device finance can be done over 24 or 36 months. You are not "lumbered with it for 36 months" on any Flex Pay plan as you have the choice to do it over 24 months instead, if you're happy to pay the additional monthly cost to pay the phone off in this time.

Still paying the same amount back over 24 or 36 months, as it is interest free.

The airtime agreement you would have the right to cancel after 24 months, you would be best speaking to EE customer services and asking them what your options are.

There may be the option to cancel it and continue paying the finance, but you're better to talk to EE about it than just stop paying as this has financial/credit implications that could be avoided.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

bristolian — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:52:40 GMT

@ste2 wrote:

Is there anything stopping me from not paying the 24 month air time agreement and just going to PAYG? As long as I pay the flex pay agreement the phone is mine. Yes i know none payment for the airtime contract affects the ability to get credit.

Both contracts are likely to show on your credit file. Non-payment of a contractually agreed payment can eventually result in a default being registered.

You can give 30days notice to cancel a pay-monthly contract anytime, but doing so within your minimum term will require early termination fees to be paid. Effectively you'll end up paying for your airtime contract but not get any benefit from it.

@ste2 wrote:

I’m still at a loss of why having a 24 month phone contract is usually 24 months but it’s now 36 months well the phone bit is.

If you try a dummy purchase of a new phone on FlexPay, you're likely to find that the choice of 24 or 36 months for the phone-loan finance agreement is something you can choose - but do try for yourself.

High-end smartphones, especially Apple ones, do come with expensive price tags.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Matt_124 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:57:22 GMT

EE provide an extended warranty beyond the standard Apple 12 month warranty and I believe this is why the cost differs.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 20:00:45 GMT

You can’t take out an iphone contract with EE via flex pay that runs for 24 months it’s only 36 months go on to the EE store

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

ste2 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 20:07:04 GMT

I’ve tried all phones iPhones Samsung’s are 36 month only not option to run in line with your airtime agreement

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Schockwave — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 08:56:16 GMT

@ste2 , you can pay more per month for the flex pay or pay it off earlier, that is what flex pay is, otherwise I would speak to customer service to see if you can have 24 months flex pay instead.

Re: Flex pay 36 month 😥

Matt_124 — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:24:22 GMT

I know this is an old thread, but I do wonder why I never came back with a response.

There are absolutely both 24 & 36 Month options on Flex Pay:

The explanation for this could be the Max Available Spend on the account when upgrading may require a 36 Month agreement to be taken for some devices as a 24 Month agreement would not be affordable and hence not shown.