topic Ofcom complaint in Broadband & Landline

Ofcom complaint

KevanAngry — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:10:56 GMT

EE app download speeds discretion from the truth

Brief summary of your experience/query:

EE tests broadband download speed using their EE app which does not exist for laptops. All speed checks using other apps show my broadband sppeds of 300MB/s although their phone app shows a 700MB/s download. I was sold a 900MB/s service which is useless as I can only get 300MB/s on my laptop. I spoke to the engineer at EE who did not know the app was unavailable to use on a laptop. If I test the speed from the router it asks me to download the EE app which does not exist for the laptop. I think I am being conned, and their website is again a discretion from the truth.

I left Virgin media after 40 years because their service was very bad and I was ripped off for price and it appears EE are not any better and should explain the speeds only work on a mobile phone and not accurate on laptops, unless they are android devices.

Kevan Angry

Re: Ofcom complaint

garybs29 — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 12:45:53 GMT

Have you checked what speeds your laptop can get? If it's maxing out at 300 it's more than likely a setting/limitation of the laptop instead of anything to do with EE

Re: Ofcom complaint

XRaySpeX — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 13:03:28 GMT

@KevanAngry : All speeds quoted by EE are the BB connection speeds to the router. Speedtests will be naturally somewhat lower & are not warranted by EE. They will also depend on the device being used for the test which obviously EE has no control over nor responsibility for.

Ofcom does not handle individual complaints. You can make a formal complaint to EE & if you don't get satisfaction after 8 weeks you can take it to EE's ADR provider. See Complaints code of practice and here is the Complaints Form .

Re: Ofcom complaint

KevanAngry — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:53:08 GMT

Thanks, but EE say download their app, and it is not available for my laptop. I havew already had a response from Ofcom, and they reckon I could actually leave the service, but it has already cost me more than the £300 offered to leave Virgin after 40 years, and their support was zero.

Anyway, my laptop is brand new and my wifi speed should be at least 433 MBs and I also rang EE to cancel an engineer visit tomorrow, and he cannot fix the fact that EE do not have an app I can test on. It is ridiculous and misleading. The EE guy I spoke to could not advise on where to get the app, as it does not exist except for android devices.

I don't mind paying top dollar for a service if it works, and they are discretionary with the truth and their web pages are confused and downright lies. Why can't they tell the truth.

Kevan

Re: Ofcom complaint

JimM11 — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:54:59 GMT

@KevanAngry Believe the EE app speed test is a variant off fast.com speed test, with dual testing to the Router then to the device. I prefer either cloudflare or thinkbroadband to see wat is going on. Both links are below if you wish to test.

https://speed.cloudflare.com/

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest

Re: Ofcom complaint

Peter_W — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:57:39 GMT

Hi @KevanAngry.

Welcome to the EE Community!

The details that @XRaySpeX has mentioned about the results of the app speed test are spot on; this tests the speed being received by your line, but won't necessarily be what your device receives once transmitted over WiFi.

For a better estimate of speed it's worth trying one of the third party speed tests via an ethernet connection, as it's widely accepted this will be quicker than WiFi.

As for complaints, it's always best to try and get this resolved by working with us directly, as it's never our intention to do you wrong.

The complaints code of practice linked above highlights the escalation process in full, but if you exhaust this and we can't agree on a resolution, the complaint is then referred to the Telecommunications Ombudsman for independent review.

Ofcom's site provides guidance to customers on how to get support with any dispute, but it's the Ombudsman that would make the final ruling once it reaches this stage.

Peter

Re: Ofcom complaint

humeka — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 09:23:35 GMT

Check your laptop is using 5GHz , in my experience I 2.4 Ghz will not achieve 700 Mbps but 5 Ghz will .

Re: Ofcom complaint

Profile closed — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 10:53:57 GMT

Observations:

1. The app is available for iOS too. It isn’t restricted to android.

2. If I only had a (new) laptop, I’d simply browse to the website, log in, and use that. The lack of an app for “computers” is irrelevant.

3. If I had concerns about WiFi speeds, I’d check speed to the router (as that’s the only guarantee) then test the laptop via Ethernet.

I’m no EE fanboy but talking about them “lying” adds nothing.

Capable of Incompetence, I’d agree.

🤷🏼

Re: Ofcom complaint

KevanAngry — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:19:51 GMT

ok, so I have purchased ethernet cables to plugin to the router and an USB to ethernet connector. This should give me an ethernet connection via the router from my laptop avoiding any network cards slowing down my connection though wifi.

If I plug everything in, and turn my wifi off, the ethernet connection should work, yes?

Like flip, it just says no internet.

I am old school, and prefer ethernet connections via a desktop. I did work for an University in their computer science department for nearly 20 years, so I do know a little.

Something is not right, and it could be faulty equipment, but my money is on shoddy equipment supplied by EE.

Any suggestions?

Kevan

Re: Ofcom complaint

JimM11 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 07:10:13 GMT

@KevanAngry You need to check that the USB device is seen ok by the laptop, should show up and if you have it connected to the Ethernet USB - EE Router nic port can you see in properties what the network connects at. Time to say what EE Router you have, the USB to Ethernet adapter that you bought, and if you know what your USB port is, has to be at least USB3 for you to get Gigabyte speeds, USB2 is only good to 400mb/s. Does you laptop use windows as it's operating system?

Re: Ofcom complaint

KevanAngry — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:30:32 GMT

Thanks, I had a USB2 connector which was falling apart although only a few days old. Now replaced with an USB3 adapter apparently and this does work when I turn off the wifi; but it does not go any faster then 360 download and about 100 upload via ethernet cable which shows the value I am getting on my phone to be untrue. I have the newest router I guess, it is not th speeds promised.

Re: Ofcom complaint

humeka — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:25:58 GMT

Your reply contradicts each other ... you say the phone app says guaranteed 700 Mb/s (note Megabits per second and not MB/s Megabytes/sec) ... Do you mean the APP tests at 700 or just the advertising.

So you have a phone (Android or iPhone) ??? So install the app and and pair it to your router and perform a speed test from the router using the APP ... eliminates ALL your devices and network connections and test from the router ... If that fails to meet what your paying for ...then report to OFCOM ... But for any one with a computing background , what you're doing is nonsense.

I just used the APP test on my old ANDROID phone its says ;-

922.3 Mpbs Download 98.4 Mbps Upload ......... i.e at the ROUTER

and

39.67 Mbps Download 38.29 Mbps ..... On my Old SAMSUNG Galaxy S6 2.4 Ghz WIFI connected phone !!!!!!

It's like buying a 180 Mph Ferrari , then complaining It will only go 50Mph around a corner 😄

Re: Ofcom complaint

Profile closed — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:36:25 GMT

@humeka

Time to retire that phone mon ami 😉

Re: Ofcom complaint

humeka — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:57:06 GMT

It's a phone , it's job is being a phone . If these young programmers could write code that didn't need Megabytes to run , it might still be called SMART !!!!

NASA got to the moon on a 128k IBM PC , but it takes Mega Bytes to turn my Central Heating on 😀

I wonder if the OP has tested that his "new PC"s processor meets the advertised clocking times ??? 🙄

Re: Ofcom complaint

Profile closed — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:57:05 GMT

Great, crack on then.