topic Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers? in Broadband & Landline

Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:08:03 GMT

I was a BT customer for many years. I was lucky enough to get full fibre 900 Mbit a few years ago, and it's great, but has always been let down by the lacklustre BT SmartHub. So I have been waiting and waiting for the EE Wifi 7 router and it has finally arrived. Furthermore it is cheaper than my BT broadband and it is 1.6 Gbit. Can I get it? No, because I am an "existing" customer. So I phoned 150. "Yes you can get it by switching to EE. Oh no, it's not coming up on the system. Look, switch to EE, get the 900 Mbit package with Wifi 6, and once you are on EE the Wifi 7 will become available. Once you are set up, I'll phone you on Thursday and we'll get it sorted." (Oh and by the way it is more expensive than the 1.6 Gbit package available to new customers).

So I am up and running. Don't get me wrong, the EE Wifi 6 router is miles better than the BT SmartHub. But no phone call on Thursday, no option to upgrade to Wifi 7 online, paying more than advertised. Does this sound a familiar story to other people? Didn't BT have a promise at one point that existing customers would not be treated worse than new customers? I guess that's history as soon as it's not convenient.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:23:30 GMT

@drofspin The wifi 7 router and the 1.6Gb/s package are not totally exclusive of each other, just so you know!

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:35:26 GMT

Yes, I understand 1.6 Gbit and Wifi 7 are both part of the same package, while if you go for 900 Gbit it's the Wifi 6 router. I wanted the 1.6 Gbit & Wifi 7 package and could select it from the store after putting in my postcode ... up until I logged in (I had a login for my EE sim when I was a BT customer) and suddenly I couldn't select that package. Similarly if I log in and then go to the store in that order it is not available.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

Northerner — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 11:00:01 GMT

Hi @drofspin

These routers are free and will never be as good as buying a WiFi 7 devices if you have the need, just plug it into the ethernet port. Longer term this is your best option.

Thanks

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 11:03:12 GMT

@drofspin The wifi 7 Pro router and smart wireless is available with select full fibre packages as a £10 addon. There are some automatic blocks, ie DV or TV are not available currently on both the top two packages!

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 11:40:32 GMT

@JimM11 Yes, I was told by 150 that it was a £10 add-on. Except it's not available to me as an existing customer. And if it was, I'd be paying £20 more for 900 Gbit than is being offered to new customers for 1.6 Gbit (which I would still take on the chin). BTW I do appreciate the time you are taking to reply, and they are all good points. It's just that I seem to have hit the blocks with all of them.

@Northerner Now that I have dumped digital voice I am free to use my own router & mesh. Though for Wifi 7 they're still eye-wateringly expensive.

All I'm asking for is the same choice as a new customer. After waiting years (it seems) for the rumoured EE Wifi 7 router, it's just a bit galling to to fall at the last "existing customer" hurdle.

I'll temper it with this though. After waiting years for the rumoured EE Wifi 7 router, and sticking with the naff BT Smarthub, the switch to the EE Wifi 6 router is getting me close to the 900 Mbit on my PC that it wired into the Smart Wifi Plus hub, whereas before, with a similar arrangement I would get 550 Gbit on a good day. So it's still a massive improvement, and is there much value added from the Wifi 7, probably not.

But I still come back to the title of my original post. Maybe I'm the only one with this problem. Maybe I'm being a bit too quick out the gate wanting the new router.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 12:55:33 GMT

@drofspin There is plenty to add value wise, no way on this earth can you get a router + Smart wireless for £240 and over 24 months, it's the bargain of the century, newer, faster, future proof, and someone or system is blocking and there should not be. Loyalty does not count much anymore, that is just the way unfortunately. Sweetner's, incentive's call it what you wish but just not for the current customers.... Re sign up for a whole 24 months, what could NOT be better!

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

Northerner — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 13:04:19 GMT

@drofspin

I can only speak from personal experience but I have used the free router for years with a Netgear wireless access point which at the time was WiFi 6 connected via ethernet. Then I changed to city fibre and I was given an Eero 6 pro e. Now addicted to them and have the max 7 which yes is expensive but long term will pay for itself as over the network it's wonderful. There are loads of WiFi 7 devices now but they are expensive and this likely why EE are not just handing they out.

Other points are:

Most consumers electronics are not even WiFi 6 although this is changing.
Most mobiles are not WiFi 7 yet unless it's a new release.
The internet is only as fast as the site you are connecting to.

I do sympathise and can understand your situation but my own view is these free routers should be used as access points only.

One last point if you're using ethernet use Cat 8 cables and from the fibre box.

Thanks

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 13:34:05 GMT

@drofspin Below is a example of a wifi 5 device, ie laptop connected to a EE Smarthub+ router on wireless, just look at the wireless sync speed's internal network can be just as important as external...

SSID: ??????????
Protocol: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Security type: WPA2-Personal
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Description: Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9560 160MHz
Driver version: 22.120.0.3
Network band: 5 GHz
Network channel: 100
Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 1733/1733 (Mbps)
IPv6 address: 2a00:23c8:a45b:f100:XXXX:21a8:d376:XXXX
XXXX:4c15:XXXX::112
XXXX:4c15:XXXX:0:710e:61aa:932f:ecad
Link-local IPv6 address: fe80::XXXX:76d9:XXXX:XXXX%17
IPv4 address: 192.168.1.112
IPv4 DNS servers: 192.168.1.254 (Unencrypted)
Physical address (MAC): F4-D1-XX-55-17-XX

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 15:52:14 GMT

@JimM11 Most of my devices where speed makes a difference have 6e receivers. Nothing has Wifi 7 (yet). My gaming PC has Wifi 6e too but I use a LAN cable to the Mesh device since I figure that'll be quicker than connecting to it via Wifi. With the Wifi 6 kit Steam downloads have increased from ~ 60 MB/s to consistently over 100 MB/s (I've seen 111 briefly). So I don't expect much improvement with Wifi 7 (at least with 900 Mbit/s). My ping has improved with Wifi 6 and I figure that would improve with the new Wifi 7 kit. Internally, connection to my NAS is definitely speedier. The other benefit is I have been able to use my Quest 3 In the room next door to the PC) with wireless SteamLink for the first time, and Half Life Alyx seemed to run pretty smoothly. These are two areas that I would expect to see further improvement with the latest kit.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:11:39 GMT

@drofspin You are surely pushing to the max, just got to convince EE to get you on the 1.6 package now and you will be there, may not be as easy as you hope with that, but best of luck to getting it.🤞

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 17:51:27 GMT

So a quick update, after calling 150 and listening to a lot of piped music, the third person I spoke to gave me some useful information: Busiest Home Bundle (1.6 Gbit/s, Wifi 7) is only currently available to new customers (costing £64.99 per month), which I am not since I am part of the BT family. However, they are planning to make it available to existing customers some time in January. So I'll be patient, and wait.

One final comment. I stayed out of contract with BT for at least 18 months waiting for the EE Wifi 7 router. As per Ofcom rules BT had to inform me of contract deal prices (which were all more than I was paying), but did not tell me about EE deals, presumably because I was not an EE customer. However, if I go to EE and try and get a deal as a new customer I can't because I am in the BT family. So it seems like a somewhat asymmetric relationship - basically you are an existing customer and are not an existing customer of both BT and EE, depending on what suits them best.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

JimM11 — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 18:00:05 GMT

@drofspin As we said, no idea what you have/had etc, you could have been on a great deal saving loads of money, and now they are coming to re-coup, you are kind of caught in the BT - EE twilight zone, hope you get it sorted and as you say, Jan not that far away, moving goal post's the only thing to worry about, and gives the new gear sometime to settle and sure you will be all over the forum keeping the one eye on that!🤞

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 18:29:33 GMT

Well I was paying BT £84.55 for pretty much the same as I am getting from EE now (costing £76) except with BT I had Digital Voice home phone PAYG, which I have now got rid of (saving £3) while EE gives (lends) me a better router & mesh. So I am better off now, just not best off. A victory of sorts, if Pyrrhic.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

Camlan — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 11:50:05 GMT

I am in exactly the same situation and getting the same response from 150 calls, not for existing customers. What is really annoying is this on my EE Broadband Homepage:

RENEW TODAY AND GRAB A GREAT DEAL

Renew your EE Broadband today and enjoy unlimited data on your EE Mobile plans.

See renewal deals

Except you can't! All I get is either constant spinning green dots or there is a technical problem. If you can't do it, don't advertise it EE.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

kazak-bg — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 14:46:29 GMT

Did they give any more details around the January time or was this simply a ball park estimate? I've been looking to upgrade for a while now and dont want to have to keep ringing up EE once a month to just ask if its available.

Their app is terrible for finding the upgrade screen

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

drofspin — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:26:22 GMT

They said sometime in January or “at least that’s the current plan”. I’m supposed to get a message when it’s available. We’ll see.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

Camlan — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 15:58:18 GMT

Don't hold your breath.

I have been told that every month since August. At least there was some honesty last time in that I was told I probably wouldnt be able to upgrade until just prior to contract expiry which is November 2025.

That's if I don't walk as a result of this.

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

kazak-bg — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 16:18:55 GMT

Okay, an upgrade definitely will be available at some point. Its annoying they didnt integrate the system before releasing it to new customers only, when i was speaking to the engineer on the offline team she said the plan is to test their infrastructure all the way up to 2.5gbps as thats what its capable of.

Just annoying it's not available for existing customers right now.

At least they released router with 2.5 ports now

Re: Broadband - Are new customers being treated bettter than existing customers?

kazak-bg — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 09:34:51 GMT

So after speaking to a customer sales rep today who contacted the G1 team, they said the only way i can upgrade is by waiting till the end of my contract in 2 years time, or by buying out of my contract to go onto a new contract incurring fees of 435 pounds.

Brilliant way to retain customers, will definitely be leaving EE after the 2 years is up. Both phone and broadband will be going 🙂