topic Re: Are EE scammers? in Broadband & Landline

Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 17:44:15 GMT

My question is: have you also been ripped off by EE? I’ve heard about this happening to friends; my parents went through it, and now it’s happening to me! EE "forgets" that a contract has ended and keeps charging for internet service for months on end. In my parents' case, it went on for eight months, and getting the money back took another four. Now I’m in a situation where they’re still taking payments after my contract has ended. This happens to so many people that I’m convinced it’s a deliberate scheme to cheat customers—I don’t believe for a second that it’s just a coincidence.

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 17:56:20 GMT

@marcinx98x The period of your contract guarantee (say 24 Months) ends but after that you automatically go onto a month to month period, paying at full price unless you specifically call EE CS and end the entire broadband as NO LONGER required, after the 30 day notice period you give to them then EE will cease the line!

If you move to another provider and depending on how it was done, either you end it or the other provider ends it, if that did not happen this way then you take it up with whatever one you feel is the correct one to deal with.

It is NOT unusual for ONE extra payment to be taken due to the billing cycle that is in operation, and this is normally returned in the method off a refund with the 1 month that is paid up front plus the day's off extra use.

Re: Are EE scammers?

XRaySpeX — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:40:11 GMT

No, EE forgets nowt! It's an elephant!

These BB contracts don't just end, just the min. term expires. They are not fixed term contracts. After the min. term they just carry on at the non-discounted price on a rolling 30-days' notice basis until you explicitly migrate, cancel or upgrade.

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 21:02:08 GMT

I'm not an idiot—it's obvious that I cancelled the contract over the phone while talking to them!

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 21:22:09 GMT

Hold on a second—is a single extra charge really nothing unusual? The contract is for 24 months and is paid in advance, so if I terminate it by calling 30 days before it ends, what kind of *extra* charge are you talking about?

I’m already overlooking the fact that customer service misled me by telling me to call five days before the end of my contract. Naturally, I called 30 days before the contract ended.

Re: Are EE scammers?

ee_user14 — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 22:27:21 GMT

@marcinx98x wrote:
Hold on a second—is a single extra charge really nothing unusual? The contract is for 24 months and is paid in advance,

Absolutely not. As mentioned above by @XRaySpeX but potentially ignored by yourself, the contract is NOT a fixed-term one that automatically ends on any date. It is a rolling contract that has a minimum-term but otherwise only ends when the necessary notice is explicitly given.

If, as some of your posts seem to assert, you are confident that you gave this explicit disconnection notice and served the notice period, then you have valid cause for complaint and should do so via the appropriate formal channels. If the recording of your call to CS giving notice, is available, then it will clearly decide your complaint either way.

It is also standard practice that if your monthly billing date falls during your notice period, that monthly bill is produced as normal, and payment dates naturally follow. It is only when your service is actually disconnected, that the final bill process is initiated. Your claim that this is deliberate is entirely correct - not just with EE, but with every other broadband & mobile provider that I've ever dealt with. They are all quite open about it, too - although not all customers make themselves aware.

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 06:13:20 GMT

@marcinx98x You did it correct then by calling EE and giving them the cease at the end off the contract. What date did the EE CS agent give you and confirm it all by e-mail to your account e-mail address.

With the terminate in process everything should run down, no other provider at this point should be able to start getting anything available for you, once everything is completed EE end then you can go get another ISP to supply you broadband that timescale does vary anywhere between 14-21 day's that you will be without an broadband internet exception to that would be if you are NOT using an OR Openreach connection anymore and getting a Altnet to supply your new connection that is not part off the OTS process. The last month should be not charged as you paid the 1st month upfront. You get to check your bank DD at this point and if clear you can remove EE from the list when no longer using and especially if no refund is due to you.

Now this is all out off the way, that is how you did it all, you called up EE told them ok at the End off the 24 Months stop/cease the line and got the e-mail from them, not just the verbal over the phone etc that they did it all?

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 07:27:48 GMT

I’ve just cancelled my direct debit. I’ve been using Toob for internet access for the past nine months because it’s cheaper and faster. The problem is that—in my opinion—EE’s conduct isn’t an isolated incident; I am absolutely certain it’s a deliberate tactic. I personally know several people who have encountered this—including my parents (who faced the exact same issue): their service was disconnected after the contract ended, yet they continued to be charged for months afterwards. If you don’t check your account regularly, you could be in for a shock when you discover, months later, that you’re still paying for a service that was cancelled and is no longer active!

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 08:02:48 GMT

@marcinx98x As Toob is an Altnet did EE Confirm to you by the e-mail that your account was getting shut down, After the one month then you go look and make sure EE is pulling NO MORE payments out off the direct debit....

If conformation was NOT supplied then they just may have not followed your instructions at the time and continued on as if they were supplying you. It does happen and one has to be very diligent with it all.

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:18:37 GMT

The account has now been closed because we called EE. However, the problem remains for me, because EE charges in advance – for example, if I sign a contract on the 10th, my first bill is due on the 16th; this is a terrible practice, as you shouldn't be charged for a service that hasn't been provided yet. Then, when I call EE forty days before the contract ends to say I want to cancel, the representative tells me I need to call a week before the end date; this is a deliberate attempt to mislead me so that I get charged for another 20 days of the contract. So, I insist on calling 30 days before the end – as stipulated in my contract – and ask to cancel. The woman agrees, notes the cancellation, and says the service will be cut off in 8 days, after which I’ll receive a notification to return the equipment. I received the return label and sent all the equipment back. I thought that was the end of my saga with EE, but unfortunately, I received a notification for yet another bill (not the final one), and the app shows a date for the generation of a subsequent bill as well. We called EE and learned that the contract was still ongoing and the service active; apparently, with an 18-month contract (paid in advance), being charged for a 19th bill is considered normal. After a long conversation, the representative admitted that this is standard practice at the company – something he himself had flagged as needing change – and suggested we file complaints so that EE might finally alter its (deceptive) system. I’m posting this to find others in a similar situation so we can file a joint complaint with the UK consumer rights ombudsman!

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:35:22 GMT

@marcinx98x Good luck with it all! Mine's was perfect, OTS was switched over rapid 5 day's, EE said good by and refunded the day's with zero issues and no overcharge whatsoever. Ended 10 Mar 2025, 13 day's short and refunded those day's direct back into the Direct Debit account. All EE on the final bill below....

""You normally pay for services in advance. As you stopped your services on 10 of March, we've credited your account for 13 days you were charged for on your last bill""

What's changed since your last bill
11 Mar - 23 Mar
Broadband Package: £37.99/month
› This is a refund of the price of your Package which you paid in advance up to
23 Mar 2025-£17.64

Re: Are EE scammers?

Chris_B — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:29:45 GMT

@marcinx98x You start with THIS to make that complaint. The ombudsman isn’t going to deal with you directly as alone case as it’s not their purpose. And you’ll need a few thousand people to join you for the ombudsman to actually do thing,

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:33:57 GMT

Filing a complaint about the company's conduct with that very same company is pointless. As for the ombudsman, you are very much mistaken; there is a phone number you can call to get help practically right away – I know because I've used the service myself. The mere fact that a representative confirms they receive dozens of calls regarding the exact same issue raises a red flag – after all, that's just one person, and there are many such consultants.

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:40:56 GMT

"Usually"...??? BT and EE are the only companies where I’ve paid bills in advance; I haven't encountered this anywhere else. I’d happily tile the walls in your home if you paid me upfront—not just a deposit, but the full amount; what do you say to that? It’s not standard practice; it’s very bad business.

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:50:49 GMT

@marcinx98x Think you are wrong about the BB side, all companies do the Instant one month as soon as the service goes active, they did that for sky before EE, refund no issue, after EE sky again upfront and the refund no issue, and now on vodafone upfront payment again they did it partial and added it to the 2nd billing cycle so higher cost but still upfront, and do not expect any issue's refund wise when that period ends. Big difference 1 month upfront to the whole 24 month contract, EE/BT/Sky/Vodafone etc etc are not taking the Full Payment for the Whole contract period.

Re: Are EE scammers?

Richardr66 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 10:54:35 GMT

The Ombudsman will look at individual complaints, for telecoms firms that is a mandated procedure under OFCOM rules, that is their job.

EE have six weeks after receiving a formal complaint to settle it to your satisfaction, and either receiving a deadlock communication before then, or six weeks passing, a complainant can take the issue to an approved Ombudsman.

https://ee.co.uk/content/dam/help/terms-and-conditions/regulatory/ee-complaints-code-of-practice-april-2026.pdf goes through the process.

If anyone has a serious complaint, it really is in their interest to go through this procedure.

In the last quarter of last year, the Ombudsman EE use upheld 55% of broadband complaints against EE, and a further 10% were settled after submission before investigation by the Ombudsman.

They don't say how many complaints per provider, so it is impossible really to compare.

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:02:19 GMT

But you don't quite get my point. I agree – if a company wants to charge upfront, let them (even though it's bad practice) – but if you have an 18-month contract and call to cancel it 30 days before it ends, where is the logic in charging a 19th bill?

Another issue is that the employee misleads you by saying, "Call a week before the end" (you foolish customer, because that's when we'll charge you for another 20 days).

And another thing: the service was supposed to be switched off on the 24th of last month – the app said so – and on the 25th, I received a return label for the EE equipment. Yesterday, I got an email with another bill; I logged into my account and saw the service was still active, a new bill had been charged, and there was even a date listed for the next billing cycle.

This isn't just happening to me; friends of mine went through this two years ago, and my parents did four years ago. My parents were billed for another eight months after their contract ended – my mom checked the account and was shocked. After filing a complaint, EE refunded the money over the course of four months; we had to call them repeatedly to get it sorted.

This is a problem; it's a systemic issue designed to cause these kinds of errors – something an employee actually admitted – yet the company has known about it for years and does nothing.

Re: Are EE scammers?

JimM11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:15:29 GMT

@marcinx98x Due diligence is the one, YOU keep the eye on it so it DOES not happen, if you don't then you only have to blame yourself even if they promised it as a don't worry it's all in hand. Correct stop it all before BUT still do your part to be sure.

Re: Are EE scammers?

Richardr66 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:35:44 GMT

@marcinx98x wrote:
This is a problem; it's a systemic issue designed to cause these kinds of errors – something an employee actually admitted – yet the company has known about it for years and does nothing.

I can't answer your complaints of course, I have no knowledge. But it is worth going through the formal complaints procedure. Only this week OFCOM fined Virgin Media £28m "for repeatedly preventing customers from cancelling contracts". This came after 1,881 complaints over three years via their Ombudsmen [Virgin have used two different ones depending on the date]. Unless a deadlock letter was issued, you actually have six years to complain to the Ombudsman, so get your parents to complain as well.

Re: Are EE scammers?

marcinx98x — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:16:14 GMT

So, I'm supposed to make sure the guy from EE actually cancels the contract by the time he promised over the phone? I don't mean to offend you, mate, but you're talking nonsense. How many contracts do you have right now? Can you imagine calling them up every five minutes? And another thing: if someone tells you over the phone – and sends an email confirming – that they've cancelled the contract, then for God's sake, how else are you supposed to verify it yourself? Pop in for a coffee with the rep? And take a peek at his computer screen?