topic Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees in Broadband & Landline

Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 17:43:30 GMT

I wonder if someone can sense check what I have been told please.

I called EE today to cancel my mobile phone contract as the price had got quite high.

They suggested I switch to their broadband, and I can then get a deal on the sim only contract.

I explained that I'm with Virgin media, and that I have 8 months left on my contract. I was told that they would deal with Virgin Media and cover the termination fee.

However reading through the info I have, it looks like this is capped at £300, and VM are likely to charge 90 - 95% of the remaining 8 months (based on VMs info, probably around £480).

Could someone elaborate on what the process is as I am left feeling a bit uneasy and confused!

My thoughts are basically:
Do EE cancel virgin, or do I?
Is the EE termination fee "credit" capped at £300?

Cheers
Rob

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

XRaySpeX — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 19:18:39 GMT

@Roodles : You need to cancel VM yourself as they use a diff infrastructure from BT/OR.

EE will pay up to £300 of your Early Cancellation Fees upon sight of your previous ISP's bill showing them. You can claim this online @ Switch Broadband to EE and we'll pay your leaving fee.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 19:24:33 GMT

Ok thank you. I was advised differently on the phone, I only found this out when googling what happens next.

The cynic in me feels like the operator said whatever to get the sale.

Do you know if EE cancellation / retention calls are recorded?

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

JimM11 — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 19:34:07 GMT

@Roodles You also need to look at the mobile closely regarding use etc, couple of variants for speed/price etc good points unlimited everything only if you keep the BB and 30 day notice to quit the mobile. Also OR infrastructure to match your VM is available for you now.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 19:41:36 GMT

Thanks.

I'm getting more and more upset about this.

I can't understand why none of the information was given - i.e. I need to phone virgin and cancel myself.

I also made it clear that I have 8 months left on Virgin at £50/m. They went on hold to check with their manager and said it would be ok.

I assume I can just cancel all of this under the cooling off period?

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

JimM11 — Sat, 15 Jun 2024 22:27:17 GMT

@Roodles It can be a minimum issue to change provider, the VM to EE is not, You have not posted ie, what type of VM package you have, does/can you get the equivalent type of package with EE, do you have a new fibre available, is it still old copper, EE would have looked up your address and worked out what you could get. What is your total saving for a combined package over the 24 month period, you may save overall. If going with all new on EE then do keep your VM up and running until the EE system is active and working, then and then only cancel your VM broadband think you only have to give 14 days notice, and VM will not make it easy for you so you know. Do you use a landline, do you have TV package etc? what about that. Cancel if you need, do it before everything is in motion, there may be charges for postage etc but if stopped now you may not have to deal with it. You will also have to PAY everything yourself up front then claim back and hope there are no issues with that. HTH

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 07:16:02 GMT

Thanks. I've logged this as a complaint with EE so I will update the thread with the outcome, in case any others find this in the future.

I shouldn't have left that call thinking that EE would handle the switch and the fee, to find out that essentially neither are true.

I hope that it's a training issue rather than them purposely misleading people, because to be frank I am fuming about this.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

JimM11 — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 07:51:24 GMT

@Roodles Always a possible sticky point, EE will handle but you also have to play a part to comply. Did you receive a welcome to EE order e-mail with details of what you need to do. Think that your conversation would be recorded if you need to go down that route.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 20:31:12 GMT

Yeah I got a welcome email, thanks. But no detail (that I can see) re VM next steps etc.

My main issue is that unless I have misunderstood VM's T&Cs, the £300 is unlikely to cover it (closer to £500).

I wouldn't have accepted a hard credit check if I'd known this. Additionally, VM are aggressive at retention, I mentioned this on the call and was told that EE handle it.

So I essentially feel like I've been led up the garden path by EE. I get wound up about these things as I think, if this was my elderly parents, the first time they would know something had gone wrong would be when they continued to receive bills from VM.

Anyway in spirit of transparency, if I am told by EE that I completely misunderstood it all and I'm stupid, I'll let you all know haha.

Cheers

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

JimM11 — Sun, 16 Jun 2024 20:37:49 GMT

@Roodles VM do halve a good final calculation examples on there site, so you can get a fairly good figure worked out for yourself if that helps, and it is a 30 day cancellation notice that i think i saw when i had quick look yesterday. Hope you get it all sorted.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 07:55:00 GMT

VM tool quotes between 90% and 95% haha. Taking the mid range of 92.5% this is £490.

I just had a look on trust pilot which does not fill me with glee. Anyway I'll give EE a chance to put it right before I cancel it all.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:07:52 GMT

Update on this:

I spoke to the call centre, and they confirmed all the above, i.e. I would basically have to go into battle with Virgin media myself, and I would only be able to get credit for £300 of the c. £500 VM exit fee. So that obviously isn't going to happen.

So I have been hard credit checked and misled, I'm pretty hacked off about that.

I've logged a complaint, if anything of interest comes of it, I'll update the thread.

Cheers all.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 06:45:47 GMT

How long do EE take to look into complaints?

Today is the 10th working day and I've not even had an acknowledgement (other than the automatic email).

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

JimM11 — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 07:20:22 GMT

@Roodles This will get you to info about complaints from the EE Help, click on link. HTH

Understanding your broadband complaint | Customer Care | EE

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 13:24:22 GMT

Just to close this off. Complaints did nothing. They just said "soz, my bad" and closed it off.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Peter_W — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 16:17:48 GMT

Good afternoon @Roodles.

I'm disappointed to hear that our weren't able to find a resolution that satisfied on this occasion.

As per our complaints code of practice, we wouldn't usually close a complaint unless a resolution was agreed, and if this isn't possible the next step would be to refer this to the Communications Ombudsman via deadlock letter.

If you feel that not all options were offered here, I would definitely get back in touch, and we can review everything that's happened, and see what options we have from there.
Peter

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 10:34:41 GMT

Hi Peter

From a customer perspective, the ideal outcome would have been to honour what I'd been told - i.e. paid the full early termination fee to virgin.

However I was concerned not to have EE equipment delivered and start incurring costs so I used the "cooling off" cancellation before I managed to speak to someone at complaints.

I was told that as I had cancelled, there was nothing to talk about really.

Not a great experience. I still want the broadband by the way, I just can't afford the early termination fee (although by now, I suspect it is very close to £300 haha)

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Ben570 — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:48:25 GMT

Do yourself a favour and don't switch to EE broadband just to get a cheaper phone deal. Their broadband service is terrible, particularly the "Smart Hub" which isn't smart, the buggy app you have to use to manage the hub and your EE services, and the customer service is a lot worse than it used to be.

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Roodles — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:50:02 GMT

Thanks for the info.

Perhaps I'll just beat virgin into lowering the price at renewal then 🤣

Re: Confused about sign up to EE broadband, switch from virgin media and fees

Ben570 — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:55:05 GMT

"As per our complaints code of practice, we wouldn't usually close a complaint unless a resolution was agreed" - @Peter_W

This is absolute tosh. Standard code of practice within EE seems to be that guides log complaints for just about any issue you raise with them that they can't resolve straight away and then you'll get useless text updates informing you the case will be closed in 28 days if you don't contact EE to ask them not to close it yet. EE has a very strange implementation of industry standards such as ITIL that most competent service providers use.