Hi @pete651 ,
You may want to double check which Terms and Conditions apply to you. You may be at a disadvantage for sticking with your previous provider as if you changed annually between different OpenReach resellers, you could potentially accumulate a new router every year from service providers who do not require return of equipment.
It's mainly Virgin Media I know who mandate return of their equipment as it can be used for nothing else (mainstream).
I can well understand that you might regard the router as your property, and EE may well have let you take it away if you had switched provider, depending on whether or not they have informed you in advance the property remains theirs as per the below. It would be a good thing to clarify the below.
If the service provider has not told you otherwise, it may be that you own the old router and should not be returning it as faulty. If the service provider said you could have a new router and did not mandate return of your old router at the time, I feel they need to perform their verbal contract and not materially alter it to the unfavourable, different contract which is a breach of the original verbal contract.
https://ee.co.uk/help/help-new/terms-and-conditions/home/home-network
8. Equipment.
Unless we tell you otherwise, we will own any equipment provided to you by us until 14 days after activation of
your broadband service. After that, you own the equipment. If you choose to cancel within the 14 days, you will
be required to return any equipment received and may have to cover the cost of return (see points 2.4, 2.8, 2.9,
2.11 and 3.8 of the terms and conditions).
