Are EE scammers?

[marcinx98x]

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.

[JimM11]

@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.

[XRaySpeX]

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.

[marcinx98x]

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

[marcinx98x]

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.

[ee_user14]

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@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, 

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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.

[JimM11]

@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?

[marcinx98x]

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!

[JimM11]

@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.

[marcinx98x]

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!