Broadband Intermittent Fault At 7:30 pm Yesterday-Text messages to 66033 failed

[HUMBUG75]

Here was my experience yesterday :

At 7:30 pm yesterday my relatively new broadband service with EE  went faulty . The router went from intermittently flashing orange , then back to Green, then flashing orange , etc .  The digital landline was also obviously down too, so tried to find an email address or online chat or secure messaging facility (because I am very deaf).   None of those options were available so I used my mobile to try and text HELP to 66033  which failed . Tried several times and each time it failed to deliver. 

Then I used my mobile and phoned 0330 123 1105  , pressed a few options about registering a fault  and was told by an automated voice that a text message would be sent .  

I received the text message asking to reply back with the word FAULT  , which I did , but that message also failed . Tried a few more times typing FAULT and sending to 66033 and that failed too. 

Then I phoned 0330 123 1105 again and an automated voice said that there was a fault and that Openreach engineers are visiting to fix .

I wanted some more information to know whether they are visiting me or some other place where the fault was located , so I rang 0330 123 1105 again but was kept hanging on the phones for 15 mins because EE operatives were 'very busy' . The automated voice said that it might be preferable to ring the next morning. 

Anyhow , I logged into my online EE account today as everything seemed to be working okay .  Under 'Help' section you can go into 'Broadband' and there seems to be information about a fault being raised which had now been fixed by 'Openreach' engineers.

Although I am happy that my fault was automatically raised (probably using my mobile phone number to identify my account and broadband connection )  I couldn't be certain what was happening. 

EE should have updated me by text message to confirm that a fault ticket had been raised and provided a status update on what was happening.  So far I haven't received any texts saying what the fault  was or the date/time it was fixed.  I've had to try and find out myself what was happening online , but obviously that would have been impossible if my broadband connection was still down. 

Hopefully , this fault will not be same recurring one that I had with Plusnet for over a year but I have a sneaky feeling it is one and the same.  I really want EE to reply back to me and confirm that whatever fault was found that it's not just a temporary fix but a permanent one.  

[Peter_W]

Good afternoon @HUMBUG75.

Welcome to the EE Community, and thanks for taking the time to share the details of your experience here, too. 

I'm glad that this got resolved in the end, but it definitely seems so odd that you encountered so much trouble trying to use our text service. 

What exactly was happening when you were trying to use the text service, and did you get any particular errors?
Is your mobile on EE too, or is this a different network?
Peter

[HUMBUG75]

Hi Peter

I use a 2G phone via Asda Mobile , which I think uses Vodafone network.  I followed the EE text message instruction and it just wouldn't send .  I go into sent message folder and it just sits there with a  triangle symbol underneath containing an exclamation !  at its centre .  

Maybe you don't offer SMS text messages on the 2G network . If so , then that makes it difficult for me to raise a fault via SMS text  and will therefore have no option but to try and phone your helpdesks . Not an ideal situation considering I am very deaf .

[Peter_W]

Thanks @HUMBUG75, am I correct in thinking that's pay as you go? 
It sounds like potentially the network is identifying that this will be a chargeable message, and if you don't have additional credit it may not be covered by your pack. 

The messages are charged at the standard network rate. 

If speaking on the phone isn't the best option for you here too, we do offer our next generation relay service as an alternative. 

This allows you to chat via message with an interpreter, that will then speak to a member of our team on your behalf and type back the replies. 

You can find all the details you need on this, along with a few of our other options such as BSL interpreters, here:

Communication support | Accessibility support | EE

Peter

[HUMBUG75]

It's not a PAYG contract as I pay a subscription every month by direct debit for unlimited calls and messages.

Thanks for the link to the relay service which I'll attempt to download on my computer.  

[Peter_W]

Thanks @HUMBUG75, I'd definitely still reach out to ASDA to double check what numbers are covered under your plan, as there's a chance this may be barred.

I was going to suggest checking your marketing preferences with our team too, but they shouldn't affect your ability to send that initial message.

Peter

[HUMBUG75]

Hi Peter

I have contacted Asda Mobile and this is their reply:

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Please be informed that each network provider has its own short code text messages, and they can only accept messages from mobile numbers belonging to the same network. In this case, EE short codes can only accept messages from EE numbers. You may try to ask for the original number instead of the short code and send the message to it if it is not chargeable. If the number is chargeable, you will be billed according to the rates assigned by EE for this message.

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If the above is true then your customers who don't have mobiles subscribed to the EE network cannot use the SMS  'HELP' and 'FAULT'  short code messages to communicate to your EE customer services. 

I think you might need to provide the full telephone number that maps to the short code 66033.

[Peter_W]

Hi again @HUMBUG75 😊

Whilst what ASDA have said here is right in theory, it doesn't quite apply to this particular service. 

We have short codes like 150 that are designed for and only work with our mobile numbers, but this is different. 

Our broadband customers are on a range of different mobile networks and the short code for fault reporting is available for use by all. 

Peter