How can EE behave like this?

[PI1]

I was just out of contract with BT and had been offered a renewal deal of £31.99 per month for full fibre 500MB but I was just out of time on the original deal offer.  I discussed with BT and, after I had talked it through with them and emailed them proof of the original deal, they agreed to offer me the same so long as I changed to EE.  I agreed, but as soon as I received the documents it turned out they were charging me £36.99.  There was no way to respond to these documents other than calling them.  When I called them (and every time I called them it took a long time to get through to them) they said they would honour the original offer, but they had to listen to the call and it took 24 hours for the call to be available for them to listen to it.  Next day they simply said they couldn't honour the deal.  So I cancelled and changed to another provider.

I then called 10 days after this to make sure they understood that I had cancelled within the 14 day cooling off period.  They confirmed that they understood this, they checked and they repeatedly reassured me that if the transfer took place as planned then I would have nothing further to pay.  I said that I didn't trust them from my previous dealings with them but they repeatedly reassured me that it would be ok and that the recordings of the call were evidence that I would not be billed.  The transfer took place as planned and they immediately told me I owed them about £300 in cancellation charges.  I called, they told me that although they agreed I had cancelled within the 14 day cooling off period their systems routinely churned out this sort of rubbish (my paraphrase) but it would all work our over the next few days and I wouldn’t actually be billed these cancellation charges.  I've just been billed these cancellation charges!!! 

I have made formal complaints throughout this process, they don't make a difference.  I will be complaining to the Communications Ombudsman and, if necessary, pursuing this all the way through legal proceedings, but please do yourself a favour and avoid this appalling company no matter what they promise you or what they say.    They don't even deserve one star.

[XRaySpeX]

@PI1 : You can't avail yourself of the statutory 14-day cooling-off period by just migrating to another ISP w/out telling EE 1st that you are cancelling within the statutory 14-day cooling-off period & that you will switching to another ISP.

[PI1]

@XRaySpeX you need to read the 2nd paragraph of my post.  I specifically called EE to confirm my cancellation within the 14 day cooling off period and EE confirmed to me that (1) they understood that I had cancelled within the 14 days, (2) that if the transfer took place as planned there would be no cancellation charge and (3) I did not need to taker nay further steps to cancel within the 14 day cooling off period.

[zulu17]

Hi @PI1   You mention that you made formal complaints throughout the process.Have those complaints been closed by EE or are they still active (albeit not currently resolved to your satisfaction,)?

[XRaySpeX]

I did! Your 2nd para in which you informed EE of your switch & invoked the cooling-off period was 10 days after your 1st para in which you switched to another ISP.

Hence I stand by my reasoning. You did things in the wrong order by 10 days!

[PI1]

I can't tell what, if anything has happened, with these complaints.  I get a standardised email with "We're looking into your complaint, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can" but it's not possible to reply to the email and I haven't heard back from them.  When I'm on the phone with them in the initial call they say they will call me, but I haven't been called.  

[PI1]

The 10 days isn't after the transfer actually takes place, it's 10 days after the initial order to EE!!

[XRaySpeX]

Well, it's what you said in your OP & thus all I have to go on. It's also chronologically in that order even if it's not actually 10 days.

[PI1]

The chronology is:

Day 1: order broadband for an agreed £31.99, get charged by EE an actual price of £36.99, complain and get told there's nothing EE can do for 24 hrs

Day 2: 24hours makes no difference so PLACE AN ORDER with somebody else instead

Day 10: confirm cancellation within the 14 day cooling off period, EE confirm this and that no cancellation charges will be payable

Day 14: transfer goes through as expected

Day 17: £300 cancellation charges are billed

Is it your role here to try and muddy the waters and move the attention away from the behaviour of EE?

[XRaySpeX]

Yes, as I said, Day 2 & Day 10 are in wrong order by 8 days.