Contract ended but still being charged!

[shanban]

I took out a Watch Only plan for 24 months back in 2020 for an Apple Watch. £499 watch @ £28 per month (before APR increase of 2021 then it was £30). 

The 24 months came to an end and final payment was last month (Nov 2022). 

I have received my bill for December and I’ve been charged for the Watch, even though the contract ended and the final payment was taken last month. 

I have contacted multiple people and just keep being fobbed off with ‘unless you cancel the contract, you will still be charged’. Yes - for a mobile phone or a device that you’re providing me service for, not a device only plan.. The plan was to pay for the balance of the Watch, not for it’s useage (it wasn’t being used anyway as I sold it 3 months after purchase because I found it boring). So 24 months at £30 a month more than covered the price of the £399 Watch!!!! So why would you need to continue charging me?! 

I then get told ‘you have to cancel the contract or it automatically renews’ - I was NOT, and have never been told this for a watch only / accessory plan! I wasn’t told this at purchase, it’s not in the Ts & Cs nor is it in any of the paperwork. 

What nonsense is this? I am absolutely not paying another £30 when I’ve paid almost £800 for the device but no-one I speak to seems to understand what I’m saying and just keeps telling me that they can’t help me. 

Any helpful advice? I’m sick of EE. This is on the back of them trying to charge me a random £50 extra last month for ‘additional line fees’ that turned out to be them just trying to con me out of money! 

[bristolian]

EE's T&Cs have no concept of the hardware element or paying-off a device cost.

You agreed to a pay a fixed monthly fee on a rolling basis for at least the duration of your minimum term. It's a popular misconception that the end of your minimum term is when your contract ends, all that happens at that point is that you are able to give disconnection notice without incurring early termination fees.

Unless you explicitly give 30days cancellation notice, your contract continues on the same basis as it has done for the previous 2 years.

[Chris_B]

@shanban   The watch is a cellular device that has a data connection just like a phone you are not just paying for the watch you also also paying the contract that gives you a data connection.  It’s not an accessory it’s an  additional line on your account that has a tariff attached to it for the data connection that’s what you’ve been paying for also.  To terminate the contract you give notice to terminate just like a phone contract. 

[Druff1990]

Exactly the same thing just happened to me proper fobbed off I have to cancel I said so if you have a car in finance and have payed up in full would they keep charging you no just money grabbing joke of a company!!! Leaving them going with Tesco the contract stays the same I have 5 contracts with ee in my house hold no more! 

[Michael_D]

Hi @Druff1990 

Thanks for coming to the community.

I can understand where you are coming from but we don't automatically cancel a plan or amend it when the minimum contract time expires. This is the same for a watch or phone plan as it if it was cancelled it may leave someone without a connection that they rely on.

The contract dates are visible for you to view in the EE app or website, so that you can contact us at the end of the contract to give notice to cancel or make a change to the plan.

Michael

[bristolian]

---

@Druff1990 wrote:

Leaving them going with Tesco the contract stays the same I have 5 contracts with ee in my house hold no more! 

---

Tesco is an O2-MVNO. Their contract structure is fundamentally the same as EE's, their network is not.

Unless you already know someone who uses O2, test out their network & service in all the areas you frequent, before moving. The 4 main networks differ substantially!

[BLIPblophop]

I'm in the same boat. They've stolen £180 from me as far as I can see, but they'll lose £1000s in business from me and my company in future. Complaint to Ofcom inbound also, they're hiding behind T+C's or 'might leave you without a connection' despite the airtime plan being separate. 

[Katie_B]

Hi @BLIPblophop. 

Welcome to the EE Community. 

Are you still being charged for a contract that has ended?

Has this been flagged with our customer care team who can investigate this further for you?

Speak soon, 

Katie

[Chris_B]

@BLIPblophop   Then perhaps what should happen at the end of a contract minimum term is you get cut off because you haven’t done something about it but they don’t cut you off It changes to a 30 day rolling contract so you can do something about it without being cut off, you wouldn’t want to get cut off if you  reached the minimum term when abroad would you.    

The contract that you agreed to includes those T&Cs and you agreed to them when you took out the contract so how is EE hiding behind the T&C’s that you agreed to when you agreed to the contract.   Do T&Cs no apply to you ?     Did you read and understand the contract and what happens at the minimum term date ?     Did you give 30 days notice to terminate ? as you think the contract should of ended at the minimum term date ?  It’s all in the contract T&Cs on what happens at the minimum term date should you have read them.