EE Contracts are just not sustainable anymore

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I get it - contract says CPI + 3.9% but what bothers me is the fact that staff members say here and on social media that they had no choice as they cannot influence CPI. That's true .. What EE COULD be doing though is not insisting on 3.9% .. I get it - they are a business but with BT increasing their profit by 10% to $2b alone I am sure there could have been some wiggle room so help customers.

In my example the last increases have been mad. I think my plan started at under £100 in 2021 and the latest increase of 15% put it up to £125 a month (from £110) since last increase which brought it from £99 to £110.

I sat down and did some calculations and realised the price increase is a lot more than the interest I'd pay on my card if I were to pay back early - so I did that ... I just cancelled two lines. 

So yea - people will say that other providers increase their prices too since it is in the contract so I can only see one way out - go PAYGO. This way you can go around shopping on monthly basis ... 

As comparison - EE Unlimited Data / Roaming as of March 2023 : £126.28 ... New provider that just got my PAC  : £35 (same unlimited plan) rolling for 30 days (half that on a 24 month contract).... 

I think my point is - I wished EE would do more for their loyal customers rather than punishing them. The only reason my plan is so high now is the fact I stayed with them and renewed. Now looking at current plans - Unlimited Data is between £14 and £18 on 24 months ... 

So yes EE - do something for your long standing customers or lose them ... And on that note - I am out ...

[Profile closed]

So you're saying that they should not enforce a price increase for "loyal customers" but should do so for new customers? Think about that for a moment. Can you see the obvious flaw in that logic? If you only charge newer customers then you will alienate them and they will leave as soon as they are in a position to do so. Either by buying themselves out of contract or cancelling once they are out of contract. Your approach means that EE, a business, will cease to attract and retain new customers. Then when the loyal customers either die off or change their minds and go for whatever reasons, EE, a business, is in financial straits. They will cease to innovate and invest. They were the first UK 4G network, the first UK 5G network, first UK network to introduce WiFi calling. The first ti introduce interest free add to plans such as playstations or airpods. These things cost a lot of money. EE don't just make profits every year and pocket it. It has to be used to reinvest in the network infrastructure, to improve it by upgrading it's capacity to increase with increased demand. They have to pay customer service, engineers and maintain a chain of retail stores too. They also have to pay the shareholders because after all, it's a business. At the end of the day, EE would rather not do it because what company wants negative customers and press. Vodafone, three and 02 also don't want to do it. But clearly they have to. They're are cheaper alternatives. 12 months or two years are not eternity. People have choices. They're are networks, small mvnos like Tesco mobile that don't charge a price increase for obvious reasons but they still have 6% of the market while EE, Vodafone and three all have over 20% each. If you don't believe everything I wrote, have a look at the statement from ofcom, the united kingdom's telcos regulator. Remember 10.5% inflation isn't going to happen every year but there will always be price increases with all the networks. It's not going to stop happening so either deal with it I guess or find another provider. Crusading against it isn't going to change it:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2023/telecoms-price-rises-what-are-your-rights

[Rtlbt]

My prices have increased by £22.36 a month since I started my contract from £52 up to £74.36 a month which just seems unreasonable. I’m sure it’s all covered in the T&Cs of my contract and all above board. But there is a very good reason why companies don’t tend to use every power in the T&Cs and that because once my contract ends in a month.. Guess what I’ll be doing.. Going elsewhere!

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Rtlbt 

Thanks for coming here. 

Do you have any extra charges showing on your bill? 

How long ago did the bill increase? 

Leanne 🙂

[silvasnow1]

The irony is that EE along with all major data providers do influence the CPI they just don't directly influence it 

[Rtlbt]

No extra charges.

EE have just increased the price I pay per month mid-contract to a shockingly high amount. I didn’t even know you could increase the cost in the middle of a contract but apparently you can according to your T&Cs. Which simply means people won’t be renewing their contracts with EE.

What am I going to be paying on my new contract?

What if you double the price as soon as I get my contract?

I simply cannot trust the price of the contract - 43% higher then the original price is far from reasonable.

I can see customer retention at an all time low moving into next year if they have had the same experience as myself. I can imagine customers leaving in their droves. 

[Katie_B]

Hello @Rtlbt. 

Have you been able to view your EE bill and a full break down of your charges?

When did you bill increase?

Speak soon, 

Katie

[Rtlbt]

Yes I can view my bill.

EE have increased my bill over the course of two years the largest being in March 2023 for almost £10 extra a month.

It is not extra charges for add-ons or out of contract charges.

You have increased your price mid-contract.

There is no other way to word it or describe the situation.

You keep asking the same question.
Let me ask a question - Why did EE increase pre-existing customer contracts by 14.4% and do they think that is a fair percentage?

[Katie_B]

Hello @Rtlbt. 

When EE work out prices, they use the December CPI rate published in January. For December 2022 the CPI rate was 10.5%. This means the majority of customers will see a price increase of 14.4%. Before the increase a text, email or even a letter would have been sent. 

Katie

[Rtlbt]

I can get a top of the range new contract for cheaper than my long term contract, surely with a new contract it would be more than an old one right if it’s guided by inflation?

But no, offer cheap, hike up prices mid contract and charge much more - Blame it all on inflation…

Just seems greedy and I don’t think it will work out well for the business, we will see.