Unjustified Price Increase During Fixed Contract – Request for Refund and Price

[Guangde]

Hi,

I signed a 24-month contract at an EE store, clearly agreeing to a fixed monthly price of £10. One of the main reasons I chose this long-term contract was the promise of price stability.

However, it has been less than a year, and my monthly charge has already been increased to £12.28—an increase of over 20%, without any proper explanation or prior agreement. I find this completely unacceptable and believe it constitutes a breach of contract.

If this trend continues, I could be paying £16/month or more by the end of the contract. If EE can increase prices at will during a fixed-term agreement, what is the point of signing such a contract at all? In that case, pay-as-you-go plans would make far more sense for consumers.

Therefore, I am formally requesting the following:

1. A full refund of the overcharges beyond the agreed £10/month.

2. A return to the original price of £10/month for the remaining duration of the contract.

3. An official explanation and apology for this breach.

I hope this matter can be addressed promptly. Otherwise, I will consider escalating it to external consumer protection channels.

Thank you.

[bristolian]

Mid-contract price rises are part & parcel of EE's mobile contracts.

If you can show advertising that clearly states the same monthly price for the 24month minimum-term duration, without reference to mid-term rises, that would be both interesting and surprising.

Those mid-term price rises were historically percentage-based, but that attracted some bad press during the Covid-days of high-inflation. The industry is now moving towards more predictable fixed price rises, but these inevitably mean a higher percentage increase on lower-priced plans such as yours.

[Matt_124 · Accepted solution]

This is not EE Customer Services, but a Community forum populated by other EE users and a small Community Support Team for moderation. There is no account access on here and no one knows who you are.

To address the topic of your post: all SIM Only plans sold by EE on or after 10th April 2024 have an annual price adjustment of £1.50 to your monthly contract price on the 31st March.

The only exception to these are specific "fixed-price" tariffs, but these are rare, and usually have a significantly higher monthly cost than the price you have stated in your post.

In your case: A plan that starts at £10 per month would rise to £11.50 per month after the 31st March, then again to £13 on the same date the following year.

This would have been laid out in your Terms and Conditions upon taking out this plan.

The extra part of this that took it up to £12.28 is likely to be a part-charge due to the price changing during your billing period. This should return to £11.50 in any subsequent bills until the next price adjustment.

You can read more about the annual price changes here: https://ee.co.uk/help/billing-payments/guide-to-bill/about-annual-prices-changes 

[XRaySpeX]

I'm afraid this price increase is justified. These price rises are written in your contract whose T&C's you agreed when you signed up in the store.

See Annual Price Changes on EE (2025) 

[1001steve1001]

My £11.79 price is going up by £2.25 a month. A 20% increase.

20 PERCENT!

I've been a loyal customer for years. EE obviously does not need me anymore.

Steve

[XRaySpeX]

@1001steve1001 : Yes, in March as per About annual price changes which you accepted.

[bristolian]

---

@1001steve1001 wrote:

My £11.79 price is going up by £2.25 a month. A 20% increase.

20 PERCENT!

---

When mid-contract price rises were first allowed by Ofcom, they were percentage-based thus lower-priced plans had a lower increase. Then the inflation-crisis hit and price-rises breached double-figures, causing mass complaints.

There has been a general trend across the industry since then, towards "simplicity" that is best achieved by fixed-price increases, also achieving the price certainty over a 2year minimum-term that consumers generally want.

The negative-side of fixed-price increases is that they tend to be a higher-percentage on lower-priced plans, as in your case. Whatever the industry or individual operators do, is likely to cause upset somewhere. There are a handful of providers out there who advertise fixed-prices across 24months, but they may have other drawbacks in other areas.

[1001steve1001]

I'm out of contract, and I'm well aware of the "price changes which you accepted", so no need to shove that in my face.

My point is, ........... this is a 20 PERCENT INCREASE. 20 PERCENT.

You will justify that increase, so I'll leave the discussion here.

I'm looking at plenty of sub £10 contracts, and will shortly leave EE.

[Chris_B]

@1001steve1001   Say your contract was £50 per month would it be a 20% increase?   It’s a fixed price increase regardless of the amount you pay.   Not sure why you look at it as a 20% increase because that rule doesn’t apply across all price points.   

[1001steve1001]

I said it is a 20% increase, because it is. £11.79 plus £2.25 increase. Don't try to tell me otherwise.

I'm not interested in other price points that come out at lower percentages,  because I'm not paying those other prices. 

This 'simplifying inceases because that's what users desire' is a load of rubbish. Ee has found a way to bring in more revenue.

I'm off to Tesco or Asda, for £7.50 and £4.50; with the same service.