Some time ago, I legally purchased an EE SIM card, which clearly displayed a mobile number I liked. I kept it unused for a while, and only recently inserted it into my phone. After inserting the SIM, I topped up £10 online and expected everything to work as normal.
But the SIM showed no network connection — I couldn’t make or receive calls. When I visited an EE store to investigate, I was shocked to be told that the number linked to my SIM is already in use by someone else.
The staff at the store acknowledged the issue and offered me a new number, but they said the £10 top-up could not be refunded. How is that acceptable? I paid for a number and service, only to be told it’s gone, and I have no way of recovering what I spent.
This is not a small issue — this is theft. My top-up is being used by someone else, and I’ve lost both money and access to the number I believed I had purchased.
Even worse, when I contacted customer service, I was told to go back to the store — and the store had already told me to contact customer service. I was pushed back and forth, with no one willing to take responsibility.
At no point was I treated like a valued customer. Instead of recognising that I was clearly the victim, I was made to feel like I was the problem. I was made to feel suspicious, as if I was doing something wrong — when in fact I did everything correctly: I bought the SIM, paid for credit, and simply tried to activate it.
This is not a simple inconvenience — it’s a case of unauthorised use of a paid service, and I urge EE to take this seriously and fix it.
