Two great advisers, one cup of impunity (how EE ruined then regained my trust)

[Ellogagg]

TL;DR - Three (forgive poetic licence in headline) excellent EE advisers, two poor ones, and a failed DPD delivery that EE initially treated as my problem.

Just wanted to share my experience with EE customer service this week - both to thank the three incredible employees who delivered the quality I support I have come to expect in my (c.) 20 years as a customer - but to also encourage learning where it fell short.

I ordered my son a new phone for his birthday on Sunday. Spoke to a brilliant bloke in the Glasgow office who helped me pick the right device and sort the best contract for my son's needs. He sorted next day delivery (at £9 cost to me) so I would have it in time for my son's birthday on the Wednesday.

DPD - Delayed, Pretended, Disappeared
On Monday, I worked from home to receive the delivery. I had a notification from DPD who gave me a window for delivery. When the window came, no one tried to deliver but I received a notification saying they had tried. I have since realised this isn't uncommon with DPD when drivers choose to skip a stop and log as a failed attempt to avoid missing the payment for that drop. Rearranged delivery with DPD for next day. 

Hull EE hero
Tuesday, again worked from home but this time the parcel was never scanned at the DPD depot to indicate it was out for delivery. I contacted DPD via their excruciatingly obfuscatory customer service process and was unable to get any clarity on why it hadn't even been attempted. Called EE and spoke to a really helpful woman in the Hull office who spent a while looking into it. She spoke to the security team and while they investigated managed to secure me a discount on my broadband - silver lining and really lovely person to deal with. She confirmed it was now down for delivery the next day - Wednesday - meaning my son wouldn't have it for his birthday morning. But these things happen, not the end of the world.

EE - Everything Everywhere, except my phone
Again Wednesday, I worked from home all day. Again, the parcel was never scanned by DPD and I never got any notification of time or indication it was out for delivery. I again tried with DPD for answers, and their agent told me it was missing and I needed to raise an investigation with EE.

That is where my EE experience took a nose dive.

I called EE and the man said there was nothing they could do, that I needed to raise it with DPD because once the package was with DPD it was for them to sort - so I would have to chase DPD directly. This felt fairly feckless and I queried it, saying my contract is with EE not DPD and therefore legally (Consumer Rights Act) the parcel stays at EE's risk until it is in my physical possession and a lost or failed delivery is EE's problem, and "take it up with DPD" is not a legitimate answer.

He took this away and came back to the call and said he had spoken to colleagues and raised an investigation. I asked how long this could take, explaining it was my son's gift and asking whether it would be quicker for me to cancel via my cooling off period and reorder. He told me I can't cancel until I have my phone, and I asked for the legal or contractual basis on which that was the case. He couldn't tell me. I asked to speak to a manager, he said none were in. When I doubled down he put me on hold.

All the barriers, none of the answers
A manager (plucked from somewhere) then joined the call and doubled down on his colleague's obstructionist approach. He did give me a timeline - seven working days for their investigation with DPD - which was later revealed to be, like him, totally plucked from the air. I said I need some clarity on next steps which he didn't give, so said I would like to exercise my right to cancel in the cooling off period. He then said - "if you cancel you will be charged termination fees" - in a tone bordering on aggressive. I again asked him the contractual or legal basis. He told me he didn't know the basis as he isn't a lawyer. I told him I needed to consider my options overnight and ended the call.

TFFF
This morning I spoke to EE again. This time Felicity in Plymouth. This woman deserves all the plaudits available to her. She was apologetic, empathetic, she problem-solved the issue, she gave me clarity of timeframes, talked me through each step and when I would hear next. She even told me she was due on a long weekend but who I could expect to deal with while she was off. It is not an overstatement to say she completely restored my confidence in this company. I cannot stress enough what an incredible asset she is. People like her are genuinely why customers stay loyal. Just cannot thank her enough.

So I still don't have my son's phone, but I do have clarity, thanks to Felicity. People don’t mind waiting when they know what they’re waiting for. 

I know absolutely nothing about running a business, but I do know a bit about reputation management. Warren Buffett, who knows considerably more about both, said:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

EE, thankfully, has Felicity.

[Leanne_T]

Hi @Ellogagg 

I'm genuinely sorry you've had this experience after ordering a phone for your son's birthday and getting in touch with our customer service guides to report this. 

We really appreciate you leaving this feedback and letting us know how amazing Felicity has been taking ownership and understanding how frustrating this has been for you. 

I really hope everything is sorted soon for you and your son still had a great birthday. 

Please let me know things go. 

Leanne.