Hi
I’m a new EE customer who has just migrated from Three because I believe EE is a better network and I wanted to move to EE in the expectation of getting a better service.
At the time I applied, I had no idea there was an ongoing mast/network issue affecting my area. I provided my postcode as part of the application, so I feel this is something that should have been made clear to me before I entered into the contract. Had I been told that there was an ongoing network problem affecting my area, I could have made a properly informed decision about whether to switch.
I’ve now spoken directly with EE’s technical department about this. The technician agreed that the speeds I’m receiving are slow, so this isn’t simply a case of me expecting unrealistic 5G speeds.
More importantly, I’ve now found that EE itself is reporting an ongoing network problem in my area (WN67DX/Wigan). The EE status information says there is an ongoing signal problem affecting customers in Wigan, and the EE Community Support Team has explained that engineers are currently dealing with planning and lease issues relating to a permanent and temporary mast.
So there is clearly an existing network issue in the area, rather than this simply being a problem with my handset.
I’ve only just migrated from Three to EE. As a result of leaving Three early in order to move to EE, I have incurred a £104 final bill/early termination charge from Three. I will receive my final bill on 24th August
I’ve explained all of this to EE and was pointed out that I have 14 days in which to cancel. However, going back to Three isn’t as straightforward as simply cancelling EE — I’ve already incurred the £104 cost of leaving Three, and moving back would potentially involve another credit check and another new contract.
I therefore asked whether EE could offer some form of goodwill discount or account credit given the circumstances. Unfortunately, the technician declined on the basis that there hasn’t been a complete loss of service.
I understand that this isn’t technically a total loss of service, but I’m disappointed with that response. I’ve joined EE in good faith, incurred a significant cost leaving my previous provider, and have immediately encountered a network problem which EE already acknowledges in my area.
I’m not looking for something unreasonable. I’m simply asking EE to take the circumstances into account and consider an appropriate goodwill gesture, particularly given that the network issue was already known.
Had I known about the mast issue before applying, I could have made an informed decision about whether to leave Three and enter into a new contract with EE. I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect a customer to be made aware of a known, ongoing network problem in the area when they are providing their postcode and choosing whether to switch networks.
I’m happy to remain with EE if the network issue is resolved, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask EE to recognise the situation I’ve found myself in after switching.
