EE 14-Day In-Store Return Due to Coverage Issues

[MichaelMD]

Hi, I’m looking for some clarification from EE regarding an in-store purchase, a coverage issue and the 14-day return policy. I was already an EE customer and was still within my existing contract, so I was told I could not upgrade at that point. Instead, the EE store opened a new line/contract for a new phone and I was told that doing this would resolve the issue I was experiencing. However, the coverage problem has not been resolved. The phone still has very poor/no usable EE coverage inside the home, particularly in the room where it needs to be used. There is an important point regarding the coverage check and the waiver. A coverage check was not carried out when I signed the new contract. The coverage check was only carried out after I complained about the coverage problem.

After I complained, the store carried out a coverage check and I was told that I had signed a waiver saying that I could not return the device if I changed my mind. I understand that a change-of-mind return is different from a coverage-related return. I am not trying to return the phone simply because I changed my mind. The reason I want to return it is because the EE coverage is inadequate where the phone is actually being used.

EE's current website states that if a device was bought in an EE store and the customer has coverage issues, they can return it to the same store within 14 days with the receipt, original packaging and accessories.

This is what I would like EE to clarify:

- Does the 14-day in-store return policy for coverage issues apply in this situation?

- Does a waiver relating to changing your mind also remove the separate coverage-related return option?

- Does it make a difference that the coverage check was only carried out after I complained, rather than before I signed the new contract?

- Does it make a difference that I was still in an existing EE contract, could not upgrade, and was instead sold a new line/contract on the understanding that this would resolve the problem?

- If the new line/phone has not resolved the coverage problem, what are my options for returning it?

I would appreciate an EE representative reviewing the situation based on the actual circumstances rather than treating this as a simple change-of-mind request.

I also have a copy of the document/waiver that I was asked to sign, and the wording appears to refer to returning the device if I change my mind. I would be grateful if someone could clarify whether that actually prevents a return specifically because of insufficient coverage.

In-store location that messed up and missed sold me.  109 High St N, London E6 1HZ (High street north)

Thanks.

[ee_user14]

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@MichaelMD wrote:

the EE store opened a new line/contract for a new phone and I was told that doing this would resolve the issue I was experiencing

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Out of interest, what made you think having another phone on the same network, would get any different coverage from an existing one?

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@MichaelMD wrote:

The phone still has very poor/no usable EE coverage inside the home, particularly in the room where it needs to be used.

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WiFi-calling should resolve this, if the only issue is one specific indoor location. It's exactly what the service is intended for.

[MichaelMD]

The reason for taking the additional line wasn't because we expected a second phone on the same network to magically have better coverage. She was still within her existing EE contract and was told she couldn't upgrade, so the EE store opened a new line and advised that doing this would resolve the coverage issue she was experiencing. Unfortunately, it hasn't. The problem is particularly bad inside the house, where there is little or no usable EE signal. Wi-Fi Calling would normally be a possible solution, but this is shared accommodation and the house Wi-Fi is extremely poor/unreliable. We can't reasonably rely on Wi-Fi Calling when the Wi-Fi itself isn't providing a usable connection. The reason we're asking about the return policy is therefore not simply “we changed our mind”. The new line was taken out after the store advised that it would resolve the coverage problem, and the coverage problem remains. If the only practical solution is to install separate broadband purely so the EE phone can make calls through Wi-Fi Calling, we'd rather pay for Virgin Media broadband and keep the existing SIM/arrangement that was working for her. We're simply trying to understand whether EE's 14-day coverage return policy applies in these circumstances, particularly given that the coverage check wasn't carried out until after we complained about the coverage problem.

[XRaySpeX]

@MichaelMD : No waiver is necessary anyway. The law about 14-day "change of mind" cooling-off periods does not apply to goods bought instore, where you have the opportunity of handling them & testing them.

[MichaelMD]

I think people are mixing up two different things here. I'm not claiming a statutory 14-day cooling-off period because of a change of mind. I understand that doesn't generally apply to an in-store purchase. The issue is coverage. EE's own website specifically refers to returning an in-store device within 14 days where there are coverage issues. The waiver I signed refers to changing my mind, not to waiving a coverage-related return. I'm asking whether EE's separate coverage policy applies in this situation.

[ee_user14]

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@MichaelMD wrote:

The reason for taking the additional line wasn't because we expected a second phone on the same network to magically have better coverage. ....the EE store opened a new line and advised that doing this would resolve the coverage issue she was experiencing. .... The new line was taken out after the store advised that it would resolve the coverage problem, and the coverage problem remains. 

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The EE store advised that a coverage issue would be resolved by taking a new line....... and a customer is willing to proceed.

[MichaelMD]

They done much daughter dirty so does anyone know anyone from EE and is anyone from EE one here. 

[XRaySpeX]

No, we are mostly users like you who "know" the EE Community staff who moderate it & answer general Qs, not specific to users a/c's.

[MichaelMD]

But do EE store have to follow the EE policy on line because the EE policy have a policy about the instor including franchises. 

[ee_user14]

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@MichaelMD wrote:

They done much daughter dirty

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They are not alone in that. A poor sales suggestion, yes. But that wasn't the only mistake made in that shop.