International Roaming Impossible?

[huvalbd]

This summer I switched to EE broadband. As a reward EE switched my mobile SIM only plan to a discounted rolling 30 day plan. When this happened I emphasized that I still want international roaming in the USA. I was assured I had it.

It doesn't show up in my account on the website. Monday I went to the local EE shop to make sure I have it. They said they cannot do anything about it and I must speak with 150 instead. 150 insisted on text messages but eventually assured me that I have international roaming.

Today I landed in the USA and discovered I don't.

After much aggravation it appears I need to buy a Roam Abroad Plus pass. I can't. According to EE's website, they are charging me for every text message exchange with 150 to try to add it. 150 always says sorry, it couldn't. I've tried through the app more times than I can count. Now when I try 150, it can't recognize the keypress when I try to walk through its menu. I rebooted my phone and that still happens.

I tried using Vonage to call the international contact number for EE, but Vonage says it is not a legitimate number.

How can I add the roaming service that I was assured in writing on Monday that I already had?

[Schockwave]

Hello @huvalbd ,

Welcome to the community,

Did you get the welcome message when landing in the USA?

Have you tried rebooting your phone?

You can find the numbers to ring customer service using something like Skype in my signature and there is the free number which should work.

[huvalbd]

Yes, after landing in the USA I got a welcome message informing me that
I don't have the roaming service I was assured on Monday that I have.
Yes, I have rebooted my phone. Twice.


150 does not recognize keypresses in answer to its menu questions. The
international contact number for 150 has the same problem when called
through EE. Texting to 150 to add the roaming service repeatedly fails
(and I understand I am being charged for each failure). The EE app is
unable to add the roaming pass also. I tried texting 150 for a callback.
No callback happened. I tried again later, and the callback came only
when I was in the midst of having actually gotten through to an agent.


Eventually I got through by using a VOIP service to call the
international emergency contact number. (It can't call the international
contact number for 150, as it says that number is invalid.) That was
able to recognize keypresses in response to menu questions. The agent
was lovely but she couldn't add the roaming pass either. She got a
technical person to help her, who was able to add it. Unfortunately
before we got all the way through their final confirmations, the call
dropped.


After a long time on hold (30 minutes or so) I got through using the
VOIP service to the international emergency contact number. The agent
who answered that call was also nice and also could not add the roaming
abroad pass. Technical support had to get involved again. This time the
technical team was baffled for a while.


After about 2.5 hours of effort, I think I have what I need at last, but
I won't be certain until I get the bill. I've gotten a message saying a
different add-on has been removed that supposedly can't ever be removed
from my account, and I've gotten a message about a travel data pass that
was never part of the conversation.


Summary: The technology is messed up today. Not just inability to add a
roaming pass, but also some of the basics of automated customer service
and reachability of customer service phone numbers. When I actually got
through to people, they were helpful and friendly. Maybe my specific
issue is resolved now. I hope so. I'd really like to get some sleep.

[XRaySpeX]

You only have a roaming service in USA if you have the the Roam Abroad Pass either as a free-standing purchased add-on or as an Inclusive Extra.

Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. on Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

[huvalbd]

It took about 2 1/2 hours to purchase a Roam Abroad Pass. The short
version of the story is:

none of the normal methods for buying it were functioning properly

the contact mechanisms to get help weren't working properly either

when I did get through the customer service rep couldn't do it and had
to involve a technical person

our call dropped before the customer service and the technical person
were able to complete verification

it took about 30-45 minutes on hold to get through again using the
workaround I had eventually discovered (only the international emergency
contact number was working right)

customer service again couldn't do it and the technical person couldn't
either until I was able to tell them a rough timeframe for when someone
else in the technical team had figured out how to do it


I'll spare you the long version. I think I've got it now but won't
really know until I get my next bill.