Lost phone - Upgrade used for replacement - No way of delivering phone.

[Nutinvah]

My phone has been broken for the last 3 weeks(ish), but I kept putting off getting it replaced. This week I decided that although it was actually bliss for a while not having a phone, I needed to get it sorted.

I knew I was well overdue an upograde, (about 2 years overdue), so I thought it would be simple to arrange an upgrade to replace my broken phone. (Oh how wrong I was). 

Initially I tried to sign up to an upgrade deal on the website that looked ok but when I went to confirm the deal it told me that I needed to confirm a verification PIN that would be sent to my phone, which obviously wouldn't work because my phone was broken. 

So I contacted EE on Twitter and got put through to their upgrades team and after spending approx 10 hours answering their questions, (and being verified twice by a single use PIN that was sent to the email address they had on file), as well as loads of other questions, they eventually told me that they couldn't help me because I needed access to the PIN in order to receive the phone from DPD. I thought this was madness because how can I receive a PIN when I haven't got my phone, but I was tired so I left it on Monday night and went to bed. 

On Tuesday I tried again and was identified again and verified again, (including via the single use PIN to my email address) and was eventually advised that this couldn't be resolved online, but that if I went into my local branch then they would be able to help me there. 

I wasn't happy about this because I'm recovering from hip-replacement surgery and I don't drive and it's a hell of a trek to the local store, (Rushden Lakes), because I live in a rural area with poor public transport. Anyway, I traipsed all the way in to the store and explained the situation to staff member Chelsea who explained that there was nothing she could do because they relied on the same PIN system as DPD. She did tell me though that EE could send the PIN via email rather than SMS message and she knew this because she had managed to do that in similar circumstances. 

In any case, the best deal she could offer me was £120 more expensive than the deal I had picked online. What was I paying £240 more, (over the course of the contract) for exactly? For being made to walk into the store and mucked about? 

I asked her what would happen if my phone was lost or stolen and she said that she would be able to issue a replacement PIN, use one of the phones in store and we would do it that way. Great I said, let's get started on that then! She said we couldn't do that because she knew my phone wasn't lost or stolen. I was astonished. Now I had to walk all the way home, (still with no phone), get the phone and then walk back to the store AGAIN. 

When I got home I couldn't find the phone. (Remember I haven't used it for more than 3 weeks). I looked everywhere and don't know what I've done with it. Now the phone really is lost!  I spoke to Linsey again and she blatantly refused to believe that I had been into the Rushden Lakes store because "nobody had accessed my account". I told her the name of the staff member I had spoken to in order to verify this, but she wasn't interested. She just said that nobody had been into my account so I hadn't been to the store. 

What do you say to this? To be honest I was lost for words and just gave up.

Later on I contacted EE on their chat service again and spoke to Rosie in upgrades and explain the situation in great detail. She says she has a solution because there is a phone/plan that doesn't require a PIN. I ask her if she's sure because I was told there was no way around this and she assures me it will all be fine. She spend hours going through everything with me and eventually signs me up to a new 2 year contract and tells me the phone will arrive tomorrow and that no PIN will be required. 

The DPD driver knocked on my door this morning and much to my surprise asks me for a PIN. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He politely checked with his office and confirmed that a PIN was indeed required and when I asked him if there is EVER an EE phone delivery where the PIN isn't required he said "not in his experience" and off he went. 

So all that time I had spent online with Rosie supposedly coming up with a solution to my problem was just complete rubbish. I don't know if she was just incompetent or she lied simply to get another sale through, but either way I can't get a phone delivered from DPD because I don't have a working phone to receive the PIN. 

I ended the chat by saying that I'm just going to cancel the DD and go and buy a Tesco mobile or something. I've just had enough. 

I'm paying about £50 a month to a company who treat me like this? I'm just astonished. 

I think I'm going to go back into the store tomorrow and give it 1  last try, (I'm too sore to walk there today). 

In all my years I have never experienced anything like this. It's a poxy phone!

Oh 1 last thing. When I was initially getting frustrated on the 1st Day, (it's now the 3rd day), I raised a formal complaint. Great you would think. That will surely resolve it when that gets dealt with. No. They take a minimum of 7 days to respond to a complaint. Honestly, I've never even heard of anything like this. If someone told me all this I don't think I would have believed them. 

I'm paying EE in excess of £600 a year and they are not in the slightest bit interested in helping me. 

[ijazkhan12]

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Information</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Automated upgrades typically use OTPs for security. Retail stores may follow a different process.</p>
<p>If you have access to the SIM, you can use another phone to receive SMS.</p>
<p>Canceling a direct debit won't terminate your contract but might affect your credit.</p>
<p>The complaints process isn't ideal for urgent issues.</p>
</body>
</html>

[bristolian]

You can contact EE CS on 0800 0798586 from any working phone, it doesn't need to be an EE phone.

Most people have access to another phone, and it can be very useful incase of problems with one.

[Nutinvah]

Unfortunately I'm one of these people who doesn't have access to another phone. 

I thought a solution to this might have been when I went into the branch yesterday that I could use their phone to ring 150 and I could get through that way. Unfortunately the staff said that their phones were on the blink, (yes the phones at the EE store in Rushden Lakes were on the blink), so while I could try, I would probably be cut off before the call was resolved. 

I decided to give it a go anyway because I was there and yep, you guessed it, I managed to get through and be identified and explain the situation and then I was cut off. On the store phone in the Rushden Lakes shop! I forgot to mention this in my opening post.

To be honest so much has happened I'm sure there is more I've forgotten. 

So here I was, actually IN the Rushden Lakes EE store, and STILL not able to speak to anyone who could help me. 

So what's the answer? Do I write to BT and ask them to install/activate a phone line in my home, and go out and buy a handset that I can use to call EE, just so that they can tell me that they can't help me because I don't have a mobile phone which will allow me to receive my new mobile phone?

Do you see the problem here?

[Nutinvah]

I've decided that it can't hurt to order a new SIM and maybe things will be easier if I have a SIM. 

I have to pay £1.50 but to be honest I'm past caring now. 

I get an email telling me that it will take 2 working days for the PIN to be sent out. (Ok, let's ignore that). So that's Monday of next week, and then I have to wait for it to be delivered. (At this rate even the complaint is likely to be resolved quicker than this but let's stay positive). 

I've received an email confirming the replacement PIN. 

"Thanks for ordering your replacement SIM.

We aim to have this posted to you within 2 working days. Once you receive your new SIM, you'll need to activate it online.

Thanks,"

So I have to activate it online when I receive it, and in order to do that I need my device with my old SIM in it to receive a PIN!!!

"Have your device handy

You'll need your device with your old SIM or eSIM in it to receive the PIN"

The EE Team."

This is laughable now. So even if I wait until Wednesday or Thursday next week to receive the SIM in the post, I still won't be able to use it because I don't have access to a device allowing me to access the old SIM so that I can receive a new PIN. 

Oh come on. I thought Jeremy Beadle was dead. This has to be a joke!

[bristolian]

There's a certain irony that you were happy to be without a phone for 3 weeks!

You can use the same 0800 contact number to activate a replacement SIM, although quite often lost & stolen replacements arrive pre-activated.

Unfortunately, with the nature of scammers these days, networks would soon be heavily criticised if their lack of security allows unauthorised third parties to gain access to mobile numbers. As you've identified - OTP's are used for many financial purposes, which is why many unscrupulous individuals will go to great lengths to gain access to someone's mobile number. The SIM is therefore the key.

[Nutinvah]

"There's a certain irony that you were happy to be without a phone for 3 weeks!"

You are not the 1st person to mention that to me and I completely agree. When I didn't want a phone it was absolute bliss. Not feeling the bliss quite so much right now. ☹️

With regards to the SIM, you might not have seen the most recent update, in which I mention that in order to activate the new SIM, (which will be sent out hopefully within 2 working days), I need access to my old device and SIM. 😂

[Katie_B]

Hello @Nutinvah. 

Once you have received your new EE SIM please get in touch with our customer care team either via Live Chat or by calling 07953 966 150. 

Katie

[Nutinvah]

Hi @Katie_B (First of all thanks for taking the time to respond). I appreciate that dealing with frustrated people like me can't be easy. I have made an appointment at the Rushden Lakes store tomorrow morning to see what they can try and do, but I don't have either a passport or a drivers licence and the email confirmation for the appointment says that I need one of these. I'm going to go anyway because I don't know what else to do. 

Am I just wasting my time and everyone else's here though? 

When I get the SIM next week and contact the chat, they are going to tell me that I need a PIN to activate the SIM just like I need a PIN to receive the phone aren't they? 

That's what the email says anyway. 

Is it possible that I can arrange a SIM only plan, with the SIM being sent to me, and in the meantime just go into the EE Shop and buy a new phone outright? I can afford to pay for the phone up front and although it's not something that anyone has mentioned, it could be a solution to my problem. What I don't want though is to go and buy a phone in the EE shop and then have to pay for another one. 

Does that make sense or do you see a flaw in my plan? 

[James_B]

Hi @Nutinvah,

I'd recommend reporting your phone lost. This will avoid any unauthorised use of your SIM and a pre-activated replacement will be sent to your home address.

To report your phone lost, please call 07953 966 250 from any phone.

James

[Schockwave]

@Nutinvah , just to add if you have something like Skype, you can ring customer service for free:

08000798586 as well as using any other person’s phone, if you have a neighbour or friend, who will allow you to do so.

Always worth having a second mobile phone, in case something like this happens, does not have to be an expensive one.