No phone in parcel upon delivery - only case & screen protector! EE useless!

[kadie2]

I have always been so happy with their services UNTIL NOW!

I upgraded 2 lines with EE (OCT 24)  and took out insurance which came with a free minute one bundle (phone case and screen protector) with each phone. When DPD delivered the two parcels, one parcel had the Google pixel 9 and the minute one bundle in, the other just had the minute one bundle in NO PHONE OR PHONE BOX, for reference I was expecting a google pixel 9 PRO in this one!  packaging had no 'obvious' signs of tampering upon receiving, but weight difference was obvious, before opening I presumed the phones were in one and the minute one bundles was in the other, but that was clearly not the case once I opened and discovered I was missing a phone.

Despite numerous disputes to the supply chain and emailing the CEO of EE, speaking with EE executive complaints the cases just keep being closed and now I am paying for a phone I haven't got! I have spoken to numerous agents that have been awful, unhelpful, lack of knowledge about processes, generally unprofessional and rude, and to top it off one even called me a liar and said he could tell from the DPD delivery photo the phone was in the bag?!

Iv reported it to the police but they said there isn't much they can do to help me unless further evidence comes to light, which EE will not provide! I offered to pay the insurance excess of £100 to claim it as lost/stolen in the interim of me generating an ombudsman case so at least I'm paying for a phone I have ACTUALLY got, but they won't allow me to do that either, so I'm also paying for insurance I am being blocked from using too!

I have no idea if it's a DPD or EE warehouse issue as I haven't been provided any evidence from either companies just 'told over the phone' the weight checks were right so apparently that's sufficient for them to close the case and mark it as received.

I keep being told to go to the financial ombudsman, and have had a final response letter from EE stating this, which I am doing but they have a 4+ week back log right now and I'm just finding the whole situation is seriously affecting me mentally and financially and I'm desperate for a speedy resolution rather than a long winded dispute via a third party with no guarantees of a resolution.

I have been with EE for over 10 years, never missed a payment had multiple lines and remained loyal, however this has absolutely smashed my trust and going forward I am terrified to sign up for any contracts over the phone in fear of this situation repeating, which is leaving me stranded as I have since cancelled everything else I have with EE now due to this ongoing nightmare.

I am aware posting on here will not resolve my personal dispute, however I am wondering if anyone else in the Manchester area or elsewhere has experienced this? I think it would be helpful if we can form an alliance and prove there is an issue within the EE/DPD order processing system, as EE have discarded me and are consecutively saying 'this never happens'. which I now know is untrue as I have been contacted by @Tendai_G on another post stating they are in the same situation!

[kadie2]

Oh no! Your joking, that is so frustrating! I still haven't even been
assigned a case handler, I am not holding out much hope now then of that's
your outcome, it's terrible! Are you going to try small claims court now?

[Kangeret]

EE has gained and I have lost hard earned money. Unfortunately my
circumstances are difficult to continue pursuing the matter. So yeah as the
saying goes. Life goes on

[kadie2]

I'm so sorry, it's appalling 😞

[QandeelR]

This exact thing has now happened to me. Could someone please advise on how it’s going with them as I have been fighting with EE for two days now and then the complaints department said there was nothing they could do further apart from a refferal to the financial ombudsman. It’s so sick that EE are doing this to people. I will be posting on all social media platforms to make sure this reaches news platforms with the help of my employer aswell!

[kadie2]

Hello, I cannot believe more and more people are experiencing this! I'm so
sorry you too are facing the same ordeal now. I have done all sorts,
Instagram, X, trading standards, citizens advice and the ombudsman, iv
emailed the CEO and tagged him in ally posts and on commended on his x and
Instagram posts but I just get ignored! nothing has got me any further as
of yet (I have been fighting it whilst having to pay for the phone I
haven't got since Oct 24). It's a disgrace! I'm still awaiting a case
handler with the ombudsman. I'd love to work together to try and strengthen
our case! As I feel hopeless and unheard alone!

[QandeelR]

Honestly it’s beyond disgusting. I have been with them over 10 years + and have BT with them. I was going to upgrade to sim only but they offered me a good deal for a phone upgrade and done this to me! I actually suffer medically with anxiety and what they have put me through is beyond disgusting. The box arrived sealed with just a sim, case and paperwork.  I have spoken to my works legal team as they are partnered with EE for all our company provided phones. I would be more than happy to work together to ensure everyone who’s suffered get justice for the fraud EE are now doing. I completely understand how you must be feeling as I have broken down constantly for the last two days so I can’t imagine how it’s been for you for a few months now. I work with a very well known company so I will do what I can to ensure this gets out to as many outlets as I can

[kadie2]

I'm so sorry your struggling, I have been the same, I sobbed down the phone
to the complaints team and he basically called me a liar and told me he
could tell the phone was in the parcel from the delivery photo! I know
exactly how your feeling and it's horrible! Me too, all that was in the
parcel was box with a case and screen protector and the SIM, no phone! I
had also upgraded my husbands phone with EE (which was received in a
separate parcel the same day) and our TV and internet package to BT but
after the terrible ordeal I cancelled everything, returned it all and I'm
now currently just paying for the device in question. If you search
@marcallera on Instagram you will see my comments on his posts, feel free
to reach out to me so we can broadcast on socials together. And I will keep
you updated with the ombudsman too. Do you still have the package it
arrived in? Does it have a weight? As EE argued with me as mine said 500g
they said that proved the phone was in it as if not it would have said 200g!

[Kangeret]

I was told the same thing that EE cannot help. My issue us now with the
financial ombudsman but I don't see any light because someone was told by
the ombudsman that they cannot help. I would also like to go on
social media and maybe with our outcry they can listen
If you have any suggestions I am in

[QandeelR]

I’ve emailed my legal team at work so hopefully get an update from them tomorrow! Yeah see my package weight says 1.0kg. None of it makes sense at all, there is certainly fraud happening within EE and they are turning a blind eye. I still have the package along with the case, sim and paperwork. The complaints team are awful and act as if they are trying to help you when they already know the answer they are going to give. They’ve told me i have to wait 7 days for a referral letter before i can take it further and told me if i want to cancel the contract even though it was only upgraded last friday i’d have to pay the phone upfront. I was honestly screaming down the phone why would i pay for something I don’t have. I will find you on instagram so we can hopefully take this further once I get a response from my work

[kadie2]

I too was told that initially, but i was later told all data is on a
rolling contract and can be cancelled at anytime, it's the phone that
isn't, so If you pay the first month for both, then cancel your SIM, the
phone will then continue on a monthly basis rather than requesting it all
upfront, which is all I am now paying for as I got a pac code and switched
to gifgaf at £10 per month after paying the first month, as I didn't want
to give EE any more of my money than I absolutely had to!

Ok that's absolutely fine, feel free to contact me even if it's just to
discuss similarities ect I will do anything I can to help others in the
same situation as me, the ombudsman form is pretty lengthy too!