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]

I agree, I tried social media but it never raised any awareness, the CEO
ignored me, I would never order a phone via postal delivery again, not from
EE or anywhere else either. The situation we have all be left in is so
unfair and I cannot believe that in this day and age with our technology
things like this are still possible without it being so easy to prove these
items are being stolen!

I asked the ombudsman to look at this forum to see that it's happening to
others but they refused as they said they can only investigate each case
individually.

[Minkey1]

Seems to me beyond belief that proof of delivery of a box is accepted as proof it contained a phone.

Can you all band together and look at some sort of group action via Small Claims? I don’t know.

You’d think at least these phones could be tracked via IMEI numbers or something.

Unbelievable situation.

[Kangeret]

That is what they told me as well. It just has not happened to them. I
wish one day it happens to an influential person that they might be able to
hear us

[Kangeret]

You really wonder where these phones are disappearing to because honestly
this is ridiculous. There should be a system to show that a handset is in
use and also to show that I changed my sim card to a new handset. I asked
them to do all that and still i did not get a response from them

[Minkey1]

@Kangeret 

Presumably their implied assumption is that the phone was sold on for cash. So could be in use anywhere. 

I’m a retired insurance chap and well aware that fraud exists.

An odd case you’d wonder; several cases - mainly involving the same phones and same courier - suggests something else at play.

🤷🏼

[Kangeret]

So we can safely say this is a dead end. I just wish there was a way I
could inform the public never to purchase a phone from EE online

[HAKEN10]

Hi Everyone with the missing phone, how can we get together to challenge this as Minkey1 suggests, we all have the same issue missing phones and nothing but an empty box.  I am open to putting my email in here if it will help us get together.  I have also reached out to BBC Watchdog the more people that do the better chance we stand of getting this highlighted on a national tv platform and hopefully the contracts cancelled as we are paying of empty cardboard boxes.

EE just say nope your at deadlock go to the Ombudsman.  They don't care they are making money out of our misery. 

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[Kangeret]

How do I report to the BBC watchdog? I don't mind doing that
I have lost already