15-09-2024 01:39 PM
I called EE as had to top up anyway and asked why the signal was rather bad in my area. With this, the following nightmare started and now there's no way out unless I change network provider and change number. I don't want to change my number! Maybe someone can help, so here is goes:
- I asked why the signal had been bad. Got told I would need a new SIM card and one would get sent in the post. Dude did NOT tell me that my current SIM would immediately get deacticated!!!
-from then on, my current SIM did not work anymore. Called again next day. Tried to insert the new SIM, which I had received by then. Phone said "enter restriction code". No idea what it means by restriction code, tried PUK number and PIN, neither worked. So I called again. The STUPID woman didn't know what the restriction code is, and gave me a one hour waffle "you need a new phone". Sounds like a scam to me, deactivating people's SIM cards and then saying "you need a new phone if you want your new SIM to work"!!!
- same woman clearly didn't know what she was talking about, waffled trash about my phone which is a NOKIA, said Nokia is Japanese - newsflash, it's Finnish. She kept waffling "you need a new phone". She then said "go into your phone's "about" section. My phone doesn't have an about section, did she mean the menu? She then waffled some more trash about "the phone doesn't work then". Phone worked just find until EE deactivated my SIM without telling me!!! Never had an "about" section but if she means the menu then why not say so?
- I called again, this time asked whether the new SIM might not work because I still got an Orange SIM in there and the phone is locked to Orange. Next stupid woman denied this and said using an EE SIM should work even if the phone is locked to Orange. This is NOT true, when the change happened from Orange to EE I tried an EE SIM card the phone did not accept the EE SIM card! I asked for the phone to get unlocked. Woman refused, instead said "someone will call you back tomorrow". Of course nobody called me back.
- due to all this abuse directed at me and all the lies from incompetent staff who don't know what they are talking about, I want to change network provider. So again I asked for the phone to get unlocked. This got refused as EE staff deny that the phone is locked to Orange. Newsflash - it is . I will also need a PAC code as want to keep my number. I cannot text as the SIM card has been deactivated without anyone warning me that this would happen, and the phone does not accept the new SIM without the phone getting unlocked - which EE is refusing. So I need to get the PAC code without texting.
Can anyone help, I'm a severely disabled lady who relies on the phone for everything from grocery delieveries to hospitals and emergency calls and have now been left with no working phone, urgently want to change network provider due to the relentless abuse meted out on me but need to keep my number and EE are refusing to unlock the phone.
15-09-2024 01:50 PM
Hi @Sarah2212
Sounds like a miscommunication which has frustrated everyone.
It maybe your issue is that your phone doesn't work on 5G and as there is no 3G network your device is old and limited on connectivity. The new SIM will need a code to activate.
You can complain here:
https://ee.co.uk/help/contact-ee/complaint
Thanks
15-09-2024 01:57 PM - edited 15-09-2024 01:58 PM
Hi @Sarah2212.
Welcome to the community.
I am very sorry to read about your recent experience and I would really like to get this looked into further for you.
@Northerner has asked some very helpful questions, when you have a moment please answer these.
I will also send you a private message to gather more information.
Speak soon,
Katie
15-09-2024 02:30 PM
No, my phone worked perfectly fine until EE deactivated my SIM card without warning me that they would do so! The signal isn't the best in my area but that's for all networks, in other area my phone always worked perfectly. It's nothing to do with the phone. I only use it for calls and texts anyway, not for internet.
I know the new SIM will need a code to activate but cannot get EE staff to understand that! That's why the new SIM won't work! I tried speaking to several EE staff members, none of them understood that, all of them gave me a bunch of waffle along the lines of "you need a new phone", the last one threatened to end the call because I was by then close to tears, having spent all evening yesterday and all day today since this morning on the phone to them trying to get them to understand - without success!
This is not a misunderstanding since I speak clear English, this is extremely incompetent EE staff who don't know what they are talking about!
15-09-2024 02:37 PM
Hi Katie, I just replied to your private message, hope you got my reply.
I've also replied to Northerner, it's nothing to do with the phone as it worked perfectly fine until three days ago when EE deactivated my SIM card without warning me that they would do so, leaving me without access to a working phone and that when I'm disabled and housebound!
I know the SIM will need a code to activate as Northerner mentioned, but cannot get EE staff to understand that. I tried telling them in very slow and simple English but I cannot understand it for them, and they just don't understand that! I also tried asking to get the phone unlocked, they refuse to believe that it needs unlocking, I tried asking for a PAC code but this was refused!
But here's what the phone says when I insert the new SIM card: "enter restriction code".
EE staff refuse to believe that this is what the phone says!
I would like to keep my number when changing to a different network provider that doesn't abuse its customers but with EE being so extremely abusive and stubborn I'll just have to change number but change provider I will because I don't have to put up with such abuse!
15-09-2024 03:14 PM
Thanks so much @Sarah2212, I have received your reply.
Katie
15-09-2024 09:22 PM
Response to Katie and Peter who private messaged me (I tried to reply in private messages but don't think it's gone through):
Just to let you know I tried to contact EE again, got put through a manager by the name of Liam who was very abusive and gaslighted me, he kept claiming his staff had "done nothing wrong"! He then tried to terrify me into purchasing a new phone by saying "your phone is so old there's a 99% chance it cannot get unlocked" and then he mocked me with "so if your phone cannot get unlocked what do you do then, then you have to get a new phone"! Very abusive!!!
He then canceled your request for the complaints team to contact me. Meanwhile I received an email with an unlocking code so the phone has been unlocked, which proves Liam was lying, and the phone is working but I had numerous text messages saying "your case is closed". Nothing has been resolved and all staff members and especially that Liam were very abusive, everybody told me something else and everybody tried to terrify me into buying a new phone!
I'll be changing provider at the first opportunity and I'll make all this public, not that I need to as hundreds of other people report very similar experiences!
Take care,
Sarah
15-09-2024 10:30 PM
@Northerner wrote:
It maybe your issue is that your phone doesn't work on 5G and as there is no 3G network your device is old and limited on connectivity. The new SIM will need a code to activate.
All such phones would always fallback to 2G in these scenarios.
EE uses the old T-Mobile network code, hence an older Orange device having issues when being used with an EE SIM.
15-09-2024 11:26 PM
Yup, it wanted a code but EE staff didn't believe me and accused me of lying. I then figured out that the phone simply needed unlocking. Again, EE staff didn't believe me and kept shouting at me "it doesn't need unlocking EE SIM cards work with an Orange phone". No they don't.
Eventually I got put through to a manager who was very abusive and claimed the phone most likely could not get unlocked and I should get a new phone and then he mocked me. Very abusive w***r that was! Well he can eat his words, the phone has after 2 and a half days non-stop on the phone to EE been unlocked and it's working with the new EE SIM card so he was clearly lying, wrongly assuming I was just another stupid woman he could trick into buying a new device!
I'll be changing network provider as soon as possible, thousands of others report similar abuse from EE so there's clearly an issue in that scam company! EE is by far the most abusive company I've ever dealt with and that's saying something given that I'm in and out of NHS hospitals!
16-09-2024 08:11 AM
Hi @Sarah2212
I'm glad you've managed to get the phone up and running. I've replied to the private messages you sent @Peter_W and @Katie_B, could you take a look please?
Thanks
Chris