Is EE customer service below average?

kwheway

I feel I am regretting taking a contract out with them. I have been with Orange for six years and was considering leaving after poor customer service with EE when I went in to a shop asking what I would get for an upgrade.

Orange 'powered by EE' so inevitably everyone will be passed across to EE.

Firstly I was unable to see what I would get for an upgrade in the EE shop because apparently my address that I had with them does not match my bank address. Since I took the contract out 24 months ago I've moved address three times with my job. Not once have I been contacted by Orange to change my address. As long as they were taking money out of my account every month it obviously hasn't been a problem.

With the switch to EE it is not their fault as an Orange customer that I haven't updated my address but it's the last thing on my mind when I move. However, I was not able to get past the security if my bill address does not match my bank address. And the assistant was not going to ring customer services on my behalf to help me change my address there and then in the shop. I was less than impressed.

Usually I would leave Orange and look elsewhere for a contract. However, inevitably I would have had to ring Orange so I did. And this Irish lassie calmed me down, (bless her cotton socks) found me a contract with a couple of £s less a month, saves me the hassle from switching but I'm also happy with the signal in my area as it is a renowned black spot for bad signal. At the end of a phone call I found out it was an EE contract. Which I half expected, I guess.

Waiting for phone to arrive, I had been told to expect a text from the courier to arrange delivery. No text came and there was no way of trying to arrange it, despite ringing Orange again. I had a sneaky suspicion that it would be delivered when I was away (yesterday). The courier did try to deliver, they put their card through the door, and said they'd be back today. Not a problem.

Got a text this morning - from EE. Saying that parcel would be delayed, ring this 0845 number. Now my idea of customer service is, if it's their fault that's been delayed, why not ring me themselves instead of hiding behind a text? And secondly, why are you giving me a premium rate number to ring back? Turns out it was actually the courier's number and the parcel is delivering today. However, why couldn't EE have told me that?

EE is not giving me a great impression at the moment. Once this phone arrives I have a 14 day cooling off period so 14 days to make up my mind if I will stay with them or not.

One other thing I do not like about EE is that I can not really obtain any information on the internet about my account, say for example the upgrade I tried to see online before travelling to a shop but they would not give me any upgrade information.

Plus I have also been into the same shop before and spoken to by another assistant whilst she was chewing gum. Now I'm pretty easy going but that is a huge no no!

Has anyone else had this kind of experience with EE, or am I just the unlucky one?

ZhugeEX

According to Ofcom, EE have the worst customer service (in terms of complaints) where as o2 and Three have the best customer service.

But those are just stats, every network can be a nightmare to deal with sometimes as that's just the way the world works.

All i'd do is make sure the phone is delivered. Once it is make sure all the paperwork is correct and the deal you were offererd on the phone is the offer you're getting.

(But yes, there has been a large surge in complaints from Orange customers when switching over to EE.)

Handsome90

In short yes. Anecdotal evidence suggests even when they are at fault, they still fail to rectify it.

V_For_Verminator

I wouldn't get an EE contract based on what I've seen on MSE. Vodafone don't look great either but I guess you don't race to write about it when the customer service is good (which should be standard) do you?

kwheway

Thank you all for your replies. Phone has arrived which is a plus. It is included with ts and cs for returning it within fourteen days if not satisfied. For checking the contract terms it looks like I have to register online.........security reasons I guess.

I agree with ZhugeEX, I guess a phone is such a necessity nowadays that any consumer could be treated well or poorly, it does not matter who your service provider is. It is a great shame though, great customer service should be standard and it is only when we have poor customer service that we shout about it.


I guess I should treat phone companies like I treat banks.... with contempt.

boatman

Most big companies don't really seem to care about customers but EE are pretty appaulling, you are there to be taken for a ride and they will try to extract as much from you as they possibly dare, you are right to treat them with contempt. I certainly wont be going back and I am not alone, choice is yours. More and more people are getting a sim only contract now and paying for the phone out right which normally works out cheaper. Get a moto g for £100 and a £10 a month goodybag on giffgaff or Tesco.

Lec123_2

They charged me £60 when they said in the call that they wouldn't. When I complained via facebook they told me they had lost the call so tough! I sent in a complaint letter that they supposedly never got.

Their automated menus are by far the most lenghty of any company I've dealt with and if you go through to a foreign call centre bare in mind that if they don't understand you they will either say whatever they think you want to hear or just transfer you some where else.

ZhugeEX

Yup.

What I hate the most is how EE have written into the contract that your price will go up every year no matter what. So EE have the right to increase your price by inflation every year.

And they charge for calls to customer service after 6pm.

The network isn't bad. Its just the customer service and billing side. EE have changed a lot from when Orange and T-Mobile were separate. Some for the good, but some for the worst as well.

Ruffle

Don't know about average, but my experience of EE at every level when I briefly made the mistake of agreeing to an 'upgrade' from T-Mobile was so poor I went back. The reverse migration process was completely mismanaged and left me with no mobile access for two days and no access to my account via any means for a week.

It is difficult to list all the problems they created - but one thing sticks in my mind - they charge at additional £1.50 per month for you to have itemised bills (listing all your calls) on their website! No one else does this.

tyllwyd

kwheway wrote: »

... Firstly I was unable to see what I would get for an upgrade in the EE shop because apparently my address that I had with them does not match my bank address. Since I took the contract out 24 months ago I've moved address three times with my job. Not once have I been contacted by Orange to change my address. As long as they were taking money out of my account every month it obviously hasn't been a problem. ...

I'm confused about this complaint - if you didn't tell Orange that you had moved house, why did you expect them to contact you to update your address details? I'm not a fan of Orange customer service, but I don't think you can blame that one on them.

Nodding_Donkey

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Sorry, I just saw "EE" and "customer service" in the same sentence.