EE/Orange Contract Cancellation - where do I stand?

LWNOR1984

Hi all - Have been an O2 customer since I first got phones but due to being greedy and getting a great deal at Carphone Warehouse in February 2013 I switched to Orange/EE.

Started having phone issues fairly early on, mainly around signal/ lack of it. Basically my phone screen will say 100% signal, but no one can phone me (they go straight to my voicemail and I don't even know i've had a missed call), I can't dial out as "no signal" (always handy when you are lost in your car at night and trying to call for directions) and sometimes I don't get texts until 2 days after people have sent them to me.

Called EE and first they said it was a phone fault or related to the SIM as as i'd got the handset etc from Carphone Warehouse, they couldn't help... although the guy did recommend I clean the SIM with a rubber to see if that helped (it didn't)!
I went to speak to a fab guy at Carphone Warehouse that said that EE should be able to replace the SIM free of charge and told me what to call and ask them for. He also told me that i'd probably damaged the SIM by taking EE's advice and trying to clean it with a rubber :T.

Got a new SIM from EE and still encountering the same issues which as far as i'm concerned means they are not living up to their side of the contract as i'm not getting the right service.

Where do I stand with cancelling my contract and what is the best way to go about it? I'm tied into a 24 month contract so technically doesn't run out until Feb 2015. I'd like to keep my current number and go back to O2, but I don't want to pay two monthly contracts for the next 8 months!

Thanks!

MataNui

You wont be able to cancel without paying an ETC. It does sound like there is a fault with your phone. What phone is it? Apple phones for example STILL misreport the signal strength. The issue started with the 4 and is still present in the 5S.

JJ_Egan

Suggest you factory reset the phone .
Test the sim in another phone .
Test another networks sim in your phone .

Phone problem see the seller but it may now be out of any warranty so long after purchase .The manufacturer of the phone may have an extended warranty .
Three fault possible areas one the sim two the network three the phone .

Anoneemoose

Does the problem occur in specific locations? Or does it happen pretty much everywhere?

baldyj

Well you could have cancelled your contract penalty free when they notified you of their intent to change your terms and conditions back in February.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4888862

As you missed that boat, I believe today is the last day you can try to cancel you contract on the grounds of the recently notified price increase. This will be your best bet by far to cancel the contract.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4818999

&

http://fightmobileincreases.com/fight-ee/fight-the-march-2014-price-rise/

grumbler

JJ_Egan wrote: »

... it may now be out of any warranty so long after purchase .The manufacturer of the phone may have an extended warranty .

Most phones have 24-month warranty.
I don't know any manufacturer that offers a free extended warranty. AFAIK Apple is the only one who offers an extended warranty that will cost you arm and leg.

Buzby

Have you read your CONTRACT? You appear to believe that they must offer you service in order for it to be valid - not so. Coverage issues are not relevant. If the network is not able to provide you with adequate coverage, you need to find one that does - which is why agreeing to a contract without confirming it is right for you is an accident waiting to happen.

The things you had to do (phone/SIM etc) assume there is actually coverage in the areas you require. When there isn't these tasks will do nothing.

gjchester

grumbler wrote: »

. AFAIK Apple is the only one who offers an extended warranty that will cost you arm and leg.

AppleCare is not just an extended warranty, it also adds in phone support from the initial 90 days to two years. That means you can call in with any issues for help.


Is it worth it, only the purchaser can say that, but some people may want the phone support more than the warranty s-ide.

LWNOR1984

It's a Samsung S3 Mini and I did check coverage in my area before I switched over. It happens everywhere, home, work, in the city when i'm lost.... !

The issue is intermittent, some days I will be fine and get signal and can call and text and people can call me with no problems. Then the next day it goes stupid and I have the issues.

Anoneemoose

LWNOR1984 wrote: »

It's a Samsung S3 Mini and I did check coverage in my area before I switched over. It happens everywhere, home, work, in the city when i'm lost.... !

The issue is intermittent, some days I will be fine and get signal and can call and text and people can call me with no problems. Then the next day it goes stupid and I have the issues.

Based on the fact it happens everywhere then that would indicate that it's a problem with the equipment and not the network. Could be the SIM or the phone.

Have you tried SIM swapping (putting yr SIM in another phone and vice versa) to see what happens?

Anoneemoose

Anoneemoose wrote: »

Based on the fact it happens everywhere then that would indicate that it's a problem with the equipment and not the network. Could be the SIM or the phone.

Have you tried SIM swapping (putting yr SIM in another phone and vice versa) to see what happens?

Just re-read yr op and see you have tried a different SIM. In that case, I can only assume the problem is your phone.

Oh, and the rubber thing is a well known trick - and often worked!