EE - extortionate cancellation fee

beardyCarrot

Hi,
I had to rent a second property for six months due to work. I took out an EE broadband and phone line only deal advertised on this site. The contract was about £138 upfront for line rental and £2.50 a month for the broadband.

The six months are now up so I phoned EE to advise them that we had moved out.

I knew there would be a cancellation fee involved and that this would be slightly more than the six months owing on the contract but I was prepared for that. I felt it was best to be honest.

Had I continued the contract I would have paid them a further £15.

EE advised me that there was:
a £30 (ish) disconnection fee - fair enough.
a £63 cancellation fee!!

I argued with them that the cancellation fee was not proportionate to what I would have paid if I stayed in the property for six months longer (£15). They said it was their policy and there was nothing I could do about it. So I am now faced with a charge of £90 to cancel a contract which had £15 left to pay!

According to Ofcom, cancellation charges are fair if the charge is not more than the amount you owe for the remaining months of your minimum contract period, which it clearly is.
I put this to EE who came up with the feeble excuse that my bill is discounted and the charrge applies to what it would have been before discounts. I find this argument to be nonsense as, had I continued my contract, I would have never been charged that anyway, therefore the remaining months of my contract still only add up to £15.

It seems to me that what EE are doing is not fair and is an attempt to bend the rules and rip off customers.

I get that I should be liable for the remaining charges I would have paid (£15) and any disconnection costs (£30), but the £63 charge bears no relevance to these figures and is just money in EE's pocket for nothing.

I just want some advice on where I stand legally. Am I being charged more than I should be?

I am going to write to EE to challenge these charges and if necessary go through the Ombudsman.

Thanks.

spyhunter

If you agreed to the terms and conditions and have used the service EE provided then you have no choice but to pay up.

The discounted rate they gave you was on the agreement you kept the service for the agreed minimum term. You have broken that agreement by cancelling so you will have to pay the charges.

Boracic-lint_2

Hello beardycarrot.
The Ombudsman Services are only able to help with complaints about companies that have chosen to participate with their service. EE is not one of them.
You may want to contact the Communications and Internet Services Adjudications Scheme (CISAS) on 0207 520 3814, or their website, who can help you with complaints against EE. You could also contact the regulator Ofcom on 0300 123 3333 or 0207 981 3040, or their website.
If you feel uncertain about any of this, I would recommend visiting the Resolver website. I have found them very helpful in guiding through the complaints procedure.
Good luck.

JJ_Egan

How long was the broadband contract for ??
This reads as you are being asked to pay your 24 month contract balance .