EE abroad charges

Stu79

Good afternoon everyone .Looking for a bit if advice. My stepson t ook his mobile to turkey a non eu country.
He mistakenly used his normal call function in a wifi area thinking he was using wifi and racking up a 680 quid bill in process.
He is on a shared contract with my wife where they share data and minutes etc

I accept its our responsibility to ensure he was using it correctly however my dispute with ee was

1. They never notified my wife who is the main account holder of related charges ( she only realised when her phone got cut off). Of usage abroad. Or text to advise any associated abroad rates
2. At no point in the contract did they notify us of what her credit limit was and how far it could go before it was cut off. Seeminglypenalised for having good credit.
3. They treat my stepsons phone as a second line / not shared as its implied. and any caps (which was never discussed as iher contract was pre October 18) have to be applied separately

My opinion is there are lots of greys areas and ways for it to be racked up in thier favour.

They have offered to take 300 quid off but i still feel they should have more responsibility.

Again appreciate he should have used it correctly but the hidden or small print contract details and the way its been handled by ee makes me want to tell them to keep and ill take it to obundman

Appreciate people's thoughts

JJ_Egan

300 take it as the Ombudsman may find you 100% liable .

Stu79

Thanks and i appreciate and fully accept that a. They basically said will give you 300 back if you drop it and would have to pay them the full funds to get the dead lock letter. I just wanted peoples opinions on the facts . If its factually a lost cause and have no hope then would consider differently but if there a question mark on their responsibility and highlights poor practice and their duty of care responsibilities or lack of i would risk it and if need be willing to lose it.

[Deleted User]

Stu79 wrote: »

Thanks and i appreciate and fully accept that a. They basically said will give you 300 back if you drop it and would have to pay them the full funds to get the dead lock letter. I just wanted peoples opinions on the facts . If its factually a lost cause and have no hope then would consider differently but if there a question mark on their responsibility and highlights poor practice and their duty of care responsibilities or lack of i would risk it and if need be willing to lose it.

I struggled to understand this, but I think you're looking for a 100% guaranteed confirmation that it would be a waste of time going to the ombudsman. Unfortunately nobody can state 100% either way, it's up to you to decide whether it's worth the hassle, not to mention the costs to go that far and risk losing it all.

Personally, I'd take the £300 discount.

Stu79

Na. Wasnt looking for a 100 percent guarantee. Thats impossible to determine. Just wondering if anyone had any similar issues raised and how they got on.

eDicky

Your son received a text from EE when his phone first connected in Turkey, clearly stating the charges for calls etc.

It would be difficult for a network to cover every possible eventuality and 'grey area', with users' differing requirements, expectations and usage mistakes when roaming.

I think EE have been generous to offer the £300 discount, I wouldn't take the ombudsman route.

grumbler

Stu79 wrote: »

2. At no point in the contract did they notify us of what her credit limit was and how far it could go before it was cut off.

That's because the limit doesn't exist.

3. and any caps (which was never discussed as iher contract was pre October 18) have to be applied separately

The caps don't exist either.

PHK

Stu79 wrote: »

Na. Wasnt looking for a 100 percent guarantee. Thats impossible to determine. Just wondering if anyone had any similar issues raised and how they got on.

I would say it's very likely you would lose at the Ombudsman. Your case is very weak and to a third party sounds very much like grasping at straws.
That's not meant to be harsh but how it sounds to me. The cause of the bill was your son using his phone abroad without checking how much it was going to cost. Not only do all phone providers publish a price list but the text you when you start to roam. I'd take the discount and teach your son how to use a phone responsibly.