EE Claim Mobile Plan is No Longer Supported & Force Upgrade

TrannosaurusBex

So, this is a little long, but I've tried to provide as much detail as possible to avoid having to answer a bunch of questions and give anyone who is able to answer a fuller picture of the issue.

Last week my mum, who is 69 years old, notified me that EE had increased the cost of her monthly SIM only mobile plan without any involvement from her. After asking her if she had received any notification via e-mail, text or post (her answer being no) I contacted EE to find out what was going on and the following is what ensued.

When I spoke to EE, I was informed that they had sent her a text back in August (she had deleted it as it either hadn't come through properly, saying the message couldn't download, or thought it was a scam) which stated that the plan she was on was no longer supported and that if she didn't reply to the message to arrange a new one that she would be automatically moved onto a more expensive plan.

I expressed my dismay at this to the agent I was speaking to, explaining that I don't understand why this was sent as a text when she was signed up for postal documents and told him we didn't want to upgrade at the more expensive price. I also explained that, being someone who is quite savvy with this sort of thing, this was something I had never heard of happening before outside of yearly RPI increases; clearly a plan doesn't just expire when you're on a rolling contract. The agent claimed that this was the case and, apparently, that it happens regularly.

As the agent (working in the retention department) claimed it wasn't possible to keep her on the original plan, he gave me his 'best' option of a slightly cheaper plan than the one which she was automatically moved to, with more GBs (not that we needed them as my mum is always on Wi-Fi and barely uses her phone for the internet). Still not impressed and seeing no way to get back to the original price, other than leaving EE, I reluctantly agreed to his offer.

My question is, can companies do this? Is it legal? And if not, is there any recourse other than contacting the ombudsman?

My mums plan was originally (roughly) £6.5/month, the plan they automatically upgraded her to was £10/month, and the plan I settled on was £8/month. Obviously these aren't exactly extortionate amounts of money, but it's the principle.

When I asked MSE chat AI it basically said that companies can't do this and I should contact them and let them know I'm not happy and to find a solution. Unfortunately, I didn't save the response and can't seem to phrase the question exactly as I did the first time to get the same answer it gave (it now claims it can't find any specific information regarding the matter).

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read all this and can give me a comprehensive answer.

My opinion is EE have been reviewing low profit accounts, found my mums account, not been happy about the low cost (considering they're ridiculously expensive these days), and then decided, because of her age, that she was an easy target to squeeze money out of.

For comparison, I'm also on a SIM only monthly plan with EE (a far older plan than my mums), which is meant to cost £6/month, but with better benefits than my mums original plan. Due to errors on EEs part, I currently get this for roughly £4.5/month, but haven't received any notification that my plan needs to be upgraded. Maybe they'll get me soon, at which point I'll just leave and find a cheaper provider elsewhere which uses the EE network.

For fun: How many times can you use the word 'plan' in your reply?

TrannosaurusBex

I forgot to add another interesting point; the agent claimed he couldn't put my mum back on the original plan she was on because it no longer existed, however he upgraded her to one that doesn't exist on the EE website. I smell some serious BS.

born_again

MSE reply, vote with your feet to another company deal. Plenty of cheap deals out there. She can even keep the same number.

Assuming they have not put her on a fixed term contract...

Not one mention of the P word 🤣

eDicky

This is a common tactic by EE and probably other main networks, when they decide you are not paying enough for a rolling contract (outside any minimum term). Just find a suitable deal elsewhere and request your PAC to move your number over, usually they will offer you a similar discounted deal to retain you - if not, move.

simax

Upshot is, yes they can do it as long as they serve adequate notice (usually 30 days) and out of contract.

TrannosaurusBex

Thanks for the replies folks. I'm a bit shocked to hear it is a used tactic. Doesn't sit right with me considering they get to raise the price each year by RPI+% anyway. I could have accepted it if that wasn't the case.

I did have a quick look afterwards for what deals were around and I could get a cheaper deal for her elsewhere, but I asked if she wanted to and she just wanted to leave it.

And yeah, instead of it being a rolling monthly contract he pushed her onto 12 or 24 months (can't remember). If need be, I think I could still cancel it under the 14 day policy though, right?

Fingers crossed they don't come across my account!

simax

Do a 14 day return - I would personally NEVER sign up to a 2 year deal on a sim-only! There are much better deals out there on 30 day rolling plans… look at TalkMobile via MoneySupermarket….. loads of great deals there… for example they are doing 4GB of data, plus unlimited calls and texts for £4.95 a month on a 30 day plan - and they’re owned by Vodafone..

lr1277

In my experience monthly rolling contracts are more expensive that 12 month or 24 month contracts.

I guess that is why EE could give your mum the cheaper eal by offering a fixed term contract.

You and your mum need to decide if it is more important to consider price or the ability end the contract.

For me, if I am moving either with work or my home life then I want a SIM on a rolling contract.

If I am not moving and I can get a signal everywhere I go regularly then I might consider a fixed term plan.

jimjames

lr1277 said:

In my experience monthly rolling contracts are more expensive that 12 month or 24 month contracts..

When you can get monthly rolling for £6.90 or less for decent data amounts I'm not sure that's entirely correct to say that 12 or 24 month are cheaper

pseudodox

I hope it is OK to tag onto this thread but I read it with interest as I have a not dissimilar situation, although I have at least been given advance notice and the chance to decide my own "fate".

Two years ago I decided to move from 20 years of PAYG to a monthly SIM only deal.  I make very little use of a mobile but as a pensioner like to have the safety net when driving or walking in the hills.  One breakdown a few years back just about wiped out my then PAYG credit summoning the recovery service and cancelling my arrangements that were the target of the journey.  I have been paying £6.55 a month and am perfectly happy that it is a small price for peace of mind, plus access to unlimited calls/texts and 4GB of data if I wish to use it.

My supplier has just messaged to remind me that my current contract ends in December.  But I am puzzled and wondered if anyone else has had this scenario.  I have been given three options

1.      Do nothing when my contract ends and continue to pay £6.55 until they tell me I can no longer have this 

2.      Move to a new 24 month plan at £9 for unlimited calls/texts plus 1GB of data (my records show I don’t really      need the 4GB, but I like the padding and who knows what I might need to use it for in the future)

3.      Move to a new 24 month plan at £11 for unlimited calls/texts and 4GB of data

The only thing I can see that seems different is that options 2 & 3 would have me 5G ready (does that mean I get a replacement SIM?)  I don’t need 5G. nor usually even 4G as I am an extremely light user and tend to keep a phone until it dies.  The phone is mainly for emergency cover, I am not glued to it 24/7, 90% of use is on WiFi at home (WhatsApp, banking, emailing, diary syncing with my PC etc)

Please note I don’t need advising to change suppliers but I am just trying to work out WHY I would change to options 2 or 3 above given my circumstances/use.

flaneurs_lobster

pseudodox said:

1.      Do nothing when my contract ends and continue to pay £6.55 until they tell me I can no longer have this 

Please note I don’t need advising to change suppliers but I am just trying to work out WHY I would change to options 2 or 3 above given my circumstances/use.

I think you may have answered your own question, of course you should continue with your current contract on what is, in effect, a 1 month rolling contract if you are happy with it. But this can be terminated (after a suitable notice period) at any time by your supplier. Might be after a month or could be years.

Who is your supplier? What I have done in the past in a similar situation (with Vodafone) was to let the contract run on until the month before the annual price hike is due and that point look to "upgrade" to a new contract that is similar to the existing one or even costs less. This was done through a reseller such as mobiles.co.uk or Affordable Mobiles but your supplier might be open to a haggle.