Can I get out of my EE contract?

dantheman8t5

Hi,

I have very poor 4G and 5G signal at home, and EE have acknowledged this is unlikely to improve due to most likely not being close enough to the nearest mast.

The EE coverage checker does however state that signal on my street indoors and outdoors should still be good, but general browsing is very very slow. Watching videos and playing music is difficult.

It's been an issue since I joined EE earlier this year, and am noticing it more at the moment due to by Broadband being down which is hopefully soon to be resolved.

Am I within my rights to cancel my EE contract if the signal is not as advertised?

Thanks

Arunmor

How long since you took out the contract?  I'm pretty sure you have a short term right to reject for signal issues have a dig around and see what you can find.  Someone with more knowledge will be along shortly.

A_Geordie

Short term right to reject under the Consumer Rights Act only applies to goods, not services. Services need to be provided with reasonable skill and care in addition to any other obligations EE might have under the terms and conditions. 

I would urge caution about terminating the contract because in doing so, you may be found to have wrongfully terminated the contract and put yourself in breach of contract. I suspect that EE will have in their T&Cs that they cannot guarantee the network coverage and you should check their availability using the network checker before signing up. 

If there something with words to that effect and the network checker says you should have good availability but you're not, then I think you can argue there's potentially a misrepresentation/services not as described argument, in addition to not providing the service as expected with reasonable skill and care. All of these options may afford you a right to end the contract. There may even be something in the EE terms that allows you to end the contract if you are not receiving the service after going through any support. 

Because network coverage can be poor due to a combination of factors, I would consider going down the route of writing to EE and setting out the position and what you want to do i.e. mutually end the contract. If they're not willing, then instead of exercising a termination right, I would consider legal action for misrepresentation, not as described and failure to provide the service with reasonable skill and care - sue for the full cost of the contractual term or a pro-rated amount for what you've paid and the remainder of the term at full price.

That way, you're not putting yourself in a position where EE might report adverse entries to credit reference agencies like a default because it thinks you had no right to terminate or chases you for a debt it believes you owe, and then you have the palava of trying to right that wrong which might not happen overnight and put yourself under financial strain. 

Whichever route you take, just make sure to gather all of your evidence such as a screenshot of the coverage checker, video evidence of your phone signal, music or videos not streaming adequately etc. and if need be, make a subject access request to get information around any notes relating to the technical support you received that could support any claim you have. 

MyRealNameToo

dantheman8t5 said:

Hi,

I have very poor 4G and 5G signal at home, and EE have acknowledged this is unlikely to improve due to most likely not being close enough to the nearest mast.

The EE coverage checker does however state that signal on my street indoors and outdoors should still be good, but general browsing is very very slow. Watching videos and playing music is difficult.

It's been an issue since I joined EE earlier this year, and am noticing it more at the moment due to by Broadband being down which is hopefully soon to be resolved.

Am I within my rights to cancel my EE contract if the signal is not as advertised?

Thanks

Given "good" is not the top tier on the service checker is there even a definition of it anywhere? Maybe what you have is deemed good?

Secondly the checker clearly states that the real life results will be impacted by the thickness of walls, windows etc. We have a long thin flat, consequently signal at the two external end walls is ok but signal in the middle of the flat is poor. Personally think it's perfectly reasonable and understandable why that is. 

The coverage checkers of all the operators are fairly basic and dont actually take into account the topology or amount of users. In our local every operator claims a good or excellent indoor reception, in reality 3 gets good service everyone else nothing, the checker doesnt consider the fact its got tall buildings on three sides and is 3m below ground level to the rear and is below the water level of the Thames at high tide.

Unlike broadband where you have a minimum speed guarantee there is nothing equivalent for mobile... kind of makes sense given the name they arent always going to be used in the same spot so even if home was excellent everywhere else you go may be terrible. 

Mark_d

dantheman8t5 said:

Hi,

I have very poor 4G and 5G signal at home, and EE have acknowledged this is unlikely to improve due to most likely not being close enough to the nearest mast.

The EE coverage checker does however state that signal on my street indoors and outdoors should still be good, but general browsing is very very slow. Watching videos and playing music is difficult.

It's been an issue since I joined EE earlier this year, and am noticing it more at the moment due to by Broadband being down which is hopefully soon to be resolved.

Am I within my rights to cancel my EE contract if the signal is not as advertised?

Thanks

When you say you joined "earlier this year" presumably this is more than 14 days ago?  I think it's probably too late to cancel now but maybe it's worth paying the early termination  fee and getting a SIM on a different network

littleboo

Is it poor indoors, or indoors and outdoors? As mentioned above, building construction can massively affect indoor coverage

Jenni_D

Do you also have EE broadband? If yes, is it the one where they also include mobile data backup in case the fixed line broadband goes down?

In other words, what exact EE contract are you seeking to end?

Neil49

Is your mobile capable of supporting WiFi calling? Even quite old iPhones are as are many of the more recent android phones. This would solve the problem once your broadband service was back up and running. 

born_again

Neil49 said:

Is your mobile capable of supporting WiFi calling? Even quite old iPhones are as are many of the more recent android phones. This would solve the problem once your broadband service was back up and running. 

OP makes no mention of calls. What exactly does the checker cover? If it is just calls. Then there is no out. 

but general browsing is very very slow. Watching videos and playing music is difficult.

MyRealNameToo

born_again said:

Neil49 said:

Is your mobile capable of supporting WiFi calling? Even quite old iPhones are as are many of the more recent android phones. This would solve the problem once your broadband service was back up and running. 

OP makes no mention of calls. What exactly does the checker cover? If it is just calls. Then there is no out. 

but general browsing is very very slow. Watching videos and playing music is difficult.

Checker covers signal divided into 5g, 4g, 3g and 2g - though in many areas 3g may now say its been turned off

mta999

I am pretty sure that since it is a 'mobile' phone then the networks do not guarantee coverage at any particular place eg at home