How can EE sell the way they do and get away with it ?

Jase_from_Up_North

My experience with EE yesterday was terrible. I contacted them after noticing that I was being charged an additional £ 37.25 for a TV package with my Broadband, which I had no recollection of signing up for. I remember asking for Netflix Premium last year, which was at £19.99 with an agent, but I have no recollection of the TV package they started charging. So I wanted to cancel both and contacted their chat. After googling and realising that I had better connectivity and a better price with other providers, I asked for a better deal with them to avoid changing. 3 Hours of discussion and packages offered at varying rates, in which I waited for Text replies to questions regarding cancelling the TV package and its Terms, the speeds of the connections, and their contract prices changing after 12 months. They also mentioned a Loss of connection when moving to another provider (they also seemed to know I worked from home, even what I did for a living, which unerved me). They eventually agreed on a deal at £29.99 for Full Fibre at 900 Mbps.

But the initial £29.99 goes up and up within the term, for the true cost is actually (if they stick to the agreement) is £32.66/month, not a great deal of difference if Im honest and still affordable. But after 3 hours of negotiating the threat of no connection, I concede and agree. I get sent the "Initial" terms spammed into the chat channel one after the other. Waiting 10 minutes for the spam to stop so I can scroll back up the feed to read it all. Once thats done I get sent an email link to a document to "Approve", bare in mind this all being done on my phone. The document has no prices on it, just sections describing certain details and a (swipe left grahic on each section) when you swipe left the price which is off screen on the document can be seen. So I turn the phone landscape, they code the window so you cant do that and in no way can you see price and detail together.

Surely this isnt legal ? Surely these prices must be displayed under UK law in full view of whatever medium is being use to view them and "authorise" a legally binding contract ?

Well low and behold I see the TV package still on this new contract and a new hidden price. So I go back to the chat and the agent and highlight this, they say that the contract cant be cancelled before the new contract is signed only after. Quote me 14 days cooling off and cancel if its not cancelled.

So at this point now 4 hours later I sign. I then go back to the website and find no "Cancellation Information" throughout the site. I find a complaints form which allows 500 characters, so I consult Chatpgpt and together we put something that says cancel the broadband contract if you wont cancel the TV portion (or try and charge me anything for cancelling the TV portion) at one point the agent threatened me with £24 for cancelling that portion early. The whole experience was awful. I have 3 mobile phone contracts with them and my broadband for 3 or 4 years now. I will be making sure I watch contract dates and will leave as soon as I can. Felt I needed to highlight this, and vent. Surely this isnt legal the whole hide the price off screen thing? Can someone advise ?

flaneurs_lobster

Hint: Don't try and read anything longer than a text message on a phone screen, especially if it contains information pertaining to a legal agreement.

Jase_from_Up_North

I will in the future thx for the advice, but what about the Gen Z who do everything on their phone? Surely this type of contract display is a serious issue, deliberately hiding charges off-screen? As a web designer, I know how easy it is to create a PDF with prices clearly shown on one screen, without swiping left, that's deliberate and purposefully hiding prices. Scrolling would keep the information together, they ask you to swipe as it moves the prices off the screen and cant be view against whats being charged. People naturally scroll. Thats why they do it this way to deliberately hide the price. Its a Con

Applesarefree

I dumped EE phones for Lebara. Its been great and MUCH cheaper. If I was you I'd get out out of those phone contracts when you can and move on.

Isthisforreal99

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017702#Comment_82017702

What, the generation who won't read it anyway? That's their problem as far as I'm concerned. The T&C's could have been found simply by googling them (everything doesn't have to be run through chatgpt or whatever to get an answer.

The reality is, you did your research after the purchase so it's really not a con.

flaneurs_lobster

Maybe Gen Z are also too busy looking at their phones to have checked the details of a contract change six months ago or are so occupied by updating their Socials that they fail to notice the increased billing on their bank accounts.

Quite happy that you might have a complaint about EE's contract changes not being simple enough for you but I would draw the line at your borderline conspiracy theories about EE deliberately designing their screens to conceal pricing.

Just use a laptop.

littleboo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017702#Comment_82017702

Natural Selection. Most will die out as they are unable to process all but the most basic of documents.

Jase_from_Up_North

How do I inform EE, if I want to cancel a contract?

JSmithy45AD

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017843#Comment_82017843

This may come as a surprise to you but you need to contact them.

iniltous

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017843#Comment_82017843

If freely entered into a contract, and want to exit it before the minimum term expires, then early termination charges apply , if you are happy to pay those charges , then with broadband you simply ask whatever company you want to start supplying broadband and they in effect advise EE you are leaving , EE work out the final bill and termination charges and invoice you for them , don't pay and they use the full range of debt recovery and credit files are marked with your default , other products like mobiles etc may be the same if you use a PAC code for example to port the mobile number , but you should check to be sure, but again if inside a minimum term and you quit , it’s perfectly reasonable for them to charge you for not fulfilling your side if the contract.

If you don’t want to switch but just quit , then unsurprisingly you contact them yourself and tell them .

Jase_from_Up_North

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82017902#Comment_82017902

I need to contact them to exercise the 14-day distance selling rule only in the event that the cancellation of the TV package (which was agreed with an EE agent in the chat channel, isn't honoured by EE). You see, I only signed their new contract on that proviso, agreed in their chat facility (I've quoted the transcript to them in my complaints email and downloaded it for my records) The agent told me I could cancel the TV package on the new agreement and retain the broadband deal he offered. But I had to sign the new contract first as his system wouldnt allow that amendment. But there doesn't seem to be a clear procedure for contacting them to cancel a contract. Or at least a contact route specific to cancellations. Only their complaints form . . . No Cancellation form . . . or specific cancellation email address. Given the time-sensitive nature of cancellations, I hoped there would be. Rather than them being thrown in with every other general complaint, of which I guess there are many.