EE - All of the Bad Reviews are Right:
EE's Customer Service is Spectacularly Bad
Avoid
After over twenty days trying to obtain a mobile unlocking code, dodgy mobile network EE have failed me.
Actually, they haven't just failed me - They have performed spectacularly badly and lied to me.
Their customer service is not just bad, they seem to relish pissing off their customers. You would have to be mad and/or stupid to use EE.
If you are a regular reader of my blog you will remember last month that my experience with EE's customer service department has been rocky. (Read these blog posts HERE.)
-To recap: I wanted an EE PAYG handset unlocking. This costs £8.99, and for some unfathomable reason it takes EE ten days to obtain this. Fair enough, and it is a simple request.
In my experience, Vodafone and Three have been stellar in providing unlocking codes there and then on the phone.
After the full ten days had expired, EE helpfully sent me a text telling me that they couldn't unlock my code, as it was incorrect.
On calling EE again, they eventually confirmed that they had not taken down the last two digits on the IMEI code that I had provided, and that I would have to wait another ten days.
I said that I wasn't happy with this, as it was evidently EE's mistake and did not fall into the category of "good customer service" - The EE representative that I was speaking with cheered me up by telling me that there would be no charge for this service, as EE wanted to keep me happy as a customer.
Ten days later (today) a text arrived from EE telling me that my unlocking code would take a few more days as they are having to request it from the handset manufacturer - Yet this is why EE told me that it takes them so long to obtain the unlocking code!
To top things off, I then received a text telling me that my credit was running low. £8.99 had been taken from my credit!
So, this evening I called EE again. I spoke with a cheery young girl called Nathalie, who after a couple of minutes (and referring to me as "My lovely" many, many times) said that she had only been in the job a week and that she needed to consult with someone as she didn't want to get anything wrong.
Nathalie then unhelpfully transferred me to the PAYG department, which is located somewhere in India which has never been touched by the British Empire, as the customer service representative who I spoke with couldn't even get my name right or understand my queries.
The guy that I spoke with gleefully informed me that my unlocking code would take an extra 7-10 days to arrive, and that I didn't need to worry because EE had already charged me for the unlocking fee!
Due to his inability to speak and understand English, I asked him to verify what he had told me at least twice.
Eventually I stopped him as it was clear that EE expect customers to wait weeks for unlocking codes - and charge them £8.99.
I told him that I was now extremely dissatisfied with this service, as I was told that due to the length of time I'd already waited for my code, and the fact that EE had screwed up the first time, I was going to get my unlocking code provided free of charge. His response was "EE always charge for unlocking codes, unless you're moving from Orange to EE".
I don't give a shit what EE say: Their representative told me that as a gesture of goodwill, EE would unlock my handset for free, and that I wouldn't be charged.
To have some clown tell me that the charge has been taken and that there is nothing else to pay is infuriating, dishonest and quite frankly shows up just how bad EE's customer service actually is.
Their customer service people clearly lie. They are unhelpful and rude - or at least incredibly stupid.
If I ever meet one in person, they will be exceedingly sorry as I'm not some geeky keyboard warrior - I will rip them a new arsehole.
To summarise, I still haven't got my unlocking code. EE have still charged me to unlock my phone, even though I was told that it would be free of charge as a gesture of goodwill.
They have lied to me, been massively unhelpful and angered me.
EE have failed to keep me as a customer. They have tarnished their reputation forever, and hopefully anyone thing of joining EE as a PAYG or contract customer will read this and think twice.
(EE are damned expensive, so why people join them makes no sense anyway.)
This rant will now come to an end. I have experienced EE's customer service first hand, and it has been an exasperating, fruitless process which has highlighted how inefficient and careless they are.
I have never experienced anything so bad within the mobile industry - Thank fvck I didn't take out a contract with them!
The many terrible reviews that there are online about EE's poor customer service are all true. Now I can add my own (thankfully brief) experiences to this list of reviews, complaints and gripes.
EE - Never again, and I cannot possibly recommend you to anyone.
Everything Everywhere? Go find yourselves a rock to hide beneath and return to the UK when you can run a business correctly.
