EE find a way to make more money?
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As if some of the plans are not expensive enough, Found this over on the EE site
In short people signing up to Sim Only plans from 6th Aug will be charged 25p everytime they want to speak to someone at customer services about something.
Anyone calling customer services between 8pm - 9pm on a weekday or between 6pm - 8pm on a weekend you have to pay 50p to get through
And if you do not want to wait in line with everyone else calling up you can be put in a 'priority line' for 50p.
Im on a £75 plan with EE and was asked to pay 50p to speak to someone at 8:05pm tonight about a billing issue..... or I can wait and call back tomorrow, be put on hold with the other people frustrated so have to wait about 20 mins to get through... or I can pay 50p to jump the queue.
Great work!
In short people signing up to Sim Only plans from 6th Aug will be charged 25p everytime they want to speak to someone at customer services about something.
Anyone calling customer services between 8pm - 9pm on a weekday or between 6pm - 8pm on a weekend you have to pay 50p to get through
And if you do not want to wait in line with everyone else calling up you can be put in a 'priority line' for 50p.
Im on a £75 plan with EE and was asked to pay 50p to speak to someone at 8:05pm tonight about a billing issue..... or I can wait and call back tomorrow, be put on hold with the other people frustrated so have to wait about 20 mins to get through... or I can pay 50p to jump the queue.
Great work!
1. Standard call charge
From 6 August 2014 standard call charging will apply to customers on SIM only plans.
Customers on pay monthly plans and those with insurance products are currently exempt from the standard call charge.
The charge only applies if you've taken a new SIM only plan, upgraded to one or switched to one. The first 30 days are free.
How much it costs
This fixed charge applies to EE, Orange and T-Mobile. Calls will be charged at 25p per call, regardless of how long it lasts.
You'll be asked to accept the charge, which applies during standard hours - these are Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday to Sunday 8am to 6pm.
2. Extended hours charging
A charge has applied to extended hours calls since 16 April 2014.
This charge applies if you're on an EE, T-Mobile or Orange pay monthly plan or SIM only plan.
Our extended hours service allows customers to pay to call outside our normal opening times rather than wait until the next day. Extended hours are from 8pm to 10pm on weekday evenings and 6pm to 8pm on weekend evenings.
How much it costs
The amount is 50p per call. You'ill be asked to accept the charge to continue with your call, so you don’t need to worry about the charge being applied without you knowing.
3. Priority answer service
From 6 August 2014 we're also introducing a priority answer service. It's available to all customers on pay monthly and SIM only plans.
Our priority answer service gives you the choice to get support even faster for just 50p per call when you call 150 and want to speak to customer services. It’s always available so if there's a queue, you can be moved towards the front - ideal if you’re in a hurry.
How much it costs
The charge for this is 50p. If you're on a plan that includes standard charging for customer services at 25p, you'll only be charged an extra 25p for priority answer - so the total for the call with priority is 50p.
The 50p charge applies regardless of how long the call lasts.
Getting help for free
Standard calls are free for SIM only customers for the first 30 days. And charges only apply to customers who join us after 6 August 2014.
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Comments
And I hate the way its couched in that cheerfully bland style which makes it sound like they're doing you a favour.
I assume they've run it past their lawyers but it doesn't sound right to me.
I assume that law refers to a charge per minute and not a charge per call.
True but i haven't read all the law but it still doesn't sound fair.
If i was paying £75 a month i'd send a shitty email to the boss and tell him to stick his effing network.
As it was a billing issue in the OP i wouldn't expect to pay anything if they're found to be at fault. I'd be bloody fuming TBH.
The small print says you'll still be charged whether you call 150 or ring an alternative number.
He's paying for a phone plan. But yeh, I guess your question still stands haha.
All they're doing is offering extended hours-at a price. If it's not urgent, wait until the morning.
This is just another negative for EE, if they had a good easy to use website with a 'my account' section that actually worked and a 'live network status page' then I guess most people wouldn't need to speak to customer services.
This is a backward step, being able to jump the queue and speak to an advisor was even a feature of the higher priced monthly plans when 4GEE launched.
I think the standard and quality of their CS needs to improve before even considering charging for it, last time I called, it took 3 calls before I got an advisor that could help me.
It seems to be win-win for EE
oh except it will seriously piss off their customers, damn, I knew there must be a downside to their cunning plan. I guess those adverts with Kevin didn't come cheap.
Where do sign up.... to get my PAC code!!!
That's a very valid point. EE are still rated last (by far) for customer complaints and that's a huge negative in the eyes of many consumers who consider customer services before signing up / renewing.
Charging for a service that is the worst rated isn't the best idea ever but not much you and I can do about it.
I don't get this mentality. I've had more success from off shore call centres than UK call centres in the past.
At the end of the day it comes down to the person you speak to and not their location.
I don't get inclusive voicemail, they charged me for paying my bill on the due date by card when there was a mixup with the bank over my DD - I have always paid by DD.
The website was down for months and I requested bills online normally for a paper trail - after about 5 months I rang them they had no idea when it would be sorted (it is now) said they would send me the bills for free. 5 seperate envelopes duly arrived, what a waste. They didn't credit my account with enough to cover the charge as they said they would, so I ended up paying for 2 of the 5 all told.
The CS rep I spoke to had a really bad attitude and started arguing with me when I complained. I just can't be bothered to argue the principle, it isn't worth my time, but I'm very annoyed and if ever contract provision is brought up in conversation, I will reel off a couple of reasons to think twice about joining them.
Lately the unlimited internet is very unreliable and I am in no means a heavy user (probably only 1-2GB a month). Some calls fail on origination even when I have full signal. It's not been this bad since I left 3 for the same reasons.
Now I find they are still charging for Lyca mobile numbers (text and calls) even though this was supposed to have been sorted in 2012/13 when they were still T-mobile.
The handset I have is pretty good, but I have to sit it out until next year.
So if you're thinking of joining EE - DON'T DO IT!
They charge for call forwarding, all the other networks just treat it as a normal call and it comes out of your allowance!
No they don't???
(Unless you are on a pre-Feb 2012 T-Mobile plan....)
I'm an EE corporate customer, and they are fine (in the few dealings I've had)
I'm also a domestic customer of T-Mobile (SIM only account taken out last month, phew !)
and customer services for that are a pile of cack.
It wouldn't be so bad, if
a: EE group's website was fit for purpose, and
b: their shop staff weren't utterly powerless to do anything useful or meaningful, and just end up dialling 150, and calling the CS (see above, back to sq 1 ).
My call was then answered within about 15 seconds so it was obvious that they weren't even busy, i think this highlights how much of a money making scam this is.
Really lets a company down especially when their customer service is being constantly slated, do they not have a PR department.
Well, as you're on hold for a least 15 mins, then 1.6p/min represents excellent value for money
Actually, that raises another question, if you give up in desperation before you actually get to speak to a droid, does that still cost 25p ?
and on that note, can you get a refund if you felt that the customer service was sub par or if the problem is EE's fault?
Do you get free CS if you want to pay them more money by upgrading? Do you have to pay to get a PAC?
Seems like a pretty poor idea IMO.
I don't think they've thought any of it through properly, but I suspect the other networks could follow suit in due course, they're all thick as thieves.