I took out a mobile phone contract with EE last month and soon discovered that I was being charged 83p for every missed call. It turned out they were being automatically forwarded to an international number which is charged at a premium rate.
This is happening to a number of customers according to the EE community website.
When I contacted EE initially I was told I must be calling international premium numbers and the charges were correct. However, its technical services said it was a technical problem. I was sent new settings, told to type in a code to cancel all call diverts – which didn’t work – and reset my voicemail. I was assured any charges would be credited back.
Nothing has worked and missed numbers are still being charged. I have not been refunded and EE is showing no ability to solve the problem. Nor has it deigned to apologise. SJ, Sturminster Marshall, Dorset
After two weeks of pondering EE blames a technical fault. “It only affected a tiny fraction of customers so it took a little bit of time to identify, but once it was we addressed it as quickly as possible,” says a spokesperson. It remains a mystery why missed calls, where no message was left, were diverted to what turns out to be a South Korean dialling code, whereas when a message was left there were no charges. Judging by the complaints on the forum it took more than six weeks to resolve and EE has still not updated members on the results of its investigation as promised, although it assures me everyone will be refunded.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
