17 
The network itself might be solid, and awesome if you’re loaded, but its backend accounts system that handles new customers and sending out 4G SIMs has been having serious “teething problems”. It looks like EE’s rush to get 4G out there as quickly as possible has caused some major headaches for new customers and the network alike.
We’ve had several readers complain about massive issues getting set up on EE’s new 4G network, with some people having to cancel their orders, or potentially wait weeks with barely any information, or worse still, getting sent T-mobile SIMs time and time again instead of 4G-enabled EE ones.
Now, in a statement released to the Telegraph, EE has admitted that the network’s been suffering from issues getting new customers set up and running on 4G:
“In a small number of instances in week one, a gap in a process on SIM distribution has delayed customers in accessing the EE network. We have now identified the teething problem in this process and a dedicated team has resolved all issues it created on a customer-by-customer basis.”
It’s unknown how many people have really been affected by the customer service failings here, but considering quite a few people have been vocalising their frustrations on Twitter, blogs, and even to our tips box, I’d say it was a fair few here and there.
There’s no doubt we appreciate EE rolling out 4G early, considering we’d been waiting so long for the government and UK networks to get their act together on 4G in the UK. It’s just a shame the backend hasn’t managed to match the speed and relatively thorough rollout of the 4G coverage. Let’s hope EE gets its act together and nukes these issues nice and fast, so those with money to burn can do so, chewing through data at 30Mbps.
Has anyone here had major issues getting signed up and activated on the EE 4G network? [Telegraph]
They promised us the world Gibbs….
A fast and very pricy world at that.
Great. I just ordered one of these yesterday!
I went into three EE stores, looking to sign a new contract (and port my O2 number over). No EE stores had iPhone 5 64GB stock. One had the smaller models, but others had none.
Then I went into an Apple store, and I noticed that the EE tariffs had popped up on their iPads they have mounted by the demo iPhones. I asked them and nope they didn’t have iPhone 5 stock either, told me to reserve online. I mentioned how it was a shame, as I’d just been in the three EE stores in town, and without realising I’d said the “C” word. As soon as I said the “C” word they magically did have iPhone 5 stock. Don’t ask me why they didn’t have stock if I were just paying £699 for the unlocked handset! They did have EE 4G SIMs, and were able to do them.
For signing up the new contract, the Apple “specialist” used his iPad. The EE web portal was just a rebranded T-Mobile portal (even the T&C’s referred to them as T-Mobile), and half way through it only showed T-Mobile tariffs and we had to start again. The Apple “specialist” said it had happened before, and did the same fix as he did previously by not entering my PAC and getting me to ring up 150 in the evening and do the PAC myself.
There was quite a wait to speak with someone at EE, but they accurately predicted that nothing would happen over the weekend and the number port would happen today. Checked at lunch today and my O2 SIM has died and calls are going to my new EE SIM
cool story bro. now fly away…
It’s like Bulldog (fixed line) broadband all over again.
Was a right palaver ordering a Huawei Mobile Wifi dongle from them, first got a dispatch email from T-Mobile, then although they said it was dispatched it never actually got passed to the courier! After a couple of very long calls to them (annoyingly if you ring EE’s sales line about an existing order you initially get put through to Orange aftersales and have to be transferred to an EE capable agent) the solution ended up being cancelling the order and ordering it again. Thankfully it seems to have been passed to the courier this time so fingers crossed it gets delivered tomorrow!
new customers? like the few people stupid enough to pay £36 a month for 500mb?
Can we add an ‘unlike’ button to the forums for this sort of pointless post?
His tone isn’t great, but he does sort of have a point.
My point is, it’s not actually *his* point. Everyone’s said it’s expensive and being an early adopter always comes with a price but choosing to pay the premium to experience 4G before everyone else is a personal choice. It doesn’t make you stupid.
I’ve made an informed decision to move to 4GEE based on my data trends and personal requirements. I can afford it and I like being an early adopter. I’m paying more to get something faster.
/RANT
I had a similar issue, wanted to get the LTE enabled Galaxy Note 2 and went into buy it from a T-Mobile showroom , after nearly an hour of waiting and filling in forms the system did not allow me to get the pay monthly plan.
The sales guy tried his best and contacted 3rd party credit checking company , still no luck. the system allowed only a restricted SIM option.
I went into the web and booked the same plan online and it was accepted without any issues. One drawback was they did not have the Titanium blue color in stock and I had to settle in for the White color phone.
If I was not desperate to get the LTE eabled model I would have settled in for Vodafone or O2.
Hundreds of customers migrating their accounts from Orange to EE have found themselves without a working mobile service. One advisor mentioned to me that at least 283 customers were affected.
Symptoms are as follows:
Able to make voice calls
Able to use data services
Incoming calls go straight to voicemail
Not able to send or receive text messages
This is due to the number porting process getting ‘stuck’ half way through because of an EE systems problem. According to the “Welcome to EE” booklet that accompanies new SIMs you “Simply insert your new SIM in your EE phone and we’ll do the rest (this may take up to 30 mins)”. In fact affected customers have been without service for eight days or more.
EE customer services have been advising customers all week that the problem will be resolved within 24 hours but thus far this has not come to fruition. The latest advice is that the problem will ‘definitely’ be resolved by 3pm on Monday 12 November.
Requests to speak to a senior manager are being refused with customers being told that the process is that they have to wait 72-hours for a callback. No allowance is being made for the fact that the customers cannot receive incoming calls.
On the EE Community (http://community.ee.co.uk) there are also instances of customers being put on the wrong tariffs and being refused a PAC code so they can’t even escape the chaos.