I've Just Had "words" With Ee (A.k.a.orange)

[mrs_overall]

I received a recorded phone call allegedly from EE saying I owed a sum of money which had to be paid today and then I was invited to give my debit/credit card number. Thinking it was a scam I hung up and after much searching I eventually found a telephone number for EE (who by the way is my broadband provider).
The young man was helpful and explained they had a new computer system which had wiped the card details of most customers and they have been unable to take a payment from me for the last two months. All well and good so far and I had my bank card at the ready to give him the details when it all went a bit pear shaped. It suddenly dawned on me that the amount he said I owed for two months was more than I normally pay. When I queried this he said the extra was a late payment fee.
Hang on....they haven't taken a payment for 2 months due to a glitch with their computer system and then they expect ME to stump up a late payment fee?
Let's just say that I stuck to my guns and refused to give my card details until the late payment fee was deducted. It was a lengthy phone call with me explaining the error of their ways. The fee was finally deducted.
Victory for the small man! (Well, the tall woman)

[HansUrbancka]

Mrs O....You could send EE a bill for the time which you gave to sorting-out errors, which were Not of your making.

Hans.

[andy-hughes]

Good afternoon Mrs Overblown. You manage to demonstrate that if the customer pushes back hard enough for long enough, it is possible to get your way.

The reasoning is simple - customer-facing staff do not see any of the profit they obtain with their tenacity, so they are less inclined to spend hours trying to pursade a customer to part with money that does not benefit them (the staff member) personally.

Be patient, they will give up first, it's not worh it to them to keep on and on arguing, it's not their money they are refunding or failing to enforce collection of - so they don't really care.

Of course, they should back down because they are wrong, but companies don't operate like that!

[Sparkles62]

Well done you, I would have done exactly the same. X

[Peter Pedant]

well done Mrs O

they did something similar to me and I cancelled my contract

I snapped: if you do this to your customers they will leave
and the teleophone on the other end said: I dont blame you

[murraymints]

I had broadband problems with Orange now EE which resulted in my having to get my own engineer in as their customer support was useless...I bypassed customer services and sent a personal letter to the CEO ..within 48 hours her pa had called me ..end result...free broadband and phone for 4 months ! It pays to complain...but go straight to the top !

[whiskeryron]

Bloody 'ell Mrs O. I'm hoping to be in Whitby in a couple of weeks. Let me know what part you're in so that I can steer well clear.

[Buenchico]

Your story of an attempt to charge you for someone else's error reminds me of the way that the Woolwich Building Society treated me when (by handing them a banker's draft for about £35k) I thought that I'd paid off the mortgage on my house. Several months went by before they wrote to me, stating that they were about to repossess my house because I'd not been making any payments on my mortgage!

When I went into their office, the branch manager was very apologetic and eventually managed to find the missing money in their accounts and credit it towards my mortgage. She then told me that I owed them over £200 because of the interest that had built up since I'd given them my cheque!

Like you, I kicked up a fuss but it was only when I pointed out that the offices of the local newspaper were just a 2 minute walk from her office (and that I was sure that their journalists would love to publish my story) that she suddenly found a way of cancelling the interest.

So I received confirmation that the mortgage was paid off, together with the deeds to the house. Over a decade later I tried to sell a small piece of my garden to a neighbour, only to be told that I couldn't do so as there was still a charge on the property, registered to the ruddy Woolwich Building Society (which, by then, didn't even exist - trying to find someone at Barclays Bank, who took over the Woolwich, to sort out the problem was a nightmare!)

[pixie373]

I left Orange (excuse me while I spit at their name). After many, many years of paying by Direct Debit, their fraud department decided they disliked my card (it hadn't changed) and stopped it. Having sent them all the ID they asked for -twice, which they lost- twice, they then decided the position was irreversible and that I should open a new bank account just to pay them. They also lied several times, when I left, agreeing their screen said it was their mistake, but "forgetting" several times to send me the email which stated that. I did eventually get out of the contract without the charges, but it was a 2 year battle. Never again!

[mrs_overall]

I stand corrected (thank you ael) - the computer system wiped the expiry dates of the cards of most customers, not the card details themselves.

Welshy, don't listen to the short Irish one. If you were over this way in September we could meet up for a cuppa. Somewhere rayfayned with potted palm trees, a string quartet playing in the background and waitresses in smart black and white uniforms gliding between the tables.
Oh, I forgot - this is Whitby. How does formica tables and builders tea served in chipped mugs sound?

[mrs_overall]

Hang on....Welshy AND WR are both coming?
Why doesn't someone go the whole hog and charter an AB coach for a day trip? :-)

[whiskeryron]

We're frightened to approach any coach companies in case you've had ""words" with 'em.

[aelmpvw]

lol at ron

[gness]

That's good, Ron...☺☺☺

[Zacs-Master]

potted palm trees, a string quartet playing in the background and waitresses in smart black and white uniforms gliding between the tables.

Betty's then?

[Khandro]

//I eventually found a telephone number for EE//
From where did you find that number Mrs O. ?

[WELSHYORKIE]

Zacs, I don't think Mrs Overbrewed would fancy a trip down to St Helen's Square in York (lost count of the number of times I passed Betty's and seen the queue waiting) just for a cuppa with me. I guess it'll be Becketts in Whitby - I was told by a work colleague that they do amazing cakes

[DTCwordfan]

Now that is a massive cake! (A Beckett's one)

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/ff/55/40/fabulous-cakes.jpg

[DTCwordfan]

There's the Sahara café in Flowergate too........

[mrs_overall]

khandro - I had to do some searching on t'internet

DTC - there is no Sahara cafe in Flowergate and I have no recollection of there ever being one

And as for me going to York or Harrogate and queuing for eternity to get into Betty's and spend the kids inheritance on a cuppa and a cake....are you mad?

[HansUrbancka]

Khandro.....If you wish to contact EE, perhaps this will be of some help to you :-

http://explore.ee.co.uk/get-in-touch

Hans.