EE fined £1m over complaint-handling breaches

Mobile phone network EE has been fined £1 million for failing to comply with rules on handling customer complaints.

EE have been hit with a huge fine for failing to comply with customer complaint rules. Picture: PA

An investigation by telecoms regulator Ofcom found the firm – owner of the Orange and T-Mobile brands – did not provide certain customers with accurate or adequate information about their right to take complaints to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme.

The watchdog said that EE failed to write to a number of customers to tell them about their right to take their complaint to an ADR eight weeks after they first raised their concerns.

In addition, between July 2011 and February 2014, EE sent paper bills to Orange customers and written notifications to Orange, 4GEE and T-Mobile customers that did not reference that they can use its ADR scheme for free.

Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s consumer and content group director, said: “It’s vital that customers can access all the information they need when they’re pursuing a complaint.

“Ofcom imposes strict rules on how providers must handle complaints and treats any breach of these rules very seriously. The fine imposed against EE takes account of the serious failings that occurred in the company’s complaints handling, and the extended period over which these took place.”