As with most service providers and mobile carriers, users of the UK"s largest 4G network, EE, will be familiar with the hassle of being held in a long queue to talk to a customer service representative over the phone. It"s something that most users become accustomed to - when dialing 150 to call EE, your call may be answered in five minutes or it may be fifteen, or longer.
All this speed has gotta be paid for somehow, right?
It often seems like the luck of the draw when it comes to how long you might spend waiting to talk to an actual human being that can help you. But rather than recruit more staff to take customer service calls, EE has chosen an entirely different approach.
Instead of making its service better and faster for everyone, EE is doing so only for those willing to pay for it. From earlier this month, August 6, the company began offering a "priority answer service", asking you to pay a £0.50 GBP ($0.83 USD / €0.62 EUR) fee to get your call answered more quickly. The company says this new option is "ideal if you"re in a hurry".
You won"t get much customer service help with your account at an EE shop - they just tell you to call 150
The company has made further changes to customer service charges. Back in April, it began charging for "extended hours service", so anyone wanting to speak with an EE representative about anything between 8pm and 8am - i.e. outside of its "normal opening times" - is charged £0.50 per call.
More recently, it has begun charging all customers on its SIM only plans for customer service calls. If you"re on a SIM only plan and you call 150 to speak to someone for help, it will now cost you £0.25 ($0.42/€0.31) to make that call.
Oh, and if you thought you might be clever by calling one of the 08- or 07- numbers that will also connect you to customer services, in the hope that you won"t incur that charge for the call, you"re out of luck. EE specifically states that its service charges apply to all calls via 150 and the 08- and 07- numbers.
Source: EE | lower image via EE