EE, the UK's largest mobile phone operator, has been fined £1 million by Ofcom for failing to properly handle customer complaints. The regulator found that between 2011 and 2014, the company did not inform customers of their right to take unresolved complaints to an independent body.
Ofcom's investigation revealed that EE failed to provide written notification to customers about the independent complaints process. Some customers who requested a 'deadlock letter' to escalate their complaint never received one, and others were not informed on their paper bills that they could refer complaints free of charge.
An EE spokesperson acknowledged the issues, stating: 'While this in no way excuses it, it is important to note that we identified issues in our complaints handling and began our programme to tackle these problems head-on in 2013, before Ofcom started their investigation. We have made considerable improvements since then.'
Ofcom noted that complaints about EE's mobile services have fallen by 50% in the past year, but complaints about its broadband and landline services have risen by 50% and 30% respectively. Claudio Pollack of Ofcom 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.'
EE has 20 days to pay the fine, which will be passed to the UK Treasury. The investigation is part of Ofcom's wider scrutiny of complaints handling across the telecoms industry.
