I recently switched my phone service to EE as it has better coverage (and 5G) where I spend a lot of time. As a freelancer I had to get my phone on a business contract which started out weird and soon turned into a farce and now it’s impossible to manage my account online.
In an age of advanced artificial intelligence, superfast mobile networks and data at your fingertips, how can a company the size of EE (and owned by BT) fail to do something as simple as online account management?
eSIM by post
Things got off to a strange start when I tried to order an eSIM. I thought I would get the eSIM by email, but they said the system is down, so it has to be sent. Yes, you read that right: the eSIM had to be sent.
To be fair, the service was fast and the next day I had an envelope with a cardboard wallet containing the QR code for my eSIM. A few minutes later I installed and connected the eSIM and the glorious 5G was mine with better reception.
I even transferred my old number to my new account. But this is where things started to go wrong.
Linking online accounts did not work
I was about to travel to Berlin for work, so I wanted to check if the Roam Abroad Inclusive Extra I selected at checkout had been added to my account. Even though I managed to set up an EE account I found it wouldn’t let me add my phone.
So I called support and they said there was a problem but they were manually linking my account and it could take up to four business days. I explained the work trip and they said it was noted and roaming was on.
When I landed in Berlin, I received a text saying roaming charges are to be paid daily. The Roam Abroad extra was not applied. Fortunately, I was able to do this via SMS.
Linking business accounts cannot be done manually
When I got back, I found that my account was still not linked, so I had to call again. This time I got closer to the truth.
“The reason is that the EE app is being updated to a better version and is undergoing maintenance, so you can’t (link your account),” the support person told me.
I was then offered paper bills every month and the ability to call for help every time I wanted to do something simple but had no way to fix the actual problem. When I took out the account, the sales team didn’t mention that online account management was discontinued. I mentioned this to the customer service person who denied that the accounts were unlinked and said it was “upgrading to a better version”.
When pressed as to why the accounts were unlinked, I was told “it wasn’t broken”.
It seems like “There’s a difference between a broken app. There’s a difference between an app that’s being maintained and an app that’s been updated to a better version.”
And there is. A broken app won’t work and won’t let you do the most basic things.
I asked, “So, is my app working right now?”
And the answer was, “No.”
“So if it doesn’t work…” I started to say.
“That doesn’t mean it’s broken,” interrupted the support person.
If something doesn’t work, it’s broken, I said.
They then offered me more help and asked me to wait two minutes. Which I did. Instead of helping me, I was transferred to the e-business upgrade team. Another trip through the security questions and I was transferred to the service team who also had to pass the security questions.
Business account linking has been broken for a long time and there is no confirmed fix
Finally, this support person told me what the actual problem was.
“You can’t sync numbers, check accounts online, manage your account online. Basically our EE app and website; both versions are not working as they should,” said the support person. “There are technical difficulties that have been going on for months. I’ll be very honest with you. It’s a recorded line. I’ll pass on that information. Okay. It’s been going on for months now.”
It looks like EE will need to create a new app to manage accounts and there is no confirmed date when this will happen. And you can’t restore the old version either.
“In the past, we were looking to revive our existing app, but there were things that didn’t go well,” they said.
I was then told that if I really wanted online account management, it was almost like we were in the 21stStcentury in a world full of technology, then I could delete my account since I was in the cancellation period. Or I can request a paper invoice, which we provide free of charge.
I asked for a discount on my line while the issues are fixed, but it doesn’t seem like it can be done on any day other than the first day of the contract.
My call ended with the service representative confirming that the online application was down: “To manage things online, yes, you need access to our online applications, which are currently down.”
So, what’s going on here? Looking around, it seems like the problem has been going on for a long time. This Reddit thread from a year ago describes the same problem. That’s right too thread from September 2025 on the EE support forumaccording to which the problem starts in November 2024.
I contacted EE to ask for a statement and more details on the matter, but they only presented my request as a complaint. Resolving the complaint? Of course, paper-based invoicing.
