Partially upheld: Service failures generally complaint against EE Limited
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6344650 of 2026-06-29T00:00:00+00:00. Service failures generally complaint against EE Limited. Outcome: Partially upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6344650 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-06-29T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | EE Limited |
| Product | Personal loan |
| Claim type | Service failures generally |
| Outcome | Partially upheld |
| Remedy | EE to pay further compensation of £30 to Mr P (in addition to the £50 already paid) making a total compensation payment of £80 |
Summary
Mr P received an erroneous text message from EE offering a free early phone upgrade in January 2026. He called to accept the offer and spent approximately 20 minutes discussing it before being informed it was sent in error. EE initially offered £30 compensation, later increased to £50. The ombudsman found Mr P had no entitlement to the offer as it was genuinely sent in error, but upheld the complaint in part because EE should have identified the error at the start of the call. The ombudsman awarded total compensation of £80, directing EE to pay an additional £30 beyond what it had already offered.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that the text offer was genuinely sent in error and Mr P had no entitlement to the upgrade. However, EE's failure to identify and communicate the error at the start of the phone call caused Mr P inconvenience and wasted time. The ombudsman considered £80 total compensation to be appropriate and in excess of what would normally be awarded in such circumstances, therefore did not direct additional payment beyond what EE had already offered.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| EE Limited, all decisions | 110 | 43% |
| Service failures generally, all decisions | 34,193 | 32% |
| Personal loan, all decisions | 23,643 | 29% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website