Landline hobbled, broadband still going but her direct debit situation looking very iffy for no good reason, it was little wonder that an EE customer did not know where to turn next. Yet a few weeks ago, everything had been ticking along as normal for Carol Baird, a long-time EE customer who had always paid on time.
Coming to Crusader for help, she explained: “My landline suddenly became out of order although the broadband continued. When I enquired why I was told the line had been disabled because I hadn’t paid my bill for a couple of months. I was so shocked, I hadn’t checked as there had never been a problem before and my account had plenty of funds. Yet when I did look saw no recent payment had been made. Neither the account nor direct debit number had changed so none if it made any sense.”
If you’ve been affected by this issue or feel you’ve been a victim of injustice, please contact consumer champion Maisha Frost on maisha.frost@express.co.uk
At first Carol was credited with £47, but wasn’t happy when asked to pay another £80 to have the landline reinstated. “I paid however as I was worried my broadband would be disabled,” she added.
As an older widow and a customer keen to stay with EE (part of BT), she needed supported and EE has done just that.
In response to Crusader’s inquiry, it confirmed it had helped her set up a new direct debit: ““We are very sorry that Carol has had an issue with the direct debit on her account. We have contacted her and confirmed that her direct debit was cancelled at the end of November 2025. We have cleared the outstanding balance on Carol’s account as a goodwill gesture. The complaint has been fully resolved.”
Always check from time to time that your supplier has your correct details and payments are being made as intended. In Carol’s case checking the debits through her bank account would have flagged something was wrong and alerted her so the crisis might have been averted or resolved earlier.
Make FCA’s firm checker you best defence against scams
Some 700,000 adults have experienced an investments-related fraud or scam since May last year so keep to hand the trusty Firm Checker tool, developed by regulator the Financial Conduct Authority. As its name suggests it gives consumers a fast and simple way to see if a firm is FCA-authorised and helps avoid scams. https://www.fca.org.uk/
Despite growing awareness of fraud, the data on the number of people losing money suggests people are still skipping the final firm check crucial step. So make firm-checking a habit – just like locking the front door – before committing any money. As always if it seems too good to miss, it invariably is. Hesitate, firm check and protect your money.
