EE customers urged to check bills as thousands have been overcharged
The telecoms firm hit customers travelling to the EU with double roaming charges this summer, The Sun can reveal.
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EE said the billing error affected customers for a "short period" at the beginning of June, but The Sun has seen customer examples being hit with double charges in May too.
Customers without roaming included in their plans pay a daily charge of £2.59 when using their EE devices in Europe, but the error increased it to £5.18 per day.
Scores of customers have complained about the issue online, affecting trips to EU destinations including Italy, France, Spain and Belgium.
One said: "Just returned home from holiday abroad to find that on five occasions I had been charged £5.18 daily roaming charges by EE .
"Spent nearly two hours in their chat, they are aware of the problem, but they still charge. Check your bills!"
While another added: "I have been charged double on two phones for a daily charge in France.
"I have spoken to three separate EE helpers who agree I have been double charged and you have taken over £32 too much.
EE told The Sun refunds started going out yesterday, July 8, with all customers being refunded by the end of this week.
It noted that the process has taken longer than expected to ensure accuracy, but that customers are being contacted via text and phone calls.
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It added that affected customers won't need to do anything and will receive a full refund automatically.
However, if any doubts, check your bills and reach out to EE directly.
Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "It's always worth checking your bills. It's easily overlooked, especially when you have automated payments, but it's the only way to keep on top of potential errors.
"If you have travelled overseas recently and paid a roaming charge, it's worth checking whether you were billed what you were expecting.
"If not, get in touch with your mobile provider, and ask for it to be credited to your account."
A spokesperson for regulator Ofcom added: "Any customers that think they were affected by these billing errors, but have not yet been refunded, should contact EE directly."
Ofcom rules require that bills are accurate and customers are not overcharged.
Providers must give customers, on request, and at no extra charge, access to adequate and up-to-date billing information that allows them to monitor their usage and expenditure.
Providers also need to have processes to deal with incorrect charges, and take action to correct overcharging.
The spokesperson added: "Where we see evidence of errors occurring, we will consider appropriate action."
It fined rival O2 £10.5million in 2023 for overcharging customers, while GiffGaff was fined £1.4million in 2019 and EE was hit with a £2.7million fine in 2017.
An EE spokesperson told The Sun: "We identified an isolated roaming charge issue which impacted a small cohort of customers using their devices in the EU zone.
"This issue has been resolved, and all affected customers will be refunded automatically.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their patience while we put things right."
How to cut roaming costs
Plenty of firms have re-introduced roaming charges across Europe since Brexit, which can see costs add up fast.
If your mobile phone contract does not include data roaming, you could be charged up to £6 per GB of data you use, according to price comparison website Uswitch.
However, not all do and some have pledged to keep roaming free, meaning you won't have to pay extra to use your internet, minutes and texts while away.
Today, 10 mobile networks still let you roam for free. These are:
Asda Mobile
BT Mobile
GiffGaff
iD Mobile
Lebara
O2
Plusnet
Smarty
Talkmobile
Tesco Mobile
Just last week, Three Mobile also brought back "inclusive" roaming for customers on certain plans.
If you frequently travel in Europe, it could be worth switching providers.
However, make sure to read the small print carefully as some still have a cap on free roaming meaning you may still be charged.
It's also important to check whether you'll be hit with any exit fees before you switch.
If you don't want to switch providers, EE offers roaming passes for a certain time period.
Or you may be able to switch to a different plan which includes free roaming.
Another way to make sure you don't overspend is through a "spending cap" that you can put in place with your provider.
Most mobile phone companies in the UK give customers this option, though you'll need to set it up first.
Simply tell your provider the maximum amount that you want to spend each month.
Check what it includes and if data roaming is, it could stop you racking up a huge bill while jet-setting.
How to avoid roaming charges
Simrat Sharma, a mobiles expert at Uswitch, said switching to an eSIM - short for embedded SIM - can be cheaper than using international roaming.
'eSIMs make it easier to change networks," she said.
"So for example, if you're abroad you can quickly connect to the local network to pay local rates - without having to add or swap a physical local SIM card for your device.
"This means travel eSIMs are almost always cheaper than using international roaming, as users are effectively tapping into the same network plans as locals.
If you're regularly switching numbers or travelling to different locations, you'll be able to keep them all safely in digital format rather than carrying around a number of small cards.
'The software can easily be accessed via your device's app store and uploaded to your phone in a few quick steps."
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