OUR CUSTOMERS

We know how important it is to be transparent when dealing with sales, marketing, pricing and billing, and we’re taking steps to minimise complaints and reduce the surprise of an abnormally high bill (known round these parts as “bill shock”).

Our ambition is to deliver a world-class service to our customers - better than our competitors, better than other industries. Being responsible in how we talk to customers is key to realising this.

Every year, our contact centre staff have more than 86 million conversations with customers. On top of that, more than 45 million people walk into our shops to be served by our 5,000 store staff.

Each of these interactions is critical to our customers' experience and how they feel about our brands. It's essential they feel the information they're given is transparent and can be understood. It's also vital that our communications – from TV ads to bills – are clear and honest.

We are always listening to our customers to make sure the way we offer our mobile plans to customers is clear, simple and straight-forward. Our EE plans all include unlimited calls and texts and then a choice of data options. We send our customers a text message alerting them when they use 80% of their data and giving them the option to buy further data. We then disabled data when they hit their limit, meaning they are always in control of their price plan.

As our goal is to "share the power of connectivity with everyone in the UK" we need to make sure the products and services we provide are accessible by as many people as possible.

There are approximately 10 million people in the UK who have some form of disability – that’s 18% of the population. These people often need additional support or tailored products so they can get the most out of what we offer.

We know we have more work to do in this area and we're committed to doing more.  We've kicked off with an awareness-raising programme for our retail and customer teams, covering different disabilities and the products and services we can offer to accommodate them. We're planning further activities, including providing information online to help customers with disabilities find the right device for them.

We currently stock a number of accessible devices. We'll look to increase the number of accessible devices and improve the information we provide about which phone is right for certain accessibility needs.

Finally, we have a dedicated space in our Digital Living section called Digital for All, which has specific information for customers with accessibility needs.

From 1 March 2017, the penalties will increase for those caught using a handheld phone while driving. Both the fine and penalty points will double: from £100 to £200 and from 3 to 6 points. Remember - it's illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone to make or receive calls and texts, or to access the internet! No, not all the time: just when driving a vehicle or riding a motorcycle. However, more than 170,000 motorists a year in England and Wales are caught using their phones while driving, according to an April 2012 AA report.

Mobile phone usage while driving is still high, especially among young people, half of whom have admitted using their phones to text while at the wheel (Source: Institute of Advanced Motorists, April 2012). Those convicted also risk up to 20% higher insurance premiums.

The majority of our phones come with a hands-free kit as standard, but please be aware that hands-free kits are not the same as fully integrated car kits. A hands-free set-up can still be a distraction and you’ll face the same penalties as using a handheld phone if the police think you’re not in control of your vehicle.

We're working with a number of progressive car insurance providers such as Ingenie to help build a community of safer drivers. Insurers use our network to relay our customers' driving data securely and accurately.