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EE refusing to replace 5GEE 2021 Router with excessive fan noise

hostler

Member
Hi

Last November I took the plunge and moved out home over to a 5GEE service using the new 2021 edition of the 5GEE router from EE. We are not covered by fibre, and the DSL speeds were becoming unusable for a modern family.

All went smoothly, and the unit slipped into our home network very easily and brought much faster speeds.

Less than 3 months in, and the router's fan has started to become very audible and is impossible to work in the same room now. It was whisper quiet too start with, but now is audible over the radio!

On contacting EE, they are telling me I have to send the unit in for repair - a process that will take up to TWO WEEKS - rather than issue a replacement direct, and have me send the faulty unit back. This was bought from the EE website - I didn't buy instore.

Can anyone advise if this is normal? Legal even? The unit is well under warranty.

In the past, when my Sky DSL router had developed issues, they dispatched a new one to us and had us post the faulty one back - so downtime was minimised.

And yes... before anyone asks ... I have restarted the unit, gently blown air into vents etc ... had no effect at all.

Many thanks in advance

Tom
 
Unaware of the formal process, but it does make sense you should send back the device.
Unlike your Sky router this is probably a £300 device, so I can see why EE is being stingy here, especially with the chipset shortage going on.

I would try to persist with their support, "ask to see a manager" etc and try to at least get a temporary replacement while yours is being repaired, surely going without internet for 2 weeks in this day and age is a bit of a problem..

Worst come worse, remove the SIM from it and use it in an alternate device, such as a smartphone you could tether off.

It's not a bad idea to have a shop around for a backup device, not necessarily 5G, but something to get you going in situations such as this; for example my backup device is a 5G smartphone I USB/Ethernet tether off.
 
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Thanks everyone.

Update: EE have been in touch and want to discuss my options on a call this afternoon - fingers crossed there will be something concrete they can offer.

I didn't explain this in my original post, but the online help suggested I take it into an EE store for evaluation and possible repair same day. I was skeptical, as all the EE repair stations are phone only to my knowledge - and indeed a call to some local stores confirmed that with home routers they cannot investigate and simply send away for repair - which can take 2 weeks.

I have a friend who's offered me a 4Gee router, which I may well have to take up, if they insist on having the unit for 2 weeks.

My point though, is that EE are currently running a TV ad about how reliable their broadband services are - so reliable you can land a plane in fact (!) - and surely what goes with this, is a recognition that hardware may fail in a warranty period and you need a swap out service for such instances to keep customers connected.

All routers / set top boxes are pretty expensive items now - which is why we're offered them on 18/24 month contracts - and it feels wrong that hardware failures in warranty periods should mean a loss of service for 2 weeks.

I will persevere and report back what EE can offer

Thanks for all the suggestions though

Tom
 
Thanks everyone.

Update: EE have been in touch and want to discuss my options on a call this afternoon - fingers crossed there will be something concrete they can offer.

I didn't explain this in my original post, but the online help suggested I take it into an EE store for evaluation and possible repair same day. I was skeptical, as all the EE repair stations are phone only to my knowledge - and indeed a call to some local stores confirmed that with home routers they cannot investigate and simply send away for repair - which can take 2 weeks.

I have a friend who's offered me a 4Gee router, which I may well have to take up, if they insist on having the unit for 2 weeks.

My point though, is that EE are currently running a TV ad about how reliable their broadband services are - so reliable you can land a plane in fact (!) - and surely what goes with this, is a recognition that hardware may fail in a warranty period and you need a swap out service for such instances to keep customers connected.

All routers / set top boxes are pretty expensive items now - which is why we're offered them on 18/24 month contracts - and it feels wrong that hardware failures in warranty periods should mean a loss of service for 2 weeks.

I will persevere and report back what EE can offer

Thanks for all the suggestions though

Tom
That TV ad is advertising Full Fibre.
5GEE is Mobile Broadband

Not sure what T&Cs are on your product but EE Business T&Cs infer that you do not actually own the device, they do for 6 months. The Repair/Replace Consumer Rights should kick in once its yours. They are offering a service and they are failing to provide that service.
They do guarantee to repair a device during a contract but as this has failed so early they should replace it before it becomes yours.

My question is does this run so hot it needs a fan and why yours has been using it overtime. Possibly a wider issue.
 
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Fair point on it being FTTP in that Ad ... my mistake ... however I'd contest that the 5GEE 2021 base station is sold as a home solution, has a mains plug and no battery ... so whilst technically a Mobile Broadband technology, it's promoted as an alternative to fixed-line broadband and as such needs to be treated in that way.

EE did indeed call, although 2 hours later than promised, and went through various levels of escalation. Throughout it's clear their scripts and troubleshooting guides are more based on mobile devices than home powered products - I had to remind them more than once that the device was mains powered, and I couldn't relocate the device to test signal strength,

They stuck to their guns - hardware faults within 30 days are swappable - but after 30 days it's the 2 week repair service. Suggesting that this was unworkable resulting in an escalation which yielded the offer of a 4Gee mini wifi hub - but thats has no LAN port to hook the rest of the home up to (mesh system, switch, smart home hubs etc). I was then offered the chance to escalate higher, if I could wait another 4 hours for a call back, but refused.

I'm going to borrow a friends 4GEE PAYG router he's not currently using, swap out the 5GEE one, and then take it in for repair / evaluation. That way I can keep the home running, albeit at 4G speeds, for the 2 weeks the unit will be away.

Apparently this is all covered in the T&C's, and I'm sure they are, so 'caveat emptor' I guess.

I can only suggest caution to anyone considering their mobile broadband products for critical home networking situations and think very carefully about whether you could be without a router for two whole weeks if a fault occurs within your contract period.

Will update when I get the unit back - repaired or replaced.

Thanks everyone for advice/suggestions.

T
 
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