Cheapest Home Phones Article Discussion

Doc_N

leavingalegacy wrote: »

Hello All,
Like most families, in my house...........
Best regards,

sam1970

vadek wrote: »

I did, too. With an hour to spare before the Love2Shop offer expired. I'm really not sure about TalkTalk and I've been very happy with O2 broadband and el cheapo Primus, but I decided - marginally - that it's time for a change. This offer seems too good to be true, though, and you know what Martin says about such things. Mind you, it is an officially blagged MSE offer.

I am considering the talk talk deal and the £50 voucher offer is extended now till 21 Feb but has any one noticed that if you go through TCB you get also £70 cashback which will sweeten the deal even further

vadek

sam1970 wrote: »

I am considering the talk talk deal and the £50 voucher offer is extended now till 21 Feb but has any one noticed that if you go through TCB you get also £70 cashback which will sweeten the deal even further

NOW you tell me!!

sam1970

Sorry Vadek...dont worry I was wrong...i have just noticed that if you go through topcashback website there is no mention of the £50 voucher you find in MSE link to talk talk..so it looks like either the voucher or the cashback

vadek

sam1970 wrote: »

Sorry Vadek...dont worry I was wrong...i have just noticed that if you go through topcashback website there is no mention of the £50 voucher you find in MSE link to talk talk..so it looks like either the voucher or the cashback

£70 cashback sounds better than a £50 voucher, but that's okay. I'm actually more worried about loss of phone & broadband during the changeover. I know Mr Lewis is always encouraging people to switch utilities, phones, banks etc., but I there are so many reports of the operation being messy. I'm not surprised that people are reluctant to shop around and switch. I've stuck to Eon energy for many years now as it's easier to switch tariffs within Eon than migrate to another supplier, and I've been very happy with them.

I have energy and car insurance due for renewal in the next couple of months. O joy.

chrismbt

More on my primus fiasco.

Summary so far:

• I signed up for a new line to be installed.
  
• They emailed me an engineers appointment, and said I had to confirm by phone or they would cancel it.
  
• I spent 6 hours on hold, over 4 calls, over a few days trying to get through.
  
• Was unable to get through, or confirm my appointment, so I emailed them to cancel the order.
  
• Few days later I was told customer service was better, so I tried again, got through, stopped the cancellation, and was given a new installation date - confirmed.
  
• About a week after that they replied to my email saying the installation had been cancelled.
  
• I replied to that email saying I did not want to cancel and that in the meantime I had called Customers Services and I had changed my mind.
  
• I called Customer Service again, who told me it had in-fact been cancelled and they would put in a new order with a new installation date.
  
• They asked when would be convenient. As I have a sleep disorder and mornings are difficult I asked for an afternoon appointment on any day.
  
• Couple of weeks ago I got a new installation date, (at 8am-1pm) I called back to confirm it, my new line was due to be installed next Tuesday.
  
• Today I received another email apologising for having to wait on hold and that they had recruited 10 new staff to answer calls. It also said my order has been cancelled "as per my email" and if I wanted to change my mind I needed to phone customer service immediately.
  
• I have called customer services, and my cancellation has been cancelled, the line is still due to be installed next Tuesday.

I wonder if it will be!

analyst_2

Hmmmm chrismbt

Now you have me a tad confused.

Just clarify, have you cancelled?
Or have you cancelled the cancellation?
Or is it that you have cancelled the cancellation of the cancellation.
Would cancelling the cancellation of the cancellation constitute a mathematical double negative, thereby making a positive, but I'm not sure if that leaves you cancelled . . . or not.

However, if we ignore the mathematics, it is accepted use of the English language to use double statements for emphasis. But then I'm not sure if that leaves you cancelling the cancellation to emphasise that you really want to cancel, or that it reverses the cancellation to affirm the installation.

Do you see my problem?

Either way, you can absolutely rest assured that you either will or will not get the installation or the cancellation you require.



I think!
.

reiver97

Here is my story of moving over to TalkTalk from Sky for broadband, phone and line rental.

We were due to "Go Live" with TalkTalk on 31st Jan.

I'm posting here what has already been posted by me on the official Talk Talk forum...

Saturday 09th Feb 2013

Basically, went "live" with TalkTalk on the 31st. Before that phone worked, and internet wasnt great (about 2-3Mbps) but usable.

Live date comes and phone line dies. Internet drops to 0.3Mbps.
I phone up Customer Service and am told that everything will be fine tomorrow (1st Feb) for phone and on the 2nd for the interent. My £5 credit runs out on my mobile, so I leave it at that and take the lad at his word.

Next day comes, still a dead phone line, still between 0.3-.05Mbps online. The day after (2nd - today) comes. Phone line still dead, internet still between 0.3-0.5Mbps.

So, put another fiver on the mobile and phone the tech line. Eventually get through and some chap in India reads through a script. Any question that deviates him from his script is ignored. He takes me through his scripted "advice". Then he tests the line. No fault recognised. Which seems odd since nothing is working as it should, but whatever. We get up to me having to take a screwdriver to the phone master socket and removing the front plate when my £5 credit runs out. Either way no matter how or where the phone is plugged in, no dial tone, just dead air.

Try the "technical help line" again this evening, this time put a tenner in credit on the phone. Different chap in India, word for word same script with no deviations acknowledged, including me explaining I've already been through it. Has me hold again while the line is tested. Again (third time in all). "No fault on the line".
So, he can arrange for an engineer to be sent out but it will cost £50.

Why? "Because there is no fault on the line so the problem is in your home".

Incredible. Ask to be transferred to customer service. Customer service is closed. But here is a direct number - 08704441820. Oh yes, the same exactly same number I used to phone him. The same number that keeps me on hold eating my phone credit.

Worst customer service and worst phone and internet service provider I have had the misfortune to trust my money with in the 15 years I've been online.

So, after all of that, Im nearly 20 quid down on mobile calls, and still have no landline or usable broadband. And no idea what I am supposed to do next.

How do I cancel this service? Talk Talk have clearly not met their terms of contract, they are not providing ANY phone service or anything approaching the broadband speed I was told would be available ("The minimum speed your line will support is 2Mbps" So the minimum they quoted is four times the maximum we have!)

We need internet at this address for work and for tv, as we do not have an outside aerial (listed building). My wife cannot even speak to her mother in China without the landline.

We are kind of stuck now and just want out of this shambles. Should have stayed with SKY, for all their sins, they at least have decent customer service (who I can understand when they speak and can understand what I am saying).

Any help or advice much appreciated.
Quote:
I did use the "standard rate" 0203 441 5550 number rather than the 0807 number (both take you to the same menu) and my mobile credit was eaten through at an alarming rate (£5 credit used up and left cut off in minutes on my first two attempts and using £10 credit on my third attempt).

What I find really galling is that unlike previous suppliers, at no point was a call back offered. When I explained I was running out of credit and may be cut of and asked if they could call back, was told no on all three occasions.
Since then, last Tuesday (5th Feb) I phoned tech support from a landline at another address.

I went through the same script with the operator, again he said tests showed no fault on the line and that it would cost £50 to send out an engineer as the problem appeared to be in our address. At the end of the exchange he asked if I wished to speak to a manager. I said I would like to.

I was put through to someone who said his name was Suresh. He seemed bored and somewhat unhappy at having to deal with me.
He did however state that there WAS a fault on our line, and claimed that engineers were checking the local exchange and that phone and internet issues would all be resolved by the 8th February, and that if an engineer had to visit there would be no charge.
He also stated we would receive compensation for being left without our line for so long.

I really had no alternative but to take him at his word.

Today is the 9th of February.

Our phone line is still completely dead and our internet is still around. 0.5MBps.

Sunday 10th Feb 2013

Recieved a text (at 4am) from TalkTalk that reads...

Quote:

"If your issue is ongoing please call TalkTalk Technical Support.
However, if your issue is resolved please reply back with the word FIXED"

Problem isnt resolved.

But why isn't someone from TalkTalk phoning me to check? Why am I still expected to throw money at their call-centre from my mobile (now very much out of credit, thank you) to be taken through the same script to be told the same thing yet again by someone who has no knowledge, or shows no interest in hearing, the history of this problem?

Now the 10th of January. 11th day without phone since Talk Talk took over the line on 31st.

No sign of any resolution or any interest in resolving this from TalkTalk.

Just one call from someone showing some interest in getting this sorted out, maybe an apology for the delay and disruption caused. Is that really asking so much?

[TalkTalk Customer Service operater "M" replied on Tuesday 12th Feb 2013...]

hi reiver,

I can see a fault was logged but the ltest update advises that indicates are the issue is caused by internal wiring/equipment.
The network teams have attempted to contact you in regards to arranging an engineer vissit, for which they required you to confirm you are happy to accept possible engineer chages (see link in my signature for an explanation of when these are applicable) but as they were unable to contact you they could not arrange an engineer.

If you can confirm you are happy to accept possible charges we can arrange a Special Faults Investigation engineer attends to look into this further.

Regards

M

[Me replying to "M". Thursday 14th Feb 2013]

Thank you for your reply.

It would appear from what you write, that one of us has been mislead.

As I state in my comments above, after speaking to a Manager by the name of Suresh, he informed me that the fault was not with our home equiptment, and that we would not be charged for an engineer.
I had agreed both with the phone operator and the manager that they could send an engineer out. I was told one would be arranged and that I would be contacted to arrange a suitable date.

Now you are telling me that I have been waiting in vain because no such arrangement had been made?

No one has attempted to contact me as you claim. There have been no calls to my mobile number or even texts, nor emails or any letter from TalkTalk.

We are now over two weeks without phone and only limited broadband connection since TalkTalk took over our line on the 31st.

When I attempted to phone customer services last week my call was diverted to a pre-recorded message that stated there was a delay in connecting us and that our phone and internet would be up and running by the 8th. It is now the 14th.


No one has contacted us directly at any stage to explain what is happening or to offer an apology. Why will no one talk to us directly?

An absolute disgrace.

I am going to report to the relevant Ombudsman service as the treatment we have received is utterly unacceptable.

Please inform us which Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme that Talk Talk is a member of so we can talk the matter to them.

Please send out a "Deadlock" letter to our home address as soon as possible, as required by the legal regulator Ofcom.

[TalkTalk Customer Service operater "Debbie" replied on Saturday 16th Feb 2013...]

Hi reiver97,

Apologies for this.

We can arrange for the no dialtone fault to be investigated further via the forum, please let us know if you would like us to arrange this?

Quote:
I am going to report to the relevant Ombudsman service as the treatment we have received is utterly unacceptable.

Please inform us which Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme that Talk Talk is a member of so we can talk the matter to them.

Please send out a "Deadlock" letter to our home address as soon as possible, as required by the legal regulator Ofcom
For further information please see the link in my signature below - TalkTalk Customer Complaints Code for further information.

Thanks

I replied...

Yes, please arrange this.

21st February. Still no phone. Broadband slightly improved at 1.0Mbps (But still well under the 4.0Mbps promised and even the 2.0MBps "Minimum your line can support")

Received email notifying me of my first bill today. £25. For what exactly?


You may also want to look at other threads on the same forum (Sorry, as new member I cannot link), and see that I am far from alone with this and similar problems.
Their customer service is effectively non-existent.

theloft

chrismbt wrote: »

More on my primus fiasco.




Summary so far:

• I signed up for a new line to be installed......................
• I have called customer services, and my cancellation has been cancelled, the line is still due to be installed next Tuesday.I wonder if it will be!

I have not shown all of your Primus Saga again as it wastes space. But how on earth you could continue with Primus after this fiasco defies logic! Especially if you read the horror stories on here. As I have said before Primus and bargepoles are inextricably linked as far as I am concerned.
PS. o2 service is excellent so anyone else thinking of changing try them to see if they have any good deals. I am not connected in any way to o2 ( I am retired) but just a happy customer.

theloft

analyst wrote: »

Hmmmm chrismbt
Now you have me a tad confused.
Just clarify, have you cancelled?
Either way, you can absolutely rest assured that you either will or will not get the installation or the cancellation you require. I think!

Brilliant stuff !