Should I stay or should I go???

macman

CarolDavis wrote: »

over half an hour ago, I received a call from TalkTalk saying I could not switch to a different provider since I was under contract, and so would incur a fee of up to £70. I asked for proof of this contract, which I have always refused to take out. She then transferred me to Samashni, OV4, who said I was under contract till July, but could provide no proof, and suggested I cancel or incur charges of up to £70. I asked to make a complaint, and got Mbali who said I would be charged up to £120 and finally gave specifics, saying there is no contract and no charge.
I wish to complain at this shoddy treatment of customers, which is precisely why I am so keen to leave TalkTalk. This last operative has left me hanging on for lengthy periods while she finally, inaccurately, logs my complaint.

Er, you can't be on a TalkTalk service (or any other provider) without being on a contract, this is normally a 12 or 18 month contract. It isn't a written one, it's a verbal or online one that you agreed to when you signed up.When did you commence your TT service?
If you wish to leave before the contract ends you can do so, but you will be asked to pay a termination fee that is equal to the amount owing to the end of the contract.

Pilgrim68

Hi - this is exactly the problem I logged on to find out about.

I have also been told that I'm tied into talktalk for another year, although the tie-in was never explained to us. We think we were asked 'would you like to continue with talktalk' to which we answered 'yes' because we've been happy with the service - we didn't realise that meant we were tied in for another 18 months!

I have asked for a copy or transcript of the telephone call but they are unwilling to provide it.

I would like to move to sky+ but the £70 is a barrier... as I suppose it is designed to be... but we think we were hoodwinked into another contract.

Nothing has ever been provided in writing to alert us to teh existence of a contract.

TalkTalk

Hi Guys,

As others have said - TalkTalk contract all customers for 18 months if you are on LLU. Some line rental tariffs have a 12 month contract term. It is also common practice for sales agents to contact customers when you are coming towards the end of your contract to offer an incentive to renew for a further 12-18 months. These are verbal contracts as they are provided over the telephone.

If you want to get hold of a copy of any information a company holds on you this can be applied for by submitting a Subject Access Request (SAR) under the data protection act. If anyone needs further information on SARs let me know. If anyone wants me to log formal complaints for them please let me know at https://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums and I'll arrange for this to be done.

Molezak,

It sounds like you are on a tariff such as Talk Global Anytime from the costs you are quoting. It may be beneficial for you to move to the myTalkTalk plan dependant on how you use your telephone. In its most basic form myTalkTalk Essentials is £6.49 with line rental at £11.25, if you are in an LLU area your broadband would be inclusive so a total of £17.74. If you need an anytime call boost this would be an aditional £4. If you could give me a little more information on the tariff you are on and how you use the phone I'll be able to suggest the best plan for you.

Cheers
EmmaL x

Pilgrim68

Many thanks EmmaL

All I'm asking for is TalkTalk's evidence that a contract exists. It seems unfair that I should have to pay £10 to get that evidence. I don't want to know what data TalkTalk has on me, I want specific evidence pertinent to the alleged contract.

I believe that the audio copy will reveal that these things were not explained to us - we (perhaps naiively) thought the discounted rate we received was a 'thanks for staying with us' gesture and did not realise that it placed cuffs on us for another 18 months.

As such, a SAR doesn't seem to be the right tool for teh job - I just want a straight answer to a straight question: where is your evidence?

Thanks again

Ian

TalkTalk

Hi Pilgrin68,

As I have stated in the PM you sent me (same info as above) I can ensure the call is reviewed for you if you would like to post on the TalkTalk members site. I can not prvoide a copy of the call to you as this would need to be applied for as an SAR as you would be applying for information held by TalkTalk relating to you. If you would like me to reveiw the call on your behalf please follow the actions I have detailed for you in the PM.

Cheers
EmmaL x

tuggy12

I've been with TalkTalk almost two years now, on LLU, and have been very happy with every aspect of the service received.
After the first 18 month contract ran out their Customer Services contacted me and gave me 2 x £5 monthly discounts if I agreed to extend my contract for a further 18 months. It was clearly explained to me and I agreed to extend the contract.
I'm on their Talk International Anytime Plan which costs a total of £21.99 per month including broadband and line rental as follows:

Talk International Anytime £9.99
Line rental £10.50
Caller I.D £1.50

I was called by Customer Services last week to be advised that the pricing structure will be changed next month and my monthly cost will increase to £23.24 as follows:

My TalkTalk essentials £6.49
Anytime calls £4.00
Line rental £11.25 ( This is being passed on from an increase by BT to TTalk )
Caller I.D £1.50

The only calls I have to pay for are to non-geographic numbers and mobiles but using the SAYNOTO0870 website I also get the majority of non geographic numbers free too.

My broadband download speed is now on average about 5 meg with an upload speed of approx 0.8 meg

As I said, I'm completely happy with their service.:j

TalkTalk

Hi Tuggy12,

Always nice to hear that people are happy with the service! Don't forget the non-georaphic numbers will be free in line witth your tariff from 2nd June so no need for saynoto0870.com from there

Cheers
EmmaL x

Cheers
Em x