The UKs Cheapest Home Phones Solution Article Discussion Area

murphydavid

Reading Martins articles on combined phone and Internet left me with a couple of questions.

1. Martin says there is a delay in setting up Talk Talk broadband and advises that we find out how long the delay is before signing up. Where can one find out this information?
2. My Tiscali contract expired last week and I’m thinking of changing to Talk Talk. Martin said that one could get a MAC and give it to Talk Talk which will enable them to cancel my Tiscali contract at the right moment hopefully resulting in a seamless change over. Please can someone tell me what is a MAC and how do I get one from Tiscali. Tiscali will obviously be reluctant to loose customers and seem to have their cancellation instructions well hidden.

Mike_by_the_Sea

Hi David

A MAC code is required if a customer wishes to move their ADSL service from one supplier to another. The service is not cancelled by the donating provider but a MAC number is required.

A standard MAC code format is as below:- (L=Letter, N=Number) LLLLNNNNNNNNN/LLNNL

An example MAC code would be FTIP007848254/DA10l.

MAC codes last for 30 days, at which point they expire and the customer must request another from their existing ISP.


These are the details from the Tiscali site.

Cancellations
Note, Tiscali Broadband is a 12 month contract. Please see our terms and conditions. Broadband cancellations: 0845 077 4488. Calls are charged at local rate†. Lines are open 9am to 9pm Mondays and 9am to 6pm Tues to Fri. Dial up cancellations: 0870 744 9966. Calls are charged at national rate†. Lines are open 8am to midnight, 7 days a week. Tiscali Talk cancellations: 0845 688 7574. Calls charged at local rate†. Lines are open 8am to 8pm Mon to Fri.

I hope that helps and good luck

murphydavid

Thanks for that "mike by the sea" You are going to think i'm really stupid but I'm not sure what is meant by ADSL? Is it the same as an Internet service provider but broadband? Ie by joining Tiscali did I automaticaly get an ADSL and or is it the phone line? If "The service is not cancelled by the donating provider" what is the exact procedure. At the moment I have Broadband from tiscali, and phone line by Bt and phone contract with Talk Talk and do lots of calls using prefix 18866. So is the MAC for BT or Tiscali?
Do I do it in this order?
First apply to Talk Talk for the new service.
Wait for the phone line to be transfered.
Cancell BT
Hope that my Tiscali broad band keeps running
Wait for Talk Talk to set up my new Broadband
Check my Talk Talk broadband works
And finally cancell my Tiscali Broadband?
and at what point do I need the MAC

Mike_by_the_Sea

Hi David

No problem - we all have to start somewhere.

OK - If you want to transfer your broadband to another provider, you need a MAC from your current provider (Tiscali).

You then give this to your new provider (Talk Talk) and they will do a seamless (hopefully) transfer for you, advising you of the transfer date and giving you the necessary log-in details etc.

When you give the MAC to the new provider (Talk Talk), you will also be asking them to sign you up to their phone line/calls/broadband bundle. They will do all the necessary transferring activity from BT etc. and you will get a letter/phone call from BT explaining what a terrible decision you are making.

That it in a nutshell - MAC code from Tiscali - give it to Talk Talk and wait.

The transfer of your calls will be easy - Talk Talk to Talk Talk
The phone line takes about 6 weeks to transfer
The Broadband about ???? weeks / months / years = depending on how well things are going with Talk Talk at the moment.

So, to answer your question of which order....

Ask Tiscali for a MAC number
Then apply to Talk Talk for the new service and give them the MAC number.
Your contract with BT will be cancelled once the line has been transferred and you should receive a final bill from BT.
Your Tiscali broadband should keep running until the agreed changeover date between Tiscali and Talk Talk
At this point Tiscali should cancel your contract with them

So, in theory, all the contracts should be cancelled for you, but it is always worth checking your direct debits etc. to make sure.

All the best

Mike

billsavings

Mike_by_the_Sea wrote:

you will get a letter/phone call from BT explaining what a terrible decision you are making.

Having read some of the posts on this site made over the last few months about the TT product ,they could well be right on this occassion.;)

creddish

murphydavid wrote:

At the moment I have Broadband from tiscali, and phone line by Bt and phone contract with Talk Talk and do lots of calls using prefix 18866.

Be aware that when you transfer your phone line to Talk Talk which you are required to do as part of the Broadband deal you will probably no longer be able to use the 18866 prefix.

Colin

billsavings

creddish wrote:

Be aware that when you transfer your phone line to Talk Talk which you are required to do as part of the Broadband deal you will probably no longer be able to use the 18866 prefix.

Colin

If your still using 18866 then have a look at 18185 its cheaper.

TT reserve the right to bar all cheap call numbers like 1899/18185/18866;)

Heinz

billsavings wrote:

TT reserve the right to bar all cheap call numbers like 1899/18185/18866;)

..... and they do!

murphydavid

creddish wrote:

Be aware that when you transfer your phone line to Talk Talk which you are required to do as part of the Broadband deal you will probably no longer be able to use the 18866 prefix.

Colin

I am/(soon to be was) using 18866 to call uk land lines because I stay on the phone for ages and the minuets are free. When I'm with Talk Talk all UK land line calls are free aren't they?

Edinburghlass_2

murphydavid wrote:

I am/(soon to be was) using 18866 to call uk land lines because I stay on the phone for ages and the minuets are free. When I'm with Talk Talk all UK land line calls are free aren't they?

With TalkTalk you can call other TalkTalk customers for free but not ALL land line calls