Beware TalkTalk customer services!

Whiteviolet

Beware anyone who gets cold called by TalkTalk, if you decide to cancel within the cooling off period it may be more difficult that you think.

I was cold called and signed up for home phone and broadband.The written contact arrived and didn't mention the half price installation offer promised in the sales call.

I returned the contract immediately with a hand written note across the top saying I was cancelling within the “cooling off” period pursuant to the Consumer Protection(Distance selling) Regulations 2000.

I received a letter from TalkTalk acknowledging my letter of cancellation saying they had tried unssucessfully to contact me and “in order to look into this matter “my name,address, account number,telephone number and bank name were needed.
I had not received a call or an answer phone message and they clearly had my details as they had written to me!

The next day a broadband installation disk and a letter telling me my phone had been transferred to TalkTalk arrived.I rang TalkTalk customer services, told them I had given written notice to cancel the order within the cooling off period. They said the disc and broadband installation date had been sent in error.

I was told there was no record of planned installation of broadband or phone service on the system, it was not possible for TalkTalk to take over the phone line without contacting my existing supplier and my banking details had been deleted. I considered the matter closed.

3 weeks later a modem with a date for broadband installation and a bill for the first month’s services arrived. I checked with my bank and found a standing order in place to Carphone Warehouse, although no money had been debited.

I rang customer services and explained that had cancelled by letter and also rung customer services and been told the order was cancelled.Customer services said to cancel it would be necessary to speak to a customer advisor as “anyone could have written the letter”.

I was told my home phone was now with TalkTalk and I was liable to pay for the service. They refused to cancel the account despite my protesting that I had already been told the order was cancelled.

I was told my only option was to contact my previous provider - Virgin Media to get my line back then write to TalkTalk head office to “try to resolve the matter”. They would not give me a phone number for head office.

I contacted Virgin and was assured I was with them as TalkTalk could not take over the line if I had not cancelled the Virgin contract.

I again rang TalkTalk customer services, explained the situation to another advisor who immediately cancelled the account and assured me that all my banking details have been erased.

TalkTalk do not consider written notice sufficient to cancel an order obtained by direct selling in contradiction both of consumer law and their own written terms and conditions.

TalkTalk kept bank details and set up a direct debit after I had been assured they had been deleted.

I was told my phone was with TalkTalk and I was liable for pay for the service although I have never left Virgin Media.

I am astounded that this escalated to the point being told I owed money and could only settle the dispute by writing to head office despite never having been a TalkTalk customer.

I am writing a letter of complaint to TalkTalk head office and the Telecom ombudsman.

Heinz

Talk Talk.

Customer Services.

Oxymoron.

ragjoy

i ordered talk line and broadband with talk talk on sunday and im having second thoughts,what is cooling of period?
thanks........

Whiteviolet

Hello Ragjoy,

"The purchase of goods and services over the internet, by phone or by mail order generally is subject to the Distance Selling Regulations. One of the most important implications of these regulations is a cooling off period of 7 days during which you have the right to cancel. You must provide notice of cancellation in writing and it must be posted to, left at, faxed or emailed to the business address of the supplier, and you must ensure this is done no later than 7 working days after receipt of goods. Contracts for financial products sold by distance means are subject to different rules, see below for more on this.
Something else worth mentioning is that the supplier must have sent you written confirmation of your order no later than the time of delivery of the product or performance of the service. If they did not, then your 7 day cooling off period will not begin until they do, and may be extended by a further 3 months.
If you have commissioned a service under a distance selling contract and the work begins before the end of the 7 days cancellation period, then you must give up your right to cancel, but this must be clearly communicated and with your express agreement."

I resolved this today. Sent a letter detailing complaints to head office and was rung by rep from COE office who offered apologies and £20 as a "good will gesture". The TalkTalk rep. said this happens a lot as their systems do not give customer services operators an upto date record of order progress so they give incorrect info. to callers.

The customer services operator who told me I owed money for an non-existant line must have been a rogue as he left no note of my call on the account. TalkTalk are in the process of hunting him down from the recieved calls list.

ragjoy

Whiteviolet wrote: »

Hello Ragjoy,

"The purchase of goods and services over the internet, by phone or by mail order generally is subject to the Distance Selling Regulations. One of the most important implications of these regulations is a cooling off period of 7 days during which you have the right to cancel. You must provide notice of cancellation in writing and it must be posted to, left at, faxed or emailed to the business address of the supplier, and you must ensure this is done no later than 7 working days after receipt of goods. Contracts for financial products sold by distance means are subject to different rules, see below for more on this.
Something else worth mentioning is that the supplier must have sent you written confirmation of your order no later than the time of delivery of the product or performance of the service. If they did not, then your 7 day cooling off period will not begin until they do, and may be extended by a further 3 months.
If you have commissioned a service under a distance selling contract and the work begins before the end of the 7 days cancellation period, then you must give up your right to cancel, but this must be clearly communicated and with your express agreement."

I resolved this today. Sent a letter detailing complaints to head office and was rung by rep from COE office who offered apologies and £20 as a "good will gesture". The TalkTalk rep. said this happens a lot as their systems do not give customer services operators an upto date record of order progress so they give incorrect info. to callers.

The customer services operator who told me I owed money for an non-existant line must have been a rogue as he left no note of my call on the account. TalkTalk are in the process of hunting him down from the recieved calls list.

thanks whiteviolet,
i did ring TT today and they told me i had 14 days to cancel.
the reason t asked is because on saturday i have to give SKY 30 days notice and i wanted to see if they would match the half price full tv package deal im on at present,i know they wont but its worth a try,i could then stick with sky and cancel my TT contract.
thanks ragjoy.........

richardlionheart

I too ordered Talk and Broadband the other day , i noticed on the taltalk website
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/
it offered free connection ( normal price £ 29.99 etc ) the sales person tried to add this
to my order , and i had to point out the offer ( they must get some commision ? )

anyways today the letter turned up explaining what i have ordered and guess
what ... the £29.99 is being charged after all !
anyways i rang customer services
and they said at first that i have to wait until i get my first bill until they can re-credit it to me. !

I just asked to be put through to the cancellation team , as if i wait until my first bill ,by then i would of been out of the cooling down period , and thus be tied to the 18 month contract.

The cancel dept person then offered to remove/refund the £29.99 plus a further £2 per month reduction/discount from off my bill for the first 6 months.!?

I have agreed to this .. but i won't hold out much hope , having read some of the stuff i have now read about talktalk

will let you know if they keep to their word.

regards
Rich

ragjoy

richardlionheart wrote: »

I too ordered Talk and Broadband the other day , i noticed on the taltalk website
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/
it offered free connection ( normal price £ 29.99 etc ) the sales person tried to add this
to my order , and i had to point out the offer ( they must get some commision ? )

anyways today the letter turned up explaining what i have ordered and guess
what ... the £29.99 is being charged after all !
anyways i rang customer services
and they said at first that i have to wait until i get my first bill until they can re-credit it to me. !

I just asked to be put through to the cancellation team , as if i wait until my first bill ,by then i would of been out of the cooling down period , and thus be tied to the 18 month contract.

The cancel dept person then offered to remove/refund the £29.99 plus a further £2 per month reduction/discount from off my bill for the first 6 months.!?

I have agreed to this .. but i won't hold out much hope , having read some of the stuff i have now read about talktalk

will let you know if they keep to their word.

regards
Rich

i had the exact same problem on monday,the CS cancellations credited my account (which i cant see) with £29.99 i insisted he emailed me confirming this which he did.
didnt get the £2 a month offer though, i will be back onto them on Saturday after sky give me an offer,which i know will include free line rental for one year,so i may get a bit more off of them.

ragjoy

richardlionheart wrote: »

I too ordered Talk and Broadband the other day , i noticed on the taltalk website
http://www.talktalk.co.uk/
it offered free connection ( normal price £ 29.99 etc ) the sales person tried to add this
to my order , and i had to point out the offer ( they must get some commision ? )

anyways today the letter turned up explaining what i have ordered and guess
what ... the £29.99 is being charged after all !
anyways i rang customer services
and they said at first that i have to wait until i get my first bill until they can re-credit it to me. !

I just asked to be put through to the cancellation team , as if i wait until my first bill ,by then i would of been out of the cooling down period , and thus be tied to the 18 month contract.

The cancel dept person then offered to remove/refund the £29.99 plus a further £2 per month reduction/discount from off my bill for the first 6 months.!?

I have agreed to this .. but i won't hold out much hope , having read some of the stuff i have now read about talktalk

will let you know if they keep to their word.

regards
Rich

the TT website does state that the £29.99 is for booking via the website.
the reason i was on the phone to them was to double check that i could leave in the future and take my number with me,this apparently has been an issue in the past

Whiteviolet

I was offered half price installation in the sales call but no mention of it in the contract - hence I cancelled the order and the real problems began!