Talktalk Increase Call Charges

bbb_uk

creddish wrote:

TT CPS is still a good deal if like our household a large majority of calls are to other TT Users...

As mentioned in the opening post and pointed out by Edinburghlass (post #13), free TT to TT customers is being drastically reduced to 70mins - so be aware.

creddish

bbb_uk wrote:

As mentioned in the opening post and pointed out by Edinburghlass (post #13), free TT to TT customers is being drastically reduced to 70mins - so be aware.

To be honest I always thought it was 70 mins or thereabouts. But I never have conversations that long so never really considered it.

Colin

Edinburghlass_2

The 70 minutes related to the free evening and w/end calls whereas to other TalkTalk users it was free for calls up to 3 hours at any time of the day.

creddish

Edinburghlass wrote:

The 70 minutes related to the free evening and w/end calls whereas to other TalkTalk users it was free for calls up to 3 hours at any time of the day.

Ah! thanks for the clarification. I had not realised there was a limit on the duration of free TT to TT calls.

Colin

redux

It's a pity that Talktalk's version of a competitive market appears to be trying to pretend that there are only two phone companies in the country. I wouldn't like to be so patronised.

bbb_uk

redux wrote:

It's a pity that Talktalk's version of a competitive market appears to be trying to pretend that there are only two phone companies in the country

It's not just TT that think that way. Most, if not all, other companies only ever mention other companies that they are cheaper than - "forgetting" to mention many, many other companies that are cheaper than them. It's all PR crap.

For example Telewest although generally more expensive than BT used to make a song and dance about cheaper linerental (just), unlimited calls, etc and all this was mentioned on their comparison page here. Now it just lists their tariffs with no mention that they are cheaper than other teleco's simply because they aren't. Makes you wonder why they even have a comparison page now?

patwa_2

Hi. thanks for the heads up. I signed up to TalkTalk with the broadband (no, I'm not the kind of person who looks at the freebies first and the costs later!) because I thought it was a good idea re: the free calls, and in particular the free international calls, as I run a business from home and it will cut costs calling wholesalers and others abroad.

A couple of things we can do to help keep our collective costs down, and not to mention cut a slice out of TalkTalk's profits:

1. Become an Avid user of SayNoTo0870.com . In fact, put a note to yourself beside your phone, set it as your homepage, etc so you know to check it whenever you need to call an 0845 or 0870 number. People like the Inland revenue and many mail order helplines can catch you out with this, as you're so focused on getting your business with them sorted you forget the phone costs.

2. Use your mobile contract's inclusive minutes to make all your mobile calls.

3. Monitor your bill carefully. It's all too easy to get carried away with the free calls, but always check to see that you've been billed correctly. Also, check your unbilled calls online at the TalkTalk website. They don't have unbilled call records online at the moment, but they might have if you call them up. Maybe someone can clarify this.

4. Forget the 70 minutes. one hour and ten minutes is difficult to remember, just stick to the one hour. You can always call the person back, unless of course you're on a call where you've queued for 40 minutes to get an answer, in which case you're probably better e-mailing them for an answer.

Re: the broadband, just curious, does the fact that they can't install the service straight away mean that you still have to keep it for 18 months from the date of installation, or is it 18 months from the date of registration? Also, can someone clarify if the 18 months minimum term applies to just the broadband, or the entire broadband + phone + line rental service? Otherwise we're going to end up having had 18 months of phone service but only 15 or so months of broadband (depending on when your broadband 'go live' date is),

Thanks again for the update, and take care all. Be vigilant, but also keep happy. Let's all work together and save!

Hussein.

P.S Sorry, I know that last bit sounded a bit OTT, just couldn't resist raising the party spirit, lol!

Heinz

patwa wrote:

Re: the broadband, just curious, does the fact that they can't install the service straight away mean that you still have to keep it for 18 months from the date of installation, or is it 18 months from the date of registration? Also, can someone clarify if the 18 months minimum term applies to just the broadband, or the entire broadband + phone + line rental service? Otherwise we're going to end up having had 18 months of phone service but only 15 or so months of broadband (depending on when your broadband 'go live' date is)

The 18 months starts * at the moment the first part of the package is 'installed' (that's bound to be the landline).

So, you are right, 15 months of broadband if you're lucky.

* The £70 early termination fee (if you get fed up with waiting for the broadband) kicks in then too.

patwa_2

Thanks for that. It's one good thing, I suppose. And the T&C's don't explicitly mention any difference between the landline and broadband services with regard to the minimum term.

Note it in your diary, 18 months from the day your package went live, then call them up, cancel, switch to the cheapest provider (and the best of course) at that date and celebrate.

Cheers and take care.

Hussein.

credit-card-tart

pricefighter wrote:

Quote from the back of bill.

"Our call charges are always cheaper than BT"

Absolutel Rubbish. Peak 0845 calls with TT 4.5p a minute.Same call with BT 3p a minute.

And guess what, these calls are excluded from the £1,000 price promise.