How can I make a TalkTalk complaint? - I work there

PaulHUK

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi All,
This thread does appear to be deviating from the orignal topic.

Just as TalkTalk seems to be deviating from the purpose of providing a conduit for consumer to connect to the internet and provide ONLY that service, unless they ask the permission of their customers FIRST? Really... I think the deviation's at TalkTalk

What did the Information Commissioner have to say about TalkTalk's STalkSTalk activity so far?

I am concerned that the trial was undertaken without first informing those affected that it was taking place. You will be aware that compliance with one of the underlying principles of data protection legislation relies on providing individuals with information about how and why their information will be used.

They made the news today: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/06/ico_stalkstalk/

ICO also said:

You will also be aware that these principles are not suspended simply because the information is being used for the purposes of a trial.

The full detail is here:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/any_communications_with_talk_tal

ICO seems to suggest that the public requests the details of the meeting between ICO and TalkTalk which has also happened last month. Looks like that information has been requested as suggested. So if anyone wants to make a TalkTalk complaint, this might be a good enough thing to complain about!!

ICO said to the member of the public requesting the information:

We had a meeting with Talktalk on 16 August 2010. As the meeting took place after the date of the receipt of your request, we have not considered any information relating to it for release on this occasion. Should you require information in relation to this meeting please put a new request to [us] for consideration

All this at a time of growing interest in the interception of personal and private communication. Also it's really not that long since customers of another ISP (the really big one in the UK) were taken advantage of with the Phorm Webwise product which attracted such negative views.

We all want good value, but there are limits

What I'd say is if TalkTalk wants to do something with the packets of data (my communication), if it is not "just transmitting it to the destination I want", then they have to ask me first. They've got to say, "We want to take a copy of part of your communication content and use it" and see if it is ok with me.

TalkTalk

Hi Paul H,

TalkTalk Latest comments on this matter can be found here

http://www.talktalkblog.co.uk/2010/08/23/keeping-customers-safe-online-update/

We are aware of the ICO's comments in regards to this matter and any updates on this will be provided on the link above. TT Representatives on the MSE site will not comment on this matter as all official comments will be made via the above link.

Regards

Mark

PaulHUK

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi Paul H,

TalkTalk Latest comments on this matter can be found here

http://www.talktalkblog.co.uk/2010/08/23/keeping-customers-safe-online-update/

We are aware of the ICO's comments in regards to this matter and any updates on this will be provided on the link above. TT Representatives on the MSE site will not comment on this matter as all official comments will be made via the above link.

Regards

Mark

That's fair enough Mark I think. Your company is very selective in what it has said about the issue. Very little is said there in fact. They very carefully avoid lots of the questions that have been asked. Still, what can you expect when you have a man in your PR area that has dealt with the Phorm fiasco in the past eh?

There are loads of questions on the TalkTalk member's forum which have not been answered. I did notice there are public discussions in a number of places now though, about the project that has been called STalkSTalk.

The best summary of the situation is not actually on your TalkTalkBlog but to be found on the PC Advisor discussion of the legal issues that STalkSTalking your customers raises.

Here it is (originally from another site called NoDPI.org by a member called RobertJ):

When TalkTalk chose not to tell their customers and the ICO about the covert trials, they were already on "ICO probation" following an enforcement notice on January 2009

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/notices/talk_talk_telecom_en.pdf

and the ICO issued a press notice about it

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/pressreleases/2008/carphone_warehouse_talktalk_final.pdf

Follow up to this enforcement notice included monitoring and liason meetings - perhaps it was even one of those at which they missed the opportunity to inform the ICO about their new exciting DPA skating-on-thin-ice activities?

Further details in an FOI response received recently from the ICO here
https://nodpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/FOI-on-TalkTalk-DPA-penalty-followup.pdf

It gives some interesting background to the civil service language used by the ICO in their recent comments about TalkTalk's failure to tell either the ICO or their customers about the covert trials.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/06/ico_stalkstalk/

(and various other follow up articles elsewhere on the same news)

"Disappointed" eh?
I think it might have been a little stronger than that.

Looks like TalkTalk were still under a threat of future criminal proceedings even before this latest batch of revelations of covert activity.

Surely no time to be keeping secrets from the ICO?

Surely no time to be giving a PR man formerly involved with the Phorm project a free hand in press comments, and claiming it never crossed his mind that people would confuse this with Phorm?

Surely no time to be calling other people's grasp of English law "naive"?

When you have quality management - I suppose anything is possible.

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

We are aware of the ICO's comments in regards to this matter

Yes. I bet you are very aware of the Information Commissioner Office and their communication with TalkTalk... You should be quite well briefed on how not to say anything except a few denials of select things from an employee Q&A.

More to come on this issue I think. I'd be quite surprised if TalkTalk were allowed to go ahead with the planned system in the way they plan to work it. I'd be even more surprised if there is not some 'ticking off' yet to follow for TalkTalk, due to what they did from May through to August, without asking their customers' permission.

TalkTalk

Hi paulH,

I appreciate your comments and rest assured the online community team have fed back on the discussions in the public domain to the relevant department.

At present the only official notifications we have to give are on the blog article previously linked.

I cannot comment any further on this issue other than to refer back to the previous link and any updates or progress will b posted here.

Regards

Mark

Blaketon

About a fortnight ago I phoned TalkTalk to request a "downgrade" to the Essentials package being a pensioner with my public service pension frozen (i.e. cut). After being on hold on and off for about 20mins I was told the system to do that was down and I should call back tomorrow. Instead of calling however I wrote to the Customer Services address shown on TT's website. Did I get a reply? No reply. I decided to move to another provider so I phoned TT 2 days ago to ask for a MAC code. A simple question was then turned into a convoluted discussion by someone whom I found difficult to understand, and irritating. Why do I want a MAC code? etc. No MAC Code. "It will be sent between 3 and 5 days by email". What are we talking about here - breaking the Enigma code ? Not trusting them now I then went on TT's website and sent them an "email" from their web form asking for MAC code. Not really an email as you the customer have no record of what you have sent.. and although there is a pull down menu with the question "I want a MAC code" you cannot send it! How irritating is that! I will let all know what happens and if TT don't deliver they can expect trouble! So there!

TalkTalk

Hi Blaketon,

If you join the TalkTalk Members forum we can issue the Mac code for you and provide this via PM as soon as it has been generated.

Regards

Mark

Blaketon

I have now got my MAC code. But why oh why can't this be given there and then without all the hassle ? If a chap has got to the stage where he wants to leave a provider, what's the point in causing any more aggro ?

Sapphira_2

I am a reluctant TalkTalk customer now that they have acquired Tiscali with whom I had my original Broadband contract.

On an enquiry about what I could expect from their new services I, ashamedly, fell for their sales pitch and took out an annual contract on a package that covers Broadband, Phone rental with free Anytime landline calls (which funnily enough does not include their own numbers) and TV. This was in December 2009 and I have had none stop problems ever since.

Whenever I call them I am either put on hold for an unacceptable length of time or am passed from pillar to post. These calls are never short or cheap and I have been told that they are not allowed to call me back even when the fault, in their own admission, is theirs.

Never having been personally informed, I discovered by ‘sheer chance’, that my bill is to increase by £4 per month because they, TalkTalk, have increased all their customers’ broadband to at least 8Mb.

When I phoned about this I was transferred all over the shop only to be told that I was neither a Tiscali nor a TalkTalk customer. Even ‘though, someone is clearly accepting my money every month!! The final insult being when the TalkTalk sales guy told me in an exasperated tone that I was ‘wasting HIS time’.

The next day I received a call from a chap at TalkTalk Customer Services asking if my query had been handled to my satisfaction – only to discover that it is his fulltime job to make these calls every day and had no idea what my problem had been the day before. He just wished me a good day ‘end of’………

Does anyone have any ideas what I can do about this increase of £4 – apart from not renewing my contract with them? I don’t know if I could suffer trying to get through to them again.

Meanwhile, my advice to Dex91, the unhappy TalkTalk employee with a conscience, I can only advise that you just keep your head down and get on with the job whilst continuing to look for something else. If TalkTalk don’t care about their customers they won’t care about their employees. When you leave they will only replace you the next day, just like they will replace me, as a customer, when I leave in December.

Good luck!

S

GM43

Hi Sapphira

It sounds like I've got a similar problem to you. I discovered when I doubled checked my bills a few months ago that my pyts had been increased without my knowledge in May 2009, it is the pyt for the broadband that has been increased(I currently get my broadband and phone through talktalk - but not for much longer :T).

I'm currently trying to persue the matter through the 'delightful' customer services, here's the details of it: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2686527= my details are a little further down but you are not on your own! I'm not really sure how they think they can get away with this - they cannot change your contract without consultation with the customer - we have consumer laws protecting us from that. If my complaint is not sorted out this time a strongly worded letter is on its way and then it'll be ofcom (apparently they are already investigating them so they will take any complaint very seriously). Good luck.

TalkTalk

HI Gm43,

Your correct that contractual terms cannot be changed without sufficient notification given to the customer and various procedures in the event the new terms are no agreeable.

In both yours and Sapphira's case we would need to look at the details surrounding the change in more depth. If you join the TalkTalk Members forum we can investigate into this issue for you.

Regards

Mark