Talktalk plus+ contract has expired, should I renew or switch?

eatee

I'm currently paying £27.29 monthly fee for my line rental, internet access and anytime phone plan with talktalk. I was given a call today to renew my contract. They said it would be a 24 month contract which seemed rather cheeky, given they'd already given me an 18 month one where most providers give 12 months--AND they offer a 12 month contract to new customers now!

He said he'd call me back in a few hours. I'm kinda worried that they'll drop my service prematurely/abruptly if I don't hury up and renew, but I guess that's not a rational thought and i'll be given the extra time I need to decide if I request it.

In the meantime I've been browsing online, but I'm a bit bamboozled by all the options. I've taken a look at plusnet for the reason that it can be contract free, but I'm not sure i'd be saving money in the end due to the setup fee and the fact that in my area it'd cost a 21.49 monthly fee for broadband + phone (presumably not including line rental).

I also looked at o2 but it seems they only provide prices worth switching to to already existing o2 customers (which makes no sense? Unless it means mobile customers), otherwise there is little change.

It gets even more complicated if I wonder whether to regress to a phone only plan with talktalk and seek only broadband with someone else, and then whether that provider will actually let me have broadband with them without getting line rental from them, and if they do permit it, whether they charge extra. It becomes labyrinthine very quickly.

So is there anyone with familiarity in this area that can allow me to cut to the chase and recommend a course of action and/or company to switch to?

penrhyn

If it aint broke don't fix it, just try to negotiate a better deal.
Don't worry they wont cut you off.

If you are on Talk Talks LLU package for phone and broadband then you cannot take broadband from another ISP.
To move you would have go back to BT first.

eatee

Thanks for the reply. I assume by the "if it ain't broke" that the prices I'm getting are decent ones without significant room for improvement. This is mainly in the interest of saving money after all.

1. I don't know if I have LLU. How can I tell?
2. The man offered me some discount on the next few months to tempt me to stay on. I'm a bit wet behind the ears when it comes to bargaining and all I can think of is to threaten to move to another provider, but I don't know that that can sound convincing unless said provider is actually offering something compelling that TalkTalk don't have, to make me switch. And all of that is null if, as you say, I can't switch anyway. My bargaining position doesn't seem favourable, the most I hope to get out of him is a 12 month contract.

penrhyn

Do an exchange search on Samknows and check if Talk Talk are an LLU operator at your exchange.

shortchanged_2

Personally I would leave that bunch of incompetent time wasters ASAP.

eatee

penrhyn wrote: »

Do an exchange search on Samknows and check if Talk Talk are an LLU operator at your exchange.

They are. .

eatee

shortchanged wrote: »

Personally I would leave that bunch of incompetent time wasters ASAP.

I've not had any bad experiences. I want to avoid any downtime if I switch. Do you have a recommendation to make or are you chained to them atm?

penrhyn

£27.29 seems to be the going rate for TT Unlimited broadband and calls.
I guess you could downgrade to essentials.

https://sales.talktalk.co.uk/products/broadband/index-bb.html?portalId=GOO_BRA&promoId=GOT0000&branchId=1231

To move you would have to cancel both Broadband and Telephone, move the phone back to BT and select another ISP.

Some ISPs may offer LLU to LLU transfers.

terribleape

I was under the impression the contract went onto a rolling 1 month one after the initial contract had finished.

24 months is a joke.

You do not need to go back to a BT line. You could go with plusnet for example, get the £35 from quidco to pay the setup costs, and the cost you quoted does include the line rental. (although plusnet stinks IMO)

shortchanged_2

eatee wrote: »

I've not had any bad experiences. I want to avoid any downtime if I switch. Do you have a recommendation to make or are you chained to them atm?

No longer with them thankfully. I was a perfectly happy Tiscali customer before these morons took them over. Couldn't wait to leave then.

macman

Your contract does not 'expire'. It simply reaches the end of it's minimum term, as terribleape says, and you are then on a 30 day rolling contract on the original terms, if you so wish, Don't be pressured into locking yourself into a further 24m term.
You won't have any downtime when switching unless you are already LLU'd, in which case you'll probably lose your broadband for about 10 days-a price well worth paying to be rid of TT.
What does samknows report as your other LLU options?