MSE News: Ofcom finds TalkTalk guilty of mis-selling

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"TalkTalk has a month to change its practices after breaking Ofcom rules for selling landline deals ..."

Read the full story:
Ofcom finds TalkTalk guilty of mis-selling

Reaper

What I love about company statements when they have had their wrists smacked is they sound exactly the same as when they have been given a top award.

In this case:

"We have processes to help employees be accurate and we invest heavily in training and monitoring of our sales and retention teams.
"Improvements in the language used and the materials provided are constantly being made and we will provide Ofcom with detailed information about our ongoing programme to maintain the highest standards in all of our transactions."

""We have processes to help employees be accurate" - clearly not.
"maintain the highest standards in all of our transactions" - high standards? Obviously not. Maintain - that suggests they don't need to change anything.

They are not the only company to issue statements like that, they all do it. They must all have gone to the same PR school. No sign of an appology.

Hern

To quote directly from the OFCOM judgment, TalkTalk is:

Dishonest.

Deceptive.

Says it all, really.

But will there now be a mass exodus of customers from this nauseating company, complaints about which are racked up by the dozens on MSE alone??

Nah.

Welcome to -- if you weren't already aware of it -- Dumb Britain.

Where anything goes because most consumers are quite content to let anyone screw 'em.

pixwix

I've had trouble with TalkTalk - almost every person I know who has ever dealt with them has had problems, usually serious, including a neighbour who was 'slammed' by them.

I'm still having trouble. They took over my old isp and I left, having previous bad (actually, shocking) experience of TalkTalk. I've had a new isp for 4 months now, and despite 2 separate written admissions from TalkTalk that I no longer have a contract with them and owe then nothing, the red letters STILL roll in on a regular basis.

But if TalkTalk are a disgrace, Ofcom are increasingly a waste of space. As far as I can see they deal with consumers' day-to-day problems on a month-to-month basis. Their latest report includes the phrase "most consumers are happy with their (broadband) provider". Rubbish - in point of fact most consumers are simply resigned to poor broadband services - and that's not the same thing at all.

TalkTalk (and other large companies) should never have been allowed by Ofcom to dominate the broadband market so much in the first place - effective anti-monopoly regulation in this country seems to be a thing of the past.

Stop pussfooting around, Ofcom - you should have heavily fined TalkTalk months ago - do it now! And apply those fines to management salaries, not - ultimately - to the hapless TalkTalk subscribers!

iansp

pixwix wrote: »

I've had a new isp for 4 months now, and despite 2 separate written admissions from TalkTalk that I no longer have a contract with them and owe then nothing, the red letters STILL roll in on a regular basis.

Same experience as me. I had them for my phone line a few years ago, and they billed me for months after i left. I spent hours on the phone.
(Can I claim compo for that? )

Occasionally they come to the door asking if I would switch, and when they then ask why I say no, I tell them. It's because I used them once, and would now rather have to use a yoghurt-pot and string than go back to Talk Talk.

pixwix

iansp wrote: »

Occasionally they come to the door asking if I would switch, and when they then ask why I say no, I tell them. It's because I used them once, and would now rather have to use a yoghurt-pot and string than go back to Talk Talk.

Love it! I had two (very tough-looking) TalkTalk reps at my own front door late last year - touting 'unbeatable' telephone services. I told them I'd buy a carrier pigeon before I ever had anything to do with TalkTalk again! They were very intimidating (I'm retired and disabled) and refused to take no for an answer. One of them only removed his foot and shoulder from my door when he heard my wife phoning the police....

Bunch of crooks the lot of them.

Heinz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3249008

pixwix

Heinz wrote: »

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3249008

All very well, but if TalkTalk are fined, why should the management care? They're raking it in, and don't give a monkeys! Any fine will simply be applied against profits and TalkTalk customers will pay.

Now if Ofcom started applying fines to management salaries and bonuses...

Heinz

Let's just hope word gets around and others are warned off.

poppy10_2

Unsurprising. I left TalkTalk years ago, but I still have a bitter taste from my experiences with them - awful service, made it as difficult as possible to cancel, and then even after I had cancelled, continued to bill me for several months. I've warned off everyone I know who has been considering going with the company - they are, as Ofcom has confirmed, dishonest and deceptive. Hope they go under soon.

amilotte

Well what a turn up for the books! I made a complaint to Ofcom about TT and their disgraceful treatment back in late 2009, at the time I felt I wasn't being listened to so I am really glad to find that this hasnt been the case.

The only thing that confuses me is that they say from July 2010 - I was accused of taking out a new contract with them back in 2009 they then hounded me for a £70 disconnection fee.

I doubt I qualify for compensation as it was before their report states but I wish everyone who may be entitled to it well. Heres hoping TT learn a lesson from this (although I will be sticking by my word and NEVER using TT ever again).