TalkTalk. My experience

IamGeoff

I tried to book online a phone/broadband package with TalkTalk and the end of April but for some reason it wouldn't let me so I gave up. I had done the speed checker on the TT website so they had my number.
A guy called and talked me into a phone/BB package and I had to confirm with his manager all the details. Got my MAC and passed it to TT 2 days later.
Went live with the phone on 10-5-11 and asked about my BB and was told it would be a little later and my router would be sent out. A week or so later I called again aand a guy told me that BB would go live the following day at midnight and I had said I had no router from TT he said just use your old one until a new one arrives. I have an Orangebox! Of course it never happened.
I phoned again a week or so later and was told the router is on its way, there had been a delay in sending them out for many customers and I got my first apology.
Finally by Wednesday this week after still no sign of a router I thought I would just cancel the whole thing and called TT to do so. Ended up speaking to a manager who told me that there is no order from me for Broadband! I pointed out how many times I had been told that my router was coming, that I had given my MAC etc. She said there was no record of any of that on my account. Offered me 3 moths free phone and BB.
The solution she said was to re order BB. OK I said so I was put through to sales (had to explain everything from the begining, a constant theme with TT) and they told me because so much time has passed it was not possible to add BB to my phone but I could have the lot on a new phone number. Not acceptable I told them. It is not my fault they have lost my BB order.
Another day later I called TT customer services and went through it all again to be told Sales were wrong just order BB through the website and get the special offer that is there.
Tried that but TTs website said I already had Broadband!!! AAARRGH.
There is a free phone number to check the progress of your order so I called that, it said my phone number doesn't exist!!!!
Called customer sevices again to be passed to a sales manager who said he would sort it out, he had heard of similar cases and had a plan. He put me on hold (they only play the neon rainbow jingle and this week alone I must have heard 2 hours of it) only for 20 minutes later someone else to pick up the phone, again a common theme, I asked what happened with the sales manager she said he just left a comment on my account that there is no order for BB.
By now it was nearly 6 on Friday I had run out of patience and gave up.
I spent yesterday writing all this up as it needs reporting to Ofcom and to as high as I can get in TalkTalk.
I needed to rant, sorry , but I also would like your thoughts and suggestions.

Geoff

kwikbreaks

I didn't read all the details because to be brutally honest I've seen it all before.

For some, indeed probably most, people a move to TalkTalk can be completely trouble free but others get lots of grief. I personally wouldn't risk the grief for the savings but many do and have no trouble at all.

Deciding to leave can lead to problems too.

macman

All too typical tale from TT I fear-to tell you that you can't add broadband to an existing TT phone service is the height of incompetence. BTW, if you do eventually get your broadband provisioned, you can use the Livebox router, AFAIK it isn't firmware locked to Orange.
But if I were in your position I wouldn't waste time with the regulator, you can't get them involved until you have put in a written complaint to TT, gone through the full complaints procedure and received a deadlock letter, that process alone may take you months. I'd simply ask them to release you from your existing contract without penalty (on the grounds of their breach of contract for failing to supply broadband), and switch to a proper ISP.

Sooler

Give up now - get out - cancel - leave TT is the best option.

As they provide BB for 'free', ie you pay for the other bits, they're under no obligation to provide any bb - so they'll say. They're providing the bits you pay for. You'll be lucky to get any bb service from them, you'll just waste your time with their useless call centers and get various lies about why they're incapable of proving the product they advertise. Just leave TT now.

macman

TT broadband is not 'free' ( it was simply inclusive with some packages). The current offer is 50% off Essentials for 12 months.

IamGeoff

Today I spoke with a nice Irish lady who said that she would sort everything out today and call me back with the result.
Called back at 4 O' Clock to be told that it was a bank holiday in Ireland today and there was no one to sort it out today and that her manager would call me back tomorrow with the result.
Nothing changes.

asbokid

IamGeoff wrote: »

I tried to book online a phone/broadband package with TalkTalk and the end of April but for some reason it wouldn't let me so I gave up. I had done the speed checker on the TT website so they had my number.

A guy called and talked me into a phone/BB package and I had to confirm with his manager all the details. Got my MAC and passed it to TT 2 days later.

Went live with the phone on 10-5-11 and asked about my BB and was told it would be a little later and my router would be sent out.

A week or so later I called again aand a guy told me that BB would go live the following day at midnight and I had said I had no router from TT he said just use your old one until a new one arrives. I have an Orangebox! Of course it never happened.

I told TalkTalk that I would be using my own router and TT waived the normal £30 connection charge. The router models that TT ships out are the DLINK DSL-2680 and the DSL-2780. Both models can be bought, brand new and unused for £10 or £15 on ebay.

I phoned again a week or so later and was told the router is on its way, there had been a delay in sending them out for many customers and I got my first apology.

Finally by Wednesday this week after still no sign of a router I thought I would just cancel the whole thing and called TT to do so. Ended up speaking to a manager who told me that there is no order from me for Broadband! I pointed out how many times I had been told that my router was coming, that I had given my MAC etc. She said there was no record of any of that on my account. Offered me 3 moths free phone and BB.

The best way to deal with any company is by using their own customer reference number.. That's the ten digit number shown at the top right of every piece of correspondence that you have had from TT since you placed your order.

BT are also quite useless given limited information for tracking down accounts. The postcode of the "supply address" that BT holds for us is completely different to our correct postal address. BT refuses to update its records and the only workaround is to have a billing address that is different to the supply address (even though they are the same, iyswim). That's the sort of idiotic inflexibility that only a giant telephone corporation like BT or TT can manage to achieve.

The solution she said was to re order BB. OK I said so I was put through to sales (had to explain everything from the begining, a constant theme with TT) and they told me because so much time has passed it was not possible to add BB to my phone but I could have the lot on a new phone number.

That's the first time I've ever heard of that.

Not acceptable I told them. It is not my fault they have lost my BB order.

Quite right too!

Another day later I called TT customer services and went through it all again to be told Sales were wrong just order BB through the website and get the special offer that is there.

Ahh.. left foot in yellow-card challenge with right foot.

Tried that but TTs website said I already had Broadband!!! AAARRGH. There is a free phone number to check the progress of your order so I called that, it said my phone number doesn't exist!!!!

Called customer sevices again to be passed to a sales manager who said he would sort it out, he had heard of similar cases and had a plan. He put me on hold (they only play the neon rainbow jingle and this week alone I must have heard 2 hours of it) only for 20 minutes later someone else to pick up the phone, again a common theme, I asked what happened with the sales manager she said he just left a comment on my account that there is no order for BB.

By now it was nearly 6 on Friday I had run out of patience and gave up. I spent yesterday writing all this up as it needs reporting to Ofcom and to as high as I can get in TalkTalk.

I needed to rant, sorry , but I also would like your thoughts and suggestions. Geoff

My experience is don't bother telephoning TalkTalk... only ever email or use the forum to contact them. The turnaround in receiving an email reply is not instant. Bank on it taking 24 hours.

However, the people at TalkTalk who can read an individual email and respond appropriately, rather than spout scripted rubbish down the phone are in the minority.. Those operatives are the much sought-after TalkTalk intelligentia..

TalkTalk will sort it out.. and once you're settled in with a decent LLU broadband service, you will look back and sigh and mutter "whew, that was painful but worth it!"

Good luck Geoff!

DDan_2

You can always cancel TT, but remember you could end up in the same situation with any other BB provider. TT is no different than BT and other big players. I found smaller companies providing much better service.

TalkTalk

Hi IamGeoff,

if you register on https://www.talktalkmembers.com we will do our very best to get this resolved for you.

Cheers

Ady

IamGeoff

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi IamGeoff,

if you register on www.talktalkmembers.com we will do our very best to get this resolved for you.

Cheers

Ady

Thanks for the offer but a nice lady in Ireland says that Network have resolved the issue and once I re provide a MAC then things will start to move,

Geoff

TalkTalk

No problem Geoff,

you know where we are if you need anything.

Cheers

Ady