MSE News: Talk Talk worst of big guns for customer service

m_a_r_i_a_h

I've been with TT for 7 years and to be fair, when things work they work fine, i.e. you go by your daily routine WITHOUT having to deal with anybody from any section of their customer services (sales/tech/complaints).

However, as soon as there's a problem with your phone or broadband you have to deal with what can only be described as a parrot who reads from a monitor as the first port of call. They make you go through absolutely all irrelevant tests (been there a few times over the years) until they're happy that you haven't simply switched the power supply by accident, and only then will they transfer you to the second-line technical support people who, in my experience at least, have been ace. I have been so angry in the past at the first-line technical support people's incapability at thinking for themselves and insisting on going through all these tests that I have ashamedly yelled profanities down the phone line...

My partner lives on the continent and that's the only reason why I'm on TT - I can call him for up to 70 mins at a time, anytime, for no charge at all except the £23.49 p/m that I pay for both landline and broadband package.

spender

My parents are elderly and my mother has currently been in hospital for a long period of time. My step dad is 85 and we have had nothing but hell from Talk Talk. The phone went dead and it took a complicated system of my sister trying to contact talk talk for engineers to come out, this was at the time my mother was critically ill. The internet works sometimes and mostly not and we can not get Talk Talk to resolve the problem, they just send out another modem. For the life of me we can not work out how to actually talk to an operator most of the time. My 85 year old deaf step dad kept trying to contact talk talk to no avail. On some days the telephone would work for calls in but not out, other days you could get a dialling tone but so much crackling you thought you were in an electric storm. This has gone on and on for months and Talk Talk you are rubbish, you do not care about your customers and you would rather elderly people be without the services they pay for than trying to help. Shame on you. We too have also tried writing to the Boss but guess what nothing. My poor step dad resorted to buying a cheap mobile phone in order that we and the hospital could try and contact him, with his hearing problem this is extremely difficult and he is paying money for a mobile because TALK TALK won't help.

Heinz

m_a_r_i_a_h wrote: »

My partner lives on the continent and that's the only reason why I'm on TT - I can call him for up to 70 mins at a time, anytime, for no charge at all except the £23.49 p/m that I pay for both landline and broadband package.

But how much are you really 'saving'?

Using 18185 (or one of the alternatives), you could be calling any country in Europe for 1p/minute anyway.

NeverInDebt

Horrible company and I wouldn't ever use Talk talk or any company associated with that Charles Dunstone again

zagfles

m_a_r_i_a_h wrote: »

I've been with TT for 7 years and to be fair, when things work they work fine, i.e. you go by your daily routine WITHOUT having to deal with anybody from any section of their customer services (sales/tech/complaints).

However, as soon as there's a problem with your phone or broadband you have to deal with what can only be described as a parrot who reads from a monitor as the first port of call. They make you go through absolutely all irrelevant tests (been there a few times over the years) until they're happy that you haven't simply switched the power supply by accident, and only then will they transfer you to the second-line technical support people who, in my experience at least, have been ace.

This is true of a lot of companies though - I've had far worse with other telcos as well as utility companies. They all start off with the assumption that you're an idiot who's done something wrong...because sometimes they're right....

I have been so angry in the past at the first-line technical support people's incapability at thinking for themselves and insisting on going through all these tests that I have ashamedly yelled profanities down the phone line...

I've learnt my lesson here and now go with the flow...one time I was getting really angry with seemingly stupid reqests to check things (not TT, another company) but then felt really stupid when what he told me to check was actually the problem:o

My partner lives on the continent and that's the only reason why I'm on TT - I can call him for up to 70 mins at a time, anytime, for no charge at all except the £23.49 p/m that I pay for both landline and broadband package.

I was on a package with free international that seems to have rolled forwards to Essentials:) but we mainly use Skype with video for talking to relatives abroad, which is where the 40Gb data allowance for £19 a month (inc line rental) comes in very handy:). Last time I checked nobody else came close to matching that... and just renewed for 12 months with half price on the broadband for 6 months

TheSnowman

I've recently switched from Talk Talk to KC, unlike the main suppliers, KC are investing in the broadband infrastructure in East Yorkshire, the speed of my broadband has gone up from 3meg to 14meg.
KC unfairly get bad press but I've found them excellent.
:beer:

patchpatrickpatch

martin keeps recommending talk talk but does he know how useless they are at customer service?

it takes 15mins to get through & i think it may be a premium rate number now

i changed my mind & after i had done that the router still arrived. i rang them back & she said she would send a pre-paid bag.it never arrived.as a secondary question: who does the router belong to now?can i ebay it or should i freecycle it?bt certainly never want their old routers back

if martin is going to recommend talk talk as cheap i think he should least point out that there is a non-monetary cost to be paid