MSE News: TalkTalk fined £3 million for billing blunders

Paul_Varjak

Complainant: Own-initiative investigation
Complaint against: TalkTalk Telecom Limited and Tiscali UK Limited (together, for ease of reference, the TalkTalk Group)
Case opened: 23 July 2010
Investigation closed: 2 November 2010
Case closed: 18 August 2011
Issue: Whether the TalkTalk Group is complying with the requirement not to bill customers for services that have not been provided.
Relevant instrument: General Conditions 11 ("GC11") of the General Conditions of Entitlement.

Ofcom has concluded its investigation into TalkTalk Group’s compliance with GC11.1 by the deadline set out in the notification issued to it on 1 November 2010.

The investigation found that whilst TalkTalk Group took significant steps to remedy the consequences of its breach of GC11.1, it had not taken the steps Ofcom considered appropriate for complying with GC11.1 and had continued to breach that Condition (by issuing 2,928 bills to customers (end-users) for services it had not provided in the period between 2 December and 4 March 2011).

Ofcom has decided to impose on TalkTalk Group a financial penalty under section 96 of the Act. The amount of that penalty is £1,524,728 in respect of TalkTalk Telecom Limited and £1,512,392 in respect of Tiscali UK Limited. The penalty is imposed on both companies for their contravention of GC11.1 between 1 January and 1 November 2010 notified to them under section 94 of the Act, in which period they billed 62,055 customers for services they had not provided (in particular, for cancelled services).

In reaching its decision, Ofcom took account of the available evidence, TalkTalk Group’s representations, the steps it had taken towards complying with GC11.1, the significant steps it had taken to remedy the consequences of its breach; and Ofcom’s penalty guidelines.

A non-confidential version of the penalty notification is currently being prepared and will be published in due course.

LadyDee

I can never understand these fines - the only benefit is to the Treasury, leaving less money available for improving and investing in services, employing additional staff etc. They do the same with railways, water companies, utilities companies - at the end of the day the customers pay in increased charges.

Loreley_2

Used to work for them indirectly. Don't blame the customer service, they had no authority to refund you a penny without supervisor authorization, and effectively pushing for that is not how to keep a job in customer service, its how to lose it.

Often i'd personally put in long winded breakdowns of customer usage statistics ending on the day the customer claimed to have moved to new ISP/Quit and the same for calls using the limited information I had.

This got me yelled at by the micromanagement scum and the second line often dismissed 15 minutes work on tickets less than a minute after submission. Because the offical line is send a letter to head office. Even when the customer service agent has dug up solid proof.

beestonfella

i really hate talktalk service since ive changed of this service from virginmedia,i had aloads of talktalk's problem i dont realised they are very poor service,they told me caller id display are free no extra charged but not working that's why free and cant reading on display also dailing 1471 not properly and slightly working or not sometimes they are so crafty and ripped off to customer,if i pick up phone talktalk's broadband is switched off itself and internet is very slow and problem,ive ring to customer service but they are messed about and dont bothered to me they just steal money and laughter from me..i want going to back virginmedia agian but i cant because i have talktalk contact till may 2012,how i can cancel contact early from talktalk?

Paul_Varjak

If Caller ID is not working, enable it:

1. Log into your account
2. Click on 'Phone and broadband'
3. Click on 'Manage Services'
4. Ensure that 'Privacy Pack' is enabled.

If broadband cuts off when you pick up the phone you either have no filter or the filter you are using is faulty - in either case, fit a new filter.

beestonfella

ive already cancel my contact by talktalk team this morning i will going back to virginmedia agian i had used with this service for 6 years and caller id always working fine for 6 years also dailing 1471 are working fine too! internet are speed up i feel lots of better without talktalk no more nighmare of talktalk.i will talktalk's wireless router put in bin next thurday

Heinz

beestonfella wrote: »

ive already cancel my contact by talktalk team this morning i will going back to virginmedia agian

Frying pan and fire spring to mind.

TalkTalk

Hi All,

If any customers are experiencing individual issues with accounts or billing please feel free to register on the Talk Talk Members Forum where we can manage individual issues more effectively and we will be happy to assist.

We are also able to provide assistance to ex-Tiscali customers who have been migrated to TalkTalk via the TalkTalk Members Forum.

Regards

Paul_Varjak

OFCOM just published the non-confidential version of the document issued to TalkTalk...

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/enforcement/competition-bulletins/closed-cases/all-closed-cases/cw_01051/notification.pdf