New Talktalk poll; feedback needed, good and bad

Guanajuato

I've been with Talktalk for phone for a few years and took the broadband offer in July last year - partly for the broadband and partly because some friends emigrated to Oz, so the free calls were worth it. Generally we've had no real problems.

In terms of the broadband, the connection can be slightly slower than my connection at work through plusnet (on the same exchange) - probably more to do with the volume of users on Talktalk. More users=less bandwidth per user.

The other issue I have had is that the USB modem would drop the connection - sometimes every couple of minutes, sometimes it would stay up for a couple of hours. Adding the 'dslmon.exe' program to the windows startup seemed to help it be more reliable for some reason! (dslmon is in the talktalk programs directory, if you're wondering). Since borrowing a friends old ADSL Modem/Router, the disconnection problems have gone. Therefore I think its an issue with the USB hardware rather than the connection itself.

Overall, with our increase in international calls & the free calls we've saved money compared with just our phone bill. Adding broadband has been a bonus, and has meant not having to use a local rate dial-up service.

SuzH_2

Hmm, I must be either the odd one out, or perhaps I just don't use it enough. I applied last year, first day it was announced and was up and running within 6 weeks. Smooth transition and connection everything fine and dandy. Since that time the only issue I have had is that it occasionally falls over. Having said that I don't use it an awful lot, most of my surfing etc is done at work which is where I spend most of my time and I therefore use it only briefly in the evening and occasionally at weekend. I have only had to contact technical services once and must admit I found them truculent to say the least and not very user friendly.
Should we be complaining that much what did we expect, in all honesty, it is free after all!!!

Screwedbythebanks

TalkTalk are a JOKE! Their Customer Service Department is non-existent, their Technical Support Department is a myth. I signed my contract at the end of April last year, and am now using broadband via Tiscali after eight months of being totally ignored my TalkTalk. It was only after I contacted the press in August that they even realised that I'd been trying to contact them ( in spite of five letters, countless emails, £30-quids' worth of unanswered phone calls and two store visits!)

In November they finally accepted that I was in the right and cancelled my "service" with no extra charges applied. I signed up with Tiscali the same day and, one phone call aside, everything went like clockwork. Don't touch TalkTalk with a ten-foot pole!

cotswoldboat_2

I have had talk talk international 3 since May 2006 and have been thrilled with it. It took less than advised for my broadband to come through and though this was a while I was kept informed. However I have just had a major customer service issue. I changed banks and rang talktalk as the website would not accept my new direct debit instruction. They wrote and advised the new direct debit was set up. When the date came for collection over Christmas no money was taken from my account. I rang and told them at lunchtime in the New Year. They said it had been set up but then for some unknown reason cancelled a few days later. I reset it up with them and they said they would sort out the payments maybe taking 2 months together which was fine.
At 5.50 pm I got a call from their credit controlling demanding a credit or debit card over the phone or my account woudl be cut off. I said I would ring back as I did not know who they were and do not give my card details over the phone to unknown callers. They advised unless I gave them the detail and they could prove who they were because they knew which bank I used and how much I owed them - I would not be able to ring back as I would be cut off at the end of the call. Whilst it would be reconnected once I paid it could take 24 hours for me to be reset up or longer. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that as it was nearly 6pm and they close that dept at 6pm it would be the following day before anyone could ring me and as I would be cut off at the end of the call unless I gave card details I would have to provide a mobile no for them to ring me on and in between I would have no line.
As my grandfather is seriously ill I could not afford to be cut off so I VERY reluctantly gave them a card payment. I asked if I wasn't in - would they have just cut me off but they said as I was in it was irrelevent now they had spoken to me I pay this call or be cut off. (They did write the next day and I would have ben happy to ring them and pay - I just did not want to give my card details out to just any-one ringing up.)
Once done I rang them back on the general no and asked if they had rung. They said no. I rang my credit card company and the payment for the right amount had been collected but not in the name of talk talk or carphone warehouse. An unknown name - cellchat (?) As a result and precaution I had to cancel my credit card - just when I need it most the month after Christmas. When I rang again they said yes they could have rung me but that would be a different dept so would not be on there.

Totally unhappy with this - I was happy to pay them and liked the service - I was happy to ring straight back and pay but DO NOT WANT companies ringing up unknown demanding my debit credit card details - surely their bank would not want them to do this - and this is the sort of practise/trap we are always warned to be on guard for.

JRR

I have had absolute hell with Talk Talk. Signed up last August and still had no service by November so tried to cancel and they lied, hung up and cut me off dozens of times, even when I just wanted a MAC code. It's now January and two days ago, for the first time (despite numerous promises previously) they called me with a MAC code which I have used in my registration with Orange. I have got this far once before but the MAC code was wrong so not breathing a sigh of relief yet.
Talk Talk have caused me alot of stress as I do alot of work from home, and have felt for the last five months like I've been taken for a ride. It makes me so angry that companies can abuse customers in this way and I hope that they lose millions and have to fold - they deserve it.

imbigron

I signed up for the Talk Talk phone and broadband package in Oct, the phone was switched straightaway and I was told I would be getting broadband at the end of Nov. At the end of Nov I rang them three times to find out what was going on and was told broadband was going live or had gone live and I would receive the installation CD shortly. When this failed to arrive i rang them again and was told they had no idea when I was likely to go live, so I asked to cancel everything. I then rang BT to rejoin them who advised they couldnt do anything until Talk Talk released the line unless i got disconnected then they would reconnect me. As this seemed the quickest way of getting rid of them I rang Talk Talk and asked to be disconnected. With much reluctance they said they would disconnect me within 48 hours. 48 hours later I rang again to find out why I hadn't been disconnected, they said it hadnt been actioned but would do it now in 48 hours. 48 hours later I rang them again as it still hadnt happened, and was told there had been a problem and it would definitely be done this time. 48 hours later i tried to ring them but they had put a block on the line, so i had to call them from my mobile to find out what was going on. They agreed to remove the block and disconnect me, but it would take 10 days, and would mean that it actually took longer to get rid of them than it would have done if I hadnt asked to be disconnected. At the end of December I finally managed to reconnect with BT with a new number as that was the quickest way they could do it, but I still couldn't sign up with anybody for broadband as there was a MAC on my line, so have had to wait a further 10 days to get that removed. During all of this the only communication i had from Talk Talk was a couple of bills, until I had finally left them when I get a letter telling me to come back at any time. No apologies, apalling customer service, and totally failing to do what they had been asked to. I havent even mentioned the amount of time wasted on hold, or calling them back after i had been cut off. Even on their bills I have been charged twice for the same date period, and they are trying to charge me up to a date long after I first asked to be disconnected, so I don't think my dealings with them have ended yet. I regret the day i ever had anything to do with Talk Talk, and i would urge anybody to go elsewhere.

yachtsman_3

I applied immediately that the deal was announced on MSE. TalkTalk communicated effectively and informatively with me. The service startup in my area came online 3-4 weeks earlier than they forecast. The kit arrived in perfect time, and the only problems have been occasional difficulties in getting connected. A short wait and everything works fine. The phone service was changed seamlessly, and free international calls with family in USA is absolutely kerching!! So far so good.

interestfree_2

Both Phone and internet servce cut off after two months. Spent a fortune on repeated calls (from mobile as had no landline) to try and sort this out. Spent hours on hold and being cut off and told different things by different people over several weeks. After 8 weeks with no home phone or internet service whatsoever went back to BT (after telling Talk Talk that I was treating their failure to deliver the service as a repudiatory breach of contract). They are still sending me bills two months later. They have cost me money and probably sent my blood pressure up!! My life is too short to put up with service like this and I would rather pay a bit extra and not have the hassle! I would not recommed them to my worst enemy.

fran_andboys

I applied in August and was connected within 3 weeks (3 weeks quicker than they predicted). Had a few issues setting email but actually had a very postitive experience with customer service and was up and running within hours (also given a free modem for my trouble). Since then things haven't been too bad. Have had more problerms with the phone than the internet. It was down for 4 days and we have problems with a bad line sometimes. Am still getting a text from customer services saying "your fault is still being investiagted, an update will be sent in 48 hrs" - that's from a call I logged back in November! Internet is good but does sometimes take 2 or 3 attempts to connect (especially in the evening). On the whole, not too bad and as I am saving over £20 a month I can cope with the blips (as long as they don't get any worse!)

penny_saver

Just to add my little bit about Talk Talk.
I moved over to them last year and it was a bit of a nightmare....they just cut off my broadband provider without telling me leaving me "net -less" for 2 days. After that, however, they came good, but I did have to phone etc etc. The lady was helpful but her accent not easily understood!! I kept losing the connection occasionally in the early days but, touch wood, now, everything has been great and |I have no complaints. If it works for you it is a great deal.