Am I stuck with TalkTalk?

Jonan_2

I have a phone and broadband package from TalkTalk (out of contract, BTW) and am look at saving on my monthly outgoings by switching to another provider.

I contacted Orange (whose current offering with cashback would save me about £10 a month) who said I couldn't switch directly to them from TalkTalk and would have to first go to BT or the Post Office. The rep at Orange suggested that the Post Office option would be the best as they don't have a contract period for home phone.

I then contacted the Post Office to inquire about their phone service and they told me there would be a £60 charge to switch my line at the exchange!

Do I only have two options: stay with TT and negotiate a better deal with the threat that I will leave, or bite the bullet and switch via the Post Office incurring the one-off £60 fee to get free of TT forever?

Any advice, anyone?

Jonan

DVardysShadow

Orange could theoretically take you straight from TalkTalk. But they don't because they don't want the hassle. The £60 fee from the Post Office is precisely to cover the cost of people who stay for just one month before going to Orange and other providers. This hurts customers who want to take phone service from the Post Office.

So, in your position, I would not bother with Orange, because you end up with double the hassle.

Jonan_2

I don't want to 'hurt' anyone but I don't like being in a situation where I can't move my service to another provider simply and without cost. I would gladly switch (and pay the migration fee) and stay with the Post Office if their product was equivalent to what I have at the moment and at a similar price, if it meant I could be free to switch again at some point in the future without restriction.

Right now, I expect I could negotiate a better deal with TalkTalk and avoid all the hassle of switching (twice?) but I'll only be faced with the same dilemma again in a year or so's time. I shall call Orange again to see if there is a compelling argument to explain why they can't transfer my service directly.

I would really appreciate any constructive advice about my options.

grizzly1911

Jonan wrote: »

Right now, I expect I could negotiate a better deal with TalkTalk and avoid all the hassle of switching (twice?) but I'll only be faced with the same dilemma again in a year or so's time. I shall call Orange again to see if there is a compelling argument to explain why they can't transfer my service directly.

I would really appreciate any constructive advice about my options.

The last time I looked in earnest, about 9 months ago I looked at the alternatives was looking at plusnet. I was out of any contract.

They were cheaper by a few pounds but couldn't confirm if I could migrate my email address.

I spoke to TT and they immediately gave me a discount on the package for 6 months, providing I renewed for another 18 months. The annual bundle came out about the same as plusnet so I stayed.

What bugs me with TT is that whilst they lock you in they don't fix their prices. I have at least one line rental increase since and was advised yesterday of another £1.20 ppm increase. They did offer the option to buy it 12 months in advance at a discount (effectively another tie in). I don't mind a reasonable increase but these are getting into power supplier territory 10 -20%:mad:.

I am now looking again.

Jonan_2

I've spoken to someone in the Orange sales team who explained things in a little more detail and said that they couldn't get my line moved over from TalkTalk's kit and onto BT's, which is where it would need to be before they can provide me with a service. They did say they could get a 'new' line installed for me but only after I had cancelled my service with TalkTalk and the line had gone dead. Orange even suggested a further option was to ask BT to switch me back to a line rental only contract (12 month) which I could get out of at a maximum cost of £5 per month remaining and they, Orange, would then credit me with £50 towards this. Either way would mean some delay - anything between 2 and 4 weeks - without broadband and/or phone, which is just not an option for me right now.

I have also called Ofcom to ask their advice and the explanation they gave me is that because TalkTalk have their own equipment at the exchange, through which my line is currently connected, if I want to move to a provider other than BT, but which needs to use BT's equipment for service provision, then I must first get a BT line, which might involve extra hassle, a fee and the inconvenience of being without a service for a period of time. The person at Ofcom said that TalkTalk are not being anti-competitive as I can leave them if I choose to do so, and to consider my situation as similar to the scenario where I might be on Virgin Media cable service which also wouldn't enable other providers to offer me a service using the VM kit.

I think I'll give TalkTalk a call and see what kind of deal I can cut with them.

DVardysShadow

Jonan wrote: »

I've spoken to someone in the Orange sales team who explained things in a little more detail and said that they couldn't get my line moved over from TalkTalk's kit and onto BT's, which is where it would need to be before they can provide me with a service. They did say they could get a 'new' line installed for me but only after I had cancelled my service with TalkTalk and the line had gone dead. Orange even suggested a further option was to ask BT to switch me back to a line rental only contract (12 month) which I could get out of at a maximum cost of £5 per month remaining and they, Orange, would then credit me with £50 towards this. Either way would mean some delay - anything between 2 and 4 weeks - without broadband and/or phone, which is just not an option for me right now.

I have also called Ofcom to ask their advice and the explanation they gave me is that because TalkTalk have their own equipment at the exchange, through which my line is currently connected, if I want to move to a provider other than BT, but which needs to use BT's equipment for service provision, then I must first get a BT line, which might involve extra hassle, a fee and the inconvenience of being without a service for a period of time. The person at Ofcom said that TalkTalk are not being anti-competitive as I can leave them if I choose to do so, and to consider my situation as similar to the scenario where I might be on Virgin Media cable service which also wouldn't enable other providers to offer me a service using the VM kit.

I think I'll give TalkTalk a call and see what kind of deal I can cut with them.

It is not a case of couldn't, it is a case of wouldn't.

But this is because Ofcom are useless - they are not cracking the whip enough to make an open telecoms market work. They have gone far enough to ensure that BT delivers truly awful customer service, but not far enough to allow anyone else to do any better.

grizzly1911

DVardysShadow wrote: »

It is not a case of couldn't, it is a case of wouldn't.

But this is because Ofcom are useless - they are not cracking the whip enough to make an open telecoms market work. They have gone far enough to ensure that BT delivers truly awful customer service, but not far enough to allow anyone else to do any better.

Totally agree;

Pretty much the same as the power companies.

Confusing packages and constant deals for new customers at the expense of ALL users.

Don't really understand why telecoms charges are running ahead of inflation. In this day and age I would have thought "real competition" would be driving down or at least holding down pricing.

deklan99

Ofcom's line on it - http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/bt_restrictive_practices_re_broa#incoming-119525 - "...... apart from BT, there is no
obligation on any provider to have to take customers on, and it remains their own (commercial) decision whether or not they choose to do so."

inearlygaveup

Jonan wrote: »

I have also called Ofcom to ask their advice and the explanation they gave me is that because TalkTalk have their own equipment at the exchange, through which my line is currently connected, if I want to move to a provider other than BT, but which needs to use BT's equipment for service provision, then I must first get a BT line, which might involve extra hassle, a fee and the inconvenience of being without a service for a period of time. The person at Ofcom said that TalkTalk are not being anti-competitive as I can leave them if I choose to do so, and to consider my situation as similar to the scenario where I might be on Virgin Media cable service which also wouldn't enable other providers to offer me a service using the VM kit.

I think I'll give TalkTalk a call and see what kind of deal I can cut with them.

You may have already sorted your problem out by now - but speaking to Plusnet today they said they could switch me from Talktalk via BT . It would take about 2/3 weeks and I wouldn't need to do anything.

TalkTalk

Hi Jonan,


If your services are supplied via LLU at the exhcange (usually denoted by inclusive BB with your package) then not all ISP will be able to transfer the line directly. If this is the case you can request a REturn to Donor via BT and once your line is back on the Open Reach Mainframe you will be able to sign up with any ISP.

However at present not all ISPs are able to place an order to Open Reach to migrate a line that is not on the Open Reach network (such as customers connected to LLU services). As such the ability to transfer the line directly from TT would depend on the enw ISp you choose, I am aware some ISPs can comeplte the trasnfer directly, others offer a workaround to faciitate the return to donor for you, then transfer the line. Others simply do not have the relevant agreements in to place such an order with Open Reach for the necessary changes at the exchange to be made.

Regards


Mark

thefirs

As another poster has pointed out, Plusnet can migrate you in 2-3 weeks. If you don't wish to stay with them in the long term, then select the "no contract" option during signup. This costs £25, but select 'no router required' and do the switch via Topcashback then the reward is £38, so it pays you to move! You only then need to stay a month or two and then re-migrate. Perhaps until the cashback is secure.

sign up by today, they're offering a very good value broadband deal anyway.