Talk Talk renewal tricks?

newbie111

I've been with Talk Talk for just under 18 months now. I got a letter the other day saying as a 'reward' if I signed up for another 18 months, I could have 3 months service at 50%. However, the discount did not apply to the line rental which had gone up from £11.49 to £13.80. So given I have a very basic package for just broadband, the '50%' saving was pretty much eaten up by the line rental increase, and will represent an increase in my bills after the discount.

I wasn't too bothered about this as I have been pleased so far, although planned to query it when I contacted them. However today I have (conveniently?) received another letter from them saying they had received a request from another provider to transfer my service, so my service would be cancelled within 10 days. I categorically have not talked to another provider. When I contacted Talk Talk, the rep sounded very surprised that I had not initiated this request on my account and told me she had never come across this before. However, the automated service had previously given me an option of 'I have not contacted another suppplier' - so clearly I'm not the first. I was just told to 'speak to BT who will tell you who the other provider was'. Having done this, BT cannot do this for you, and the rep said Talk Talk should be looking into this for me.

So just wondering - has anyone else found that other providers have tried to cancel your account?
Should I be worried about Talk Talk not keeping my details safe given I haven't spoken to another provider?
Or given the timing, is it just a dirty trick by Talk Talk to panic you into renewing and they play dumb when you contact them?! Any thoughts?

Juneau

Hi there,

I just left TT today also for same reason as yourself - basic service that I wanted to get down by a few quid. Called TT to quit and although they were persistent on me staying, I stuck to my guns and told them i was going. 18 month contract just expired. I went to Primus £13.53 a month eve and w/end calls and >24meg b/b 20gb download limit, free connection and router (pay p&p only I think). This deal is with £46 cashback from topcashback. Just sign up for that.

I should save £72 over the year just by changing over which is better in my pocket than theirs.

As for dirty tricks - I wouldn't put it past any of them, you've no idea the levels these firms will stoop to to keep your business and I've personally had run-ins with every one of them. It's a case of the lesser of two evils I'm afraid at end of day.

Check out Topcashback site and Primus for this deal

Best of luck

2010

Can`t see what the problem is here.
If you`re not happy they`re letting you leave without penalty.
If you want to stay, just negoiate a new contract.

You can pay a years line rental upfront which works out at £9-50 a month.(cheaper than anyone else)
You can ask for a price cut on the "essentials package".

So for line rental, broadband and phone calls you could be paying about £14 a month.
Which cannot be beaten by anyone. :T

Phone them up and sort it out.

newbie111

Juneau - thanks for the heads up - I'll have a little look at that!

2010 - thanks but it wasn't the money that was the problem, I had planned to phone them and negotiate anyway as I had been happy with the service up til yesterday, and the price is competitive.
It was the suspicion that Talk Talk were using dirty tricks of panicking me into renewing by telling me my service would be terminated because of another provider putting a request in - I wanted to know if this was something other customers had come across, or highlight it as a potential trick.

2010

When a 18 month contract comes to an end, you do not have to sign a new one.
You can continue on a 30 day rolling contract and still negoiate a better deal.

Having said that, if you did go for VLR this automatically puts you on a new 12 month contract.
If you do decide to stay with TT (who you say you were happy with) then the best course is to phone them, negoiate a better deal, pay the monthly line rental and then after your first new bill go for VLR and you`ll still retain your discounts.

No matter who you change to (non cables) you still need a landline which can be expensive to get.

2010

For Primus you need a BT line and getting one won`t be free.

What is Wholesale Line Rental?
Wholesale Line Rental is one development that has opened up the UK home phone market to competition. It’s one way customers can reduce their line rental costs and enjoy cheaper phone bills from an alternative supplier to BT.
Wholesale Line Rental – what’s in it for the customer?
Only BT and cable phone suppliers actually own telephone lines. However, BT now has to offer other suppliers the opportunity to rent its lines. This is called Wholesale Line Rental. The major benefits are that the customer can get cheaper line rental charges and receive one bill from Primus for their line rental and calls. The customer can also also keep their number and no work is required on their phone line.
What are the disadvantages of Wholesale Line Rental?
With Wholesale Line Rental you can keep your existing phone number. Because there’s no need for any extra equipment, Primus won’t need to visit your home. The only real disadvantage is that Wholesale Line Rental is only available to customers with a BT line!
What are Primus offering new customers?
Primus provide new CPS customers with the option of taking their calls and line rental so all their phone charges are on one convenient bill. You may also choose additional features to be added to their line rental such as Call Divert or Three Way Calling. (Please see the below, ‘Network Features’). Primus will then be your single point of contact for their phone service for any queries about their bill, faults or amends to features on their line rental.