MSE link to talktalk deal from October... problems!!!

the_pink_panther_2

In October MSE had link to good deal to get talktalk line rental and broadband through a company called simplify digital. I used the info and took out this deal. £114 upfront fee for value line rental and promo price for calls. Got letter and email from talktalk confirming that I had this deal and all looks good.... till my first bill comes. The bill corresponded to standard line rental and no promo either. Numerous emails sent to talktalk and I was told I simply did not take out value line rental, nor had any note of promo. When I emailed them the evidence they stopped replying. Just phoned them now. They said that as I'd taken out this promo by phone it was invalid (this company simply digital only do this deal by phone). She said the email and letters correspondences from talktalk were sent in error and therefore meaningless! Apparently talktalk sent out a lot of these in error according to her... anyone else got one? I do rate MSE very highly but am ridiculously frustrated with having just waited on hold listening to merry music with intermittent messages telling me to sit waiting by a computer, only to talk to a brick wall for 20 min. Any suggestions? already emailed ofcom but that's more general.

RobG24

Hi the_pink_panther,

You are not alone. I have exactly the same problem! I signed up to TalkTalk using the online system (not sure if it was through simplify digital though) which included paying for Value Line Rental. Anyway everything was fine until I got my first bill which showed "credit" of £114 and line rental charged at the normal rate. I.e. £13.80, rather than £114 / 12 = £9.50.
My first thought was, oh some admin error I'll ring them up and get my account updated. Anyway, on the phone the man was very rude to me and said I made a general payment into my account and didn't pay for Value Line Rental. I said: "Why would I make a general payment for exactly the same amount as Value Line Rental when I first joined?" Needless to say this didn't get me anywhere.
So, I decided to write TalkTalk an email explaining the issue and to complain that they were very rude to me on the phone. But all I got in reply was that everything was fine and in fact I have lots of credit on my account so I'm in a good position.
Anyway, I have since ended up sending them scans of my order confirmation, welcome letter (both of which show I paid for Value Line Rental) and screen shots showing the order process with a dummy order (they keep telling me it's not possible to buy Value Line Rental via the order process) and in all their replies they keep "copy and pasting" the same reply and it's like they haven't even bothered to look at my scans etc.
I have also explained to them the maths, that will mean I won't get any discount. And that I believe them to be committing a fraud, because they are promoting their service at a lower price than what we are ultimately charged!
Your forum post only confirms this, as they are clearly going out of their way to make sure we pay for the higher rate line rental. It's company policy! For example, I was on the phone for over 20mins like you and I was put on hold a few times, but for seemingly no reason? And I have sent them scans of letters etc which I consider legally binding not "meaningless" as you've been told. I have also been told that "due to system limitations" they can't fix this. But I work in the online shop industry and I know this is no legal defence!

Regards,

Rob

the_pink_panther_2

Thanks Rob, sorry I only just realised someone had replied... I kept checking and each time realised no one had... I got so disappointed... anyway, apparently TalkTalk have been fined for miss-selling already (can inform ofcom at least so that it's logged) and I hear that there is a different department within the talktalk 'customer service' which deals with miss selling so perhaps ask to be put through to them, although I know it means being on hold for an eternity whilst the first guy transfers you to the next and that's after having been on hold to that assistant. I'm waiting for simplyify digital to chase up, as they say they will, before I go in for my round two of talktalk to a brick wall. On principle I'm not giving up, it's daylight robbery and bullyish and I feel really sorry for people who genuinely can't afford this sort of scam. I'm miffed but I can at least just learn and never use them again, really miffed as there are vulnerable people out there and this is so unfair on them. Am sure this isn't legal, frankly, I'll take them to the small claims court if I have to!

the_pink_panther_2

I know that now... I won't again but I'm cross that there are vulnerable people there. Not so many elderly people would put up a fight against the customer service I received and that makes me so cross they can do that. It's soooo cold!