Problems with TalkTalk

clivejo

As I said, all I wanted was a working line. If I had a line and internet on it Id be very happy, but no-one can provide that.

BT is torturing me with adverts via the mail and on TV about high-speed broadband. Its even in the papers about Northern Ireland being the best connected region in the whole of Europe. What a joke!! Its certainly not the case in Fermanagh!

TalkTalk

clivejo wrote: »

No Im not the only customer. My mum and I actually share the last part of the line, she is also with TalkTalk and no problems. The problem seems to be that there are no 'spare pairs' The line is basically full and sharing technology is being used a DEC or something he called it. An engineer did suggest swapping a pair, but that would just move the problem to one of my neighbours. Its all overhead cable for at least 7 miles.

The fault starts with wind and rain, as a crackling on the line. It gets worse and worse until I cant use it. However, the fault tends to disappear any time an engineer is sent out to look at it and the engineers leave saying its fixed. I took a recording of this and its on my post over on the TalkTalk Forum. BT have replaced my face plate, re-terminated the drop wire on the pole. They said that over time the wires can corrode so they cut the wires back an inch or so and using a new terminal box reconnected it. They also replaced the last section of my line back to the last junction box.

I think BT aren't willing to fix this for me, and keep referring back to TalkTalk. Because Im a TalkTalk customer I have to vent my frustration at them. I got so angry after the last engineers visit I wanted to leave TalkTalk, which is what Mark is talking about. But even that has been a head banging on wall experience. I dont want to give up my landline, but I have no options left! I cant put up with the fault as it seems to be worse in evenings and night when I want to use my phone. Everytime I report it I get transferred to a callcentre, god knows where, with my accent and theirs it takes forever to communicate the simplest of information. I then have to go through TalkTalks fault process ie connecting a wired phone, doing a line test, agreeing to call out charges etc Its got beyond a joke.

Hi Clivejo,

IN regards the above you advise that the line is shared via DACS at the cabinet.

This would prevent BB from being provisioned on the line. The length of the line is also a factor in terms of the provision of BB and as you have advised this is beyond Open Reach to resolve, without there being new infrastructure laid in the area.

In regards to ownership of the number we have confirmed to you via the Members Forum that this is own by BT Wholesale. The service you reiceve is provided by TalkTalk Via BTW and they own the telephone number.

With respect to your forum account as advised once you disconnect the forum account will close. You migrated your number to a VOIP provider which disconnected your services, as such forum access was lost at this point.

With regards to the CEO's Office your case was passed to anotehr agent wehn your point of contact went on holiday, which si the correct process. As previously advised if you ahve further queries regarding your issue these would need to be directed to the CEO's Office or you can take the matter up with the ombudsman.

However TalkTalk have taken every action possible with regards to this issue and as you have correctly confirmed TalkTalk have raised this to open reach to investigate on a number of occasions with multiple engineers being sent to your property, however they were unable to resolve the issue due to how the service is provided, the length of the line and the limitations on what actions can be taken to resolve (i.e the use of spare pairs or re-routing the line)

Regards


Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department

TalkTalk

clivejo wrote: »

Yes, I found out I could move my number to a VOIP provider in order to 'keep' my number. The physical line is now unused and I believe it was struck by lightening last week. I was still getting a dial tone up to the point it was struck but no service on it.

I am angry at TalkTalk for their shear incompetence regarding the issue and for basically forcing me to give up my land-line. The CEO contact promised me that he personally would follow it up with BT, but now he cant be contacted.

Why are there no external regulators for this sector? BT Openreach seem to be a law unto themselves and do as they please!

Hi CLivejo,

Further to my last post in regards to external reguators you ahve previously referenced them, the regulator for UK Telecoms is Ofcom.

You may also wish to raise this with the ombudsman Otelo, as the matter is beyond the control of TT or Open Reach as it lies with the length and composition of your line between your property and the exchange, a common issue in rural areas.

Regards

Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department

Steve_xx

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi Clivejo,


However TalkTalk have taken every action possible with regards to this issue and as you have correctly confirmed TalkTalk have raised this to open reach to investigate on a number of occasions with multiple engineers being sent to your property, however they were unable to resolve the issue due to how the service is provided, the length of the line and the limitations on what actions can be taken to resolve (i.e the use of spare pairs or re-routing the line)

Regards


Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department

As I see it, TalkTalk have not done everything possible to resolve this. They have typically, "passed the buck" and this customer has been pushed from pillar to post for years. He had an exchange that that functioned properly, and then it started not to. He's been at it for a couple of years now without resolution or suitable compensation by the sound of it.

If there are "limitations" as to what actions can be taken in order to restore what he had before, then it ought not to have taken TalkTalk two years to arrive at that conclusion, ought it?

clivejo

Pure rubbish as per usual with TalkTalk!!

As previously stated my mum is about 200 yards on the same 'line'. Her line is working perfectly! Im not an engineer, I dont know if my line was DACS, all I know is one engineer said he was having trouble with it. TalkTalk are supposed to be a Telecoms company, do you expect all your customers to diagnose and fix issues with the network themselves?

Its TalkTalk pure incompetence for not holding its sub-contractor BT Openreach to account. On every occasion they 'fixed' the issue TalkTalk closed down the fault too. Why? After 6 months there should have been follow ups, but no. You even sent me text messages asking fixed or not fixed, I replied not fixed and the fault was shut down! Its a total joke!

clivejo

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

However TalkTalk have taken every action possible with regards to this issue and as you have correctly confirmed TalkTalk have raised this to open reach to investigate on a number of occasions with multiple engineers being sent to your property, however they were unable to resolve the issue due to how the service is provided, the length of the line and the limitations on what actions can be taken to resolve (i.e the use of spare pairs or re-routing the line)

Regards


Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department

All of the above is feedback I obtained myself from BT Openreach engineers. Not ONCE has TalkTalk told me what the issue is. TalkTalk did NOTHING to find out what was wrong with my line, only dismiss it and fob me off. Both the forum and CEO's office fed me back the feedback I gave you. When I mentioned the DACS or length of line, you immediately jumped on that and blamed it, instead of finding out yourself.

So no, TalkTalk did not do everything reasonable to help me, in fact you did anything and everything to NOT fix it. Including lying and fobbing me off with rubbish.

Stop quoting what I said and start telling the truth. I'm NOT an engineer, BT Openreach are. How about asking them why they didnt fix it?

GDBD59

TalkTalk_Company_Representative wrote: »

Hi Clivejo,

IN regards the above you advise that the line is shared via DACS at the cabinet.


However TalkTalk have taken every action possible with regards to this issue and as you have correctly confirmed TalkTalk have raised this to open reach to investigate on a number of occasions with multiple engineers being sent to your property, however they were unable to resolve the issue due to how the service is provided, the length of the line and the limitations on what actions can be taken to resolve (i.e the use of spare pairs or re-routing the line)

Regards


Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department

So has Openreach told you the Dacs is in the cabinet....? The line would almost certainly work better if the DACS was closer to the property.
Clivejo's Mother's house is only 200m from his, yet works ok? Is she on DACS....?.....the same DACS....? You're probably not engineering-trained, Mark of TT, so it's unlikely you can answer them, but they are crucial in the understanding of this.

It makes me wonder though if Clivejo's info/understanding is correct......on the face of it, it suggests his fault is over that 200m length, which wouldn't be a big deal to sort out for O/reach, or his Mother has been incredibly lucky that her line has stayed fault-free.

As for your words that I've highlighted in blue

Boll-ox. If the line has been provided using DACS it's probably because of the shortage of O/Reach line-plant in the rural area.
But provided it was, & OR are contractually obligated to maintain it, whether it costs them £100 or £100,000, unless things have changed in the last few years....?

It is almost certainly a stinker of a fault, the Manager of the local O/reach guys would not be wanting multiple visits by his people if it could have been easily fixed.

No offence intended Clivejo, but when an O/r engineer goes out to a fault & speaks to the customer, they listen to what they have to say, but don't take it as gospel.....their job is to prove things, & end users are rarely knowlegeable.

clivejo

TalkTalk has told me nothing about the fault.

The engineer told me that due to their being a DACS testing was difficult. I didn't see it or understand what it was until I mentioned it on the TT forum. I dont even know if it was on my line or not. But as usual TalkTalk jumped on it to blame.

A lot of the BT engineers dismissed the problem, as it wasn't present when they attended and made me feel like I was imagining it. The last one to visit left because he couldnt hear a problem. The line was quiet. I was so angry, its like they are calling you a liar. He had called me from his mobile before the visit so an hour later I called him and he heard the noise on the line. He spent ages doing tests and reported it back to his manager Mark. The problem was not resolved but they closed the fault down! TalkTalk decided to change my CEO contact again so I had to start from scratch explaining the situation. Going round and round in limbo. In the end I couldnt handle having to call the Phone Fault people, Id rather get my teeth pulled with no pain killer to be honest.

clivejo

GDBD59 wrote: »

No offence intended Clivejo, but when an O/r engineer goes out to a fault & speaks to the customer, they listen to what they have to say, but don't take it as gospel.....their job is to prove things, & end users are rarely knowlegeable.

No offence taken!! They seemed to be always in a hurry to dismiss it and leave! Saying its an intermittent fault and nothing they could do.

By the way, BT did replace the last section of the line, which seemed to 'fix' the problem. However, I think it was more down to the weather settling down over the summer than them fixing it. As soon as the weather turned the fault was back, worse than ever.

TalkTalk

Hi Clivejo,

Are you still in contact with your CEO point of Contact?

Regards

Mark
TalkTalk Online Community Department