Talk Talk, and contract renewal

dervish99

I have been with Talk Talk now for over 6 years, i guess as a happy customer. every 18 months they ring me up to see if i want to extend my current contract for a further 18 months and i do as i am happy with the service. I have just extended again, with an early termination fee of £8 per month left. Suddenly i have found myself with the likleyhood of moving abroad early next year, which would reqire the early termination, so i rang up Talk Talk still within the 14 day cooling of period to check what the early fees were and to see what they could offer me if i didnt extend the contract. I was supprised to learn that i didnt have to extend the contract for 18 months, but cold continue the exact same package on a rolling 1 month contract. If there is no benefit to an 18 month contract then why offer it, especially as they want to penalise you for ending it early, it makes no sense? Anyone else come accross this?

poshparrot

I think that the main difference is that when you're in a fixed term contract with them, and say your router dies - they'll replace it for free whereas in a rolling contract you'd have to pay for a new router. Or, say your phone line goes down and you need to call out an engineer, there won't be a call out charge etc.

Herongull

These 18 month "contract renewals" are for Talk Talk's benefit.

They are getting you to agree to tie yourself to them for another minimum period of 18 months. There is no significant benefit to the customer unless you negotiate a a significant discount for agreeing this. If you've not been negotiating you may well be paying more than the current rate.....

Loyalty gets you nowhere.

Buzby

You never needed to extend your contract, as it never was a fixed term. It is a common misconception that contracts end and you need to do something to prevent it, however your error was not reading the terms of your agreement with TT.

Armed with this you could have driven a harder bargain, either sent them packing when they called or asked for some deal that made it worth being tied for another X months.

By not doing so - you needlessly restricted yourself - and anyone with a similar service needs to remember this for future reference.

alinwales

The reason for a contract is to negotiate better rates. As a long term customer you should get at least half price essentials package and a further 1.50 off per month. Don't ask you don't get.

Pineapple123_2

I have tried this with TT and all they have offered me is either paying £114 as a one off payment which i cannot afford to shell out in one go, or a monthly recurring charge of ~£24.95 (that's for broadband and phone Anytime calls - ie 'free' local and national calls 24/7 - with exceptions on 0844 etc).
My 18 month contract just finished and i'm on the month to month. Is this better to just stay on this then?


I have been with them for 3 or 4 years and obviously loyalty doesn't count. Am seriously considering calling to cancel and see if they offer something better or just go for it an cancel for real!!

Buzby

Your contract didn't finish, only your minimum term.

If there is nothing you require, do nothing and your service continues as before with no lock-down on your commitment. It is only if you need a new router or pricing deal is it worth agreeing to have a minimum term reimposed.