TalkTalk loyalty customer deals vs new customer

vicx

I have been with TalkTalk phone & broaband for over 3 year. I signed up to an 18 month contract paying £6.50 broadband & £14.50 line rental which includes free evening & weekend calls (£21 per month).

I am now looking in to either moving providers or renewing my contract with TalkTalk depending on the deal. I have logged on to my online account and if I renew my contract for 12 month I will receive £2 discount on broadband for 12 months yet new customers get half price broadband at £3.25 for 12 months plus 3 months free mobile boost - how is this fair?

I recommended my neighbour to TalkTalk around 6 months after I joined and she now has the anytime calls boost free plus half price broadband for renewing her contract.

I have contacted TalkTalk CS by phone and all they can offer is half price broadband for 9 months so I will be paying £17.75 per month, yes it is better than what I am paying now but shouldn't the deals be fair to all customers? I have said I will look else where to to see if I can get a better deal as a customer and he went on to read the Terms about cancelling, do not cancel direct debit etc.

poshparrot

When you rang CS did you go through to the option where you said you wanted to leave? I did this in May as I was out of contract and they offered me another 12 months half price. I then combined it with line rental saver and now effectively only pay £12.75 a month

vicx

Yes, I pressed the option 'if you are thinking about leaving TalkTalk' then it asked if I was leaving TalkTalk because I was moving home, I clicked option 2 for no.

He did offer the mobile boost free for 3 months (same as new customers) but I can't remember now if he said with 3 months half price broadband.

I have a mobile contract to ring mobiles so wouldn't want/need the mobile boost, I would have preferred anytime calls (which is a cheaper boost) but he would not offer me it so it seems I would be best off accepting the 9 months half price broadband.

I wonder if I ring up again later whether I will be offered a different deal.

macman

'Fair' is not what it's about. TT is trying to maximise it's revenue, so the best deals will never be available to existing customers.

vicx

I think these extras/discounts (for new customers) should also be offered to existing customers renewing their contract for another 12 month.

My neighbour somehow got the anytime calls added to her package, there was no mention of her having to pay after 12 month, she also gets 1/2 price broadband. If they can offer this deal to one customer who is renewing their contract then they should also offer the same to other customers renewing their contract, it should be fair to all.

vicx

vicx wrote: »

I wonder if I ring up again later whether I will be offered a different deal.

I have phoned again today to see what deals I was offered for renewing my contract. This time I was offered a better deal. What I did not know is that the £6.50 charge on my bill is for the essentials call plan, not broadband. My broadband has always been free.

At first he offered £3.25 discount for 12 months (paying £17.75 per month instead of £21), I said I will think about it and look around at other providers.

I did mention that my neighbour somehow has free anytime calls boost and only pays £19 and he offered me the same deal or keep my existing plan with £5.25 discount for 12 months which I accepted so my monthly bill will be £15.75. It just goes to show you get offered different/better deals if you call back and speak to someone else but all existing customers renewing their contract should be treated fairly.

macman

Contracts do not get 'renewed', they never expire until such time as you give notice. So unless customers phone and request a better deal in return for a new minimum term contract, they will pay the same as they have before.

vicx

I know that. I have kept my contract rolling since 2009 and paid the same monthly bill, I have never wanted to be tied in to another 12 month by renewing contract in case of better deals with another provider. Providers offer deals for 'renewing' your contract for another 12 months but these deals should be fair to all existing customers, not one deal for one and a different one for another.

macman

Why should a customer committing for 12m not get a better deal than one who is on 30 days? Quid pro quo surely?
Deals are just that, freely negotiated and not standard. If someone is content to pay the 'full' rate because they can't be bothered to negotiate, then that is their prerogative.

vicx

It wasn't that I couldn't be bothered to renew and get a better deal, I was happy paying £21 to freely end my contract without a termination fee as I was no longer in contract. I have recently been looking around at other providers to see what deals are available at the moment and then contacted TalkTalk to find out what deals they can offer me for renewing for another 12 months. Yesterday I was only offered £3.25 discount for 9 months but today I was offered £5.25 discount for 12 months and a new router since mine is 3 - 4 years old and no longer under warranty.

macman

vicx wrote: »

It wasn't that I couldn't be bothered to renew and get a better deal, I was happy paying £21 to freely end my contract without a termination fee as I was no longer in contract. I have recently been looking around at other providers to see what deals are available at the moment and then contacted TalkTalk to find out what deals they can offer me for renewing for another 12 months. Yesterday I was only offered £3.25 discount for 9 months but today I was offered £5.25 discount for 12 months and a new router since mine is 3 - 4 years old and no longer under warranty.

Yes, because different people in retentions will have differing offers available, and those offers will depend on what is available at different times of the month (month end is invariably a better time to get a deal).
These are only offers-if you are not happy with them then ask for what you want and you may get it (equally, you may not).
Offers change almost daily, you cannot expect everyone to be offered the same deal, since those paying rack rates are subsidising the more savvy buyers.