Talk Talk - is it a scam?

Seanymph

My FIL is with Talk Talk.

Three times now (whilst he is still in contract to them) he has received a letter from them saying they are sorry he is leaving and he owes them £200 (or similar) for leaving early.

He calls them and says he hasn't asked to leave - they name a company he is going to. He phones the company, no, they have no record of him signing up.

Goes back to Talk talk who agree to waive the fee if he signs up for an extended period.

he signs up for the extended period.


Now three times is a lot, and he's starting to get really worry because he thinks someone is actually phoning talk talk and cancelling his contract to get at him.

I.m more inclined to think Talk Talk are doing this to make him sign up before his contract expires for a longer term - or get £200, either way they are onto a winner if they send out a letter to every third customer once a year....

Ok, so I'm cynical.

But is it something anyone has come across? My elderly FIL is in a right pickle over it. How could this be happening repeatedly to him? he can't afford the money to leave, but keeps getting signed up for additional years in order to avoid paying it.

macman

All he has to do is tell them that he doesn't want to leave and that any transfer request should be ignored.
It should be obvious from examining the letter if it is genuine or not. There is no fixed fee for an early termination, it depends on the tariff and the no. of months left in contract.

closed

as he never left, and phoned up about it, how can he owe a fee. his contract was never cancelled and should just carry on until the normal end date. if he has extended them, then its a good time to haggle the price down

Seanymph

He doesn't get a letter - internet searches reveal something called 'telephone slamming'.

Thank you both, but he has been hospitalised now across the christmas period with stress, talk talk say they have cancelled his contract and he is still receiving a telephone service but no broadband, it appears he may well be the victim of a scam but talk talk are not being at all helpful and he can't find who is now his service provider.

And of course no one will speak to anyone else about it!

I swear when they refuse to help people on the phone they have no idea of the damage they are causing.

Who can help? Is it a police matter?

Buzby

Not at all. The police have crimes to deal with. Slamming can be a scam, but more often incompetence, when an incorrect number is processed. As long as he is put back to the way his service was that is all he can hope for.

macman

TT cannot discuss his account with anyone else without his authorisation simply because of the Data Protection Act. Any other company would do the same.