TalkTalk new user an unhappy experience

watchdog2003

Today is service connection day. Connect all cables, turn on pc and insertCD follow automatic setup. No internet light on router, no service activationpossible.

Phone TalkTalk support; satisfy phone number requested because of no phoneline agrees to mobile phone text service. That says testing line may take onehour. Get a text that says line test ok please use this number for support. Callfrom my mobile support. An Irish person nearly as intelligible as BT Indianservice say need to do a line test pleases hold. Line test is completed youraccount is no activated. I say this is possible the result of no internetservice. I tell operator that Microsoft diagnostics says Error 651 The modem orother device reports an error. The Irish call centre staff appears difficult toapprehend that the router might have a fault. I suggest they send anotherrouter. Cannot do that the first slot for an engineer is 24 March 2013. I saidthat suggested 20 minutes connection time after two-hour attempt is not a verygood service. Sorry says Irish operator here the call is terminated.

If MSE think this is a good recommendation for a new customer then sadly forme I do not agree. This is disappointing especially as I made a purchase as agift in the home of my three grandchildren.

AJG88_2

I'm seeing alot of these unhappy TT customers and I was/am one of them.

I think we should collate all our bad experiences and send them all to watchdog. Maybe then MSE will stop endorsing TT who are the UK's leader in complaints to the regulator.

penrhyn

AFAIK Talk Talk is only recommended as being cheap, they only have a 38% positive result for customer service and a quick scan of the internet forum will throw up many tales of woe.
The MSE site makes money from sponsored links.

System

I joined TT when their founder announced "Free Broadband Forever" and I still have all the correspondence/bumf from those days. During my time with them, of course I have had issues, and found that making them known on TalkTalk's forum, helped no end. Their OCE's will do all they can to assist.

Having said that, recently I lost both internet and phone connection so the TT forum was out of my reach. My only means of speaking to them was via a mobile and their wretched 0871 numbers, plus the time lapse of speaking to some distant country and hoping your adviser is speaking good English and finally hoping there won't be too many "will you hold on please" requests.

So, whilst things are running smooth, it's fine, but hiccups are a different matter.

My two weeks of no connection brought with it endless texts informing me when I could expect a resumption of service which never transpired.

I spotted a BT Openreach up a pole near our house who was reluctant to help as my problem was not on his "ticket". Later that day, he came to our house and informed me that several people had had their connections lost due to damage cause by rain/gales and mine was one of them. He did whatever was necessary and I gained service.

TT were not responsible for my service being re-installed, it was me talking to the engineer.

Fifteen pounds compensation for loss of service and two months free line rental followed, but I requested more and they added another five pounds.

and finally, I am of the opinion that when there is a loss of connection, users of BT are given priority over third party providers, ie orange, TT

macman

islandman wrote: »

I joined TT when their founder announced "Free Broadband Forever" and I still have all the correspondence/bumf from those days. During my time with them, of course I have had issues, and found that making them known on TalkTalk's forum, helped no end. Their OCE's will do all they can to assist.

Having said that, recently I lost both internet and phone connection so the TT forum was out of my reach. My only means of speaking to them was via a mobile and their wretched 0871 numbers, plus the time lapse of speaking to some distant country and hoping your adviser is speaking good English and finally hoping there won't be too many "will you hold on please" requests.

So, whilst things are running smooth, it's fine, but hiccups are a different matter.

My two weeks of no connection brought with it endless texts informing me when I could expect a resumption of service which never transpired.

I spotted a BT Openreach up a pole near our house who was reluctant to help as my problem was not on his "ticket". Later that day, he came to our house and informed me that several people had had their connections lost due to damage cause by rain/gales and mine was one of them. He did whatever was necessary and I gained service.

TT were not responsible for my service being re-installed, it was me talking to the engineer.

Fifteen pounds compensation for loss of service and two months free line rental followed, but I requested more and they added another five pounds.

and finally, I am of the opinion that when there is a loss of connection, users of BT are given priority over third party providers, ie orange, TT

Completely wrong. BT users are customers of BT Retail, a totally different company to BT OR. BTR have the same relationship to OR as do any other telcom. BT OR are not allowed to prioritise BTR. Yet still this myth persists. The delay is usually caused by the poor quality CS at TT and Orange resulting in failure or delays in logging a fault with BT OR.

System

So that's told me!

Gordon_Hose

It's not true. If you took connection with BT you'd be up and running in a week to 10 days. If you took connection with another provider it could be months.

I tested the theory out when I was considering moving to Talk Talk. I started an order with TT and BT, Talk Talk was 3 months to connection and BT was 7 days!

Go figure.

macman

That tell you more about TT than about OR though.

Gordon_Hose

It's not TT/Brightsparks that sort the connection out at the exchange/cabinet though.

AJG88_2

penrhyn wrote: »

AFAIK Talk Talk is only recommended as being cheap, they only have a 38% positive result for customer service and a quick scan of the internet forum will throw up many tales of woe.
The MSE site makes money from sponsored links.

Define cheap..... average bill over my 10 months i have been in contract is £302 a month, this does include the contract breakage fee because they were cheap and most definetly not value for money. Along with them illegally taking payments and not resolving complaints within their complaints procedure.

I understand that MSE makes money from sponsered links, but surely MSE should make people aware that there is some very well known issues with that sponser. I see nothing negative in TT add in the latest news letter

"Ends Thu. Unlimited b'band & line rent equiv £7/mth (BT line alone £15). MSE Blagged. Pay £114/yr upfront TalkTalk line rent, then get its Essentials package* for broadband (avail to 85% of UK) + eve/wknd calls for £3.25/mth (half usual £6.50/mth), PLUS a £70 voucher. Factor the voucher as cash and it's £83/yr; equiv to £7/mth."

Sounds like a deal too good to miss... LETS SIGN UP NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE I WONT BOTHER LOOKING UP TALKTALK AS ITS URGENT ENDS TODAY PLUS MSE ARE ADVERTISING IT SO IT MUST BE GOOD!

Gordon_Hose

Although there are problems for a lot of people, there may well be many many others who are happy. Good news rarely gets reported anyway.

MSE have no first hand experience with any of the products, so couldn't state anything as fact. MSE wouldn't want to open themselves up to a libel case by reporting mis-information posted by loads of irate internet users, who, if I'm honest, probably blow a lot of what they say out of proportion.

It's down to the consumer to investigate any potential issues, and TBH, you'll find issues for every single ISP out there. If you were to take it all as gospel no-one would take up broadband.