help anyone else having problems with talktalk and ex-directory?

nonny27

:mad:

Has anyone else had problems with talktalk and being ex-directory.

We joined talk talk last may (06) and stated that we wanted to remain ex-directory as we had been so with BT. There are very good reasons for us remaining this way. As someone who is a worry wart I check every now and again to make sure that our address and phone number are not on any of the on-line directories and can be sure that 6 months after joining them we were not on 192.com or any of the other sites.

However following the upgrade of my line in march this year my number appeared on 192.com nearly a year after joining. I was only made aware of this when I recieved a phone call from someone asking if I was their sister and that they had got my details from 192.com. This happened in May so I looked on 192.com and low and behold there I was full first name etc. I contacted talk talk straight away and had it removed and thought nothing more of it, however this week I recieved my BT phonebook and yes you've guessed it I am in it full first name not just intitial etc. This has happened to my parents to and I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem after having their line upgraded.

If you have I would be grateful if you could tell me and also ask if anyone can offer any help on what i can do as we are now facing moving home. To add insult to injury talk talk offered us £20 as a goodwill gesture I would like to say I told them where to put it. I'm sure this can't just have happened to my parents and me. I would also suggest if you were ex-directory before your upgrade you check to see if you still are.

A very peeved nonny27

:wall:

Bob_D_2

I've just discovered that my ex-directory number has been released by the incompetent morons at TalkTalk.... and I'm not happy about it either. I had a good decade with BT managing to keep my number a secret and a couple of years with TalkTalk when I moved my account to them....BUT all of a sudden my number has appeared in the book. It seems that when TalkTalk took over the provision of the telecoms equipment at the exchange (a process known as LLU -Local Loop Unbundling....or should it be Local Loop Bungling) although the technical changeover went sort of ok for some reason TalkTalk failed to carry across the information about who was ex-directory, though what this account admin information has to do with swapping wires about is beyond me as a competent engineer !! Presumably anyone who was previously ex-directory and has been "unbundled" will have also been exposed to the White Pages, 192.com and every bu99er at the 118 telephone number factories. And yes they offered me £20 quid to keep quiet too, and its joined your £20 quid up Mr Dunstone's nether regions.

What made me reall angry was when the supervisor I demanded to speak to asked if I'd like her to put my account back to ex-directory.......:mad: what a stupid freakin question..... then she told me she couldn't change it without my permission :mad::mad::mad:!!!! So I asked why it had been changed without my permission in the first place...... I'm still savoring the silence.

I'm presuming that if this has been an administrative !!!! up throughout the whole LLU process then Ofcom ought to be showing some interest..... so I feel duty bound to snitch.:D

deklan99

We now appear twice in the new phone book with different phone numbers. Talktalk kept our old number when we escaped back to BT. By default in Talktalks online "Your Account" pages there is a radio button ticked giving permission if you want entered in the phone book. We could never get it unticked as the server was always borked (no surprise). Forgot all about it until new book came out and hey presto two entries.

Ypaymore

Complain to Ofcom. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/landline/company/other/

Bob_D_2

Ypaymore wrote: »

Complain to Ofcom. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/landline/company/other/

Thanks, I had that in mind and I'm also wondering whether TalkTalk have committed a sin under the data protection act !!

Ypaymore

Bob_D wrote: »

Thanks, I had that in mind and I'm also wondering whether TalkTalk have committed a sin under the data protection act !!

I guess the Information Commissioner would be interested.;)

http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/forms/ico-datap-how2comp-form.pdf

DS-2

Has anyone heard anything with regards their TalkTalk Ex-Directory complaint?

I've recently written to them regarding the same issue, so I'm waiting with baited breath for their reply.

Incidentally, I recently left TalkTalk to go back to BT. During my 'Good-Bye' call to TalkTalk they said I was in an 18 month contract - which I wasn't. From what I was able to fathom, they were saying my 18 month contract began at the same time they had updated the exchanges with their equipment. Clearly I wasn't in such a contract, so they couldn't pin the £70 fee on me. It looks like their telephone exchange modernisation caused at least 2 problems - resetting the start date of the 18 month contract and causing ex-directory details to be published.

I'm glad to be shut of them.

nonny27

I thought I would give an up to date account of what has happened since my first post...hmmmm...nothing!

I have written to Talktalk three times now and have still failed to recieve a response. I have also spoken to Ofcom who have told me that I should contact Oteleo - I think thats how it's spelt - as Talktalk are indeed in breach of the data protection act. So I'm doing just that. I'll repost if and when I get any info.

Also anyone who's interested should contact Watchdog (BBC) as they are interested in researching this following several complaints.

sheppie1uk

To my horror I also discovered last night that I am on all the online directories and in the telephone directory (hard copy).

DS-2

nonny27 wrote: »

Also anyone who's interested should contact Watchdog (BBC) as they are interested in researching this following several complaints.

BBC ran this issue on 28th April 2008 http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/services/services_20080428.shtml

I'm still pursuing my complaint.

DS-2

DS-2 wrote: »

BBC ran this issue on 28th April 2008
I'm still pursuing my complaint.

It took about a year, but I was awarded £200 by the Ombudsman. TT had offered £50.

The service provided by the Ombudsman was, in my view, poor. Maybe they have a resource issue.