TalkTalk adding fee without notice

ferretlove

Hi all

I have been with TalkTalk on their "Essential broadband" for many years. In January I was desperate for a new phone number, I was forced to go to the police and get an incident number and luckily it all went well and I got my new phone number. Then in February there was a mysterious new fee on my bill. I paid landline in advance so the only thing that used to be on my bill was 15 something £ for broadband and a few £ for phone usage. Now since February there has been a new £7.50 fee for "TalkTalk Essentials" alongside the usual broadband charge and phone usage charge. I talked to them on the phone and they said they couldn't continue with my old broadband package because I had the new number. So I am on the same old package with an additional £7.50 per month. My question: Can they do this? At no point before, during or after the phone number change did they tell me that they would change my package and invent another fee. I was neither notified by letter or email. I do not even need the free evening and weekend calls because we hardly use the phone. I'm just really annoyed, here in rural Wales we get some of the slowest broadband for the highest price and now I pay even more.

Ulrike

macman

Essentials plus line rental should be all you are paying. Essentials includes broadband and the minimum call package, so it shouldn't be charged again. Are you sure that the billing doesn't cover the overlap period?

ferretlove

Thank you for your reply. I know that the package was called Essentials Broadband and included calls but it seems they do not have the package anymore and so apparently they couldn't keep me on this but they can also not strip the call package away from my broadband. It also appears as if they do not want customers now that are not on their network. All they offer now is Simply Broadband and if I want to order it, it tells me that they are not able to offer this service to me because my address is outside their network...

brewerdave

If you are not on TalkTalk full LLU services then there are MUCH cheaper alternatives from BT Wholesale resellers such as Plusnet.
HOWEVER, you are now stuffed as TT will claim that you are on a new contract from Jan. so you either stick with the expensive deal or accept whatever cancellation charges they will levy to move to a cheaper alternative.

macman

What exchange are you on then? If it is a non-LLU exchange for TT, then it's pointless having a TT service, as there is a surcharge for non-LLU. As above, a non-LLU provider such as Plusnet is the obvious choice, if no other LLU alternatives.
What you need is Simply Broadband at £2.50pm plus line rental.
Regardless of this, they can't bill you for the old tariff and the new, it makes no sense.

ferretlove

I did ask TalkTalk about when my contract will expire and they told me I am currently not in a contract.

If I went with Plusnet, broadband, landline and the International phone plan would cost £35. BT would charge £33/£34. BT and Plusnet also have a limit on how many minutes you can call abroad for free. TalkTalk at the moment would cost me marginally less at around £31/£32, even with the new £7.50 fee. In these sums I have not included any half price offers but paying line rental in advance for the whole year.

The problem for me is still that TalkTalk did not tell me that I would be put on a different and more expensive plan if they changed my phone number for me, I just don't find this right.

Our phone exchange is Rhydlewis and it says we only have ADSL, no SDSL, no LLU services.

macman

Tiny non-LLU exchange. There is normally a TT surcharge of £15 for non-LLU, why they have possibly applied only half of that is a question only they can answer.

jbuchanangb

As you are "not in a contract", I suggest you call their retentions/loyalty team and put it to them that you would like a better option, as you are thinking of changing supplier. I was on Essentials, and they immediately offered me Simply Broadband. If they don't offer that they might offer you a discount of some sort.

macman

Not in a contract? TT will presumably have placed the OP on a new minimum term starting from January.