TalkTalk moving home scam

robmar0se

Moving home when you have TalkTalk is a real scam. A friend has 6 months left on the contract, TalkTalk want either £160 to leave early, or a new 18 month contract, there is apparently no other option. Further Ofcom appears to condone this sharp practice.

So the lesson to learn is not to renew or take out a 18 month contact if you are thinking of moving home, or don't use TalkTalk.

We all know that TalkTalk customer service is one of the worst in the business, plus there are many other service providers better, for not much more.

For Example, Plusnet, has better UK customer service, and gives clients the option of either extending the contract by 12 months or paying £50 when moving home. Rather move reasonable.

JJ_Egan

Cost me more than £50 to end a Plusnet contract .

kwikbreaks

What scam?

New premises = Openreach charges to disconnect old one and to connect the new one. That's why it's a new contract. No ISP is a charity. Don't like it cancel and pay the disconect charge then take a different ISP who likely as not will want at least a year and probably 18 month contract to ensure they recover the Openreach charges.

robmar0se

kwikbreaks wrote: »

What scam?

New premises = Openreach charges to disconnect old one and to connect the new one. That's why it's a new contract. No ISP is a charity. Don't like it cancel and pay the disconect charge then take a different ISP who likely as not will want at least a year and probably 18 month contract to ensure they recover the Openreach charges.

Obviously you must be a TalkTalk friend or employee. So you think the option of £160 or a insisting on a new 18 month contract is fair!!!!

Whereas a fairer solution if you wanted to keep a customer happy would be to charge simply for the cost of moving the link at the exchange, which unless you missed the point is what Plusnet actually offers.

Talkalk practices are sharp, I recently followed up on their advertised mobile offers, until I read the small print was not what it seemed.

Another scam of theirs was the 7 day cooling off period, now thank heaven 14 days (by law) - often the contract/router arrived after the 7 days, wherein TalkTalk refused to cancel.

TalkTalk are upto all the scams to the disadvantage of less wary consumers. After all one of the objectives of MSE is to inform folks about the "scams" that retailers such as TalkTalk get upto.

shaun_from_Africa

Wow, that was quick.

robmar0se wrote: »

Obviously you must be a TalkTalk friend or employee.

It normally takes at least half a dozen posts before someone who doesn't agree with a post accuses that poster of working for the company concerned.

John_Gray

If you think this is a scam rather than a business practice which matches their contract terms, you should suggest that your friend takes TalkTalk to the Small Claims court, preferably getting professional advice first.

He may find that the advice he is given is to "read the small print", however 'unfair' this may appear to be in some circumstances.

Many ISPs have very similar clauses - have a hunt round!

George_Michael

robmar0se wrote: »

. Further Ofcom appears to condone this sharp practice.

Or maybe Ofcom don't consider it a "sharp practice" but think it is a fair term that enables internet providers to recoup the cost of setting up the service.

robmar0se wrote: »

So the lesson to learn is not to renew or take out a 18 month contact if you are thinking of moving home, or don't use TalkTalk.

No. The lesson is to ensure that you read the terms and conditions of a contract before agreeing to that contract.

Sparx

OP you and/or your friend seem rather ignorant.

You have a contract for services at your current address, you are now breaking this to move home, which isn't TT's fault.

TT will incur various charges to set you up at your new home. As a result they wish to impose a new 18 month contract. This seems reasonable to help recoup their costs by securing your business.

In an ideal world service companies try to break even at least by the end of the customer's contract, if not begin to profit (they are a business).

Considering TT are a budget brand (hence the poor customer service) I imagine their profit margins are very slim.

RumRat

Sparx wrote: »

OP you and/or your friend seem rather ignorant.

You have a contract for services at your current address, you are now breaking this to move home, which isn't TT's fault.

TT will incur various charges to set you up at your new home. As a result they wish to impose a new 18 month contract. This seems reasonable to help recoup their costs by securing your business.

In an ideal world service companies try to break even at least by the end of the customer's contract, if not begin to profit (they are a business).

Considering TT are a budget brand (hence the poor customer service) I imagine their profit margins are very slim.

Not completely right. TT's costs will be minimal to change the address and connect up to the new address (All done online and using the same router). If they did this for a small fee and carried on the 6 months left on the contract, they would still recoup their costs. If they did this then they would probably keep the custom at the end of the contract.
What the OP is objecting to is being held to ransom to sign up for a ridiculously long contract and not being allowed to just continue with the contract he already has, albeit at another address.

Sparx

Openreach will charge TT for the new connection and engineer work required at the exchange. I agree to an extent, maybe a £50 fee would be more realistic or a 12 month contract.

Terry98

The basic TT broadband contract is 12 months so the OP must have had a free tv box or similar for a 24 month contract.

I have recently moved and was a bit upset about having to start a new 12 month contract. However from what has been said here I now understand TT will will not recoup the charges they pay to Openreach from my new contract........£4.25pm for 12 months and free calls evening and week ends.