New line install when I already have one

MCGONIS

Hi.

Hoping someone can answer a question. My brain is sore having spent hours online trying to sort a new deal.

I am with TalkTalk and have been for about 5 years. They took over from Plusnet on my line. I want to move as they keep putting the prices up.

When I try to sign up to Sky Broadband they say I have to pay £20 for an Openreach engineer to visit as my line is not compatible.

I tried EE broadband and they say it will be £60 reduced to £30 for a new line.

Plusnet want £49.99 for a new line installation.

SSE tells me I cannot even apply on-line and to call them as they cannot detect a telephone line.

I want to apply on-line as Quidco offer some good deals to bring the overall cost down with their cashback.

So inputting my telephone number and postcode to the 4 providers I have mentioned above gives me these results.

They only broadband provider I have tried that does not want a new line charge is the Post Office broadband.

I thought as my line "was" a BT line then things would be straight forward, but am really confused now why simply moving your provider results in an installation charge of some sort. Like I say it has been 5 years since I moved and previously I just got a MAC code and there was no extra charges.

Any help would be very appreciated.

Pramilla

Perhaps all these people have done you a favour by giving you uphill now BEFORE YOU deal with them. For the past two months I've tried to save money switching various providers. Nothing was pain-free but the worst impact on me was EE which I cancelled today after contracting with them last week by telephone. I spent ages explaining to the woman that I had a landline and was in fact calling her from it and I wanted to keep my number for very important reasons. The confirming email a few minutes later said exactly the opposite of what she assured me - it said I had told them I have no working landline and that they are therefore going to give me a new line and number. Frantic calls to them and long waits in queues resulted in answers that they could do nothing until I was on the system which I apparently wasn't despite the email. Next day I called to be told, again after huge waits, that it was too late and I'd have to wait UNTIL AFTER I HAD THE NEW NUMBER THEN CALL THEM THE NEXT DAY TO CHANGE. Stupid or what. Today I had letters from my current landline (BT) saying they were going to re-allocate my number and my line and from EE to say they were giving me a new line and number. I spent an hour in phone queues, one after the other, missed an hour of work, to ensure they cancelled the contract. Imagine if my poor old mum or her carer tried to call from thousands of miles away only to find they were speaking long-distance to some stranger. EE sucks, big time.

Pramilla

BTW - I tried the "painless" switching online through a switching service to SSE for my fuel. Another customer services nightmare. Of which more another time. Beware. They're quick to grab your custom and when you're a potential punter they're nice as pie. Try getting hold of them when you want to sort something out or get clarification or make corrections.........................

brewerdave

@MACGONIS - Very simply, sounds like your TalkTalk line is being supplied via TT's "own" equipment in the exchange -they don't physically give you a new line but there is engineering work within the exchange to change you over,either to Sky's kit , or BT Wholesale kit in the case of Plusnet. So there is an associated charge for BT Openreach engineering time.:(
If you were already on BT Wholesale kit then a change to another BTW supplier such as Plusnet would be free -or its likely that a switch to TT/Sky equipment would lead to the new ISP absorbing the cost as they would have you as a contracted customer.:)

Owain_Moneysaver

It's because suppliers can't necessarily see other suppliers' own lines, as Brewerdave says.

TalkTalk couldn't find the existing Sky line, but when I enquired about moving to SSE (Scottish Hydro here) from TalkTalk I phoned them up and they either could see the line, or understood that the Openreach would be able to switch it over, without a 'new line' charge.

In some cases you won't be able to 'port' your number over though.

There is a MSE blagged offer for Sky at the moment.

[Deleted User]

If anybody has a code and decides that they don't want to use it, I would be happy to use it for them" (No codes left at 1700). :sad:

TalkTalk

Hi McGonis,

As brewerdave and Owain MoneySaver both correctly assumed this is to do with how the service is supplied (a lot has changed in telecoms in the last 5 years, particularly from a technology perspective)

Our customers service is supplied by our own equipment in the exchange. As such it doesnt appear on the BTWholesale databases, which is what most online checkers are connected to. It is possible to migrate directly from one LLU supplier to another, but this requires the correct orders being placed to Open Reach (and MPF to MPF migrate for anyone interested in the techy side) rather than the traditional take over orders.

MACs are becoming less and less used due to these changes. A MAC allowed you to move services from one BTW supplied company to another. AS nothing physical actually changed the MAC process prevented unsolicited or erroneous supplier changes. However with more and more ISP's using LLU technology, which requires some physical engineer work in the exchange to move the line, MACs are no longer necessary in many cases.

Cheers

Mark

Pincher

EE?

The problem with allocating a temporary telephone number is, that is the Primary Key for the account, and the computers, of which there are many, keep failing every order you ring up to do, because the restoring of the old number is only on one system.

They will not believe it, and it's only when the order fails at least twice, that they ask around the other idiots.

It took me about three months, before a John in Technical Support referred it much higher, and found an "expert" who could go in and sort it out manually. Apparently, the expert just sits with them, but never talks to customers.