Talkmobile PAYG closing down

mobilejunkie

Very true. They ignore their complaints proceedure, presumably because they know most customers will give up and the Ombudsman is there to protect them, not the customer. The Ombudsman doesn't even HAVE a complaints proceedure.

Castle

pmduk wrote: »

All networks will do deadlock letters, however you need to go through the formal complaints procedure first and a frontline CS advisor may not be trained about them (though it doesn't say much for the co concerned.)

I've made 3 complaints to Orange/EE over the years and never once received a deadlock letter; I simply waited 8 weeks and then lodged a complaint with CISAS or Ombudsman Services.

pmduk

Possibly the network hadn't considered you to have reached the end of their complaints procedure. Once 8 weeks is up there's no need to wait for a deadlock letter. It's 8 weeks or a deadlock letter whichever comes first.


Both CISAS and Ombudsman Services:Communications are companies set up to provide Alternative Dispute resolution services to the industry. In my experience they both take a strict contractual line, ie have both sides stuck to the letter of the contract. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective) they're the only protection a consumer has as Ofcom doesn't deal with individual complains.

mobilejunkie

I disagree. After two complaints to CISAS and one to Ombudsman Services both networks completely ignored my complaints beforehand. Nothing to do with them considering they had reached the end of what was a non-existant procedure in practice. As for the ombudsman, three complaints to Ombudsman Services for Talkmobile and two energy suppliers showed they were there to protect the companies, not the customer. CISAS on two occasions seemed to make the companies jump immediately and concede to all my demands without argument. My conclusion is that CISAS actually do their job properly and therefore companies finally respond, whereas Ombudsman Services are a company in themselves and a complete joke.

pmduk

Ofcom over the last 2-3 years have been pressurising companies in the industry to take complaints more serously and there have been warnings and fines where firms have been deemed to not be doing enough to record complaints and deal with them. (Remember Vodafone was fined £925,000 last Oct for it's poor complaint handling process.) I can assure you that lesson was heeded well by many other companies in the industry with staff attending mandatory complaint handling briefing sessions.


I can't comment on Ombudsman Services; its a few years since I've had dealings with them. Where there's been a doubt that we'd lose a CISAS case we'd uphold the complaint before it got there, after all, that's better customer service.


Ofcom regularly visit companies to ensure that complaints are being handled properly not just looking at stats but listening to calls and interviewing managers/staff.

mobilejunkie

Not my experience multiple times. I'll believe it when it happens. You may have meetings, but you also have a complaints procedure which I have repeatedly found is generally ignored - in particular by EE and Talkmobile (recent).

pmduk

I've worked for neither network, remember Talkmobile are now part of Vodafone and as such their parent co received that huge fine last Oct. If they're still ignoring complaints Ofom would be very interested.

lofielectronic

Only found out about this today when trying to add credit to my fathers phone, which he very rarely uses. He didn't know anything about it, and I wasn't told about it, only it was mentioned during the call that I had until the end of the month to top up - asking what that meant I learned of the services end.

Was lucky they had a fault that prevented me adding credit as at least its saved me wasting that money.

pmduk

lofielectronic wrote: »

Was lucky they had a fault that prevented me adding credit as at least its saved me wasting that money.

I think they've switched off the top-up facility rather than there being a fault.

gwapenut

Has anyone taken up the new vodafone sim yet? What is the nature of the offer ... comes with a £10 bundle, or comes with £10 that does not need to be used on a bundle?