Beware of TalkTalk

This message is for anyone who is still foolish enough to be tempted by
TalkTalk's "Broadband Forever" package. In my case it seems to be
"Broadband Never"!! I signed up to this package in April and my
line rental was transferred from BT to TalkTalk on the 4th May with the
promise of Broadband "going live" on the 12th May. They began charging
me £20.99/month from the line transfer date (4th May). A few days
after signup I was contacted by TalkTalk for a MAC code so that they
could begin migrating my ADSL service to them. This was supplied the
same day via email and confirmed with a telephone call. However, they
failed to start my broadband on the promised date. When I contacted
them they promised that I would be connected in a few days -again they
failed. Several phone calls and several promises later (not to mention
the countless hours wasted in calling queues often being cut off before
getting the chance to speak to someone) I eventually discovered that
they had not used the MAC code that I had supplied and had to obtain
another because the initial one had expired - one month had already
elapsed!! Once, again I obtained a MAC code and supplied it to TalkTalk
that very day. Around ten day later I was contacted by TalkTalk to
advise me that the migration would occur on the 8th of June and was
told that I would be receiving my username, password and modem in the
post in a few days. The service was eventually migrated on the 9th June
at around 9am. I can be sure of the time because I was working from
home at that time transferring some files to the office when my
internet died. After sitting in TalkTalk's calling queue for the best
part of an hour I was able to confirm that the migration at started.
However, in their wisdom TalkTalk had decided to start the migration
before generating my username and password let alone sending them
together with the promised modem!!! So here I sat with my new ADSL
service and I couldn't use it because I had received no login details
and no equipment. Well I already owned an ADSL modem/router so all I
would need is the appropriate parameters to set this up for their
service and I should be able to obtain these together with the other
details in a quick phone call - or so you'd think! I sat on the
phone for another hour in TalkTalk's calling queue only to be told
that TalkTalk don't support equipment other than their own modem and
that it takes at least 48hours to generate the username and password!!!
I had to get a bit stroppy with the support guy and insist that he put
me through to his manager to resolve this situation. However, it still
took two further calls (and much wasted time in calling queues before I
was given the required information). And guess what it didn't work
and it still doesn't - I've been without any broadband service
since 9am on the 9th July (that's almost 10 days already and I still
haven't received anything in the post). In spite of several phone
calls to their support line (and several very long and heated
discussions - I'm normally quite calm and rational) I still have no
broadband access. So far I have determined that my router is correctly
configured and that I am accessing their server with my login details
but my accesses are being rejected for some reason that they can't
explain. I don't think the support staff at TalkTalk have a clue
about what they are doing or how to fix this problem. Almost everyone
I've spoken to seems more eager to get you off the phone than resolve
the problem. They often try to fob you off with nonsense pseudo
technical excuses (I know its nonsense because I'm an IT
professional) or they promise to arrange a call back but it rarely
happens. Another trick is to pretend to transfer you to another
department or colleague and in the process "accidentally" cut you
off but this is not funny when you've already sat in a calling queue
for an hour or more waiting to speak to someone. I am totally fed up of
this company - how they hope to compete with BT offering a service
like this is beyond me. In desperation, I emailed their chairman last
week hoping to expedite a solution but the only thing that solicited
was an automated email response. So there we have it - no broadband
for 10 days and no prospect of a solution - and I'm paying for the
privilege. Why don't I just leave them you may ask? Well they say
that they will charge me £70 for terminating the contract early and it
would take a further 16 days to issue me a MAC code to enable me to
transfer the ADSL service that I don't have to another company!!!!!
All I can say is "Beware of TalkTalk" - rubbish does do them
justice.

On 18 Jun 2006 22:29:33 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>This message is for anyone who is still foolish enough to be tempted by
>TalkTalk's "Broadband Forever" package.

<snip the rest except for this statement:>

"They often try to fob you off with nonsense pseudo
technical excuses (I know its nonsense because I'm an IT
professional)"


Hmm, no Broadband for several weeks and still counting; that really is a pain
in the backside. However in this sorry saga I could not help noticing that you
are an IT professional - as such why on earth did you want to move to TalkTalk
in the first place? And more importunately, move your line rental to them? I
shudder to think how you would resolve losing you voice service.

David Bradley

"David Bradley" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 18 Jun 2006 22:29:33 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
>>This message is for anyone who is still foolish enough to be tempted by
>>TalkTalk's "Broadband Forever" package.
>
> <snip the rest except for this statement:>
>
> "They often try to fob you off with nonsense pseudo
> technical excuses (I know its nonsense because I'm an IT
> professional)"
>
>
> Hmm, no Broadband for several weeks and still counting; that really is a
> pain
> in the backside. However in this sorry saga I could not help noticing that
> you
> are an IT professional - as such why on earth did you want to move to
> TalkTalk
> in the first place? And more importunately, move your line rental to
> them? I
> shudder to think how you would resolve losing you voice service.
>
> David Bradley
>
You could go for a breach of contract as TalkTalk have not honoured their
side of the contract. The cancellation fee is just scaremongering and can
not legally be enforced.

"ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:e75isq$n8p$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "David Bradley" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> On 18 Jun 2006 22:29:33 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>
>>>This message is for anyone who is still foolish enough to be tempted by
>>>TalkTalk's "Broadband Forever" package.
>>
>> <snip the rest except for this statement:>
>>
>> "They often try to fob you off with nonsense pseudo
>> technical excuses (I know its nonsense because I'm an IT
>> professional)"
>>


IT professional ? I don't think you are or you would not even have given any
thought of signing up to TalkTalk.

I am IT amateur and even I know you get what you pay for, in the case of
TalkTalk broadband is free.

In article <4496601d$0$1219$(E-Mail Removed)>, It's Me says...
>
> "ABC" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:e75isq$n8p$(E-Mail Removed)...
> >
> > "David Bradley" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> > news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> On 18 Jun 2006 22:29:33 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> >>
> >>>This message is for anyone who is still foolish enough to be tempted by
> >>>TalkTalk's "Broadband Forever" package.
> >>
> >> <snip the rest except for this statement:>
> >>
> >> "They often try to fob you off with nonsense pseudo
> >> technical excuses (I know its nonsense because I'm an IT
> >> professional)"
> >>
>
>
> IT professional ? I don't think you are or you would not even have given any
> thought of signing up to TalkTalk.
>
> I am IT amateur and even I know you get what you pay for, in the case of
> TalkTalk broadband is free.
>
>
>
seems like quite a few people had the same first impression that I did.

If the OP is "an IT professional" then I wouldn't employ him. The Talk
Talk scheme has so many potential problems associated with it (namely
how do you fund a functional broadband offering at zero cost to the
consumer?) that someone who can't spot that isn't much of an IT person
in my eyes.

You get what you pay for. If you pay nothing, you can't expect Zen
standards of service or competence. I certainly wouldn't trust my IT
requirements to someone who takes gambles on their own services, and
ends up losing, or does not think that quality is worth paying for.

> If the OP is "an IT professional" then I wouldn't employ him.

Usually the people who have to tell you they are an 'IT Professional' are
the last people you want to allow to have access to your pc !!. Usually
they tell you they have MSCE as well.

Dave