Stuck between TalkTalk and BT
15-March-2010
*
* Your Gripe Gripe List Quick Gripe Comments Gripe Poll Resources Contact Us Advertise Home *
* prev
next *
 

Stuck between TalkTalk and BT

Leave a comment Leave a comment 
Related Gripes Related Gripes 
Random Gripe Random Gripe 
Feedburner Gripes by email 
 
 

I have just spent 8 hours on the phone to Talk Talk, and have probably spoken to more than 15 people, each contradicting what the last said, directing me to numbers which weren't what they were supposed to be, and departments which had no connection whatsoever to the 'options' had said they were.  As a previous message said - it was mostly people passing me on to somebody who 'might' be able to help me, and without exception the first sentence was, 'oh you've come through to the wrong department'.

In the process of repeating my details and my story over and over again, ploughing through 'options' which took me round in circles', and receiving nothing but complete nonsense and conflicting information every step of the way (you get my drift).  I have been reduced to tears and driven beyond endurance to yelling hysterically at people who just repeated the mantra 'you need to go back and speak to BT', when BT had said, 'you need to go back and speak to TalkTalk'.  There was obviously no communication between departments and nobody cared what anyone else had said, even when it was a complete contradiction to what they themselves were saying.

Stuck between TalkTalk and BT, a rock and a hard place...

banging one's head against a brick wall...

In some cases they talked to me as if I was a moron, in other cases I could barely understand a word they were saying.  Some of them were so loud that I had to hold the phone 6 inches away from my ear!  All in all, it was like banging one's head against a particularly hard and impenetrable brick wall.  I have compiled a list of notes and numbers and useless 'advice' covering 5 sheets of A4 paper, have crawled on the floor describing my modem 3 times, and know the complete works of Roger McGough inside out!  Half way through this message I got 'timed out', and had to log in again.

We have had very good value with TalkTalk's phone service, which we were very happy with.  It was when we agreed to the Broadband set up that the trouble started and I have to say that BT have not been much help either.  I have had three lots of conflicting information, and at the last try, the department I was supposed to be directed to (third time of being sent somewhere completely wrong), was 'having router problems, and could I try again tomorrow'.

We will be obliged to return to BT for our line rental, (when the Talk Talk package is much better) in order to get the line back so that we can regain our previous email address. Talk Talk said this would be possible, but omitted to inform us that our service, both phone and Internet would be abruptly cut off.  No instructions as to how to reinstate them, no welcome pack or CD.  Nothing was said about the incredibly confusing amount of reconfiguration we would have to do to redirect everything through IE and although one 'technician' helped me to access the Internet, as far as setting up the email, he said 'you'll have to do it yourself'. Only 24 different panels to go through.

WHY should I have to do it myself?  Nothing had been said about this.  Apparently the CD was supposed to take care of it for us semi-computer-literates, (I'll believe it when I see it), but we didn't get ours.  No warning that once they had 'taken over' our BT line, it would cost £241 for us to reinstate the line, and have TalkTalk take it over again.  A lady at BT took great pleasure in informing me of this. So should we change our minds during the first 30 days, as it says we can in the contract - yes they will uninstall the broadband, but we will than be left in limbo until (and if) we can get our BT line back.

When we were sold the broadband package, we were told it would all be seamless and trouble free.  Since we had been happy with the phone service, we believed them.  Har Har. (Oh, oops, just got 'timed out' again, and had to sign in again - and that bloody smiley sign, and the tongue sticking out, is driving me mad already).

Trying the broadband while we are waiting to cancel the whole thing, I find that apart from being repeatedly 'timed out', I can't access a long and important list of bookmarked sites, sometimes I can access my email, sometimes it comes in alphabetical order, going back to March 2007, so I have to scroll through 700 plus emails trying to spot the ones that came in most recently. That in itself is enough to drive me nuts, never mind the letters forming the 'smiley' and the 'tongue out' when I feel far from in a joking mood. I don't want to explore further, afraid of what I might find, or rather NOT find.

As we were given no prior warning of the reconfiguration we would have to do, when our service was cut off I didn't know what was happening, (it was more than a week before our supposed 'go live' date).  So I spent a further 2 hours at 5p a minute, on the phone to AOL trying, vainly of course to reconfigure our settings, until they let slip the tiny nugget of information that said, if we didn't have a BT line, we could no longer get ANY service from AOL. But TalkTalk have bought out AOL haven't they?  Some said, no, we're separate.  Others said yes.

The 'lady' at BT said no, TalkTalk HAVEN'T been collecting the line rental on your behalf from us during your time with them (the phone service which we've had for 18 months).  It's nothing to do with us, its the responsibility of Openreach, but Openreach won't speak to customers, they'll only speak to companies. Yet their website is plastered with BT logos. I asked her "if we haven't had a BT line all this time, how come we've been able to get AOL?".  She said she didn't know and that I'd have to ask them. Obviously couldn't care less, but does anybody?

I've wasted a day I can't afford to waste, have a headache, and still have resolved nothing. And they don't give a damn.  I'm guessing tomorrow will be the same, except as it's a Sunday they'll all be going home early. Just got 'timed out' again, I'm going to give up now...

By: Lynseybluegirl


Other Related Gripes

Getting a BT landline reconnected
BT took money when they shouldn't have
No Internet connection - help!
Frustrated by usless Internet Service Providers
TalkTalk connection and speed problems
BT broadband delay very frustrating
Talk Talk, problems getting online
Onetel email problems and customer service
An hour wasted on the phone to Sky
TalkTalk, yet another complaint
Random appointments with BT engineers
Great all round service from BT and Sky
TalkTalk problems driving me mad
BT phone number problems
Trouble getting Sky Broadband
BT Total broadband problems
Cancelling Tiscali Broadband
Why I dumped Talk Talk for BT
AOL helpline can be patronising
Call centre staff suffer abuse too
Oh no, not another Talk Talk gripe
PlusNet broadband problems
Talk Talk poor customer service
Broadband problems with Sky Plus





Visitor Comments

Please read this before you post

Enter your comments in the space below

Name or nickname


Remember my name



 
to the careline pendant fool. buy a mobile you leech on society.
*fuckoff  06-Mar-2010 07:51

 
A very similar thing happened to me- I wanted to change my phone number as I was getting nuisance call. BT said Talk Talk had my account so they had to do it, Talk Talk said BT had to do it. They refused to talk to each other. I was nearly screaming with frustration. went on for weeks. The solution? I got OfCom involved and received an apologetic letter from Talk Talk within a week. they changed my number.
*katiedee  02-Mar-2010 09:31

 
The reason Openreach have a BT logo is that they are one of the three BT companies which have to operate seperately BY LAW to avoid giving unfair advantage to the other BT companies over other service providers.
You have been dealing with BT Retail, the service provider. Openreach will only deal with service providers.
*BT Retail Business Broadband Technical Support Advisor  27-Oct-2009 22:46

 
LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) is the problem here. Any provider who uses LLU, will give you the same problems with BT. What this means is that the ISP (TalkTalk / Sky etc...) installs their own equipment into your local BT exchange. BT still owns the line to your house but it has been contracted out to the LLU provider - your ISP. The contract for that line is between BT and the LLU - you have no say in the matter as you are not the name on the contract with OpenReach, which is why they cannot talk to you. If you have a line problem, phone or internet, you MUST report this to your provider as they are the only ones who can do anything.

As for migrating your internet on a BT line, you just need to ask your ISP for a MAC (migration authority code) which will be valid for 30 days. There should be no cost for this provided your contract has been honoured eg 12 or 18 months. You then go to the new provider and give them the MAC code and you will be given a date of migration. This means that you may loose your connection at ANYTIME during that day and you will need to put your new details into your Dial-up connections or change the details in your router.

I only know of 1 ISP who offer a 1 month rolling contract for ADSL who are fantastic. They are not the cheapest but the services is superb. UK call centre as well!! I can't say who they are as I would be violating the posting terms but they are one of the companies listed on the ThinkBroadband compare site. http://www.thinkbroadband.com/isp/compare.html

Select up to 6 providers and then compare them. Phone their technical support departments before migrating to see what they are like. This makes for an easy life online in the long run.

Hope this helps.
*Flitchman  08-Oct-2009 13:27

 
Talk Talk and Carphone Warehouse have the worst customer service of any group of companies I have ever encountered. Staff are ill-informed, contradict each other and manage it all with supreme arrogance. BT aren't perfect and do mess things up from time to time but in the main they have been helpful and efficient on the many years I have used their services.
*BargainHunter  13-Sep-2009 13:51

 
Ihave been without a phone connection for over 24 hours now and as I need to wear a Careline pendant around neck because of heart problems and am disabled have just emailed Talk Talk and have received the following reply.....someone will reply to your email in....a few days...!!!
Meanwhile I have NO MEANS OF CONTACTING CARELINE / 999 / MY WIFE should the need arise......HELP..!!
*Ianmac  13-Sep-2009 11:51

 
COME BACK BT.................ALL IS FORGIVEN!!

After changing to talk talk, or shall I say trying to after nearly coming up to over 8 weeks, I still do not have my broadband or phone line on. Every time I have the pleasure of the wonderful - NOT customer service (how I recall you call this a service you provide is beyond me). Each time you telephone them, perhaps after at least 7 attemps, you either get cut off, put on hold for a further half an hour or so, or put back in the long dreaded que just for someone else to be more useless than the previous person. How these people are employed by you is absolutely rediculas, they are so rude, have no compasion for any customers, it is absolutely dreadful. however just how long does it take for you to transfer information from BT, and connect the internet and phone line, as I have now and still are coming up to the 8th week, and today being told that the line will be on on 29th July, and wait for it, you then have to wait another 2 weeks for the broadband to be put on........YIPEEEEEEEE..........that is if I ever ever get on broadband with stupid Talk Talk singing message you have to listen to for an hour each time you ring up. YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS INSTEAD, AS THE SERVICE IS DREADFUL, AND IF YOU DO NOT LOOK INTO THIS NOW, YOU WONT HAVE ANY CUSTOMERS LEFT, AS THE WORD I FIND GOING AROUND IS THAT THEY WOULD NOT EVER SUBSCRIBE WITH YOUR COMPANY.
*Marlene  21-Jul-2009 15:17

 
Been trying to change from talktalk to sky. I think the broadband companies deliberately make it a headache for people to switch broadband packages. Take talktalk for example, their power outages that effect consumers on a national scale for days on end are very common — had two in the space of 6 weeks, first screwed internet access for 3 days, second effected screwed in/out emails for 4 days and counting — then you have all the local issues that effect individual customers, almost every couple of weeks I will have a problem that takes several hours to fix. If switching was an easy process then during large scale failures they would be seeing mass migrations to other providers, or no one would be resigning after contract period is over, so what they do is make it a major hassle to switch knowing that apathy usually prevails and people won't be bothered. I genuinely think that there is a common understand amongst competing providers to keep it like that, if that was not the case then by now there would have been a provider whose main USP was ease of transfer or they would take care of the process for switchers.
*Moe  10-Feb-2009 11:53

 
Dear sirs/madam,
We changed to TALK TALK thinking that your service would be better the BT, What I didn't expect to find that the land line is now dead, everytime we ring a number we get "I am sorry but this number is not recognised".

I must stress that I am a carer to a disabled lady and she suffers from angina and epileptic fits, what am I to do if I cannot get in touch with an hospital and she dies? If she does I will hold you entirely responsible and I am going to see the citizens advice bureau about this because this getting no in or out coming calls is getting beyond the joke. We were promised that the lines would be back on two weeks ago this is the third week, how could you treat your customers like this?

My friend Geraldine ask me to write this letter on her behalf as we are getting nothing from the people on the receiving end. Also and finally that if our land line is not on before the next weekend we are going back on BT. Sorry but this is our only way to get a land-line

Yours
*Lena Scott  02-Dec-2008 20:11

 
I switched to Talk Talk & accepted their terms. Later I understood I was misled in the interpretation. Subsequently I switched back to BT and was charged accordingly.
The switch cost me both with BT & Talk Talk - however, I paid both Bills and have today received yet another Bill from Talk Talk

Can you help please?
*Helen  20-Nov-2008 18:46

 
I recently transferred back to BT from talk talk. The talk talk end of things went perfectly well but there was a problem with the transfer at the BT end. I don't really understand what happened but essentially it couldn't complete the process and got rejected by billing. This saga dragged on for 9 months. The only benefit was that I paid not line rental or call charges to anyone at all yet had a full service throughout. I won't go into detail as it would take me an eternity to type it out and it would be longer than "War & Peace".
I finally contacted the ombudsman to get it resolved as I was worried about getting a massive bill all in one go ( I was putting money aside each month just in case). Eventually, after they had failed, somebody gave me a number to call saying that it would guarantee to get it resolved. Cautiously I dialled it and when it was answered I heard the following "Good Afternoon Chairmans office, Janet speaking". I couldn't believe my luck. Janet was excellent and all the issues have now been resolved. I have not had to pay anything for that period of problems either as part of an apology from BT.
*Freddie  12-Nov-2008 15:50

 
openreach is part of the bt group but they are not the bt phone company so that's why the "lady" at bt can't help you, openreach only deal with telecom providers. Whenever talktalk take over a line now they make it their line only, which means that if you ever want to leave to a different provider who operates on the bt network an openreach engineer has to be booked up to put your line back to being recognised as a bt line again, openreach's charges are £130 if you go with bt, and it's not gauranteed you can keep the same number you had before. In short, if you join talktalk, they charge you £30 (which they won't tell you what it's for) to take over your line completely
Also if talktalk cut you off then because they can't start telephone line back up again, they will give you a number of a different telephone provider to do their work for them, plus because it was a talktalk line before there will be a charge to get that line started up again.

In short, if you're joining a provider who uses a bt line, ask them before you join if they keep the number as a recognised bt line, enabling you to transfer to different providers
*Roy (telecom provider worker)  12-Nov-2008 12:14


View more comments on this gripe


 
*   *
* © 2000-2009 The Weekly Gripe. All rights reserved. Please see our privacy policy and disclaimer.   Site Map *