Today’s ‘Live Chat’ with TalkTalk

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Just venting my spleen here. I've been looking for a new ISP – I've been paying TalkTalk about £45 pcm for ADSL (ridiculous I know) and was looking for better deals. Talk Talk have advertised a plan for 35Mb/s fibre and unlimited landline for £26.95. So I did the online live chat thing with them – my question was simple enough, if I take this deal will I retain my current email addresses and landline number, or will I be treated as a new customer. How long does it take to answer that? About an hour and a quarter it seems – not delays (the replies came reasonably quickly), just trying to sell me stuff, ignoring my question, enquiring about my pattern of internet usage &c &c. Then 'I have the ideal package for you Robin, £29.95'. But I see the same thing for £26.95 on your website I say. 'I can do that for you Robin as you are a valued customer' comes the reply. Wonderful! I'm a valued customer! Not like that price is on your website for all comers….

Spleen vented.

Robin

 

Edited By Robin Graham on 20/11/2019 02:03:24

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Robin

Hope you filled in the request for a copy of the Chat so you will have evidence of exactly what's been agreed, that company are not noted for good service, quite the opposite in many cases.

Emgee

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Amazing what these AIs can do these days…

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Did you check that fibre was actually available to your location? That is just one of the usual tricks to get you to sign, then find you can only get copper to within 10 miles. Are unlimited calls all day or just at weekends? Local, national or international? Duration of calls permitted (before they apply horrendous rates)? How long does this ‘low offer rate’ last – just the first 6 months of the contract? There are others. Beware!

I was with aol for several years before they took them over. Service went downhill after that and I am very glad I changed ISP. Current is cheaper than they are offering. Not the cheapest, but good reliable service.

We have been plagued with scam calls re ‘losing our phone line or broadband unless…’ ever since – because, I think, they either lost, gave away or sold our personal data.

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

We have been plagued with scam calls re ‘losing our phone line or broadband unless…’ ever since – because, I think, they either lost, gave away or sold our personal data.

No, they just have auto diallers generating numbers at random, playing a recorded message when/if it answers, and presumably connecting to a person if the call isn't quickly cleared down (I've never stayed on the line long enough to find out).

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Talking to Talk Talk is a nightmare nightmare. 18 month contract was due to expire and £20 service was going to rise to £30 for broadband and telephone only (Telephone is always added as an extra to "Standard Charge&quot SO OK, I'll become a new customer and have "Faster Fibre", cheaper than increase. A Telecoms person arrives to check installation as there seems to be a fault, NO fault at my end. Leaves a pinger in my socket to find other end, comes back to tell me that the Telecoms Box I'm connected to is incapable of receiving fibre. Heated (extended) argument followed via initially Karachi (Or wherever) and then transferred to Sarf Afrika with various music breaks and unfortunately in neither location was English, the speakers native language. Phone down and chill due to exasperation, problem eventually solved via keyboard and customer account link. New contract about same reduced price as before, still only 11m's but no probs.

Regards Ian.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by John Haine on 20/11/2019 10:06:30:

We have been plagued with scam calls re ‘losing our phone line or broadband unless…’ ever since – because, I think, they either lost, gave away or sold our personal data.

No, they just have auto diallers generating numbers at random, playing a recorded message when/if it answers, and presumably connecting to a person if the call isn't quickly cleared down (I've never stayed on the line long enough to find out).

Before that lot lost their data, calls were more ‘windows’ problems or general internet or BT – just guesses on the kit we might have. Since then the calls have almost always been assuming we have that crowd as our ISP.

And, no, we always leave the phone to ring several times before even thinking about answering it. Sometimes silently or sometimes saying hello. First will disconnect soon after, second wastes their time giving their message to the wall (it at least reduces their number of calls made to others, that way).

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Something that might help lessen the number of scam calls, and which I only found out about the other day, is a service included in my phone package – I'm with Plusnet, but I suspect it will work for BT customers as well as they are the same firm. Basically, if you get a scam call, put the phone down, dial 1572 and then press 1. This will add the scammer's number to a blacklist, and any calls from that number in future will just be directed to a voicemail.

Hope this helps someone.

Just had a look and it does work for BT – see here

Rob

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Grindstone Cowboy on 20/11/2019 17:33:13:

This will add the scammer's number to a blacklist, and any calls from that number in future will just be directed to a voicemail.

Would that be the scammer's real number or the fake that they are using?

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Whichever it is, it seems to work, I was getting a call every day around 11am about my Amazon Prime account (I don't have one) and these stopped as soon as I did the 1572 thing.

[John CParticipant @johnc47954]

Thread (continued) drift, but I got a Truecall unit free, gratis and for nothing through ( I think) Trading Standards. Takes few minutes to set up – they say you need an engineer but you don't – and once operational it requires human intervention to get a call to ring your phone ( press a number on your keypad). So all the robot diallers don't make it past the first fence. You can add your 'trusted numbers' to a list so they get straight through. I have to admit to being sceptical, but we have not had one scam call since I installed it. Gets my vote.

[Steve NeighbourParticipant @steveneighbour43428]

We dumped Talk Talk when they had the security breach . .

we're now with Sky (TV, Phone and broadband package) the continuity of service is better, and the TV is 100% better for picture quality etc, but any dealings with their customer 'non' service is a nightmare, wife and I both have mobile contracts with Vodafone, and they are NO better !!

It seems almost without exception the BIG utility providers all train at the same 'how to customers off' academy for customer service . .

[Author]

Posts