TalkTalk "because they want to get better at what they do" ?

Hope this is the correct place to put this post as I see the TalkTalk segment is for Broadband only.

There should be some sort of medal for customers who have not left TalKTalk or [more like] their customers should have SUCKER tattooed on their foreheads.
I have just a home phone account with them; I transferred my broadband to Newnet/Timico a good few years back as the TT service was diabolical. I keep meaning to change but life keeps getting in the way. Since the latest hacking episode TalkTalk have blocked me from seeing or managing my account on line - which is a breach of contract. I agreed to lower charges in exchange for my being able to view and download my bills online etc.
I wasted [as usual] 45 minutes 10 days ago getting a promise from them to post me my last 3 months accounts for which they wanted to charge me £2 although they eventually agreed to waive the charge. They refused to email them. I still have not received them. Is it a good time right now [before Christmas] to change my provider? Needless to say my landline and Broadband are vital to us as we are rural. I am looking at Zen and IDnet.

All experience from others most welcome especially updating email addresses to the new IP simply and quickly.

What is it that TalkTalk "DO" anyway? They are brilliant at obfuscation.

Now with a correct link!

You should be fine starting the change now - it will not happen until early January. Once you have agreed with the new provider that you wish to change then both gaining and losing suppliers should write to you confirming it and giving the estimated day of transfer. With holidays over the next two weeks the date will easily be in January.

OFCOM - http://ask.ofcom.org.uk/help/telephone/switch_landli...

Edited by MHC (Fri 18-Dec-15 12:34:37)

In reply to a post by headscratcher:

What is it that TalkTalk "DO" anyway? They are brilliant at obfuscation.

Provide phone, broadband, and TV services? I thought this bit was pretty clear.

Are you happy with Timico?

If so there are several CPs who will supply your phone service much cheaper than the two you mention. Even if you are unhappy with Timico and want to move the broadband to Zen or IDNet the cheaper line rentals are still worth looking at.

I'm with Pulse8 broadband for line rental and AAISP for broadband.

Re email addresses, if changing supplier now is the ideal time to get your own domain and email service from a dedicated supplier, at a cost of £1.60 or less per month. See this page for more detail. (I see I need to update the domain price on there. It's gone up a bit since 2010).

That gives you an address of your own choosing that is ISP-independent. You could literally have it running today. Start sending using it immediately, reading from it and your existing one, while you notify all your contacts and update online accounts at leisure rather than in a rush at changeover time.

In defense of TalkTalk, they do offer a good service - when it works - like 98% of ISP's in this country sadly, you would have the same problems with BT, Talktalk, PlusNet you name it when your service is broke.

As for "My Account" not being accessible, I take it you mean not accessible from anywhere but your home Broadband connection, this is a security measure Talktalk has introduced after their recent "Incident", and whilst inconvenient it is quite a good one to minimise the potential footprint that their systems could be compromised again while they put in more secure systems.

As for this sole reason being a breach of contract, I think you find it wouldnt be. As you can still manage your account over the phone.

I am not and employee of Talktalk (Thankfully) just a happy customer with a rock solid reliable Line and service.

In reply to a post by jcrocker:

As for "My Account" not being accessible, I take it you mean not accessible from anywhere but your home Broadband connection, this is a security measure Talktalk has introduced after their recent "Incident", and whilst inconvenient it is quite a good one to minimise the potential footprint that their systems could be compromised again while they put in more secure systems.

This issue made the news recently: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-336...

Apparently TalkTalk still do not have much confidence in the security of My Account if they need to persist with this measure.

Well the crunch comes when your Phone TV Internet etc. do not work - it is then you find out the advisors haven't a clue and are just reading scripts. When I rang to ask why I could not get to my Account the advisor had me changing browsers, clearing caches and the like - wasted another 45 minutes. They are HOPELESS.
Imagine having TT providing your TV.......no thanks. Their theme tune makes one lose the will to live -I must have had it poured into my ears for hours whilst I have been a customer/victim.

Totally sympathise with you headscratcher. I had exactly the same problems - with BT and Im very confident that other people have had the same problems with Talktalk, BT, Virgin, PlusNet you name it..

All I am trying to say is sadly, all the major ISP's in this country are exactly the same.

Their technical support departments are:

1) Reading from scripts
2) Typically are outsourced
3) Clueless
4) Passing the buck

Ive had to sit through rerunning the same tests on multiple occasions, doing exactly the same thing each time, to the point with BT that I "pretended" to do these things for the support agent as I knew they wouldnt fix the problem - I work in the IT Industry and have fixed enough DSL issues and computers to know clearing caches and changing browsers to solve connectivity issues are fob-off answers by inexperienced Technical Support teams

I only ever resolved my problems with BT by contacting their Newcastle team directly and bypassing the Script reading technical support lines, but that is another story.

After my BT Experience, I know enough about most ISP's workflows, scripts and procedures to know what to exactly say and do to get an Engineer visit if I feel one is needed without all the faffing around with technical support calls clearing caches etc...

There are very few ISP's which have the technical knowledge in their support staff to resolve problems properly these days, and when you find one, you are paying a premium for their enhanced knowledge and support.