Thought I would give an update given that 11 months have passed since I set my charity client up with TalkTalk broadband.

I had not really been in touch with him for a number of months (after I got it set up for him), so I happened to be going down his street today so stopped in. First of all, he is still alive (that sort of surprised me - he's in pretty bad shape). Anyway, he apparently stopped paying TallkTalk some time back and they threatened to disconnect him - some sort of dispute over billing (maybe it was the cost of "migrating" which we never wanted - but I didn't get into that becuase it was obvious that the relationship with TalkTalk had soured badly). Anyway, TalkTalk was dunning him for £216 or thereabouts and so he got got somebody else to take over the service (got a new number as well - this time at his request). He says TalkTalk started calling him "every five minutes" on his mobile phone demanding payment, claiming they would take him to court etc etc (he told them, "I'm a pensioner, not the Prime Minister") - so he had his mobile phone number changed and he now lives in peace. I did not get into what happened with TalkTalk - that's water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned (I think it may have been over their charging him for migrating him/sendng an "engineer" out and the engineer didn't have to do anything, so he stopped paying his bill). Actually, I think the whole thing is funny in hindsight. I asked him if he wanted his old router - he said, "No, take it".

The banking market is turning around, so I hope to get a job in banking again - this computer work doesn't pay - it's satisfying and I enjoy the challenge, but one can't make a decent living doing this.

In reply to a post by investmentbanker:

Em x,

You are clueless. I am Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer -

And that qualifies you as a broadband/telecoms expert how?

Sometimes, as frustrating as customer support can be, having the wrong attitude and making assumptions just makes things worse.

Edited by Pipexer (Sat 20-Nov-10 23:41:24)

having the wrong attitude and making assumptions just makes things worse.

If he took the b out of his username and replaced it with a w it would be far more fitting.

Do you really think this Minimum wage guy as you refer to him has the ultimate responsibility. No good bashing the phone bashers. Also refering to your clients as charity cases is just rude, if you was my employee i'd sack you

Obviously I have underestimated the level of residual bad feelings on this topic. I acknowledge your anger. But, really, I am satisfied with the outcome. What I thought was funny was that by the time I checked back in with my charity client, he had already pulled the plug himself on TalkTalk.

As for being offended by the term "charity case", it simply indicates that you are bigoted, krazykizza. You're no different from someone who looks down on people with mental problems. That is your problem, not mine and not my client's. As he himself is the first to point out (and pointed it out to TalkTalk), he's in an NHS flat and his only source of income is the government, so he objected to TalkTalk charging for something which he didn't need nor ordered. I simply wanted it known that this was not a paying client, that it was charity work that I was doing. As for the rest, it is TalkTalk's problem that they don't trust their employees to make outgoing phone calls. At the end of the day, TalkTalk lost in all this - not just the £216 - but there were obviously set-up costs, administrative costs (the router probably only cost them a pound or so, I figure).

No, this case ended up exactly where I thought it would - although I wasn't the one that ended up pulling the plug on TalkTalk - LOL - but I warned it would happen - I just thought it was funny that my charity client was the one who pulled the plug on TalkTalk, not me. As for TalkTalk bothering him continuosly for payment - and they knew he was a charity case, an NHS patient - I think it is reprehensible that they sat there and threatened him - not that it mattered - we both know that utility companies don't sue over £216 - but in any event, my client viewed it as sport, and also said, "I'm going to be dead in a year anyway so let them yap away".

Overall, I think the final outcome is acceptable, and I hope everyone else does too.

Edited by investmentbanker (Sun 21-Nov-10 19:55:02)

To say I am not surprised an ISP pursued a debt when someone cancels payment is an understatement.

If I cancel my electricity direct debit I cannpt expect them to continue providing power, they may pursue and insist on fitting a pre-payment meter i.e. what is requried under law.

So much of the tale does not make sense or is missing it is impossible to know what has really happened. It may be a series of misunderstandings from a number of parties.

It is a moot point now. Michael McCarthy (that was his name) died on 11 December 2010.

In reply to a post by investmentbanker:

It is a moot point now. Michael McCarthy (that was his name) died on 11 December 2010.

How much did he pay you?

You've been warned before about your abrasive attitude towards other posters, and that comment is way out of order.

Take a break to think about it.

Edited by billford (Sat 22-Jan-11 23:22:07)

Nothing. He was always a charity case. I didn't even get the computer back that I supplied him.