Talk Talk Essentials deal worth it?

I just accepted the doorstep offer for this and gave my sort code and account number (against my better judgement). The deal sounded like it was a better and cheaper service than what I currently have. The guy insisted I could cancel the arrangement within 15 days and if I did my current service would be unaffected, no money will be taken from my account etc.

I'm currently with Plusnet DSL and I pay £30 a month for line rental, anytime calls with 1471 and 1571, broadband with 60gb cap.

He reckons for £23 a month i can have unlimited calls, unlimited and uncapped broadband. Plus its ex directory, has caller ID, child proofing. Also has SSS and FOWR but can't remember what that stands for. Probably nothing Plusnet aren't giving me anyway.

Can someone shed a little light here, there has to be a catch somewhere. I've only taken the risk because as far as I am aware I havent comitted myself to anything and I can change my mind before it goes live. But maybe I actually have comitted myself and its all a clever con.

Give Plusnet a call they may be able to offer you a better deal than the one quoted by TT. Plusnet offer from Market 2/3 exchanges (low cost area) 12 month unlimited broadband for £4.99 p.m. and line rental at £13.99 p.m. That would of course mean a new contract if you are out of contract at the moment with Plusnet.

TT would be full LLU whereas PN is possibly 21CN WBC from your exchange and both would give you similar downstream sync speeds both being ADSL2+.

What is your exchange so we can check it's LLU, 21CN WBC and Market status?

I'm still in contract with Plusnet, (I [censored] better be anyway) that £4.99 deal doesn't apply to existing customers.

Everything else you said was pretty much technobabble but I think I got the gist and I'm not expecting anything better or worse as far as connection is concerned.

I'm in Leigh on sea, no idea what my exchange is.

Sounds like line rental plus essentials and the anytime add-on probably.

Line rental at £14.95, £3.25 for broadband and think its £5 for the anytime boost, very close to the £23.
Without a confirmation of the product names it is hard to know. I trust you checked their ID before handing over bank account details?

The package i've just (potentialy) signed up to (unless I cancel within 15 days) is the Essentials one with an ANytime Calls boost.

For all I know the ID was fake, it all seemed genuine. Ive got an email from Talk Talk so I guess it was legit. They only got my sort code and account number anyway. As far as I know they'd need my pin or the 16 digit number to actually be able to do any damage. (or am I massively naive there?!)

Anyway, my main concern right now is the usage arrangement. A little digging tells me its only unlimited for 12 months. What happens after that? My current deal with Plusnet is its unlimited from midnight to 8 am and 60gb max outside of that. Is TT similar?

How tough are TT on policing downloads? Plusnet dont seem to give a dam what I do and that arrangement suits me just fine.

The essentials unlimited, no one has moaned yet after the 12 months. Its more like outside the 12 months they will let you have unlimited if they like you.

Old limit was 40GB, but no peak or offpeak in that.

TalkTalk Essentials is unlimited downloads (there is an FUP in there somewhere but no one on the TT forums has ever seen it applied) - you would get a warning first anyway. P2P is about the only thing that is restricted (during peak hours). The unlimited is a permanent thing - not just the 12 months of your initial contract.

The 12 month bit in your agreement will be referring to the 12 months half price offer - that will go up to full price unless you phone their retentions department near the contract end date and negotiate yourself a new contract.

But all the information is on their web site - just check for the basic Essentials deal, then look at the "boosts" (those are the add on's, like anytime calls).

By giving your bank account details you will have provided sufficient information for them to set up a Direct Debit. And as Direct Debits are variable amount on variable dates you have given sufficient info for them to "withdraw" money from your account - so check your bank details and make sure it is TalkTalk that have set up a DD.

Edited by deleted (Wed 17-Apr-13 21:28:39)

They can also migrate you to the service even if in contract with another provider, as no need to supply a MAC.

And if you're still in contract with PlusNet there may be cancellation charges.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

They can also migrate you to the service even if in contract with another provider, as no need to supply a MAC.

Obviously that's a good thing if Plusnet decide to be awkward. They won't actually do that anyway though I hope.

In reply to a post by HTTP404:

And if you're still in contract with PlusNet there may be cancellation charges.

I'm expecting there will be. It's a case of weighing that against the savings.

I was wondering if the throttled usage during peak times would be noticed. My day job invloves me having to send large pdf files and images and having that choked would be extremely problematic. If it's only p2p that gets hit then that's not an issue.

There shouldnt be any direct debits happening for 15 days if what their rep said is true. I want to check a few things before I decide for definite I want to make the move. Ive only agreed to all this on the basis I can and might change my mind.

A freind tells me everyone he knows that has been with Talk Talk are no longer with them. So that isnt making me feel like this is going to be a good choice.

If their call centre is outside UK that is also a big issue for me. I cant hack that after what I went through trying to sort my mother in laws BT account with an Indian call centre.

Im going to phone Plusnet tomorrow anyway and double check a few things.

In reply to a post by thripston:

Im going to phone Plusnet tomorrow anyway and double check a few things.

Your exchange does appear to be Market 3 (a Plusnet "low cost area") and 21CN WBC (ADSL2+) enabled.

Have talkTalk offered to pay any penalties due to Plusnet for leaving during a contract - i.e. buy you out of a contract (assuming that applies to the T&C's of your account)?

BTW. Plusnet might possibly offer you a retention deal at the end of your contract that could be very similar to their current "new customer" BB and phone offers if you agreed to a new contract with them. Usually just requesting a MAC key will often result in discounted retention deals being readily offered

Edited by 4M2 (Thu 18-Apr-13 00:54:38)

This could turn very messy , you could be stung with a disconnection fee and the cost of the remaining contract from Plusnet , so cross them tees and dot them eyes .

Really don't like it when anybody signs up for anything on the doorstep as there is a much higher chance of things going wrong or getting misinformation . my feeling towards this is you should pull out of this deal until you are sure of all the potential costs you could incur from leaving a ISP whilst in contract and moving from one network to another .

If the OP is keeping the same line and number etc . there is no specific reason it should get messy - yes some people have problems but the VAST majority of transfers do go ok.

I've never heard of one ISP buying out the contract of a new customer - just won't happen.

TalkTalk don't have the best reputation (but it is getting better), but a lot of the problems do seem to stem from their telephone support centres. And yes they are overseas. But there are ways round that to get UK technical support if you have problems.

I'm a happy TalkTalk customer and would recommend them to anyone - but if you're a happy PlusNet customer I would strongly advise that you talk to them first and tell them you are thinking of leaving - and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they matched the offer.

But if you don't ask - you will never know.

Edited by deleted (Thu 18-Apr-13 10:11:55)

In reply to a post by HTTP404:

If the OP is keeping the same line and number etc . there is no specific reason it should get messy - yes some people have problems but the VAST majority of transfers do go ok.

Have you ever moved from one ISP to another whilst in contract , with out giving any notification? .im guessing not , as you would not of posted what you have posted if you had .

In reply to a post by HTTP404:

I've never heard of one ISP buying out the contract of a new customer - just won't happen.

Orange/EE did offer to cover the cost of, if I remember correctly, 3 months of a remaining BT line rental contract if I took a BB and line rental deal with them when I enquired about their packages last year - nor was I an Orange/EE BB only customer at that time...

Edited by 4M2 (Thu 18-Apr-13 14:26:52)

I'm with woweebert on this. I would never buy anything on doorstep. Ensure you have your 15-day cooling off period in writing, otherwise it's only seven days. If you did not receive notice of your right to cancel it is a criminal offence. Do not trust TalkTalk least of all its salesmen.

If I were you I would shop around some more and ask Plusnet to match your best offer.

In reply to a post by Malwaremike:

I'm with woweebert on this. I would never buy anything on doorstep. Ensure you have your 15-day cooling off period in writing, otherwise it's only seven days. If you did not receive notice of your right to cancel it is a criminal offence. Do not trust TalkTalk least of all its salesmen.

If I were you I would shop around some more and ask Plusnet to match your best offer.

I have. They did. They came down pretty much to teh price TT were offering and promised to keep it there for 2 years. I am locked into a 2 year contract to have it but I'm ok with that. Im now getting unlimited BB and everything else I had at a much cheaper price, with a service I'm more than happy with, now its a good price.

The guy at TT really pulled all the stops out to try and change my mind. Plusnet being BT(not completely true), the contract being 2 years, he bought it down to something like £15 but that just made me mega suspicious, way too good to be true and likely more strings attached than a kitten in a knitting basket.

In reply to a post by Malwaremike:

Do not trust TalkTalk least of all its salesmen.

Write that in 20 foot high glowing letters please. It's the best summary I've seen.

But there are ways round that to get UK technical support if you have problems.

These avenues have been more and more cut off over the last few years and their customer service is just simply appalling.

If I'd actually managed to talk to a techie about my recurring problems rather than endless script monkeys I might have stayed with TT but it's too easy to waste hundreds of hours trying to get things fixed or deal with technical noshows.

They have multiple call centres.

The indian one is the absolute worst to deal with and it's the one you'll hit most often.

The Filipino one is only slightly better.

The South African one is very friendly, but as effective as the other 2

Same applies to the UK/Irish ones.

They have scripts they must follow. They're not allowed to deviate from the scripts (indians take this literally).

Someone I know who's Ex TT said they also have requirements on the number of calls they take each hour (incentive to get you off then line asap or get penalised) and the call centres are penalised if they don't meet a certain (impossible) percentage of "first fixed" calls, so the operators are instructed by managers to not pass to second line under any circumstances. (Not that "second line" is any better. You need 3rd line to talk to someone who's actually got any technical qualifications).

All in all, the call centres are an experience best avoided. BT is better but only slightly.

@stoatwblr or stoatgobbler - whatever

Well what an irrelevant rant.

I said there are ways round the overseas call centres and there are.

The TT customer forums are UK based and staffed and is a far better way to get problems resolved. The vast majority of people who use their forums get their problem fixed. These routes are fully active and have not been "cut off".

But as always you can't please all the people all the time, and some people you can't please at all.

Edited by deleted (Fri 19-Apr-13 21:00:09)

In reply to a post by Stoatwblr:

Someone I know who's Ex TT said they also have requirements on the number of calls they take each hour (incentive to get you off then line asap or get penalised) and the call centres are penalised if they don't meet a certain (impossible) percentage of "first fixed" calls, so the operators are instructed by managers to not pass to second line under any circumstances. (Not that "second line" is any better. You need 3rd line to talk to someone who's actually got any technical qualifications).

I've been saying it for years...once you rely on phone call stats to manage your workers, your workers will find a way to manipulate the stats. This rarely, if ever, results in a better service for your customers, even if that was the intention when setting the stat targets.

This is lazy management of the level above the managers who know the stats are just being manipulated and the real targets (of effective customer service) not being met. Where this level of lazy management is depends on the company and level of outsourcing etc

Hi there thripston,

Did you contact PlusNet and if so what was the outcome?

My parents (well my Dad) signed up to TT Essentials via the telephone (no one in the household entertains doorstop sellers, except Kleeneze or Betterware), took the line rental in advance and 9 months half price broadband and the anytime calls boost.

So far we've never had any issues and have even been impressed with the staff on the support forum.

I guess what others in general have to remember is that they are a budget ISP. If you want to get a better telephone service then you have to find a "better" ISP. But if you are happy with paying a MUCH smaller price then you can get a good deal, but you are most likely going to have to use the Forum for support.

I hope this helps, and please do let us know the outcome.

edited for spelling

Edited by CJT (Sun 21-Apr-13 20:16:01)