Joined talktalk fiber 65 engineer hasn't turned up

An appointment was booked when I signed up with TalkTalk for today 8am to 1pm but the engineer never turned up.
They threaten customers with 65 pounds fine if you're not home but they only propose a 5 pounds compensation if their engineer doesn't turn up..... I laughed when I saw that on their website
I migrated from virgin because of lack of flexibility for a new contract and that I get to lose my phone line in the offer they made.....
What annoyed me mostly today is the lack of communication from TalkTalk, it's as if they think that I had nothing better to do than stay indoors and wait for their engineer.
I still haven't received any text message or email from them but this evening my order progress online shows that the activation is delayed because of some technical issue.

Another activation appointment for today but no Joy, The Openreach Engineer came tested the BT Plug with one of his Gizmos and it showed an error 1700m away, so he connected a BT oscillator 87j and he then left to trace the problem outside but he came back later Saying that he can't solve the problem and he is delegating the problem to another team.
Now I am not sure If I'm gonna have Broadband by Christmas... One thing I could do is try and cancel the Order and join another ISP.because home broadband is a lifeline for me
Their customer support is dreadful barely can understand what they're saying.... they put me on hold for another level of support and then I lost connection.
Can anyone give me an advice on how to leave TalkTalk quickly within the permitted 20 days cancellation period, I feel They are not keen on making it easier for customers to leave.

I am on Fibre 65 and didn't need an engineer visit i simply plugged the router they sent in on the day of activation and it worked.

Here is how to cancel but if there is a fault on the line how will that work?



CANCEL YOUR TALKTALK SERVICE

We're sorry to hear you're thinking of cancelling. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy affordable broadband, TV, mobile and calls without problems or frustration; if we've fallen short of this in any way, please let us know.

We'd love you to stay, but if you're sure about cancelling you'll need to speak to us. We'll walk you through your options, discuss any charges and explain how you can return your TalkTalk equipment. You can call us now on 0345 172 0046.

CANCELLING WITHIN YOUR CONTRACT TERM
If you're cancelling before your contract has ended, early termination fees may apply. We'll let you know if this is the case and how much it will be when you speak to us. You can check your contract end date in My Account under My Package.


CANCELLING WITHIN YOUR FIRST 20 DAYS
If you change your mind and want to cancel within 20 days of your order date, you're free to leave without penalty and you'll only pay for the TalkTalk services that you've used during this time.


GREAT CONNECTION GUARANTEE
If you recently signed up for Fibre broadband, then you're also covered by our Great Connection Guarantee. If you're not satisfied with your Fibre connection in the first 30 days of your services going live, you're free to leave us and you'll only pay for the services you've used.

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Cancel-...

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Wed 15-Dec-21 19:04:15)

Great response thank you very much for your advice, I'm still withing the 20 days period until the 20th this month, I'll give them a couple of days to sort it out and if they don't sort it out I'll have no option but to leave.
Cheers and thanks again for the advice

In reply to a post by karim31:

The Openreach Engineer came tested the BT Plug with one of his Gizmos and it showed an error 1700m away, so he connected a BT oscillator 87j and he then left to trace the problem outside but he came back later Saying that he can't solve the problem and he is delegating the problem to another team.

If an OR engineer has come and found a fault that is preventing the line from being activated then it doesn't matter who your ISP is. Leaving TalkTalk won't speed the fix up and in fact it might actually slow it down if anything. Have you already cancelled your Virgin connection?

In reply to a post by karim31:

Great response thank you very much for your advice, I'm still withing the 20 days period until the 20th this month, I'll give them a couple of days to sort it out and if they don't sort it out I'll have no option but to leave.
Cheers and thanks again for the advice

Let us know how you get on.

If an OR engineer has come and found a fault that is preventing the line from being activated then it doesn't matter who your ISP is. Leaving TalkTalk won't speed the fix up and in fact it might actually slow it down if anything. Have you already cancelled your Virgin connection?

I mentioned that in my earlier post (quote below) surely leaving is the last thing they want to do at the moment.

I admit my version was a little more cryptic

Here is how to cancel but if there is a fault on the line how will that work?

.

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Thu 16-Dec-21 15:22:39)

Yeah I understand that but I couldn't face Xmax without internet and I am absolutely furious with TalkTalk customer service who can't help even with basic information.
This is the fourth day now and I decided to stay with Fibre and I signed up for an 18month new contract with Virgin.

I tried to cancel today (It is the 17th day since I ordered) and in the first call attempt I was left hanging for about 20minutes so I called again and spoke to a guy who spoke English for a change but the weird thing is he insisted on reading me a statement about the connection will be severed on the 23rd ? (that's 3 days after the 20 days allowed cancellation period), he mentioned that I'd lose Email, they'll record my conversation...and other stuff I can't remember.
I explained to him that my line has never been activated and his statement is irrelevant but he still insisted on reading the statement regardless.
He said I shouldn't cancel Direct Debit or there could be a fine ?(but I already did yesterday)
I asked him if he is sending me a mailing bag for the router, he said yes.
I also asked him to email me his statement and send me a confirmation for the cancellation .... I'm still waiting.
I feel they're trying to be difficult and charge me for something but it should be me who charges them for failing to turn up on the first activation day and failing to fix the problem on the 2nd and third day.
Weird that online TalkTalk account says that my line is activated but before it was displaying "delayed", so I called the Openreach Engineer (who called me once before) and he said that is normal because his part of the job was done and he is passing on the rest of the job to another team?
This whole saga is very confusing and changing ISPs is a major period of stress for me.

I tried to cancel today (It is the 17th day since I ordered) and in the first call attempt I was left hanging for about 20minutes so I called again and spoke to a guy who spoke English for a change but the weird thing is he insisted on reading me a statement about the connection will be severed on the 23rd ? (that's 3 days after the 20 days allowed cancellation period),

You have cancelled it doesn't matter if it is severed on the 23rd we are going through a pandemic with the new variant spreading at breakneck speed have you considered they may have staff off sick and are very stretched.

I explained to him that my line has never been activated and his statement is irrelevant but he still insisted on reading the statement regardless.

They probably have to by law to cover their backsides.

He said I shouldn't cancel Direct Debit or there could be a fine ?(but I already did yesterday)

You say further down "I feel they're trying to be difficult" you really are not helping yourself.

I asked him if he is sending me a mailing bag for the router, he said yes.
I also asked him to email me his statement and send me a confirmation for the cancellation .... I'm still waiting.

Do you think you are the only person he is dealing with you are 3 days away from the 30th give them time.

I feel they're trying to be difficult and charge me for something but it should be me who charges them for failing to turn up on the first activation day and failing to fix the problem on the 2nd and third day.

You have got out under the 20 day rule why do you think they are trying to screw you?

Weird that online TalkTalk account says that my line is activated but before it was displaying "delayed", so I called the Openreach Engineer (who called me once before) and he said that is normal because his part of the job was done and he is passing on the rest of the job to another team?
This whole saga is very confusing and changing ISPs is a major period of stress for me.

This is the problem you don't understand the process and have become paranoid you haven't helped yourself by cancelling your direct debit espacially as you were specifically asked not to if they had charged you for a service they had not provided you could have sued them all you have done now is delay a final outcome.

You would feel very differently if you were stuck indoors waiting for an engineer who doesn't turn up and no communication what so ever.
This is a busy time of the year for everyone!
The openreach engineer that came the 2nd day was very courteous and explained to me what he problem was and he genuinely tried to fix it but unfortunately he couldn't.
The real problem as I see it is the lack of communication and partly the outsourced staff that I could barely understand and who didn't have access to the details to track the problem.... one of them tried to connect me to an upper level support but I lost connection.
TalkTalk staff didn't even know that the Engineer couldn't fix the problem and this in my opinion is a serious failure in communicating with openreach who is crucial to running their business.
If I was informed that the Engineer couldn't come but given assurance that the problem would be fixed in let's say 3 days I would have probably stayed, but the lack of communication gave me a negative opinion about the company and I had concerns about committing to an 18 month contract.
As for Covid It's been with us 2 years and if TalkTalk were short staffed as you suggest then they shouldn't go on an aggressive advertising campaign with very competitive offers because this will flood them with orders and will increase the pressure on their existing staff hence reducing their efficiency and ability to deliver their products in time, this criticism is also valid for openreach who received an order 2 weeks in advance and couldn't turn up and deliver on time.
I cancelled direct debit only when I decided to cancel the order and because I was sure that I owed them nothing by law.
I am only voicing my own experience in dealing with TalkTalk in this short period of time, I am sure there are many others may have had a smoother dealing with them...

In reply to a post by karim31:

You would feel very differently if you were stuck indoors waiting for an engineer who doesn't turn up and no communication what so ever.

I have in the past used the online chat service to get problems sorted which i found much easier than phone support as there is no language barrier, i have only used it a couple of times in the 15 years i have been with TalkTalk.

I am glad you mentioned Chat service, I tried to use it when I logged into my account and after trying to perform a line test ... I kept clicking on the button but NO window showed up, It was a dead button link, I am not sure if it was because I'm a new user or they're having problems with the website.
Online support is very useful when available.

Have you tried the online community very helpful TT staff there to help but its not 24/7 support so when you ask your question it can take a couple of days before they pick it up.

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Fibre/bd-p/fibre

There is a log in/register link at the top of the page.



It may be worth phoning the retention team if they know you want to leave they may get it sorted.

CANCEL YOUR TALKTALK SERVICE
We're sorry to hear you're thinking of cancelling. We believe everyone should be able to enjoy affordable broadband, TV, mobile and calls without problems or frustration; if we've fallen short of this in any way, please let us know.

We'd love you to stay, but if you're sure about cancelling you'll need to speak to us. We'll walk you through your options, discuss any charges and explain how you can return your TalkTalk equipment. You can call us now on 0345 172 0046.

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Sun 19-Dec-21 13:40:43)

I'm afraid it's too late for that because I've renewed my contract with my previous ISP (Virgin).

In reply to a post by karim31:

I'm afraid it's too late for that because I've renewed my contract with my previous ISP (Virgin).

I thought you were stuck in a contract with TT and were having problems getting out of it hence this thread.

Try reading the thread, the Op cancelled within the 20 day cooling off period.

I think the OP had more of a liquid-nitrogen-plunge type cooling off period.

In reply to a post by Realalemadrid:

Try reading the thread, the Op cancelled within the 20 day cooling off period.

Thanks for your helpful input to the thread

I did they posted this AFTER they said they had signed up with virgin -


I tried to cancel today (It is the 17th day since I ordered) and in the first call attempt I was left hanging for about 20minutes so I called again and spoke to a guy who spoke English for a change but the weird thing is he insisted on reading me a statement about the connection will be severed on the 23rd ? (that's 3 days after the 20 days allowed cancellation period), he mentioned that I'd lose Email, they'll record my conversation...and other stuff I can't remember.
I explained to him that my line has never been activated and his statement is irrelevant but he still insisted on reading the statement regardless.
He said I shouldn't cancel Direct Debit or there could be a fine ?(but I already did yesterday)
I asked him if he is sending me a mailing bag for the router, he said yes.
I also asked him to email me his statement and send me a confirmation for the cancellation .... I'm still waiting.
I feel they're trying to be difficult and charge me for something but it should be me who charges them for failing to turn up on the first activation day and failing to fix the problem on the 2nd and third day.
Weird that online TalkTalk account says that my line is activated but before it was displaying "delayed", so I called the Openreach Engineer (who called me once before) and he said that is normal because his part of the job was done and he is passing on the rest of the job to another team?
This whole saga is very confusing and changing ISPs is a major period of stress for me.

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Mon 20-Dec-21 12:33:45)

As I said Earlier on the 17th day of my cooling off period I was unable to cancel on my first attempt as I was just left hanging .... I tried again that day and spoke to someone who spoke good English and He cancelled my order and later that evening I received a confirmation Saying "If you'd like to stay or learn more about your options,
call us for free from your TalkTalk landline on 0345 172 0078
or click below to Live Chat with us.
If you're sure about leaving, you don't have to do anything.
We'll send you a letter with all the information you need and
your switch will go through automatically on 23 December 2021.
You should receive your final bill within 10 days of your service
ending on 23 December 2021"
So if I understand it correctly they accepted my notice of leaving withing the cooling off period.
However I have just received a monthly bill from them that also include additional Call charges to a line that was never activated.
Therefore my paranoia as you have described in your earlier answers is Justified.

As I said Earlier on the 17th day of my cooling off period I was unable to cancel on my first attempt as I was just left hanging .... I tried again that day and spoke to someone who spoke good English and He cancelled my order and later that evening I received a confirmation Saying "If you'd like to stay or learn more about your options,

I missed the part where you said you contacted them later on the same day and as you are sorted now no point in carrying this on.

I am not sorted yet .... Today they've sent me a monthly bill for which includes call charges that I have never made and couldn't have been made because the Line was never activated for order that has been cancelled within the 20 days cooling period.

I'm wondering if they moved your phone part to TalkTalk but couldn't move the data line? But I'm not sure if that hypothesis matches what they actually do in an exchange these days.

In reply to a post by Jack_Hackett:

I missed the part where you ...

...apologized to the OP and the person asking you to read the thread properly.

1. Misunderstand the problem/
2. Give bad comment and advise.
3. Tell them they are sorted (before they are) and "hang up"

^^^ is this your CV for a TalkTalk phone support job?

In reply to a post by Myth:

I'm wondering if they moved your phone part to TalkTalk but couldn't move the data line? But I'm not sure if that hypothesis matches what they actually do in an exchange these days.

According to TalkTalk they have moved both and I tried to call the new phone number they gave me from my mobile and I could hear ringing but it's not ringing inside my home....My phone was completely silent without dialing tone.
The fault diagnosed location corresponds to the distance to my local exchange and I ask myself if the line isn't crossed and connected to some other location because there is also the issue of the mysterious phone charges for about 2 pounds since the presumed activation?

Post deleted by seb

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Tue 21-Dec-21 18:16:13)

Let's calm down and avoid bans this Christmas

In reply to a post by seb:

avoid bans

You are certainly consistent at being inconsistent Seb.

In reply to a post by dect:

In reply to a post by seb:

avoid bans

You are certainly consistent at being inconsistent Seb.

Well at least I'm consistent in something then

Post deleted by seb

Edited by Jack_Hackett (Wed 22-Dec-21 18:15:38)

Christmas cheer is over.

Crossed lines.
Have you tried dialling 17070 from your home phone and checking that your correct number is in service on that line.

Finally the issue is now resolved after making a complaint, They called me and said that they have received the engineer report saying that he was unable to activate the line and they have now cancelled the first month bill + charges.
All I have to do now is wait for mailing bag to send them back their router.

There was no dial tone to make a call, their phone line was completely dead so I couldn't call any number.
Anyway the issue is now resolved after they have received the engineer report that the line wasn't activated, I have now renewed my contract with virgin.

In reply to a post by karim31:

Finally the issue is now resolved

Shame we will never find out who made those calls that appeared on the bill for the telephone line that never got installed.

Yep, I wish I asked them about it