topic Re: Full Fibre nonsense in Full Fibre

Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:47:51 GMT

On 12th February my fibre 65 stopped working, it was installed 2 years ago. I contacted TalkTalk and eventually an engineer was sent. The engineer arrived at 9am (was told 1-6pm slot!) and found the service light out on the ONT. He made a call and the service light came on. He could not connect to the internet. For some reason at about 8pm the internet came on. 2 days later internet off again. Contacted online chat, which if I'm being brutally honest is appalling unless it's just a loose cable. After about 3 hours of being bounced from one agent to another and going over the same questions repeatedly I was so frustrated that I used my phone to look at Zen Broadband. I was about to switch, when TalkTalk phoned me. The agent told me that to solve my problem I should switch from Fibre 65 to Fibre 500. It was at a better price and with the latest modem which would be with me in 3-5 days. In total I spent 8 hours on the phone and online chat, it is not fit for purpose. After 5 days and no router appearing, I contacted chat again. It would appear that my fibre 65 was cancelled, therefore no internet. I was not told that I would be without internet as I was simply switching from one service to another. I was told that I had a go live date of 17th March 2025 and an engineer would come and install the full fibre! What? No matter how many times I tried to explain that full fibre is already installed no one seemed capable of understanding this. I assumed I was just switching from fibre 65 to 500. I am so angry and frustrated, I work from home for a local hospice, my wife works for a medical museum and needs internet at home to plan visits and talks, my security cameras require Wifi as does my printer. So in summary TalkTalk have deprived me of our work, security and general internet usage for over a month. Nothing seems to change when I try to speak to them, just reminder emails of my impending totally unnecessary installation. PLEASE can someone sort this out before I explode!!!!! I had aggressive prostate cancer diagnosed in July 2024 and a prostatectomy in August. I rely on the internet to receive appointments etc, this is really affecting me and my family at this important time.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

KeithFrench — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:46:45 GMT

I have asked one of TalkTalk's support to pick your thread up and investigate it for you.

They aim to respond within 48 hours (Monday - Friday) excluding Bank Holidays, but if more urgent you can always try the Service Centre on 0345 172 0088. The posts are responded to in time/date order, oldest first.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:53:21 GMT

Thank you Keith. I get that message regularly but no contact so far. I cannot believe that in this day and age, with the internet being so much a part of society, that things like this can happen and not be resolved. One month with no internet is unacceptable. I'd like to know how they think they can possibly compensate me for this? This isn't just about not being able to use my smart TV, there are far more important issues for me, my cancer treatment, my security cameras, my work etc. Really unbelievably bad service. Nice to know I immediately get email notifications of my community badges though! Really makes up for this nightmare! NOT!

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

KeithFrench — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:52:42 GMT

Hi @rayd8or1 I am simply trying to help you. You will find that the TalkTalk staff on this forum are thought by many to be much better than the service centre, have this reputation for a reason. They also do not work to scripts either. If you haven't heard from them by midday tomorrow, then let me know & I will use another route to them.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 12:55:54 GMT

Hi Keith, nothing I said was aimed at you or this community, sorry if I gave that impression. Having read many of the posts on here I am hopeful that my issues can be resolved. Thanks again.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Chris-TalkTalk — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:22:11 GMT

Hi rayd8or1,

I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing problems with your service. Just to confirm, you had broadband service with your router connected to the ONT up to the 12th? Do you still have a telephone service via your old telephone socket?

Chris

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 13:46:58 GMT

Hi Chris, I was using the landline for internet for the past 2 years as full fibre would not reach most of my house. I still have telephone service but as part of the upgrade to fibre 500 I opted for VOIP and retain my current phone number. I connected to the ONT when the engineer was here on 13th February but even he couldn't connect to the internet. My main concern is that TalkTalk have disconnected my broadband one month before I get fibre 500 on 17th March as they insist on engineers to install the full fibre. I already have the ONT installed. No one seems to be able to grasp that fact! Just switch me over to fibre 500 please! Does everyone who switches have to go through this nonsense? Or have TalkTalk initiated a new install by mistake? I think so....

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Chris-TalkTalk — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:26:10 GMT

Thanks for the information. Was your full fibre service with City Fibre?

Chris

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:21:44 GMT

The original install was 2 years ago by City Fibre - I think the engineer who came on 13th February was from OpenReach. Still no contact from TalkTalk, utterly unforgivable. I should be getting them here on Monday 17th March and the router is due to be delivered tomorrow. None of this was necessary and the online chat with TalkTalk is a disgrace unless it's a simple problem like not switching the router on. So so angry that I have been treated this way having been a customer for so many years I can't remember. If I don't get online on Monday I really will throw many teddies out of my massive pram!!!!!

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Gliwmaeden2 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:33:10 GMT

It looks like there are problems with upgrades if they don't stick to the same infrastructure engineers that did the first installation, @rayd8or1.

A similar situation here with a new Vodafone customer being told he'd need another ONT etc if it's not the same company doing the upgrade:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CityFibre/comments/1fhg436/if_i_already_have_fibre_and_bt_ont_why_do_i_need/

Competition not just between ISPs but between the different installation companies, aiming to get us all abandoning our copper lines by the end of January 2027, leads to complications for the end user, @rayd8or1.

It's maybe just a case of making sure that a Cityfibre engineer is sent, rather than an Openreach one, for a smoother upgrade.

Staff will be back on during the day - hope you can make swift headway with this as they are not then on here over the weekend to follow things up.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:00:57 GMT

And so it continues... Openreach attended this morning and installed the Openreach ONT and new fibre cable. They left the old City Fibre box and cable in place (apparently they can't touch it). So I now have 2 ONTs side by side and 2 cables from the pole outside to my house. However, once all installed, the engineer went up the pole to connect everything up only to find the pole connector was broken! (The old City Fibre connection is separate to the Openreach one, so not the cause of my initial loss of service). He said someone from Openreach would attend within a week to fix it. So another week with no internet to make it 6 weeks in total, and that's if they actually turn up. To say I'm annoyed is being kind. Also, despite the promises for TalkTalk to contact me within 48-72hrs on 3 occasions, they have become broken to match my outside pole! I will expect considerable compensation for this loss of service, in my opinion there was no need to disconnect my old service 5 weeks prior to my new one. I've had to upgrade my phone contract to Unlimited data to allow a measly 5mbps hotspot which is poor at best and awful most of the time. Roll on the next 7 days...

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 00:21:00 GMT

So today I received an email from Openreach saying 'you're connected!" I am NOT connected. The install engineer couldn't connect me due to the pole outside having a broken connector and someone would be out within the week to fix it. I also got a text from TalkTalk to say a specialist would attend to complete the connection on 25th March. Do these 2 companies speak to each other? Utter shambles. Now 6 weeks with no internet. Unforgivable!!!

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Gliwmaeden2 — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 07:37:43 GMT

@rayd8or1, the compensation scheme ought to apply here:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/About-your-auto-compensation-credit/ta-p/2326583

It gets sorted out AFTER resolution of an issue, but if nothing shows up after a month from it eventually being sorted, chase it up in the billing section of the forum.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:13:27 GMT

Thank you. I hope you are proven correct. It's surprising how much one needs WiFi. Security cameras, my charity work, printer, online shopping, appointments for my cancer treatment are all online and any medical results, and also just general use like TV and browsing. I am genuinely appalled at the low level of service by TalkTalk, no contact whatsoever despite many promises. I, like most people, can deal with delays if I am told about them and they actually pan out as promised. But not knowing what is going on leads to much frustration and eventual anger. It is all unnecessary and now being committed to another 2 years, I just hope I don't run into any more issues, I think I've had my share!!

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Chris-TalkTalk — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 11:34:29 GMT

Hi rayd8or1,

I'm sorry this is taking so long to resolve, hopefully you won't have to wait much longer

Chris

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:47:31 GMT

I hope so. Can anybody at TalkTalk explain why, when I was switching from Fibre 65 to Fibre 500, my Fibre 65 was cancelled? My original ONT was with City Fibre and the new one is with OpenReach just adding to the confusion. If only TalkTalk had bothered to explain this was going to happen, I wouldn't have bothered. They contacted me and suggested the upgrade so they must have known what was about to happen but simply 'forgot' to tell me. Annoying beyond belief!!

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 12:26:47 GMT

Just Dm'd you Chris as it's getting beyond a joke now....

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:59:43 GMT

At long last! After almost 7 weeks of nonsense I am officially online!!! Finally an engineer who knew what he was doing and was prepared to listen to the whole saga and just logically work it out. And, I was correct all along, which gives me no pleasure. It was the connector on the pole opposite my house like I've being trying to tell TalkTalk but no one would listen. Of the 12 available slots, 7-12 were dead. Fortunately the engineer was able to locate an available slot to the rear and got me connected. VOIP working too. So I'm sad to be leaving you all and returning to a vaguely normal life where I don't have to hotspot from my phone at 5mbps (akin to dial-up for those of you old enough to remember). Security cameras and printer back to life, which all seems so trivial, and like most things you only miss when they're gone. So goodbye and I wish you all well and just hope you don't end up in TalkTalk online chat land where nonsense seems to exist just to annoy us all.

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

Chris-TalkTalk — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:31:01 GMT

Hi Ray,

I'm glad to hear that you're back on line, I'm sorry it took so long, apologies for any inconvenience. If you do experience any further problems just let us know

Chris

Re: Full Fibre nonsense

rayd8or1 — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:52:57 GMT

Thank you Chris. The staff and volunteers on here have been great. I really do think that TalkTalk need to take a long hard look at their online Chat and customer service when you ring them. I fully understand that for most simple issues, it all works fine. But once you get anything 'off script' it's a frustrating and anger inducing experience. For example, on one 8 hour shift (for me that is!) I spoke to at least 10 different 'agents'. Each one took me painstakingly through the exact same process every time. "Check the lights, Is it on? Are the cables in? Restart the router..." etc. This is really not helpful when the next 'agent' has no idea that you've already done all that 9 times before and insist on doing it all again or they can't continue 'the checks'.

I know deep down that 99% of customers have no issue and that from a business standpoint, there is no incentive for TalkTalk to improve this side of their business. Everything is just fine, until it isn't, and that's when the 1% get bad service when they need good service the most.

Anyway enough from me and I hope, but doubt, that any of you have to go through my experience in the future. Good luck all and stay strong because if you do have an 'off script' problem you better be ready for a long drawn out encounter. Adios!!!