Cannot fix my faulty landline since Christmas - Waiting for an Openreach Engineer

[Slick88]

Hi all, 

Can anyone suggest a way forward to resolve my particular situation.   Prior to the Christmas break, we realised our copper based landline (separate from the fibre internet) was not working.  The phone handset itself rings but upon answering, it doesn't pick-up the caller.  We tried calling in via our mobile and when we pick-up on the landline, the mobile still continues to ring.  So we logged online and reached the technical support team chat and after a long process of  trouble shooting, unplugging the line, removing the junction box cover, etc, the technical team made an appointment with the engineer which does not need to enter the house to fix the issue.  Good I thought, it will get resolved soon!  I thanked the agent and wish him a happy christmas!

It is now 15th Jan and no working landline. It doesn't even ring now when we tried to call in! No emails or calls either from TalkTalk or Engineer!  So I logged on and contacted the technical team via the chat and even though we gave her our reference number, we still had to go thru the troubling shooting process again.  As you have guest, same outcome, after nearly 2hrs on the chat an appopintment has been made to the Openreach enigineer who will investigate and resolve the issue.  It is now 29th Jan and still nothing, no TalkTalk email or a call from the Engineer. I have been paying for a phoneline service for the past couple of months without a working landline!

I am loathed to contact the tehcnical team and to go thru the same process!  Has anyone out there got any suggested on how to resolve this matter?

Kind regards from a frustrated TalkTalk customer!  

[Arne-TalkTalk]

I have sent you a PM on the community,

[Slick88]

Hi Arne

Can I also add, I first rasied this on 22nd Dec 2023 and whether a fault ticket on TalkTalks's system was rasied is not my problem.  I was advised that an engineer will check the line and if they need to enter the my property they will call.  After the Christams period - I waited, as long as I can but nobody contacted me and my phone line was still not working, hence I chased on 15th Jan 2024.  Please see the transcripe of the online chat (redacted).     

[Slick88]

Hi Arne

I was on the online chat and was halfway thru the diagnostic check was I was cut-off so had to do the whole chat again.  I spoke t osomeone called Vincent and the reference is: m4-1219849775674. Please see attached. 

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Auto compensation goes from the date fault ticket that is logged , there are no fault tickets prior to 31 Jan , 

There are notes from the 22nd Dec asking you to complete diagnostics the final note shows "advise customer to check what the master socket that he has, customer went unresponsive and was transferred"  

The next contact is when we on the community logged the fault on the 31st.
 

[Gliwmaeden2]

That's why I was alerting staff to the discrepancies. Please wait for them to get back to your thread.

[Slick88]

Hi Anne/Gilwmaeden2 - if the fault was fixed, I wouldn't be calling and chasing for it to be repaired!  I can post my online chat transcripts on to this thread if its helps.  I first reported no phone line on 22.12.23 and it wasn't fixed until 4.02.24.  I can't believe what is happening now and it's really is frustrating!

[Gliwmaeden2]

@Arne-TalkTalk, the OP mentioned much later dates in the first post.

Were these faults not correctly recorded?

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi Slick88

Your fault was logged on the 31st Dec and fixed on the 3rd Jan, Auto compensation only applies if the fault takes longer to repair than the service level agreement (SLA) 72 hours, the timescale starts from the time the fault is logged. 

31st Logged 
1st Within SLA no compensation owed 
2nd Within SLA  no compensation owed 
3rd Fixed  

This is within the required timescales for repair, so auto compensation is not applicable in this instance. 

Regards
 

[Gliwmaeden2]

@Slick88,

It's possibly complicated by the fact that the phone actually did ring to start with etc, though answering didn't work. 

Were you able to call OUT during that period? Can't see that mentioned in your thread.

It might be more complicated, so staff will need to get it investigated  - it's not a straightforward case, even though, for some of the time, the line was totally dead.

Also complicates the system if copper is left behind after Full Fibre is installed for the internet. 

So does need looking into as an individual case.

Look out for the response from staff after the weekend. 

[ferguson]

I am moving this topic to the Billing section where the support team here can look into the compensation issue for you. Bear in mind that they won't be back online until Monday. 

[Slick88]

This is an update on this post.  Having gone through the pain in geting my phone line fixed which took forever but was finally done on 4.02.24. I've patiently waited for my automatic compensation for the next 30 days.  This period came and went so I contacted TalkTalk via their online chat portal and went thru the security check, then explained the situation, blah blah, took a while but eventually got there!  Anyway, the agent then offered a messly one month fee compensation for my loss of service! I then made reference to the TalkTalk's commitment and compensation policy and information on how to calculate which are readily available online.  The agent had to transfer me to another department, so went thru the same security check, repeat the story about the situation and then after more date validation, I was told there was no repair case number and that I did not qualify for compensation! 

This is an absolutely disgrace and a shamble, to me, this is TalkTalk renaging on their promise and commitment to their customers!  I have the full transcripe of the conversation so can make it available but the long and short, is that my case has been raised up the line (whatever that means) and requested me to call again on Monday 15th.  For me, it's another delay tactic to fob me off!

I feel such a let down by TalkTalk.....I will call on Monday and update my post! 

By the way, the agents were polite and helpful, just that they got their hands tied by company red tape!

Let's see how far my case goes on and what explaination TalkTalk have to invaldate my compensation!  

[Debbie-TalkTalk]

Hi Slick88

I'm so glad to hear that the fault has been resolved.

I can see that Gliwmaeden2 has linked to our compensation help page.

If you do experience any further issues then please let us know.

Thanks

Debbie

[Gliwmaeden2]

You likely qualify for automatic compensation for complete loss of service, @Slick88.

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

It should be processed within the next 30 days.

[Slick88]

Hi Chris - the engineer turned up and checked.  The fault was at the junctoion box on the telegraph pole 35m away. He had to arrange a hoist to gain access.  Eventually got it fixed over the weekend. Took awhile but now have a working phone line.

How is TalkTalk going to compensate for my inconvience for the past 2months without a phoneline, all the while I was still being charged?

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi Cotswold12,

If you need assistance can you please start your own thread/topic and we'll be happy to help

Chris

[Cotswold12]

I am suffering the same, only worse. Moved house in August 2023 and home phone can’t make outgoing calls and even though we can receive the line is appalling.  Reported it via a chat and a Talk Talk engineer came.  He said we needed an Open Reach Engineer as fault outside. Didn’t hear a thing and in October had a spare couple of hours (minimum required for a Talk Talk Chat). Turns out the engineer didn’t put in the request. Went through all the checks again and the Open Reach engineer was dispatched. He came into the house and went to the box in the street came back and reported nothing wrong with the line but Talk Talk had ‘a block on the line’. He said he has ‘escalated’ it. That night I received a message saying fault fixed. It wasn’t. We have always paid our bill despite not having a service. Christmas came and went and I decided to have yet another ‘chat’ to find out what was happening. Agent said no block on line, never had been. Could I go through checks …… he decided I needed an engineer. I explained I had already had two and refused to have another engineer. Agent agreed to ‘escalate’ to the next level of customer as he couldn’t send an engineer unless I agreed to pay £75.  Not sure why he couldn’t see the previous notes on my file. I asked for transcript of conversation but it never materialised, neither did the promised call back within 24/48 hours. Yesterday I decided to waste another morning ‘chatting’. Lovely young lady agreed to lodge a complaint and I agreed to have another engineer.  He duly arrived the same day. Did the same checks and said there was a fault outside and I needed an Open Reach engineer (Groundhog Day) Yep, you guessed it - an hour later I received a message saying fault fixed.  It’s not!  I went into chat room. 2 hours later after the same nonsense it was decided I needed an engineer. I decided I needed a G &T and my bed. Where does one go from here?  I have a reference number for my complaint and a message saying I will be contacted, needless to say I don’t think anyone will call. 

[Chris-TalkTalk]

I've booked the first appointment available - February 02 2024, AM - please let us know how you get on

Chris

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Thanks, I'll book the earliest appointment available and get back to you with the details

Chris

[Slick88]

Hi Chris

Yes, available tomorrow.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

We can usually get next working day so are you available tomorrow if it's available?

Chris