Contact your current provider yourself when you want to transfer to TalkTalk!

[ThysAarts]

Hi everyone.

I just want to help anyone who is looking into joining TalkTalk, like I've done recently. Please do not believe anything you read about TalkTalk contacting your current provider and transferring your service.

Both during your sign-up process and on the website (https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Joining-TalkTalk/ta-p/2204908) it states that TalkTalk will take care of the transfer if you are currently with another provider. This hasn't happened for me and when I contacted Customer Service they told me I should have contacted TalkTalk directly and requested them to cancel on my behalf, instead of just signing up for the service as the website clearly indicates. The information is very misguiding and as you can see, it clearly states you don't have to do a single thing other than signing up for the service and TalkTalk will do the rest. DO NOT BELIEVE THIS.

When you consider joining TalkTalk, contact your current provider yourself and cancel the service, to make sure you won't be double billed. TalkTalk will only take care of the transfer, they told me, if you requested a line take over. Since you can't request this during the normal sign-up process, there is no way for you to indicate to TalkTalk that you want them or expect them to deal with your transfer. JUST TAKE CARE OF IT YOURSELF.

Also, if you experience this problem and you contact Customer Service, they are not willing to admit their fault and compensate you. You will just be double billed and they will tell you it's your own fault. I'm still hoping they will refund us the double charge, but I don't expect they will as the Customer Service people were not very helpful. They just kept telling me I did something wrong. I didn't. I followed the steps of the online sign-up process and as you can see, it states they will deal with the transfer. THEY WILL NOT.

Please make sure you deal with everything yourself as the service is very disappointing.

[Arne-TalkTalk]

I will pass on your feedback.

[ThysAarts]

Oh, and thank you for that screenshot. I will use it when I talk to TalkTalk again.

[ThysAarts]

I didn't move house. I chose the 'I live here for more than 30 days option' and that doesn't follow up with that screen you showed there. So again, I did NOT get a question about my current provider and landline number. I don't know how clear you want me to put this.

I've just done it again and it still doesn't. It also doesn't when I pretend to live at any of my neighbours. So, that would mean at least that the sign-up process isn't full proof and it doesn't seem to ask for all the information based on that very step in the process. If that's an automated way of determining if you need a line transfer or not, then it's not working. I'm glad to see for you it did, but it didn't for me and every time I go through that process again now it still doesn't. 

So again, to bring it all back to my main message. Do not rely on your new provider to handle the transfer for you. The process is flawed and you should just handle it by yourself. 

And for TalkTalk: Have a look at your sign-up process and just ask people manually if they need a line transfer, because the process is flawed.  

[Nexster]

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@ThysAarts wrote:

Sorry, but this isn't true. You can follow the steps yourself.

First it asks for your postal code, then it asks for your address and then you choose your package. After that it asks you how long you've lived at that address. According to the information on that page, it does this to establish whether or not you need a new line. Then it continues with options for you to customise the package. It never asks for information on who the current/old provider is or what your landline number is.

Please, if you do add comments here, make sure you are fully aware of the latest processes. Thank you. 

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Im not sure what you selected when choosing your package but it works fine for me.

You didnt say anything about moving house so I assume you just switched from Sky to TalkTalk at the same address and as you can see it does ask you for your phone number.

[ThysAarts]

Sorry, but this isn't true. You can follow the steps yourself.

First it asks for your postal code, then it asks for your address and then you choose your package. After that it asks you how long you've lived at that address. According to the information on that page, it does this to establish whether or not you need a new line. Then it continues with options for you to customise the package. It never asks for information on who the current/old provider is or what your landline number is.

Please, if you do add comments here, make sure you are fully aware of the latest processes. Thank you. 

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi ThysAarts

If you didn't request to transfer the landline number, there is no way we would know who to contact, the gaining provider process is reliant on the taking over the existing phone number our online sign up process does ask who is your current supplier, and then after that what the current number is.

If you chose not to give this information we cant be held responsible if your previous supplier continues to bill you.

I'm Sorry for any inconvenience caused by this. 

[ThysAarts]

Sure, I assumed it would work like this as well but the Customer Care professionals I talked to claimed it didn't work like this, so whatever is on the website is not what TalkTalk does. And if it does then I did slip through the Net AND the customer care professionals aren't up to date with the procedure. Plus, the man who came to install our internet also advised us to double check if our previous contract was cancelled since he also acknowledged that in a lot of cases this doesn't happen. So, let's not assume I just slipped through the net if it apparently happens to a lot of people and as I mentioned, the customer care professionals I talked to claimed I did in fact have to contact TalkTalk myself. I would assume these people sort of know what they are talking about, even though I can also imagine they may not have been trained properly.

[martswain]

@ThysAarts 

You may have slipped through the net, but the gaining provider led switching process will identify the line to be taken over by using the address and will contact the current provider.

That is how it works.

The system may have failed in your case, but you are wrong in advising that "your way" is correct.

[ThysAarts]

My previous provider was Sky. I did not request to keep my phone number as I don't use a landline phone. The TalkTalk sign up process also doesn't ask for this information, so if this is something you require you will need to contact them yourself. I don't care about any of that though as we don't use a landline phone. I followed the sign up process on the TalkTalk website which asks for your postal code, then you select your address, then you choose the package and then you need to confirm how long you live at the address. The latter is to determine you need a new line or if you have an existing one. It doesn't ask for information on your landline in any other way. It also states at this point that if you transfer from an existing broadband provider to TalkTalk that you do not need to take any action. They will contact your previous provider and cancel/transfer the subscription, regardless of whether you want to keep your phone number or want a new one (which as I just mentioned, you can't select in the sign-up process). But this all isn't true. TalkTalk will just assume you need a new line or new number and they do not take any action and you will need to contact TalkTalk and ask them to do this for you or you will need to cancel your subscription yourself. 

[Nexster]

Who was your previous supplier and did you ask to transfer your existing phone number or did you have a new one?