Shell Migration Failure

[annoyed6358]

Forced 'migration' from Shell and received the usual emails assuring me the direct debit would work as usual, I do not need to do anything etc etc. I tried to contact TalkTalk when I received the first bill because they had added an extra £16. No answer. Now the direct debit has failed, presumably because they're trying to take £16 more than the agreed price. They are adding £12.50 to the next bill as a punishment for the direct debit failure. It's turning into an expensive migration. If I could phone someone to try and sort it out I would. Next stop Trust Pilot.

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi annoyed6358

The extra amount is the charges for 24 Jul to 14 Aug = £16.20, then your monthly advanced charge.

We are asking for one off payments for this month, while we resolve the direct debit issue. you can do this via My Account or over the phone. 

Regards

[Gliwmaeden2]

@annoyed6358,

If you had an early termination fee it would be for £16.50 x however many months are left (so if you cancelled this week it would be closer to £30.00 as your 18 month contract expires mid October).

But you've not cancelled anything and all customers switched to Talktalk have to pay Talktalk up to the date of the first bill and for the month ahead.

If you think any of that payment duplicates dates previously paid for to Shell, speak to the Shell Migration Team during the day, by phone or Chat. 

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/How-to-contact-TalkTalk-Broadband/ta-p/2230529

They will also confirm that the failure to take your DD this month was their fault, and the notification about a £12.50 charge was a generic email that is sent out when a DD fails, regardless of the cause. They are now having to eat humble pie over the mess. You will NOT be charged the £12.50 failed DD fee.

Forum staff are not on here over the weekend. 

[ferguson]

I wouldn't have thought so, early termination fees only apply if you choose to leave before the end of your minimum contract term.

[annoyed6358]

On closer inspection, in the fine print of my contract (attached), there is a £16.50 charge listed for 'early termination'. Have I been charged an early termination fee in error?

[ferguson]

Your Direct Debit hasn't "failed," it is because TalkTalk haven't set up the switch properly, their fault entirely. The difference in payment amounts is likely because they have made an adjustment between billing cycles. That should adjust and normalise in future bills.

[annoyed6358]

Just in case anyone comes across this thread and is experiencing frustration due to similar problems, you can complete an Ofcom form here (scroll down to 'Tell Ofcom'):

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/make-a-complaint/complain-about-mobile-phone-or-internet-services/billing-a...

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[annoyed6358]

I've been reading through a lot of the other threads and it looks like a big problem. My question is: why was the additional charge added to my bill please? The exact amount added is £16.20. For clarity, I have ADSL broadband via a phoneline. This is still working otherwise I suppose I wouldn't be able to talk to you at all. I do feel bad for the customers whose internet has stopped working with the migration, particularly as the only way to communicate with TalkTalk seems to be via the internet. It's a bit like those old DOS 'keyboard undetected' errors on startup (press any key to continue).

For some reason Shell had to name the ADSL broadband "fibre" for internal purposes. Might this be the confusion? I do not have a landline telephone, only the internet connection. Might the direct debit have failed because TalkTalk tried to take £16.20 more than the agreed amount? 

Would it be possible to speak to somebody on the phone please? I only saw notifications of your replies by chance because Microsoft directed everything from this forum to spam.

Thank you for your help.

[Arne-TalkTalk]

Hi @annoyed6358

The direct debit instruction is showing as pending, this is an issue we are aware of , You will NOT be charged an admin fee, we are are asking, in the meantime for you to make a one off payment this month either online or over the phone. 

Apologies for any inconvenience 

[ferguson]

I have moved this to the Billing section for you where the support team can look into what has happened and advise further.