Can't access/register MyAccount

[Drizzlehere]

My elderly mum is moving next week. My parents were originally with the Post Office which became Shell. My dad died last year so we managed to get mum a new (basically the same) 18 month broadband contract with Shell. She has received emails from TalkTalk since to her original email address but never set up a MyAccount. She has attempted by phone (for hours on at least 5 occasions) to get her service moved to her new address. She was told she had to have a new contract but they couldn't  get the contract to send to either her original email, the gmail I helped her set up a few months ago or my email (since it is already registered with TalkTalk for our account) so they sent it to her neighbour.  He says he has not received any emails from TalkTalk. TalkTalk said by phone the contract will start next week but she has no "written" information about it. She has had emails saying "sorry to see you are leaving" so does not know what is happening next week. I have tried to set up a MyAccount for her but although it says there is an account at her new address postcode, none of the email addresses are recognised and we obviously don't know the password as we have never registered an account. I have tried by chat and phone to help her but TalkTalk won't discuss anything with me and I am 300 miles away from my mum, unable to get down to visit her for a couple of weeks. Can anybody help or suggest what she can do. She doesn't have a smartphone so will be unable to go online without a connection for her laptop.

[Gliwmaeden2]

Informing Talktalk of PoA doesn't stop the individual account holder from doing things in their own right at all - for years I had PoA for my mum's banking but never needed to do much. She just carried on with her own online banking as normal. 

Similarly, being a nominated user doesn't mean the Account Holder loses their rights. It just gives the option of helping on their behalf, which, at the moment, you can't officially do, @Drizzlehere.

Both take a while to set up and process formally. 

[Drizzlehere]

Hi, thanks, we have done a Power of Attorney but not activated it - I didn't want to set it up on my mum's account as I thought it would mean she couldn't sort anything with them herself. Likewise a nominated user - would that be extra to my mum or is only the nominated user allowed to speak to TalkTalk?

She has not received anything in the post - the original transfer conversation was 2 weeks ago. I suppose it could have been sent to her new address but she is not there yet!

I wonder if she gave a slightly incorrect neighbour's email address. But there seems to be no way of finding out what TalkTalk have in their records even when she asked them on the phone. I will ask her to call them again on Monday.

Thanks for taking time to help.

[Gliwmaeden2]

There's no early termination fee if she has used the Home Move team to arrange the new contract, @Drizzlehere.

If she has an email address linked to her current contract, but not to her billing, it's simply an email address that is listed. Nothing to do with contracts or billing. 

Whenever I renew my contract the NEW documents are always sent to the same email address that I use for billing,  and I have been using the same My Account for 18 years, so it's received multiple renewals over the years. 

A confirmation letter is also sent by post, for new contracts.

Staff in all areas of Talktalk will be very limited in what they can do to help without speaking to your mother in person.

For future reference you need to at least check out the information on these pages:

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Power-of-Attorney-Authority-to-Act-Deputyship/ta-p/2205...

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Nominated-user/ta-p/2205256

https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/TalkTalk-Accessibility/ct-p/talktalk-accessibility

[Drizzlehere]

Thanks Gliwmaeden2. Yes she has been getting paper bills!

So maybe they couldn't send the contract to her original email as it was already linked to her current contract, but I don't know why her gmail wouldn't work. Or why her neighbour hasn't received anything (yes we've checked junkmail!). He is very good at technology but busy so setting aside an hour or two (which is what it always seems to take) to sit next to mum on the phone isn't likely to happen!

I did wonder about the moving fee - presumably she won't have to pay the early termination charge for her current contract if she has a new one from TalkTalk.

Hopefully someone will be able to talk to the right person at TalkTalk soon!

[Gliwmaeden2]

Something else which might be relevant would be the fact that she's been migrated from Shell. 

So another relevant team on that same contact number is the Shell Migration team, to try to sort out the mess.

The phone number is free from any Talktalk landline and open till 6pm today. Not open on Sunday. 

You should also ensure that any accessibility needs your mother might have are known to Talktalk. 

But meanwhile try to sort things one at a time!

[Gliwmaeden2]

@Drizzlehere, sadly staff are not back on here before Monday. 

It won't be possible to use your email address for more than one My Account, and this business of sending contract details to a neighbour sounds extremely dubious. 

You can only speak on your mother's behalf if she's present with you, or you have Power of Attorney or you have Nominated User status for her account. 

Has she been receiving just paper bills all this time (at extra expense)?

It's normal to take out a new contract when people move house, to avoid a fee of £60 from the Home Move team. This should NOT have involved setting up a whole new account. 

Please contact the Home Move team on 03451 720088 or use Chat, but bear in mind that you will need to pass all sorts of security checks. Perhaps the helpful neighbour could do this on her behalf, as it might be much easier being present with your mother?

They also need to get in touch urgently with Talktalk to confirm that she is NOT leaving. It sounds like the correct procedure has not been followed for simply moving house.