I decided to switch providers when as a customer of 10 years, Talktalk wouldn't match cheaper competitors packages - they wouldn't even match my current contract. With 2 months of my contract left, and my account in credit a month in front, it's just the game of jumping through the requisite hoops. Be aware - Talktalk seem to have taken a few notes from the recent Virgin Media ombudsman legal action about intentionally dragging the process out and causing additional costs to the customer.
Your contractual obligations are: to give a minimum of 30 days notice before the end of your contract of your intention to cancel services. Emails and live chats do not count. Speaking to a customer service sales agent will not be enough, they will remind you of the obligation to be in writing whilst also telling you that you will receive a call from the loyalty team - and spend the next two weeks spamming you with offers to stay. You may or may not receive the loyalty retention team call. The small print of your contract will tell you that you can put your cancellation notice in writing - of at lesst 30 days prior and and the relevant p.o. box address to post it to, to fulfil the requirements. This isn't so. A subsequent telephone call from the company is required by them for them to confirm the written notice..... Just as the written letter is required to complete the contractual smallprint of sending written notice before the final 30 days of your services evenifyou have notified them via alternative means......
By themselves, these tactics are designed to delay the whole process of cancellation, often meaning that the provision of services continues past the end of your contract, incurring another month's charges- often at higher non contractual rates, additional fees and costs. Virgin were notorious this precise practice and it's why they were the cable provider with the highest number of complaints to the ombudsman last year - this exact process was a big part of those ombudsman complaints.
Of course - if you cancel the direct debit, that just means that there's an outstanding balance of growing charges of additional fees building up.
Terminating services early also has it's own pitfalls - cancelling all services before the end date of the contract, of course, incurs an early termination fee. Charged at blankety-blank pounds per full or partial month prior to contract end date.
My package's early termination fee is £12 per month left of the contract.
You absolutely will be messed about with, to impede your switching, complicate and delay the process, refusing to accept your cancellation of their services, essentially attempting to intimidate you to stay or incur excess charges and fees plus the extra costs from your new provider. in my opinion an excellent opportunity for malicious intent not usually practiced by Talktalk. Maybe the legality of the situation isn't a sufficient financial penalty to pay any notice to....
Do your best to get all your obligations taken care of in sufficient time prior to the end of your contract.
Annoyingly, I was going to switch providers for a year, and then switch back next year. This experience may mean that I never return at all.
