I've been an AOL/TalkTalk customer since 2004 when I bought my first computer. Over the years there have been many issues, some resolved satisfactorily and some not, but the most significant ones have had to do with fluctuating speeds and not receiving the speed range advertised for the service.
The previous time that I renewed my contract, my download speed dropped from what had been a steady 37.5 Mbps to 32.5, just the day after renewal. Querying this, just brought up the usual and repetitive round of 'tests' with the usual negative result. There were no discernible 'faults' on the line or with my equipment and as no practical reason for this drop could be given, it was once again resigned to the great vault of TalkTalk 'mysteries.'
Which brings me to my current situation.....
I'd been out-of-contract on my Fibre 65 service since October 2022 and had just been paying the subsequent increased rate. Rather oddly, since being out-of-contract, I noticed that my speed had increased from the previous 32.5 to a consistent 40.5 with a corresponding increase in upload speed from around 5.5 to a giddy 10 ! It was this unexpected bonus and my indecision about whether to re-contract with TT or take the opportunity to switch providers, that made me defer the decision until earlier this month.
In the 1st week of this month, I spent hours over 4 conversations with several TalkTalk 'Better Value(!)' agents, attempting to achieve a mutually acceptable new contract. Honestly, it was close to torture and it wasn't until the final call that the agent was able to offer the speed range that is both advertised for Fibre 65 and that is available to my address. It was like pulling teeth, but I thought that I'd got there in the end : Highest 41.5, Lowest 37.5, Guaranteed 33.6. Upload 9.62 - 10.7
I made it clear that I was already receiving the upper band of that range and wanted to ensure that it wouldn't change, just by renewing my contract and I was assured (as before!) that nothing would...
Apparently, rather foolishly, I believed once again what I was told because from the day after I signed up to a new 24 month contract, both the speed to my router and to my devices started to drop.....
For several months prior to this and up until the day of my contract renewal, the speed to my router (using TalkTalk's Speed Test) was 48Mbps and to my device was 41.5Mbps. Each day subsequent to signing up to the new contract those speeds have dropped and the speed history on TalkTalk's graph clearly shows this. Prior to writing this, the speed to my router is now just 35Mbps, but, rather conveniently, still just within the guaranteed minimum.
To say that I'm both disappointed once again with TalkTalk's tactics and annoyed at my stupidity at falling for what I was told, is an understatement and I'm literally kicking myself for it! If TalkTalk is to claim that this is just a 'coincidence' I'm sorry, but that just doesn't make sense at all. The only thing that has 'changed' from the period up until the 6th September, is that I renewed my contract.
