TalkTalk is a bunch of thieves and scammers

[Rusty21193]

The storm knocked both my phone and internet off, when I reported it they asked me to use the test socket. I explained that due to a severe disability I was unable to move the TV and even if I was able to I couldn't get down to floor level. She said if I refused then if the socket was faulty when the engineer called then I would be charged £75. I once again told them that I wasn't refusing but was physically unable to move the TV and get to floor level and said it was an Open Reach responsibility and wouldn't pay. They said unless I accepted their terms they wouldn't send out an engineer. Bunch of thieving scammers. I also told them that 999 Emergency services had contacted me to say the line was constantly dialling 999 and could I inform TalkTalk. They weren't even bothered.
I made a complaint and got a text message to say someone would call me, however they didn't. Twice more I received two messages saying they would call on a certain date and time and on both occasions they didn't bother.
This useless company actively discriminates against the disabled and the old. Disgusting.
I cancelled my account and have gone with another company and still can't get to talk to anyone at TalkTalk to find out when the account will finish. And forget about trying to talk to a manager, they put me on hold for ages and eventually was told a manager would speak to me, only to be cut off. 

I posted on Trust Pilot only to be told to follow a link and send a message, which I did, I was told someone would respond within an hour, well once again I've waited all day.  OFCOM is my next port of call, after the media has interviewed the CEO, A reporter is coming to see me later this week and wants all the recording handed over. (For years I've made it a priority to record all my calls).

[Michelle-TalkTalk]

Hello,

I've escalated this straight to our CEO's Office and have requested that you are contacted ASAP.

Thanks

Michelle

[Rusty21193]

1. I live alone and she wanted done there and than. And all my neighbours are elderly.

2.. I would have to move the TV because the socket is directly behind it and at floor level.

3. My phone was not plugged in so there is no way it could be blamed for the faulty line dialling 999.

[Karl-TalkTalk]

Hi Rusty21193

The engineer conditions are made directly by Openreach to all suppliers, so this is not a condition made by TalkTalk.  We have to confirm to Openreach that their conditions are accepted before they will send an engineer.   TalkTalk do not profit from this, quite the opposite.

If an engineer is sent out, and the fault is proven to be with the customer rather than the line etc, the full charge from Openreach is upwards of £180.  A small portion is passed on to the customer, but TalkTalk pay the rest to Openreach, so we do our best to make sure that no charges are applied.

We can of course dispute any charges with Openreach if we think they are wrong, but ultimately we do have to follow their process when requesting they send out an engineer.

Thanks  

Karl. 

[ferguson]

I am afraid it is a condition for sending out an engineer that you agree to potential engineer charges: "potential" only if the fault is found to be internal, rather than related to the outage. If the fault is found to be outside your home, then no charges will arise.

TalkTalk do have a process whereby customers can register as vulnerable. Whether your inability to physically access the test socket would allow an exemption I don't know, I will leave TalkTalk to answer that.

Have you tried  @KeithFrench's suggestion regarding any auto-dialler/personal alarm system? 

[KeithFrench]

Yes, I fully understood what you said in your opening post, I can easily understand the difficulties you must be suffering. The only problem is that if this auto-dialling equipment that is calling the emergency services is a piece of your own equipment that has gone faulty, it might well cause problems with the change over to your new provider, hence why I asked if you could turn it off.

I escalated this over to TalkTalk for you at 15:30 and you should hear back from them hopefully tomorrow now. Please make sure you update your community profile as I requested in my first reply to you, otherwise, the first thing they will ask you to do is to update it. Your profile is the only way to tie up your forum username to your TalkTalk account. That will lead to more delays.

[Rusty21193]

I'm sorry but because of a severe disability I was unable to move a TV stand and get down to floor level to take the phone socket apart to use the test socket. So they said if I refused they would charge me £75 if the socket was faulty. I explained I wasn't refusing but was physically unable to do it and wasn't going to pay the money. They then said unless I agreed to it they would not send an engineer to fix the phone and broadband fault. YES they are thieves and scammers. And the reporter is disgusted that they would even say this, especially as I sent them a health form (filled in by my doctor) to put me on a priority list.

[KeithFrench]

Let me try & address some of your concerns:-

1. The test socket. In normal circumstances, this is essential to avoid unnecessary charges for wasted engineering visits as it is the demarcation point between what is TalkTalk's responsibility & what is yours. This must be exceedingly difficult for you to get at, I don't suppose a family member or neighbour could get down to the socket for you? 
2. I don't really see why you would need to move your TV?
3. If your line is constantly dialling 999, do you have some sort of auto dialling equipment from a fall detector or other emergency equipment? This part is interesting because if it is constantly dialling 999 then the line must be OK, but it is held up by this auto dialler. Is there any way that you can reach an on/off switch for this & turn it off? If so you may then find out that your landline is working again.
4. This may just be a router issue & if TalkTalk decide it is the case, then they will replace it free of charge anyway.

TalkTalk will respond, I will make sure of this for you, but as @ferguson said, if you have moved to another ISP, there may not be much that can be done. 

[ferguson]

I am not sure there will be a great deal that TalkTalk can do now that you have cancelled and are moving to another provider. 

[Rusty21193]

They are thieves, and thank you for reporting it but honestly if, after 2 weeks waiting for them to sort it I doubt very much anything will be done this time.

[KeithFrench]

I realise that you have had a bad time of this, but TalkTalk is NOT a bunch of thieves & scammers. However, don't take my word for it, I have asked TalkTalk to address your concerns. 

They aim to respond within 48 hours (Monday - Friday) excluding Bank Holidays, but if more urgent you can always try the Service Centre on 0345 172 0088. The posts are responded to in time/date order, oldest first.

To save yourself time, please make sure that your community profile includes your first & last names, broadband phone number & if possible an alternative contact number. This can be done by clicking on your Avatar picture then click on "My Settings" followed by:-

Personal Profile > Personal Information

Otherwise, TalkTalk will not be able to tie up your forum username to your broadband account. Only you & TalkTalk have visibility of your details.