I would like to tell anyone interested of my talktalk nightmare experience.
I received the following text message:
Hi Michael, TalkTalk here. Great news, we're upgrading the broadband technology in your home to Full Fibre broadband with Digital Voice, free of charge. This is part of a wider digital broadband upgrade happening across the UK.
An engineer will need to install the new equipment at No. 43 at postcode ending 7FP. Our network partner, CityFibre, will carry out your installation, they will arrive on Tue 23 May between 8AM - 1PM.
Reply CONFIRM if this date works for you.
Reply CHANGE to reschedule or MORE for more info.
I reply CHANGE to reschedule and then receive the following text message:
Great news! We're installing full fibre on the 12th of May 2023, between 1PM - 6PM. Please reply CONFIRM to confirm this appointment, alternatively we can reschedule for a more convenient time. Kind regards, CityFibre 0330 818 0658
I reply CONFIRM
City fibre come and install the full fibre equipment on 12th May then leave.
Naturally I expect that at that moment with my new equipment I’m ready to connect to full fibre. Not so. All the green lights are on and the cables are connected properly but no fibre. It’s not working. I go on live chat with a talktalk agent to find out why I’m not connected. I send pics of the set up and they confirm all is ok and it should be working but this agent can no longer help me as he is technical support and I need to speak to a member of the ‘fibre management’. He then puts me on hold for 20 mins and finally I get to speak to the correct dept. Turns out Talktalk had no idea I was getting a full fibre upgrade, despite them being the ones that sent me the text!, and they need to get back to me with a change of service date. This will take 3-5 days. In the meantime they will put me back on my old copper line. Unfortunately my old copper line is no longer working for some reason. I’m passed back to technical support after being on hold for another 30 mins. They don’t understand why my old line isn’t working so arrange for an engineer to come over in 5 days time. I think 5 days is a long time without internet these days , especially as my kids are studying for their exams but what can I do. At least the engineer should be able to fix it. Nope. He informs me that it is an openreach issue. The engineer calls talktalk and they arrange to send over an openreach engineer the next day or two. I think surely they’ll be able to help me get back online. Nope. The engineer from openreach tells me everything is working fine and he cannot understand why talktalk have not activated my full fibre! He also tells me that when city fibre fit their equipment they automatically disconnect my old equipment. So the reason I am left with no internet is simply because talktalk haven’t activated me on their network.
This is now the 19th May.
My life is working 7am-3pm and come home and talking to talktalk via livechat for the next few hours. Not one ‘agent’ can help me. Nobody knows why I don’t have internet connection and nobody understands my frustration. I’m passed from dept to dept and put on hold for extremely long times. On one occasion I was on hold for over an hour so I could get a reference number!
I got to the point where I decided enough is enough. Talktalk are absolutely useless so I need to leave them. This is impossible. Literally.
I have been given cease dates on 4 different occasions and on each occasion I’m told that the cease date has been rejected. When I call to find out why me leaving has been rejected nobody knows why!.. and to make matters worse they then reassure me that the ‘back office’ is looking into it and will be in touch in 5-6 days. Every 5-6 days I go through the same experience. I’m totally at the end of my tether and my anger and frustration is complete and utter. I’ve stopped being nice on the phone as it gets me nowhere. Screaming and shouting doesn’t work either but at least it makes me feel better by letting talktalk know exactly how I feel.
I have literally been left with no internet since the 12th May and it is now June 5th.
It has cost me over £200 to buy extra data for my family as my children needed to study for their exams and I need internet for work. I have also spent more than 20 hours dealing with complete and utter imbeciles who have no clue how to help me.
Naturally I have made an official complaint but this is also pointless. The ‘complaint manager’ assigned to my case has never called when they were meant to( I get text messages with a 2 hour window). I know they have called twice(out with the window) and on both occasions I was driving and couldn’t answer. I have also been told on another 12 occasions that I would be getting a call and no one has called. The customer service is absolutely shocking.
I have now also raised an official complaint about the ‘complaint manager’. I know.. this is absolutely ridiculous but if I can make their lives uncomfortable then it makes me feel better.
I have looked into the compensation that I am now due. At time of writing at £9.33 per day( not including first 48 hours)talk talk owe me just over £195 and counting.
I’m told today that I have to wait another 5 days so the back office can sort this nightmare out but I can guarantee in 5 days time I’ll be back on the phone screaming and shouting at another poor sod because my cease date has been rejected.
My advice to anyone thinking about joining talktalk or upgrading to full fibre is just don’t do it. It’s not worth it. Your life will literally be a living nightmare having to deal with these people every day.
