Getting Digital Voice, or not...

[mc2tt]

Hi,

I'm going to be moving soon and although I don't have a date yet I thought I'd just look at the Moving home item in my account to see what options it might offer me, but after sticking in the new address it told me I had to call TT.  So I did and had a long and confusing conversation in which I was told some things that I'm sure are wrong*, which left me in doubt about the rest of what the agent said, so I'd like to check up on what my options will be.

I'm currently on Fibre 35, being FTTC with a landline phone number of course, which I'm happy enough with, although knowing that POTS will be turned off soon I expected to, on moving, be changed to a fibre with VOIP package, and keeping the same landline number.

However, the agent told me that I can't have Digital Voice at the new premises, just Data Only Full Fibre.  I don't quite get this as (a) the TT website says you can have Digital Voice if you have Full Fibre and (b) you can run VOIP over any internet connection anyway (the clue is in the name :-), so how can it not be available?

The new premises does already have OpenReach FTTP wired to it (and POTS of course), and I'm happy to PM the address to whichever TT Support Team member wants to check into this and let me know what my options are.

If Data Only Full Fibre is, indeed, all that's available (for now) will I be sent a new router that has a socket I can plug my phone into and use with a third party VOIP service, until TT Digital Voice becomes available?

Thanks

* One thing the agent said was that if I downgraded to just Fast Broadband (i.e. totally copper) I could then transfer that to the new premises and keep the same phone number.  I questioned that as the new premises will be on a different exchange but the agent insisted that I'd get to keep the same phone number.  Can't be right, surely?

[mc2tt]

LOL!  Now there's a recommendation!  🤣

[Gliwmaeden2]

Don't use the website. 

[mc2tt]

@Gliwmaeden2I might well try that once I get a little further down the line (no pun intended!).  I've yet to exchange contracts and was, as I say in my initial post, just trying to find out what options were available.  I wasn't actually expecting forum staff to set it up, just to get clarity on the options actually available.  And, yes, I was very clear to the initial agent that I wanted VOIP. 🙂

That aside, the TT website does seem to imply that I can't get it.  If I go to https://www.talktalk.co.uk/digital-voice and look under "How can I get Digital Voice?" it says that "Digital Voice is available to existing customers who upgrade their connection to Full Fibre. Use our postcode checker here to see if you can add Digital Voice to your upgrade today." and when I do that I get Data Only results....

[Chris-TalkTalk]

As Gliwmaeden2 has advised, it's best to speak to the sales team again.

Chris

[Gliwmaeden2]

The online forms / My Account are not best used for this.

Try Chat / phoning again. A different agent may handle this better than your first experience in this thread, @mc2tt.

Forum staff can't set this up for you. Spell out that you need the number as VOIP - don't call it a landline as it is NOT a landline. It must be ordered with the FTTP, at the point of sale.

[mc2tt]

But Chris, it's not giving me any option that includes VOIP at all!

If I select either of the first two it shows the "Important information" that I won't get voice calling and Next gives me Data Only plans, and if I select either of the last two it doesn't offer me any broadband upgrades at all.

Screenshot

[Chris-TalkTalk]

If you select that you need a landline then that's basically saying that you don't want a package including VoIP as it assumes that you need an actual physical landline for a care alarm or medical device, or just want to continue using existing telephone extension sockets.

Chris

[mc2tt]

Hi Chris,

It is an Openreach circuit, however so is my current home but if I log into my account and go into Offers and Upgrade it also will only offer me Data Only broadband upgrades.

If I tick that I need a landline it only offers me Netflix and TT TV and no broadband upgrades, saying for the latter "We’re sorry, there are no new offers to show you right now."

So it looks like I can't get TT VOIP at my current address either, even though I'm an existing customer with a landline service.  (I'm assuming that, given that it's asked me if I need a landline, that if it was available but I needed to call in to get it, it'd tell me so and give me the number to call.)

So there does seem to be some other requirement or constraint ...

[Chris-TalkTalk]

If the service is on a City Fibre or Openreach circuit then there shouldn't be any other constraints. If you try the sales team again and are still getting the same information please let me know.

Chris

[mc2tt]

"VoIP is only currently available to existing customers who have a landline service with us (not new customers) but this should also apply to home movers. I would suggest speaking to our sales team directly..."

I did, see my initial post.  It was 'cos of the dubious information from that call (see footnote) that made me wonder if the rest of what they said was right or not and why I came here (as from long experience I've found the OCEs to be more knowledgable than the call centre folks...;-)

Maybe you could please find out if VOIP is available to all existing customers who have a landline service (and upgrade to Full Fibre) or whether there is also some additional requirement or constraints, Talktalk/LLU side, that would mean it's not available to some of those.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

OK thanks. VoIP is only currently available to existing customers who have a landline service with us (not new customers) but this should also apply to home movers. I would suggest speaking to our sales team directly as the online order process is probably treating you as a new customer

Please also see - Home move - TalkTalk Help & Support

Chris

[mc2tt]

Chris,

https://www.talktalk.co.uk/broadband/fttp itself!  Just scroll down the page to the description of each of the packages; Full Fibre 150, Full Fibre 900, Full Fibre 500 and Full Fibre 65.  They all say Data Only.

I'm clearly asking about not-data-only packages but you've pointed me to a page that lists just Data Only packages! 😉

And if I then do stick in the address it gives me a list of those packages to choose from and it doesn't matter which one I Select, on the next page ("We are preparing your plan") -- even without selecting any of the four statements at the top -- lower down in an "Important information" box it says "This Fibre plan will not support voice calling."

Which is hardly surprising given that the page we started on (https://www.talktalk.co.uk/broadband/fttp) listed all the packages as Data Only. LOL! 🙂

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Could you post a screen shot of where it's showing data only as when I search for the address that you gave me I can't see data only

Chris

[mc2tt]

Ok, thanks.  Your reply was that I can check what's available at my new address myself at https://www.talktalk.co.uk/broadband/fttp but even just scrolling down in that page all of the options say "data only", so that page seems to exclude Digital Voice straight off the bat!

And, indeed, if I put in my address and follow through and tick that I need a landline it says no, but then it said data only right from the start, before I even checked against my address.

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mc2tt

I've replied to your PM

Chris

[Chris-TalkTalk]

Hi mc2tt,

Being data only relates to being supplied with a VoIP service as part of the package, it doesn't mean that you can't have a VoIP service at all, even from a 3rd party provider.

The router supplied depends on the package. Slower packages the Sagemcom wifi hub is supplied. Faster packages are provided with one or more eero's

Chris