The leaving of TalkTalk

[KannyKen]

After years staying with TalkTalk because leaving was not easy, I am taking the plunge and going. Here are some of the key points from the story.

TT cannot even maintain the minimum 26mbps of the Fibre 35 package.

Reporting a fault meets with a hostile response predicated on that I don't know what I am talking about.

TT make assumptions about the issue and will not accept simple rebuttals of where their reasoning is incorrect.

The chatbot is programmed with artificial dumbness.

You can never talk with a human being.

I understand that part of the problem is they rely on the poor quality of BP Openreach systems which is outside their control but their reluctance to fix issues means TT are bound to lose business.

Fortunately, there is a new kid on the block offering full fibre on a brand new network that has nothing of BT Openreach in its system. Speeds are symmetrical and and order of magnitude greater that TT. It has taken weeks of preparation by me to cover all the technical changes I face and to set up new email as I was 100% locked into TT. However, in the end the solution was staring me in the face as I discovered other subscriptions I have provide full email service and on top of that, antivirus service so I was able to dump my current AV service. In fact that saving will fund a good part of the higher cost of full fibre.

So a win win situation for me. On top of that the new company have their office next to where I worked some years ago so feels a bit like coming home.

To quote from HHGTTG, goodbye and thank you for all the fish.

[KannyKen]

So finally I have left TalkTalk who just kept on getting it wrong until the very end! From speeds of 12 to 30 mbps I am now enjoying 500 mbps thanks to the rural broadband initiative of the previous government which made it possible, (that speed is both download and upload too!). There is a whole new fibre optic network that is totally separate from BT Openreach equipment so there is no traditional copper phone line. For an extra fee they provide VOIP phone with a small battery back up system. There are risks because it is a relatively small company and if they fail there is no alternative. However, as TT had become a non stop failure it was a no brainer to change. One neighbour changed two days before me and another already has installation booked. My TT phone service was terminated a week ago and my router went back at the start of the week but today TT called me to see if they could convince me to stay. Left and right hand issues? 

Email should have stopped too and today I can't access it though my email client but can still access webmail

So farewell to TalkTalk, I don't think we will miss each other.

[ferguson]

If TalkTalk are unable to offer Full Fibre in your area then the vagaries of the old FTTC systems were always prone to problems. Good luck with your new provider.  🙂