...are completely and utterly useless.

I'll not go into the whole story as most of it is set out below, but after spending an hour just trying to get through to customer service to speak to a human being I have resorted to email...

--------------------

Your ref *****
Re Account no. *****

Sir / madam
I have given up attempting to call and speak to what you laughably refer to as "Customer Services", perhaps whoever came up with the name should stick their head in a dictionary sometime to find the true meaning of the phrase.
With this in mind I am resorting to sending this web-based complaint. No doubt this will end up getting printed and lining the nearest waste paper bin, but you can't blame me for trying.
Let me attempt to fill you in on what's happened so far...
(Please don't bother looking at my "File notes" as Robert Ludlum would struggle to create such fantastic works of fiction)
I took out a Talktalk business phone and broadband package some time ago (November or December 2006 perhaps?) and set up a direct debit at the same time to pay for said package on a monthly basis. Not rocket science, I'm sure you'll agree. I've done this a good few times over the years, read out my bank account details to the person on the end of the phone and hey-presto. Simple! Unless the person on the other end of the phone happens to be a talktalk employee. Had someone been playing a joke and swapped all the numeric keys around on their keyboard perhaps, as the account number and sort code bore no resemblance to the details I had given them. This small, but not insignificant fact was not brought to my attention however until the 8th March this year. That's a whole 16 months!
How did I come to find out? Well, I received a rather curt letter from yourselves informing me that I was around £82 in arrears with my account. I promptly called to make arrangements to pay the arrears, only to be informed that I owed a whopping £881.48
I assured the operative on the other end of the phone that some kind of mistake had been made, to which I was told of the offending cockup. Not only that but I was also informed that I had been called and had been told on several occasions beforehand. I would be most interested to hear the recordings which you no doubt have on file of these conversations, as they were news to me. Perhaps the same employee that punched in my account details had dialled the phone that day?
I did of course state that I had had no such conversation, but your member of staff was adamant that it stated so on my account file, so that's got to be right then hasn't it?
As a fair and upstanding bloke I appreciate that cockups can be made, and that I have used the service (ha) which you provide, and I am therefore willing to pay the outstanding amount. I told this to the operative, and made arrangements to pay half then and half on the 10th April. This was agreed upon by both parties, a payment of £440 was made, and the conversation ended.
A week later I received a letter stating that my service was being cancelled due to an outstanding amount of some £440 odd pounds.
I made another call to "customer service" and was informed that the agreement was showing on my file, and that the letter had probably been sent out prior to the said arrangement. Not according to the date on the letter, but benefit of doubt, etc.
Guess what I got in the post the other day?
Yup, another "£440 owing, cough up" letter.
I'm frankly getting more than a little annoyed by this now, all calls to "CS" take at least 30 minutes to even be answered, and that's before the battle of words with someone who would have difficulty dividing their IQ by 2 and being left with a two digit number.
So, to the point (got there eventually)
Can you please make available all recordings of conversations with myself regarding the matter of the direct debit cockup (This is the bit where you cite some crap about data protection in your reply... assuming I get a reply) I'd really like to know what kind of regional accent I had when we spoke.
Can you also please consider terminating my contract without the somewhat ridiculous £1200 penalty that the comedian asked me for when I called to cancel last week.
Not much to ask, I'm sure you have plenty more customers to keep you in Nescafe and HobNobs. Doubtless some of them will even have a direct debit correctly set up in their own name.
Regards
Andy Atkinson.
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I'll keep you informed of their response.

 

Is TalkTalk a subsidiary of British Gas

 

A veritable classic Sir.

Now that I've wiped away the tears, I will shoot to Sainsbury's to buy their large Popcorn 'extravaganza' and put my feet up. I sent a slightly less chucklesome letter to Dabs (the online electronics store who don't actually sell anything online... well, if they do I've yet to receive anything) telling them I was never going to grace their online portal and Indian based call centre again... I'm still holding my breath for their apology *** explanation of their ineptitude...

Hopefully Talk Talk will have a regional comedian who can craft a witty response. Somehow I feel you're going to get another letter asking for the amount via a debt collection agency followed by a letter saying what a valued customer you are and would you like an upgrade, followed by a termination letter for someone else.

Please keep us informed...

 

its good to talk

 

Sorry the above was me logged on as FL6

 

I may be talking out of my **** here but having worked in customer service call centres for quite some time I was always under the impression that the company has a duty of care to prevent accounts becoming in arrears and as such are only able by law to chase debts within the last 6 months?

Not sure how true that is but might be worth looking into as it might save you a few quid??

You can try for free?

Throw ofcom and trading standards into the conversation and they usually back down anyway

 

Nice bit of info Landy, thanks.

I've done all sorts of digging into DD guarantees and stuff, but all I can find is info on your rights if they charge you without your authorisation, not the other way around.

 

Can't beleive you beet me to that dave...
Was just about to post exactly the same, to the word too...!
British Gas £"$%£$^$%& useless!
TT were known to be appauling anyhows, and ebven I did the plumers suck when yopu said you were using them Sticky DOH!

 

Things you can do « Less Talk Talk: More Service. The unofficial, unaffiliated Talk Talk blog.

TalkTalk Business - Poor Customer Support - Firetop

Talk Talk poor customer service - problems and complaints

Wonder why i said don't use them>..

 

talk talk bag of sh*t

bt bag of lieing to*sers...

theyre all a joke sticky bt promised me lines in my new shop 3weeks ago and some greasey sales t*t keeps bobbing in and making false promises his ar*e is going to hit the deck when he comes in next

 

I told this to the operative, and made arrangements to pay half then and half on the 10th April. This was agreed upon by both parties, a payment of £440 was made, and the conversation ended.
A week later I received a letter stating that my service was being cancelled due to an outstanding amount of some £440 odd pounds.
I made another call to "customer service" and was informed that the agreement was showing on my file, and that the letter had probably been sent out prior to the said arrangement. Not according to the date on the letter, but benefit of doubt, etc.

So if the above is correct, how come they didn't ask for £880

I had loads of trouble with Orange, and eventually they put me on a staff account which has been ok since and financially much better for me.