TalkTalk - how not to fix a problem

I am starting the blog post as a record of the fun and games I am having with TalkTalk who are my phone and broadband supplier.

Note - Phone is working fine... broadband less so.

TalkTalk - support phone number 08700 878777

A TalkTalk time line to.....

Date	What Happened	Actioned By
Sat 12th September 2015	Internet failed around lunch.	N/A
Sat 12th	Ran normal checks - Rebooted TalkTalk HG633 router - still no internet. Ran PINGs getting dropped packets and greater than 3000ms responses. Connected spare router and got the same response Checked both wired connections and wireless Plugged Router into BT test socket behind the face plate - still fail..	me
Sat 12th	Logged call with TalkTalk	me
Sat 12th	With TalkTalk Rebooting Router - surprisingly same problem Completed line test Result - TalkTalk can see nothing wrong with the line !! Might be the router - though my old one works!! TalkTalk need 3 session when a BTOpenreach engineer might need to access the house Before 1pm or after 1pm, I said Sunday - Don't work Sundays... Have to wait 72 hours... So gave them Tue 15th and 2 sessions on Wed 16th (am and pm)	me / TalkTalk
Sun 13th	TXT from TalkTalk "Your fault has been passed to our network service desk. We are performing tests against your line. We will provide an update shortly,. Thanks Ref...." - 13/09, 8:14	TalkTalk
Sun 13th	I rang TalkTalk to see how long shortly would be has it had been a few hours! - can we do a line test!!	me
Mon 14th	I rang TALKTALK to ask when will it be fixed - can we do a line test! They could not tell me if someone was coming on Tue or Wednesday (Times and days I had already agreed with them.)- We all have jobs or other places to be how can they expect us to drop everything to be at home without any notice - What would their managers say if they suddenly asked sorry got to take the day off BTopenreach might or might not come round to try or try not to fix my broadband without any notice......	me
Tue 15th	BT Openreach did not turn up
Wed 16th	BT Openreach still did not turn up....
Wed 16th	New replacement router turned up. Plugged in and used all new cables and filters Still poor access.... Rang Talktalk - after some testing at TalkTalk's end - I now have 1.8Mb down and 0.3Mb up... (I know some locations in rural Yorkshire will be happy with this but I should be getting about 38Mb down.) Talktalk - will need to escalate to the network team again!!!	me
Thur 17th	Rang TalkTalk....	me
Fri 18th	Rang TalkTalk	me..
Sat 19th	Day off - from ringing TalkTalk
Sun 20th	Rang TalkTalk - same - can we do a line Test - outside it looks fine,, OK - Just send BT Openreach, we need to escalate to the network team...	me
Mon 21nd	TXT from TalkTalk "We have completed investigations on your line and will provide an update shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience"... 13:49 2nd TXT "Your fault has been passed to our network service desk. We are performing tests against your line. We will provide an update shortly. Thanks ref..." 18:25	TalkTalk
Mon 21st	I ring later that night as I again have not got an update shortly.... Can "we" do a line test..... Can we have 3 sessions where you are available... - This sounds familiar.... So we start again - Wed AM and PM and Fri Am	me
Tue 22nd	TXT from TalkTalk "We have completed investigations on your line and will provide an update shortly. We apologise for any inconvience" 9:00	TalkTalk
Tue 22nd	Phone call from TalkTalk - (It has taken 11 days for an TalkTalk support person to actually ring me and give me an update......) - Are we getting somewhere...... 11:26 NO Please can you provide me with 3 sessions that we might or might not visit your house!!!!!! I explain I have already give TalkTalk 6 what was wrong with the 6 I have already given you? TalkTalk now need another 3 but not for 72 hours (Why..) - this means that the Wednesday ones are now not suitable.. So I have now give TalkTalk Friday Morning and all day on Monday... BUT TalkTalk will let me know in 48 hours if BT Openreach need access to the house - That might be less than 1 days notice to give my employee for leave...	TalkTalk
Tue 22nd	TXT from TalkTalk "Your Fault has been passed to our network service desk. We are performing tests against your line. We will provide an update shortly. Thanks ref...." - This sounds familiar - 11:58 Guess What - 7 hours later still no update - what time period do TalkTalk use for Shortly	TalkTalk
Tue 22nd	Posted this blog to Twitter, without a # or and @ @TalkTalkcare contacted me via Twitter.. Then a day later I DM my line number to them - surprise surprise - "its with the network team" - we can't help you.	TalkTalk
Thu 24th	Guess what.. - TalkTalk did not hold up there promise to let me know in 48 hours. Got bored tonight with very little internet access - so thought why don't I ring TalkTalks support for something to do (Well they were not going to ring me..) No sign of an apology - but she (TalkTalk) would need to find out what the network team where doing with the problem - apparently they should have got back to me by now - no really...She would ring me back in 30 minutes.. To my surprise - she rang me back in about 10 minutes, but then start to say... We need 3 days that BT Openreach can come round... To say I was a little annoyed would have been an exaggeration - I explained that TalkTalk already had 6 of my days.. - She came back yes we can book you in on your last day - Monday 28th Lets wait and see if BT Openreach turn up and fix the problem on Monday... 16 Days and counting.	Me
Mon 28th	BT Openreach came out, very helpful and identified a problem in the roadside BT cabinet, the port had blown.. Fixed within a few hours...	BT
	A few questions for TalkTalk: Why did it take nearly 2 weeks before BT Openreach where contacted? Why did it take over 16 days to fix this problem? Why did TalkTalk not keep in touch when they promised? How do I claim compensation? - will TalkTalk compensate me for the services I could not use?
Wed 30th	Contacted TalkTalk Support  at 18:50 for Compensation 0870 087 8777 First TalkTalk Lady offered - £24.71 (that- for 16 days loss of service - I said I was not happy, especially with the lack of support, the lack of promised return calls by TalkTalk - I had to do the chasing and the time taken to identify an external hardware issue. Could not explain - why it was not passed on to BT Openreach sooner or why they did not have the correct tests to identify the problem in the street cabinet. The TalkTalk lady logged me a complaint ref no - 100469787 Then hold - waiting for next level of support or management.. TalkTalk Manager now offering £23.26 (That included a £5 good will gesture..) - TalkTalk not sure where the first figure came from...... I asked why it took so long - apparently it was an issue with "BT" as they could not get to to fix the job on the first week. TalkTalk did not inform me that it was a BT capacity problem (Not sure if TalkTalk manager was just passing the blame as I believe Talktalk dropped the ball with their customer service and technical management of the case.) Got a lot of apologies for my inconvenience, TalkTalk are going to go back over the calls and talk to their training team, Because of my poor level of service they eventually offered me £30 credit...  Call finished 19:40 - nearly another hour I won't get back.....	Me
	Will I use TalkTalk again when my contract expires?

The times and dates of the first week of calls are approximate - because of frustrations and not thinking this will drag on so long...

Kids and wife driving me mad:

No:

• Home Working
• School Homework that requires internet lookup and pictures
• Skype-ing the family
• No Steaming audio - monthly subscriptions
• Catchup TV
• YouTube
• Streaming TV - monthly subscriptions
• Xbox gaming

To be updated....