Deirdre

I joined up with 'Talk Talk' because of the free calls from customer to customer, my sister was the one who introduced me, she lives in the UK and we just thought it was absolutely fantastic that we could phone each other for free, it meant that we could keep in touch alot more often.

I received my first bill and I was impressed at the savings we were making and I looked forward to continuing with 'Talk Talk' however my joy soon turned sour when on our next bill we were charged for calls made to a 'Talk Talk' customer, my sister in fact, the one who introduced me. My husband emailed customer services and the following day a message was left on our answer machine explaining that they were not sure how this error happened and that my husband was to phone back, he did so on his next day off and the man he was dealing with said that we would be reimbursed if we paid it and if we hadn't just to minus he total 'Talk Talk' calls.

A couple of months later I noticed that we had not received a phone bill for a while so I logged onto the site to see if there was one outstanding and the computer said there were no outstanding bills and there was nothing on the screen, I phoned 'Talk Talk' and told them that I have received no bills lately, I was told that it would be looked into and someone would get back to me, I waited again and again and nobody got back to me. It was September now and my husband and myself were quite anxious to get these bills and get them out of the way, My husband decided to email again and the next day a message was left on the phone saying a new bill was being generated and that we should have it in a week and to phone the customer service and set up a payment plan the same message was emailed to us.

A month later sill no bill! No calls no nothing, I phoned again I explained everything and I was told not to worry, the fault was not with me, a plan would be set up at an affordable rate, I would be looked after and I would remain a 'Talk Talk' customer. A few weeks later still nothing, I tried phoning again but I was on hold for 28 minutes so I got my husband to email again, pleading for a bill. We heard absolutely nothing back.

One week before Christmas we receive our bill with a DEMANDING letter looking for payment before Christmas for € 406.55 or otherwise we will be cut off.

I went through the bill and discovered that the calls going back to April that I had been charged for were to my sister in the UK, the person I was supposed to have been able to phone for free.

I phoned Customer Services again to find out how on earth after all this communication that I receive a threatening letter 1 week before Christmas demanding money, the operator knew nothing about it, there had not even been a note attached to my account instead it showed as payment due now, she said she would phone me the next day. The next day I was told that I would have to pay € 100.00 immediately and that I would probably be allowed to pay over 6 months but she would find out and get someone to phone me. I asked her to find out exactly what the plan was how much payment is to be paid she told me she would find out and get someone to phone me. I waited in all the next day and no one phoned, I sent more emails and I phoned and my husband phoned from his job and we were constantly told that the systems were down or we got cut off.

I sent yet another email again in January and this time I received a reply it stated that talk talk had set up an affordable plan with me, this I was totally unaware of and that I was to pay my bill and that talk talk had done everything to accommodate me. I really do not think so because as I mentioned previously I have nothing in writing there is no correspondence to me agreeing a payment plan, I have had no phone calls or emails setting this agreement up.
I did contact the company pleading for bills, I checked the bill online and nothing was on it, I emailed and I got very little response.

I then had to contact Comreg because the customer service were not helping me at all and the situation was brought to light to the complaints department, a lady contacted me and we agreed a payment plan and all the above calls were reimbursed to my account and I was sent a letter detailing the complaint and how is would now be sorted and that I would not be charged for the call made to my sister who is a 'Talk Talk customer.


The next bill that I received dated 7th February 2007 had 27 calls billed to me made by me to my sister, I phoned the customer service and I explained that my calls should be free because she is a 'Talk Talk' customer and that I was assured in writing that I would not be charged for these call again, I was told by the operator that the calls are not free. I phoned my sister to check with her customer service in the UK and they assured her that both the calls to each other are free and that I should not be charged. I phoned back the customer service here in Ireland and I told them what the UK had said and I was told that my bill would have to be referred to the billing department to be checked out and that someone would get back to me, no one did so I phoned again to find out what was happening, the girl I was speaking to had no idea what I was talking about and I had to explain the whole story to her, I was told that she would referred the bill to the billing department and get back to me, no one did.


Now I had received my next bill dated 7th March 2007, there had been no change made to my bill for the errors on the last bill and again I was charged for calls made to my sister, 10 in total. I phoned the customer service again and I had to explain the whole story from the beginning because the operator said there was no notes on the computer about the errors, I was told that the bill would be referred to the billing department and checked out and someone would get back to me, no one did, instead I received a letter from 'Talk Talk' and I though this is it sorted out but it was a letter saying that if I did not pay my bill in full within 7 days that I would be cut off and I would have to pay a reconnection fee and a late payment fee, I could not understand because going back to January after I contacted 'Talk Talk' they agreed a payment plan with me of €100.00 per month until the 7months of bills that I had not been receiving were paid, I had stuck to my end of the agreement and I came up with the €100.00 every month so I phoned the customer service again and after a wait I was told that it was an error and not to worry,


I then received my bill dated 7th April and again there are calls charged to me made to my sister, 9 in total, I phoned customer services again and the girl told me that it had been checked out and that my sister is not a 'Talk Talk' customer that she is a 'Vartec' customer and that I have to pay for my calls made to her. I have never heard of 'Vartec nor has my sister and she assures me she was never with them , I tried explaining that this had been agreed that she is a 'Talk Talk' customer and that I was assured that I would not be charged for these calls but the girl refused to listen and told me I had to pay for them, that she is not a customer. I phoned my sister to double check that she had not changed phone companies even though I knew she hadn't but at this stage I was doubting myself and when she got back to me she told me she is a 'Talk Talk' customer that the UK customer service assured her she was and that her bills are on 'Talk Talk' headed paper and she pays her bills to 'Talk Talk', I phoned the Irish customer service again and again I was told she is not a 'Talk Talk' customer, when I asked for a number to speak with someone
more senior I was told that they wouldn't speak or deal with me.

This continued on until June, I was continuously charged for calls made to my sister, who had signed me up under the understanding that our calls to each other were free, after many emails to ComReg and many disputes 'Talk Talk' finally admitted that they were in the wrong and that our calls should have been free.

I decided to leave 'Talk Talk' and I contacted them to inform them that I would no longer be a customer, I cleared up my account of anything outstanding and I moved on, I received a letter from 'Talk Talk' saying how sorry they were to loose me.

A couple of weeks later I received a letter telling me that I had not being paying my bills and that I was going to be cut off, for 4 months I received threatening letter saying I was going to be cut off and that it was effecting my credit rating, I knew I had cleared up the bill and I had spoke with the Head Office and they said my account was closed then I received a letter quite recently nearly 4 months having closed my account they were threatening me with debt collectors, attached to the letter was a bill for 0.01c. Furious I phoned them and said that the account was closed and the girl said that it was not closed it was still active. I am with another company for 4 months now and 'Talk Talk' still have not got it right.



I joined up on the agreement that the calls I make to another 'Talk Talk' customer are free, this is the only reason I joined up and I have written confirmation that these calls are free but' Talk Talk' insisted on charging me and making my life extremely stressful,


I will put a few of the rules that they sent me in our agreement.


1. While your calls to other Irish and UK 'Talk Talk' customers will be free, you will still need to call people who haven't joined.
2. Maximum call duration of 3 hours applies to all free calls to other 'Talk Talk' customers.
3. You don't need to pay to talk anymore with free calls to other Irish and UK Talk Talk customers
4. If you are registered with 'Talk Talk' you can call any other Irish or UK 'Talk Talk' customers for free-whoever they are, where ever they live-at any time - day or night.