TalkTalk slamming...

[#1]

My daughter got an email from PN a couple of days ago:-
"We have been informed that a cancellation order (also known as a PSTN cease) has been placed on your telephone line"
"The cancellation order has been placed to move your telephone service to a different provider. This will also affect your broadband service"
Seems a TalkTalk  'person'  was cold calling in the area, got her name, address and presumably her telephone number and proceeded to transfer her account without her permission or signature or anything.
I got her to call TalkTalk and threaten them with OFT, OFCOM, the Black Daeth and and everything else and she was told the transfer would be cancelled and she was given a cancellation number.
I have emailed PN to explain and to confirm that nothing should change and that my daughter wishes to remain with PN but I have not yet received any reply.  I would imagine that PN would not be best pleased as I gather they have previously expressed concern at TalTalk poaching PN customers...
Anyone out there with similar experiences?

[#2]

How can this possibly be legal? TalkTalk are not a party to the contracts between Plusnet and its customers, so how are they able to cancel said contracts?

[#3]

Talk Talk are widely known for 'sharp practices'.
We see loads of instances detailed on this forum.

[#4]

I think 'some' of these instances may be where a customer might have agreed to take their calls over to TalkTalk but were not told that they will also be obliged to take their broadband via TT as well.
In my daughter's case she did not request ANY changes.
Lots of stuff on the 'net abot these sharp practices, see here:-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/18/plusnet_talktalk_spat/

[#5]

Hi PNnewbie,
Sorry to hear about this, could you send me a PM with your daughter's username please so I can look into this?

[#6]

I'll reply to your PM shortly, it looks like the take over has been halted before it's too late.

[#7]

Thanks Adam - a job well done - really appreciate your help!
Whilst I'm certainly not naiive I never cease to be amazed at the tactics some of these companies employ to get new customers - they've presumably never heard of the word ethics !!!
Thanks again.

[#8]

Of course they have heard of ethics, its just south of thuffolk!

[#9]

^ this post reported for win. Nice one Jelv

[#10]

@Jelv I may or may not have nicked that.

[#11]

I have a senior citizen friend who got caught out by TT yesterday.
He has PN broadband and phone and was told by TT street seller that they would save him money. They said they had a special deal fro people in his area and age group (75+)
Based upon the information as they stated, it looked cheaper, so he said he would confirm today if he wanted to go ahead.
When he told me last night about this I advised him about the problems other people had had, the costs that TT had not made clear, and not to trust TalkTalk to wait for his confirmation. The best thing would be to cancel ASAP and he agreed.
Of course, overnight TT had gone ahead with the transfer order and PN emailed my friend this morning, that a cancellation order had been processed.
He has now phoned TT and cancelled the order, but the queue time for PN CS was more than he could manage, so I've submitted a ticket on his behalf (40680931) to ask PN to make sure that TalkTalk don't "forget" to stop the order.
Maybe I'm too cynical but they appear to be targetting senior citizens.

[#12]

Hi JohnJ,
Thanks for the heads up, and the detailed ticket - I've cancelled the outbound order for you now.

[#13]

I think where TT get a lot of info is when they offer to do "Line Test". I have a feeling that "Line Test" is a  call to one of their offices where call numbers are noted. Coupled with the address it's not hard to find out the persons name. I had one last year who having called on my neighbour (in her 80s) told me she had agreed to change her phone and BB. Of course I knew she had not but during the conversation he said Mrs..... Oh dear I've forgotten her name expecting me to give it but was out of luck.

[#14]

You should have told them the name was Theresa Thelma Sheila Lammer!

[#15]

I was 'slammed' for my electricity supply some years ago. However, whoever did it used the wrong name so mail (bills) were returned without a thought. After i realised i hadn't had a bill for 6 months I enquired, discovered what had happened, and had it put back to the company i thought I was contracted with. I obviousy missed the 'why are you leaving' contact too. (but perhaps something else went wrong since the name also changed...?)
Never did get a bill for the missing 6 months.
Regardless, I'd rather not be taken advantage of this way. Luck that electricity isn't so easy to cut off!