personal finance

Broadband services cut off despite the lockdown


Two months ago I told my broadband provider TalkTalk that I was moving and requested the service be transferred to my new address on 8 May.

Soon after this, lockdown was imposed and the house move, along with everything else, had to be put on hold. I have been working at home since, greatly relying on my broadband. All my subsequent attempts to cancel the switch of the service have failed. Several phone calls went unanswered, while web chats were not available. When I finally thought I had managed to get a message through, the service was disconnected as originally planned.

It has been very difficult to function. The company does not appear to realise how important broadband has become. I understand TalkTalk has not answered the telephone to anyone who is not on its vulnerable list for over a month. I really feel it should halt all disconnections based on home moves to stop others being left in this boat.
SB
, Newcastle upon Tyne

In February our phone and internet service was switched without my knowledge or consent from MacAce to BT. The timing could not have been worse, and we have been left with no service when we needed it most.

I have spent the past two months trying to restore it, which has been unbelievably stressful and frustrating. It has made working from home impossible. We have been told it may be two months before it is restored. Help!
AA
, Oxfordshire

When the lockdown was first announced I thought we would receive many complaints along these lines, but, in fairness, the UK’s broadband networks have coped remarkably well with the extra demands placed on them by millions working from home or streaming services.

You can feel the frustration in both these letters, and the companies prioritised them and both customers were reconnected pretty quickly.

TalkTalk says that it had no record of SB trying to contact it, but conceded that it had operated a reduced contact centre over recent weeks. Aside from getting you back online, it has offered £40 compensation and a £25 Amazon voucher. You are just delighted to be reconnected. It has also said it will be looking at its house move operation in the light of your experience.

The cut-off of AA’s service – as is often the case – was the result of a mix-up with a neighbour’s request to transfer their service. Your address was on its order. I took a pragmatic decision to ask BT to get you connected, as I felt this would yield the quickest solution. Which it did. It quickly reconnected you, and has since offered free installation, activation and a free smart hub.

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