Ever wondered why that call back doesn't happen or why they offer advice that seems illogical or nothing to do with your query? Ever been frustrated with the insanity that is using the "Customer Service" call line or chat where you seem to go around and around and around for hours getting nowhere?
I just got off the phone speaking to a Talk Talk Manager who was refreshingly honest and genuine. And I mean really honest...
Point 1: Complaint handling and Call back.
Question 1 to him: "Why is it that TalkTalk say they are going to call back but don't? Why is there no voice mail message or missed call even if the number is withheld? This seems to happen only with TalkTalk and for some strange reason my phone, which always displays 'missed calls', never shows any missed calls from TalkTalk and there is never a voicemail message left. It would seem sensible to leave a message when dealing with the sensative issue of a complaint so as not to further complicate the issue wouldn't it?"
Managers answer: "Some staff do call back but only let it ring once, then hang up. This is so it shows on the computer system that they did actualy call even though they hang up after one ring. Some staff say they have called back but don't and put on the system that they have".
(at this point I laughed so hard... this explains a lot!....still good to know the truth for a change. Usually you're made to feel as a customer that you are wrong and that they did call...you just weren't available.)
Point 2: I wanted to change my Direct Debit date and was told by a member of staff that the date I wanted was possible but TalkTalk don't like you choosing the date you want. They like to offer you what suits them. I was told to speak to customer services and they "will help you and give you the date you want" (I have a copy of the chat). So later on I made the mistake of believing this and I used the chat. Suprise suprise a diffrent Chat agent told me the date I wanted wasn't available and then they offered me a link to click on so I could choose the date I wanted. I asked the Chat agent if the date I wanted would be available via the link...the Chat agent said no. I asked why they offfered me the link then and told me I can choose the date I want if it is not availabe? They said they had to. I kept a copy of the chat to prove the madness. I brought this up with the same Manager on the same call. Here's his reply... it explains even more.
Question 2 to him: "Why would a Chat agent offer me a link to click on and tell me to click on it knowing that the date I want is "not" available, Yet tell me the date "is" available and I should click on the link?".
Managers answer: "Its not logical but they have to offer the link otherwise they get marked down on performance".
Me: "So their performance is more important than the customer service and even if the advice makes no sense at all they will still offer it because proceedure says they have too?"
Manager: "Yes...its not logical"
(thank God I requested a copy of the Chat... no one would believe how absurd that was).
Point 3: Last year in December I raised a complaint because I was refused access to my Mothers account which I handle on her behalf (shes disabled) because I did not pass security. After a two hour call and my actual Mother speaking on the phone to the Manager, TalkTalk still refused us access to the account. My Mother ended up in tears and was really distressed by this incident. Why did TalkTalk refuse access? The answer I discovered was because the letter "A" in our address was at the end of the address instead of after the door number. So even though we were giving the correct address and know our own address and postal code, because TalkTalk had one letter at the end of the address instead of after the door number, they refused account access because we weren't giving the correct address. They even had the letter "A" we were mentioning just on a separate line...just at the end of the address. They also had two addreses on their system to look at and choose from.
So I Checked the account on line and it turns out TalkTalk has two addresses for every account. A billing address and a Marketing address. Both addresses were exactly the same except one had the letter "A" on a separate line at the end and the other had it after the door number. One address was 100% correct, the other 99% correct. I received a call back from a lady in Scotland who was supposed to be resolving the issue. No apology was ever offered over the phone but the excuse was made that they have to use the address offered by the UK postal service even though they had two addresses and the Postal service does not offer addresses like TalkTalk had displayed. I agreed but that excuse didn't explain why we were refused access to our account when we clearly had all the details correct. Again no apology was offered and she informed me that our address would be corrected over the following couple of weeks. Why change what the Postal service is offering then if you have to use the UK Postal address system? The answer is because you are not using the UK Postal system address. I checked and what they have as my Mothers address isn't what you have.
Well TalkTalk... One year on the addresses are still different and one still has the letter "A" on the wrong line despite your promise to corect it and no apology.
Its been brought to my attention that this may be something to do with incorrporating Tiscalis system into yours? Perhaps the same reason you were fined so much for incorrect billing a few years back? Clearly I know what my Mothers addres is, so does she. Even the UK post Office have her address correct...I Checked. Even after telling us you would amend the details and correct the error, "your error" it still remains the same a year later.
Plain and Simple... as a company you should not be trusted in any way, shape or form. No matter how much you don't like to hear it, your staff do tells lies and it is not our "misunderstanding" or our inability to understand how the TalkTalk system works"
TalkTalk customers put up with this on a daily basis. Its appauling customer service and when you raise a complaint, instead of things getting better, they get worse because of your business culture and how you handle things.
I hope the Ombudsman fines you more because that is the only language CEOs, Board directors and share holders understand. If they had to use the customer service and complaints system that they offer customers, they would have given up a long time ago.
Don't waste your time complaining....invest 10 minutes using the ombudsman complaints system and switch as soon as you can. No matter how much you are told that "we are constantly trying to improve" you'll notice the reality is different to the fantasy. In business money and profits talk. Take your money and your business somewhere else and save yourself hours of wasted time, where you are lied to (proof above) and mislead. Don't put up with appauling customer service...
Laurence Tuohy
(Account Manager)