RE: Talk Talk -Praise

BradEUK — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:35:02 GMT

Hey Man I know you want to be fair but you have really provided a complete insight about the company.

Thumps up to you my man

RE: Talk Talk -Praise

TonyDataMan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:23:02 GMT

Only too happy to oblige!

Having read so many reviews about TalkTalk broadband, a lot of them very distressing and from obviously angry people, I decided that before switching to TalkTalk I would download as much as I could from various forums and from TalkTalk's new member forum, so that when all the problems started arising on the switchover day, I would be ready. It doesn't help when someone writes a very negative heading to a post and then every reply, even those disagreeing with the original point of view, still carries that negative heading. I hope the heading of this post redresses that balance a little on the side of fairness.
I have been with Pipex for many years without any major problems, except the cost, which is the only reason I am movng to TT.

Having been a data systems engineer for over quarter of a century, I felt I was reasonably prepared and so I took notes of everything that happened, just as I would with any enterprise implementation - and, to be honest, because I was spooked by the reviews that I had been reading.

I will divide this review into four stages -
BEFORE - The paperwork, application and processing
DURING - Ease of implementation and operability
AFTER - Service delivery and performance
ADVICE and COMMENTS

BEFORE
The application process was carried out over the phone and apart from the fact I had to ask the young lady to get her colleague to quieten down a bit so that I could hear what she was saying, it all went well. The documentation is absolutely excellent and I really couldn't fault it in any way - it was actually a BOOKLET containing all my personal requirements, passwords etc and very well written in easy-to-understand terms. The wireless modem arrived in good time. Expectation management in their process is very good indeed and I was at no time concerned. Our telephone wouldn't receive incoming calls for a few hours on switch-over day, and I fully expected this.

DURING
I did exactly what I was told. The CD loaded and I followed the instructions to the word. Sometimes a step would take longer than an impatient person would want, and I wonder if people start pressing things here without waiting. More progress bars / spinning discs etc would be useful, but it's a minor thing indeed, and I might be too critical here.
The process finished and my Internet connection speed went from a slow 2MB to a blistering 6.33MB (middle of a Friday evening), thus blowing the cobwebs out of a system I had grown used to plodding along with.
Although the booklet recommends two alterations to the router settings (MTU etc) these were not necessary as the router had already been configured. That's a nice touch.
Another nice touch was the way the process added a new account to my Outlook and DIDN'T automatically assume it to be the default account.

I would like to add a step that TalkTalk did not include. When the setup is complete and the broadband works, go into the admin interface and BACKUP the configuration onto your hard drive before storing it somewhere safe. If you end up changing settings and losing your way, you can always go back to the state it was in when it worked (I think this is best practice for any connection device).

AFTER
I had no need to call TalkTalk for aything, I have not had any detectable dropped connections. My mobile phone connects to the wirelss LAN for internet browsing, my computers talk to each other on peer-to-peer and my firm's laptop connected straight away with the supplied key.
For internet testing, all sites connected and worked faultlessly, I can work over the VPN to my employer, hotmail and Googlemail work, banking and secure sockets (SSL) are fine. The windows firewall has the right updated configuration and I find the router a breeze to work with. I think it will even monitor bandwidth usage, but I haven't had time to look for the way to do it.

ADVICE AND COMMENTS
I can't comment on future performance and reliability because I have only just installed it.
I can comment on billing because I have had a TalkTalk telephone account for three years. It has always been excellent, delivering on-line paperless bills which I download and store in Excel format.

Having approached this from an enterprise standpoint, I'd like to add some helpful points to the debate about TalkTalk.

Why do people have so many problems? - This is what I think.
Point 1. I am sure some telephone exchanges have faulty hardware/configuration or wiring for the TalkTalk system and I also believe these are difficult to fix. I think TalkTalk are doing the best they can, and this becomes obvious in the next of my points.
I do believe that when angry customers rub up against frustrated TalkTalk call-centre operaters, problems arise. I think they always will. Thats the nature of technology advancing so quickly in an impatient world. I also think that we all run the risk of billing problems with any supplier because technology and cost-cutting, working together, often leads to glitches. I imagine TT is no stranger to this.

Point 2. There is a members forum on TalkTalk. http://www.talktalkmembers.com and this contains a very good service-status page.
The portal and content are absolutely first class and I wish some of the third party vendors I deal with provided something as good. It quickly becomes obvious that TalkTalk support people are watching this site because they often respond to postings. The other material and guidance on that site is also very helpful indeed.

Point 3. Having sat through the installation process, I realised that some people might not have attended to some basics. First. You really should close any programs that are running, especially anything that might be calling for internet connection in the background OR using a USB socket (auto backups etc)
Second, you really do need to keep your hands off the keyboard and wait for the installation to finish EVEN IF you think it's stalled.
Third, on the TalkTalk forum is some excellent advice about NOT using telephone extension leads and why that is. For my part, I use two leads soldered together to go all the way round the skirting boards (cheap bell-wire), and I got away with it! When I eventually re-site my modem so there is no distance between telephone point and the modem, I believe my speed will increase even further. We'll see.
Fourth, go onto the TalkTalk forum before you start, and read what the experts advise.
Fifth. I have seen comments made about the HUAWEI wireless router which suggest that it's some kind of tinpot third-world set up that makes cheap routers. It is not. They employee 68,000 people, 48% of whom are in research and development. The firm delivers major worldwide networking solutions. The only negative comment I can possibly make is that their product is just too configurable and I wonder if people alter settings on the router without being aware of the full consequences of any changes - it would be easy to get in a muddle. For my part I have still to discover how to configure port-forwarding. Aslo, there might be a firewall in there, but I haven't found it yet! I am relying on Windows FW at the moment.

Final note. When I was in IT Support in my early days, people that were rude and aggressive to me rarely received the best service I knew I was capable of providing. On the other hand, with people who were patient and friendly, I would often go the extra mile - as long as it took to make them happy. Maybe we all need to bear that in mind; and that goes for those disaffected employees of TalkTalk who find it acceptable to openly criticise - on this forum - the employer that pays their wages and gave them a job in the first place. I am old-fashioned, and believe in loyalty to an employer while still being fully aware of legislaton to protect whistle-blowers with genuine concerns.

I hope that has proved useful to anyone considering TalkTalk broadband and maybe even to some who have been having problems. and, to answer a comment about this review on another forum - I really don't work for TalkTalk. I just believe in being fair.

TonyDataMan MCSE

Talk Talk -Praise

sabbat35 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 19:43:06 GMT

Ive been with Talk Talk now for 7 months and have to say i am more than happy.I have been with many providers over the years,including NTL - whose box kept turning off giving me the dreaded 169 ip problem that everyone seemed to encounter.
I was then with BT broadband when i moved into my new property [£125 to install line - fantastic] - i detest BT and the fact it is a private company yet acts as a monopoly. 5p minimum call charges,horrific charges for none direct debit,the most expensive broadband packages? The white router thing that constantly turned off?

I decided to switch last year as i was disgusted that BT wouldnt give me a discount - so,without even worrying,i figured that the local network was BT's,so,it worked fine - i would move to talk talk.Im on inetrnational option 3 - i get 5mb - same as BT,i use 5 machines on it,the router resets itself once a month,but thats not a hassle. Im saving over £25 a month - my landline calls are FREE!No minimum 5p call fee etc.
I have called customer sevices once - and my problem was remedied - the guy in India was very savvy and helped me through a slight technical issue.

i wish more people would put up some good reports about them - i know many people who have talk talk and are very happy - i would rather eat my own router than be with BT.

One happy talk talk guy here.

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RE: Talk Talk -Praise

RE: Talk Talk -Praise

Talk Talk -Praise