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TalkTalk pledges new services for Tiscali broadband customers

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Posted 6th July 2009 at 2:57pm by Jonathan Leggett

TALKTALK

TalkTalk is promising customers of broadband providers it has acquired a host of new products and services, it has been revealed.

This week it was officially confirmed that TalkTalk’s bid for rival internet service provider has been cleared by regulatory authorities. The deal, which followed earlier acquisitions of Pipex, Nildram and Freedom2Surf, resulted in the creation of the UK’s largest residential broadband provider by customer numbers.

Now a new announcement today from TalkTalk reveals that it is planning to unveil a series of “advanced services” for the subscribers it has inherited from the takeover deals. These will take advantage of the "higher bandwidth” that TalkTalk can provide, it is claimed.

The cheap broadband specialist has yet to confirm what the services may be, but it is thought that they could include an on-demand TV service for Pipex, Nildram and Freedom2Surf customers. Tiscali customers can already access from Tiscali TV – the set-up of which is expected to serve as a model for the new broadband TV services.

Other additions may include an improved e-mail facility and an all-you-can-eat subscription music download service along the lines of that recently launched by Virgin Media.

Wendy Becker, managing director of TalkTalk, said: “We understand that customers of Tiscali and their brands including Pipex, Nildram and Freedom2Surf are looking to us introduce new products and services and we’re looking to do that and there are already things in the pipeline.

“We’re looking at specific customers, understanding their needs and coming up with ways to enhance their experience.”

Ms Becker also claimed that subscribers who have joined TalkTalk’s customer base can now look forward to improved customer service. This will be especially welcomed by subscribers who are with Tiscali, which has consistently performed badly in consumer polls.

Ms Becker added: “We’ve invested heavily in customer service and we’ll be applying these learnings very quickly to ensure Tiscali customers begin to see improvements in the short term.

“TalkTalk was voted best value home phone company by uSwitch in April 2009 and also recognised for having the most improved customer service of any broadband provider in the survey. Our research shows that 90 per cent of our customers think our network is as good or better than their previous network.”

TalkTalk has established itself as one of the UK’s leading cheap broadband suppliers thanks to its keenly priced Essentials broadband package. For just £6.49 per month over 18 months, customers can expect a broadband connection of up to 8GB, a monthly usage limit of 40GB and free UK landline calls at evenings and weekends.

More news on: TalkTalk, Tiscali, Future developments

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5 comments

  • BARRY SUTCLIFFE, 6th July 2009.

    BEING A FORCED CUSTOMER OF PIPEX FOR 3 MONTHS AND FREE CUSTOMER OF TISCALI FOR 5 MONTHS, I WOULD GLADLY CHANGE TO TALK TALK. IF THEIR CUSTOMER RELATIONS LISTENED TO CUSTOMERS INSTEAD OF REACTING WITHOUT THOUGHT THAT IS...

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  • David Simmons, 6th July 2009.

    It is wrong to say that Tiscali customers can already access TV. That sevice is post-code dependent.

    My hope is that the excellent package I currently have with Tiscali either remains or improved, which I doubt. In my experience big is not always beautiful, certainly not for the customer.

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  • Ukbobboy, 29th July 2009.

    I find the words "excellent package with Tiscali" a hollow joke. When Tiscali took over Bulldog/Pipex I found that they started to ration my broadband service.

    What I would like from TalkTalk is to restore my service back to it's original Bulldog/Pipex level. Plus, I would also like to deal with a knowledgable British call centre, not someone on the other side of the world reading from FAQ list.

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  • Josh Sanders, 3rd August 2009.

    I joined Tiscali back in February, blissfully unaware of how shocking their customer service can be. I have had no problems (yet!) with internet connection but the people of the end of the phone are useless!

    I moved house this weekend and, of course, wanted to take my broadband package with me. When I originally bought the package i paid £99 so I could avoid the BT line rental, being assured that if I moved I would be able to simply move the package across. However I have now been told that since the end of March, this is a service Tiscali no longer provide and that I would have to cancel by phone package and call BT to get a BT line installed, thus having to pay BT line rental.

    Anyone else think Tiscali owes me £99?

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  • D.Philips, 11th August 2009.

    Ive found tiscali broadband tv and phone service to be 100% over the past 2 yrs but then im at an advantage: full speed bband as im close to the exchange and being a it engineer can sort out my own problems my end with router etc.
    However...........
    I did have occasion to call their overseas call centre one time and totally agree they should be got rid of it. Although polite its obvious apart from the script they seem to have poor knowledge on anything that deviates from it, also its no fun repeating your self 3 times every 30 seconds and trying to translate what there saying !!!!!

    As far as the tv service is concerned id put it above sky (which i had for 5 yrs) anytime, the VOD is superb and being able to watch your favorite series one after the other instead of waiting a week for another episode is brilliant + the fact there is no commercials (yay) One reason i ditched sky was the 6 min commercial breaks up to 3 times an hour (18mins) and even 2 mins after your programme has started!! WAY OUTTA CONTROL and there too often sneaky price rise tatics.

    The tiscali box automatically upscales everything you watch to close to hd and so again compared with sky equivilent non hd box gives a far more superior picture indeed. Only thing on my wish list from tiscali is get the bloody HD content to its customers - we have been waiting long enough. Youve got the customers, youve got the money - even if downloaded to the box get on with it for crying out loud or at least offer a date / timescale ?

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