I'm already kicking myself for switching after being poached from Talk talk Onetel. After 14 miserable days with TT, I've had virtually no internet connectivity except an unbeleivably slow 19kb for a few minutes on Monday and now I'm on day 5 without telephone. Customer services (when you finally get through) are hard to understand and virtually ineffective. So can someone tell me please, why doesn't a government agency get involved and stand up for it's people, not those openly committing crime? How can talk talk be allowed to sell services which they plainly can't provide? Surely, if they can't provide what they advertise, we should be allowed to bail out without penalty shouldn't we? Never mind the clever wording in the small print. Or does no-one care any more?

John Wilson, Southampton, England

Personally I think you are being exceedingly unfair to talktalk.
After the first month when I could not get connected.
I have had absolutely excellent service ever since.
Why did I have the initial problems because B.T. cable was so old that it could not cope with the talktalk service/broadband.
Eventually changed the wiring and no trouble since.
Incidentally, the help service based in South Africa is second to none and its free!!!

A.Chalkley, Bromley, England

I had a few hickups getting connected and the broadband slows and some times drops out but hey its a good package overall, I shudder to think what the same package on BT would cost!

geoffk, Bournemouth, UK

I;ve been with talktalk for 3 months now and after atechnical hiccup at the start it's done everything it said it would. Far faster service than BT proided and my bills dropped from £65 a month from BT to £22 with Talk Talk. Fingers crossed.

Ed Glasgow

Edward O'Brien, Glasgow,

I have had TALK TALK since it first started.I find it a fantastic service and have never had a problem with it.

All services completely meet my needs time and time again. I particularly find the help and support systm very very helpful.

I HAVE NO INTENTION OF SWITCHING AND SHALL CONTINUE TO RECOMEND THEM

Colin Moon, Stockport, Cheshire , England

I am sick to death of being let down by the telecoms sector in this respect. Talk Talk have been the worst of all - I have spent 40 hours and countless premium rate telephone calls trying to chase up my Broadband from signing up to a talk-plan ten weeks ago. It's high time that we consumers had a fast track complaints system via an independant body which ACTUALLY PERFORMS - someone to pursue these cowboys.
Regardless - I am ready to take them on myself, having cancelled my direct debit agreements and served them with a series of warning notices. I am switching to someone else. By failing to provide this free broadband they have breached the Sales of Goods and Services Act of 1982 - by not fullfilling their own contractual obligations - irrespective of the smallprint in their terms and conditions. Neither have they provided me with any evidence that this was not just a cheat designed to criminally deceive me at the time I signed up. People like this should be put out of business!

Dave, Darlington, UK

I have no complaint about talk talk and i have been with them for 1 year now. I believe that if you don't have to contact them for any problem, then it's fine. I live in a city center, that helps a lot in terms of speed I suppose although the 8Mb remain utopia The talk talk deal is very competitive if you have to call abroad a lot.

C. vaillant, manchester,

Blimey, I must be the only person who has not had problems with Talk Talk and I have been with them since they began the home service. The only time I did have a problem, it was quickly solved without a fuss and without hours waiting for a response. Reading the above, means I should go out and buy a lottery ticket as my luck is definitely in.

Steve, High Wycombe, UK

I signed up to talk talk at the beginning of this year... all was fine until the first week in June.... My broadband connection disappeared... after 12 weeks of being told it was my computer/modem/filters (none of which is true because they all worked at three other addresses!) I was due to move house. I rang talk talk in a last ditch attempt to restore service at my new address, nothing.... So I wrote to them and said as they had not responded to previous correspondence, provided me with a way to move the service or restore service at the present address then I had no option but to cancel my direct debit and terminate the contract..... nothing... then I cancelled the direct debit. I have since had 2 - 3 letters per week apologising and asking me to ring so that the service can be restored. I don't think so! they also waived the early termination fee due to the poor service. Any problems you have with them cancel the direct debit. It's they only way to get a solution!!

jo, manchester,

I have never had a problem with talktalk.net

Jane Lockyer, Maidenhead, Berkshire

we were signed up without our consent by a Talk Talk sales person ,when we had only made an enquiry about having their service. They were ruthless in trying to force us over 9 months to pay for what we had not received. We complained to the parent company Carphone Warehouse -but found tht they do not seem to listen to customer complaints .
We would advise anyone to stay well away from Talk Talk and Carphone Warehouse.

paul harris, leicester,

As a customer of Talk Talk (previously Onetel) for many years I have seen a steady decline in the standard of service and ceertainly no trace of any clear customer care service since the takeover was completed. During this most recent debacle well covered in the media, customers are being fobbed off with statements that are somewhat less than economical with the truth! Managers are non-contactable and hours of inappropriate piped music is seen as a substitute for any proper response. Only with dogged determination will you receive any explanation and that usually means writing (Recorded Delivery) to their MD, a Mr D Thatcher, at 5 Portal Way, Acton, London W3 6RT. Talk Talk will lose many of their customers and for my part, I apologise to those who adopted this provider on my recommendation!

Ian Dewar Public Relations & Business Consultant, Middleton on the Wolds, UK

I read your article 'Talk Talk: get out now ' in the 9 September 2007 edition.

Having faced most of the issues mentioned in your article, we decided to cancel Talk Talk and switch to another provider.

I wold like to bring to your attention that despite cancelling our account in May '07 Talk Talk continues to bill us monthly. I have made several calls to them and each time they accept that the account is closed but an error in the billing department means we will still get billed. Every time we are promised we will not receive further bills. However, we are still receving them.

Talk Talk has made calls home requesting payment and has even barred us from calling certain numbers despite us no longer being Talk Talk customers. This is pure harassment.

Please warn readers who plan to cancel Talk Talk that this may occur with them as friends of ours have had similar experiences upon cancelling Talk Talk.

Nazeer Datoobhoy, Pinner, Middlesex