We have received appalling service from AOL/TalkTalk, and would welcome your view.
Since April we have received only an intermittent broadband connection. I have spent hours and hours on numerous occasions on the phone to its technical support service.
Back in April, I was told that I should replace my router at a cost of £50 but this failed to resolve the problem. When I phoned the helpline again, I was told that they could not help me because the router was not provided by AOL.
I was told that the first person who recommended I buy my own router should not have done so, and I was duly sent an AOL one. The second new router did the trick and we received an acceptable connection for a few weeks.
However, in June the problems started again and we kept losing the connection randomly. As both my husband and I work from home, a reliable internet connection is essential, so at one point we were having to go to our next-door neighbour to download and send documents.
A BT engineer made a visit but, of course, found nothing wrong. Inevitably, we got round to the same point in the script – that we needed a new router.
I pointed out I was on my third router in as many months and insisted on speaking to a manager.
The manager immediately said that there was nothing that could be done and that AOL/TalkTalk could no longer provide a service in our area and that we would have to find a new internet service provider.
Three weeks later we changed to BT and are receiving a good connection, but, unbelievably, AOL now wants to charge me a £125 “breakage fee”. Life is too short for this. BS, Eyemouth, Scottish Borders
We’d like to offer some reason as to why AOL, now part of TalkTalk, has treated you so badly, but we fared little better than you. We asked the company for an explanation but got nowhere. TalkTalk, which took over AOL in 2006, apparently does not have the notes of your conversations. After much badgering it has now agreed to refund you the £125 termination fee. It has also apologised and was considering sending you £50 to make up for the extra router you bought but didn’t need.
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