Talk-Talk What I Know So Far....

For many, yes! While 'free' is marketing twaddle, if you use/want broadband (and aren't locked in to another provider), Carphone Warehouse's £21/month package for all landline calls, broadband and line rental is likely to be unbeatable. The one main drawback is the lengthy 18 month contract.

View/Apply for the new tariff: Talk Talk* (the tariff needed is Talk 3 International Calls Option)


My overall view is this tariff will be a winner for many, especially as it is very likely you will be able to use it in conjunction with other cheap calls providers to cut the cost of calling mobiles and making other calls. Of course, it isn't without its problems, yet that's the same with most providers.

Therefore as the queue to get it is building up, you may want to Apply now*, then read the article about how to use it in conjunction with these providers next week.




The following are my notes (and as such are in note form) so far, some may be a bit technical, but I know many MoneySavers are desperate for the information. If you don't understand it, don't worry the article next week will be written in a much easier style and will include full pros and cons.

Please beware, this info is not officially confirmed yet, as in some cases these include issues Talk Talk itself hadn't thought of, confirmation should come this week.

1. Cost. The Talk 3 International Calls Option costs £9.99 a month on top of the £11 monthly line rental (this is paid to Talk Talk direct so overall this package costs £21/month).

2. Free Calls. With this you get free calls at all times to landlines and to 24 international destinations (Europe, USA, Canada, Australia)

3. 'Free' Calls defined. The calls are only free for the first 70 minutes. So if you're going to talk longer put the phone down and redial to ensure you're not charged. Otherwise you'll be charged 3p/minute or more for the call.

4. Broadband included. This package comes with Broadband for which there's a £30 connection or transfer fee, it includes a modem for those who don't have one. The broadband isn't unlimited, it is a 40 Gb a month limit (this is a huge amount, normal limits are 2Gb, so its huge, in effect this is more than most 'unlimited providers' with fair use policies)

5. Broadband speed. The broadband speed is up to 8Mb (which is very fast) though to get this speed you need to be on an unbundled exchange. This is one where Talk Talk has installed its own equipment rather than relying on BT. Talk Talk is quickly upgrading those exchanges, but it could be up to a year for some. Those on non-upgraded (but planned to be upgraded) exchanges will get a slower speed until that point.

6. Who can get the broadband. This package is only available to 70% of the UK, which is those mainly in Urban areas, do check before signing up, otherwise you'll pay an extra £10/month and that makes it not cost effective. Those who can't get it are those at exchanges Talk Talk doesn't plan to unbundle.

7. Contract. You sign up for an 18 month contract with this. That's a long period and there's a £70 fine for changing. This means if the market place changes and another provider undercuts it, it won't be worth you moving.

8. Guaranteed Price. Carphone Warehouse is likely to guarantee no price changes to the package over the next 18 months.

9. Watch the 'security charge'. The broadband package comes with a free 90 day internet security option, after 90 days this will be charged at £1.75 a month automatically. Many people will have their own software to do this, or can get it cheaper, so watch out for this and cancel straight away.

10. Caller display is costly. Caller display is £1.50 a month, it's free on BT.



The standard MoneySaving calls solution is to use a cheap main provider, and then use other providers in conjunction with it to give you the cheapest price for any call. In this case while Talk Talk is free for landlines, it can be easily beaten by the cheap call providers (see www.moneysavingexpert.com/ukcallchecker) for calling mobiles.

So the question is, can it be used with these providers.

1. Prefix dial. For the prefix-dial providers such as 18866 or 18185, while initially you will be able to use them, once you are moved to an 'unbundled' exchange (in other words when you get the quick broadband speed as Talk Talk is supplying it itself) you will no longer be able to use them.

2. Normal dial overrides. However you should continue to be able to use the 0844 xxx xxx type override numbers, which still give cheap calls. The price should be the same as BT for these numbers, the only difference is if you are calling a specific 'local rate' 0845 number, then Talk Talk is 50% more expensive than BT, however if you put it in your 'Calling Circle' (analogous to BT's friends and family) then you will get it at a 30% discount.

View/Apply for the new tariff: Talk Talk*
(the tariff needed is Talk 3 International Calls Option)

Martin

Any thoughts welcome....




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