TalkTalk sales people at your door?

[gss03]

Anybody had a TalkTalk person at your door asking to test your broadband kit?

It happened to me last night. Someone with a TalkTalk lanyard came to my door saying they'd installed new kit at the exchange and they were saying that this was affecting other broadband on other suppliers customers and they needed to test my equipment.

Wasn't buying his patter for a minute and when I went a bit techy on him he didn't have a clue. So he didn't get through the door, but it got me thinking whether this was a new sales ploy from TalkTalk.

[burble]

Yep, it happened to me. Well my parents but I was at their house at the time and answered the door.

The guy was incredibly pushy, I told him that my parents weren't a TalkTalk customer but he said that the changes they'd made affected all broadband customers on that exchange. I pointed out that there were no LLU providers in that exchange, thanked him for his time and went to close the door but he decided to put his foot in the door to stop me closing it.

My parents dog, a rhodesian ridgeback took umbridge what that and made it very clear that either he removed his foot from the door or she'd remove his foot from his leg.

[chrestomanci]

I agree that it sounds like some sales tactic, but it could be genuine.

The way I see it, if it is genuine, then the person at the door will be a telecoms engineer, but if it is a sales droid they will be clueless about technical matters, so a couple of technical questions about line attenuation or suchlike should tell you what is going on.

[watercooled]

I'd contact TalkTalk and let them know - it may be a scam of some sort, people impersonating their staff for whatever reason.

[Agent]

If anyone get these guys tell them to go away. If you have any serious suspicions that they are not even sales men, phone the police.

No one, not even your ISP is allowed to touch the BT phone-line. Everything from the exchange to your house is BTs responsibility (assuming you pay line rental to them)

They are either con-salesmen, or more worryingly, someone trying to gain access to your house for other reasons.

[Sputnik]

Just sounds like someone trying to get in to have a look around your house to see what they can steal at a later date.

[watercooled]

I can't think of ANY reason TalkTalk staff would need to access your house after doing something at the exchange if you're not a customer. Either way it's generally advisable to refuse anyone access to your home unless you phoned them in advance or whatever and asked them to come, IDs are meaningless really - how are people meant to know what legit ones look like? And don't bother phoning a number they give you to check for obvious reasons. If someone from TalkTalk knocks, don't let them in or tell them to call back later and phone TalkTalk yourself from a number on their website/Yellow Pages or something and if it's not authorised contact the police as Agent said.

[Jay]

tell them to talk talk to the hand.

No one, not even your ISP is allowed to touch the BT phone-line. Everything from the exchange to your house is BTs responsibility (assuming you pay line rental to them)

nope, even if you pay another provider the line upto the master socket is still BT, messing with that is actually a crime unless its a BT engineer!

[chuckskull]

Agreed with the others sounds very dodgy, even if it is someone from talktalk then it's just pushy sales.

My parents dog, a rhodesian ridgeback took umbridge what that and made it very clear that either he removed his foot from the door or she'd remove his foot from his leg.

Mate of mine had a ridgeback, ace dog. Very good at making their wishes clear aren't they?

[g8ina]

Can u advise locations of these events so far please ? It might help show if its real TalkTalkers being incredibly stupid, or if it is very localised and therefore highly likely to be scammers.

[Sputnik]

Maybe someone should contact Talk talk and the Police to advise them of this problem.

[burble]

Mate of mine had a ridgeback, ace dog. Very good at making their wishes clear aren't they?

Oh yes, very good. She's a big softie when people are invited into the house but she gets very grumpy if someone she doesn't know trys to come into her house.

[gss03]

This happened Wednesday/ Thursday night in Edinburgh - EH17.

Person did have a TalkTalk lanyard marked "Observer" on it - didn't get a name.

What most stuck out for him was the horrid cheap brown pin-stripe suit he was wearing.

Forgot to mention they were not carrying any official paperwork - just what looked like an A5 Day diary with door numbers in it.

[pp05]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

[Lourdes]

We had TalkTalk people round twice; weren't actually selling anything but informing us that their service is now free. Which from what my landlord tells me proved correct and also bumped our package up.