- First internet provider to give loyal customers the same market-leading deals as new customers
- First major provider to offer a guaranteed fixed price with no broadband price rises for 18 months
- First provider to scrap separate line rental charges across all its packages
TalkTalk has made an unambiguous return to its challenger roots today, with the announcement of major changes centred around putting customers first. From today, TalkTalk will become the only major internet provider to:
- Reward existing customers’ loyalty by giving them the same best-value deals previously only available to new customers. Any customer who has had a TalkTalk package for three months or more can switch and save money if there is a better TalkTalk deal available;
- Offer customers the security of fixing their price for 18 months, guaranteeing no broadband price rises (and no broadband ‘bill shock’);
- Scrap separate line rental charges on all packages, and move to a single combined monthly price. TalkTalk has been a long-term advocate of simpler, more transparent ‘all-in’ pricing, and in May 2016 was the first provider to announce its decision to move to ‘all in’.
The changes are the most significant steps in the value for money provider’s continued strategy to focus on existing customers, which has already led to higher levels of trust and more customers choosing to stay with TalkTalk than ever before.
Tristia Harrison, TalkTalk’s Consumer Managing Director said:
“TalkTalk is changing. Nothing matters more to us than our customers and doing right by them is the right thing for our business. We’ve listened hard to what they’ve told us and we’re acting on it. People are fed up of confusing packages and loud advertising, they’re frustrated with deals which shoot up mid contract, and they hate seeing the best deals saved for new customers.
"TalkTalk entered the market as a challenger, and we’ve always saved customers money. But today’s changes are about more than that. We know this is an essential service that really matters to people, so it needs to be simple, affordable, reliable and fair. We’re proud to be the first to make the big changes customers expect and deserve of their telecoms provider today.”
New ‘Fixed, Low Price Plans’
Putting an end to complex, confusing packages, TalkTalk is replacing its existing offers with a new, radically simpler range of ‘Fixed Low Price Plans’. Customers have the freedom to choose and fix their own package, tailoring mix-and-match broadband, mobile, TV and calls to suit their needs. All TalkTalk homes can switch to Fixed Low Price Plans from today. Half of TalkTalk customers stand to pay less than they currently do, while the remainder will have the certainty of no price rises for 18 months and make significant savings compared to other deals available in the market.
Getting back to what really matters to customers
TalkTalk’s extensive and regular customer research, the most extensive in the company’s history, revealed customers’ fury that market-leading deals are reserved for new customers. Members of the public felt loyalty was ‘punished, rather than rewarded’ and 84% of UK adults said this was the number one thing they would like to see their broadband provider change. TalkTalk’s pledge to offer the same best-value deal to all customers, new and existing, is a ground-breaking move for the industry.
Frustration also came through in terms of the sector’s increasingly promotional and celebrity-driven advertising. Customers complained of “loud, eye-catching” ads which failed to reflect how important telecoms services have become to people’s daily lives, and often distracted from hidden catches. As part of wider changes to its brand, TalkTalk is now making a conscious move away from the industry norm, and will become the only telecoms provider to feature ‘fly-on-the-wall’ documentary footage of a real TalkTalk family in its advertising.
Tristia Harrison continues: “Silly gimmicks and shouty ads (with catches hidden in small print) don’t do justice to how much this stuff matters to customers. Especially now, with the country in such an uncertain place, people deserve security, peace of mind, to be talked to honestly. We’re determined to be the provider that makes things simple, tells the truth and most of all rewards loyalty.”
Determined to keep improving
Over the last two years, TalkTalk has made major investments to improve its customers’ experience. This ongoing programme is now showing tangible results, with speeds and reliability both up, as TalkTalk’s network became congestion free for the first time. The company also recently recorded its lowest complaints figures, and highest customer satisfaction and loyalty scores.
Tristia Harrison said: “We’re able to make the big changes we’ve announced today because we can see clearly from the improvements already coming through that doing the right thing for customers is the best thing for our business. There’s still a long way to go - but this is genuinely a new TalkTalk.”
For more information visit: www.talktalk.co.uk/shop/whytalktalk
Notes to editors
About TalkTalk
TalkTalk was founded in 2003 to give people more choice, better value for money and make telecoms accessible to everyone. It has always challenged the status quo by launching first of a kind products including: free broadband at a time when people were paying above the odds; the first network-level parent controls HomeSafe; and a flexible TV service that quickly became Britain’s fastest growing TV service.
TalkTalk has been investing significantly in improving its customers’ experience. The company has recently:
- Reached 100% decongestion on its network, meaning improved speeds and reliability
- Recorded its highest retention figures and significantly improved customer satisfaction scores
- Recorded its highest brand trust scores, with more customers than ever before saying they would recommend TalkTalk.
TalkTalk also leads, or supports, a number of consumer campaigns:
- Beat The Scammers: Launched in June 2016 by TalkTalk in partnership with leading not-for-profit cyber-awareness group Get Safe Online, Beat The Scammers is a national, consumer-focused information and advice campaign to tackle the increasing threat of phone and email scams.
- Fix Britain’s Internet: Founded by TalkTalk, Sky, Vodafone and FCS in July 2016, Fix Britain’s Internet was set up to campaign for the best possible broadband for the UK. The campaign gives members of the public a chance to have their say on improvements they would like to see by writing directly to industry regulator, Ofcom.
- Internet Matters: TalkTalk, alongside the UK’s other major internet providers, has been a leading supporter of Internet Matters since May 2014. Internet Matters is a not-for- profit organisation which aims to help parents keep their children safe online founded by.
How to choose a Fixed Low Price Plan
Step 1 - Choose between ‘Fast Broadband’ or ‘Faster Fibre Broadband’
Step 2 - Those who want landline calls can add Unlimited UK Calls or a selection of international call packages.
Step 3 - Those who want TV can add a TalkTalk TV box, which includes 75+ Freeview channels. Alternatively you can opt for ‘TalkTalk TV Plus’, which includes a TV box, 30+ entertainment channels including Sky 1, and the ability to pause, rewind and record.
You can add extra kids, sports and entertainment channels for 30 days at a time, at any point, with no ongoing commitment.
All TalkTalk packages include:
- Totally unlimited broadband as standard
- Access to the TalkTalk TV Store, which offers the latest movies at Britain’s lowest price
- Essential mobile SIM with 500Mb of data, unlimited texts and 200 minutes a month
- Free landline calls between TalkTalk homes
- TalkTalk Super Router, voted a Which? Best Buy
- Inclusive Phone Privacy Features
- TalkTalk’s SuperSafe anti-virus protection
- TalkTalk’s HomeSafe family- friendly website filter