Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

To be furious with Talk Talk and ther fecking Youview box?

20 replies

superstarheartbreaker · 06/09/2013 21:19

So Talk Talk cold called me about 8 months ago and offered me a deal with one of their Youview boxes. I agreed (wish I hadn't) It was free with extra channels etc.
So an engineer came round to install the thing and realised that the telephone socket was too far away from the router and wanted to charge me £50 extra to install the correct cable etc.
Then I struggle to work out how to use the bloody thing but eventually get the hang of it (but don't record things etc.)
Now it has broken so I phone up[ technical support. they try to go through it to fix it but can't and the earliest they can send out an engineer is on the 25th which is THREE WEEKS AWAY. So they have now offered to slash my bills but thats not good enough. I JUST WANT MY FUCKING TELEVISION TO WORK. SO NOW I WILL BE WITHOUT TV FOR A WHOLE MONTH.
AIBU to think that they should get their act together and if they are going to persuade their customers to get this YOUVIEW package then they should have enough engineers on standby to bloody well fix them when they mess up?

OP posts:

Original poster

superstarheartbreaker · 06/09/2013 21:20

I have been paying extra for this service btw. I am missing teh great Britiosh Bake off (sob) and dd misses cbeebies.

OP posts:

NotYoMomma · 06/09/2013 21:22

my father has had a terrible terrible time with them, the service is terrible and they have been very 'computer says no' with him.

he kicked off big style last week and went back to sky.

when I visited he was gushing over the deal he got after mentioning his issues with talk talk! I swear he was stroking the sky box

NotYoMomma · 06/09/2013 21:24

my dad also paid £5 a month extra for the kids channels (Disney) and they NEVER worked, signal/ sound kept dropping

they wouldnt even give him themoney back when he couldnt view the channel!

Sparklymommy · 06/09/2013 21:31

We have had you view with talk talk since last November. Never had a problem with it. The engineer who installed it said they would charge me £50 for the extra equipment/wires needed but they never did. We have it in our bedroom and we pay for sky in the lounge. It means I can watch gold in my bedroom! I love it.

Original poster

superstarheartbreaker · 06/09/2013 21:34

So far so good Sparkly but if it goes wrong don't expect prompt service. Absolutely terrible. Petition needed I feel.

OP posts:

Original poster

superstarheartbreaker · 06/09/2013 21:35

The trouble is I have to pay to get out of the contract and then uninstall their terrible equipment. Could teh SKy people help me to uninstall?

OP posts:

Pommes · 06/09/2013 21:38

We had terrible troubles with YouView:

Out tuned normal television channels
Reception was terrible and there were hardly any channels
Needed a replacement box
TalkTalk should have sent a new router but didn't.
Customer support never called back, spent ages in a queue

The engineer even told me the problem was not TalkTalk but that the Crystal Palace tower had shut down. I reminded him that YouView was DIGITAL and that the box was powered through the Internet.

However - things have been settled now for a few months.

My biggest complaint was that TalkTalk charged me £50 (like you) for an extension when we moved as the internet router was next door to the living room (where we have the television). I later found out, after the dog chewed the extention wire, that all we needed was a Power-Line Adapter like this one - no wire, less expense and transportable.

thetrackisback · 06/09/2013 21:40

This company sent me round the twist. Tried time and again to sort an issue out after they mid sold this to me. Spent hours on the phone to have it put down on me. I refused to pay for a product that I couldn't use. It ended up going to a debt collection company who sorted it. Don't ever deal with this company!

Snailonthewhale · 06/09/2013 21:41

I have the youview box but I don't watch usual free view through it as I find the signal isn't great where I live when I use the box. So I watch normal tv through my tv's built in free view thing, and just use youview for catch up and the pay per view channels. If you have built in free view all you have to do is take the aerial lead out of the youview box and put it directly into your tv, and watch TV that way. Otherwise do you have an old free view box from before you got the youview, you could just use that until they fix it?

Original poster

superstarheartbreaker · 06/09/2013 21:47

Oh I'll do that then. It is a waste of my precious time. Never again. Might buy a new TV with inbuilt freview stuff. I mean how can it take them THREE SODDING WEEKS to find an engineer for an upset customer?

OP posts:

Snailonthewhale · 06/09/2013 21:53

I think because they are constantly promoting and signing up new customers. I had to wait about the same amount of time after my broadband went live before they came to do the youview, and the men that arrived were sub contractors from London (I live in deepest darkest somerset)! They told me that talk talk just don't have enough engineers to keep up with the demand. Can't complain too much though cos they were really nice and told me all the right things to say to talk talk to get them to waive loads of stuff off my bill :)

FredFredGeorge · 06/09/2013 22:09

You can watch Brit Bake off and CBeebies online too!

friday16 · 07/09/2013 07:36

Youview: under-engineered, over-sold, dependent on a consistent, high-speed Internet connection.

Talk Talk: under-engineered, over-sold, unlikely to provide a consistent, high-speed Internet connection.

KateSpade · 07/09/2013 09:44

We have one of those and we never use it, probably because of the above mentioned reasons. I don't even know how to turn it on, total waste of time!

jerico9 · 08/09/2013 23:27

Hello, now this is my opinion - i have just signed up to talktalk knowing they already have a poor rep. I work for a very big communications company and deal with the public. As i said i was fully aware of the customer services etc. Money and the deal was the main driver behind this.
My box is on its way and up until now its been great getting connected on the phone and broadband.
I have very little expectations from the youview box as i know its a hd box so signal has to be good, they also state this when taking it out. the youview box cost in the local super market £299, over the 12 months i'm pay less than £135. the internet side of things is a bonus which only requires 1-2 meg connection however 3 meg to make sure its consistent.
Why people think they are the only customer they have in beyond me! Talk talk supplie the box not make it and the world we live in, technology does falter. so hows that their fault? yes, 2 weeks for an engineer to come out is a long time, you could always contact the manufacturer?? I do think they over price the extra connections for in other rooms you can get these for £3 on e bay etc. they are a business. Stomping your feet at a customer service rep will just get you no help. The youview deal is the best selling deal out at the moment so long delays will happen. you wont be the first and you wont be the last but look at the facts not what you say should happen and because its not, its automatically poor service. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys end of. cheaper deals never mean a better deal just a cheaper deal. same as mobiles go from 1 which is the best service to one which is cheaper but crap service. The box is a great piece of equipment when you know how to use it and what they can do.

jacks365 · 09/09/2013 01:48

I have a youview box but did installation myself using a poweline adaptor. I don't have tv reception via an aerial at all due to location of transmitter so just use catch up. I find its perfect for that. It was supplied free, I don't do any top up channels so pay no monthly charge and talk talk have been brilliant for me for internet as my usage is very high.

If you want to uninstall just unplug everything from the box.

Mandy2003 · 09/09/2013 03:13

Can all the Freeview channels be seen on catch up? I can't see them as I have no ariel or signal. (Got freesat which doesn't have freeview.

jerico9 · 09/09/2013 23:53

only the on demand channels which runs via the broadband. my signal isnt great as i live in a new apartment building the arial is a waste of space. i have been told you can get an in door one which does work. ive been reading up and it has very good reviews so try this SLX Gold DigiTop £10-£15 depending where you look. I don't understand people moaning about the box, you pay under cost price freeview HD channels pause rewind and record. I wont use the on demand because i know how to get what i want to watch i.e. films and US tv programs. this will be used for catch up and as its intended to watch tv. Also, why in the hell would anyone pay the set up charge? its a digi box, surely someone in your families are good with common sense. Its a big rip off and i do know people get suckered in to it as its being made out thats its complicated, its common sense. also as i said the parts they charge for is a joke, they call it a different name than an ethernet cable then charge you £35 for it, when you can get 15m for £2. I just get wound up when people moan about silly things but happy to do the rip off things. rant over ha
any reviews on the talktalk channel? is it on demand or free content?

greenfolder · 10/09/2013 06:41

We had this, worked fine for 6 months then kept dropping. They released us from the contract and we went to sky-who previously I thought were a bunch of bastards but at least it works,

MyGina13 · 29/08/2018 23:09

OMG. talk talk tv box. AVOID AVOID AVOID. I've had the pleasure of 5 engineers in 3 months and my problems are still ongoing. My next available engineer is the 10th of September absolute joke. I have no you veiw box. No hdm channels. And only channels 1_5 on freeview. Any other channel has pixallation problems. Today I received a new TV box sent by courier complete waste of time. Still same problems. O yes I forgot continuos freezing on your veiw programmes. Company is a joke. That's what happens when you try to save a few pounds. I'm going back to sky. At least you can get an engineer out in a couple of days...

Flip