Capengando, You're doing the right thing and I am sure thousands of other CPW/TalkTalk customers will be behind you. The Indian call centres are worse than useless and merely read out, parrot fashion,from manuals given out to them; they are used by companies who have a profound disdain for their customers. Note also that CPW deny receiving ordinary mail (unless it's a cheque, of course!); according to them post office lose 100% of ordinary mail! But once you start legal proceedings, they try to wriggle out and make you derisory offers of goodwill(?) money! (which is only a small overhead for them; they embezzle so much money by hidden and stealth charges that they are able to offer 'free' broadband to a few and for a while (maybe) (which other honest businesses have to charge for!). I wish you every success in getting redress for all the gratuitous stress and anxiety they've caused you.

Did you watch BBC One Watchdog programme yesterday; if not take a look at BBC NEWS | Business | Carphone misleading over iPhone and be informed.

I also found out recently that the Direct Debit Guarantee is not what it is made to sound like. Instead it also seems to have as much devious small print as the infamous Carphone Warehouse literature! Therefore take care! As foe ebilling, it should be made illegal.

Latest news. Carphone Warehouse were featured on Watchdog and there's a BBC News Video which is well worth watching. They have the most hidden charges for their phone customers that they are effectively paying Broadband charges for everybody so that CPW can advertise that they can give BB free (which other more honest ISPs have to charge for) although the Advertising Standards Agency have reprimanded them.

Any chance burying the dead threads? Suffering has continued beyond 11 months!

Yes. It's even more interesting why they asked me twice to get the MAC code! I also saw on BBC4 - Visions of the Future programme that there are parallel worlds and just about now I am finishing reading an article how leopards get their spots and zebras get their stripes; maybe some times they change them too!

Best of luck to you forever. I was with AOL and TalkTalk couldn't make it free as and couldn't migrate me to TalkTaalk even after I gave them the MAC code twice! Looks like TalkTalk have selected preferred customers, So good luck to you! They probably also give you modified, extra-charged prefix dialled international call plan also, together with the welcome penalty of £29.99 which is an additional bargain.

A simple strategy in these cases is to deny them much more future business; this strategy has worked fine for me over the last 50 years. If any business cheats me for £10 I deny them £100 or £1000 worth of future business.

Dear Joa, just a few hundred pounds is just another little overhead for them (I saw Storyville programme by the prestigious BBC 4 that some hawkers on the Bombay Railway were fined regularly by the RPF and some of them had several scores of convictions and regarded it as just another overhead!

Cattolica, you're so right! They were so complacent and still wanted to wait with a voluntary code even though literally thousands upon thousands were being intimidated and fleeced by these companies who have contributed not one iota to the telecoms infrastructure of this country. They should not have been given the right to impose any longterm contracts at all or charge spurious admin and line rental/service charges. For getting the extraordinary privilege of poaching BT customers by false assurances they should have been required in law to reward and not punish their customers. Most people are more vulnerable than I and merely pay up due to intimidation. Initially I also felt intimidated and not being a litigeous person would not have sued them if they had gracefully closed my account as was agreed on the phone. Anyway thanks for everybody for the moral support I'm getting;m it makes it quite a bit less stressful.

Thank you Cattolica for your support. The BBC Money Programme on 26-10-2007 was all about 'The Great Phone Swindle' i have recorded it on DVD and will be happy to send a copy to anyone wishing to get one.

TalkTalk rely on the fact that they can incessantly use delaying tactics and make you believe that you have a longterm contract with them even though they themselves are in breach of it from the very start and most people are wary of going to courts. But courts are the only way to get any remedies at all from TalkTalk.

TalkTalk get their contracts [Edit] and then breach them with impunity and the only way to tackle this menace is through the courts. These sharks should not have been given the authority to trap customers with any longterm contract. I think the whole nation should campaign against this but I don't think I will be around to see the changes!

Dear Luddite, TalkTalk were never able to give me BB even though I gave them the MAC code twice and agreed to close the account and revert me back to BT if they failed to give me BB after I gave the MAC second time. If they had gracefully closed the account I was prepared to condone all the trouble they gave me. When I rang BT they wanted to take revenge and required a hefty reconnection charge. Therefore, i went to Cable and changed my Telephone number after nearly 30 years; just think of the hassle and inconvenience! I am an old man almost on borrowed time and have no time to get political reform by appealing to Ofcom and Otello. That's why I started the court action. This is the first time this sort of thing has happened to me, I am only slightly infirm and slightly breathless, so I am going to fight till the end. So far it hasn't cost me much money (initially £30 or so). Cheers

TalkTalk were never able to give me Broadband even though I twice gave them MAC numbers (from AOL) and agreed on the phone that if still can't give BB then they should close the whole account and revert me back to BT. When I rang BT they wanted to take revenge and wanted a hefty reconnection charge. So I gave up the whole thing and went to cable, changing my phone number after 30 years! Think of the hassle and inconvenience. When they continued billing me and threatening me I started the court action. See http://www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk which the Government has set up with the laudable intention of bringing law closer to ordinary citizens. By the way Kamadhenu is the name of a mythical cow which you can milk to get all your desires fulfilled and achieve immortality, just like TalkTalk's billing computer!

Otello and Ofcom are useless unless you are a big corporation. You might as well pray to God Apollo for better results!

We are not exactly living in a mafia dominated country! English courts are very very fair; I do not know why people are so reluctant to take sharks like mTalkTalk to court!

See http://www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk furnished by the Government with the laudable intention of making the law more accessible to ordinary citizens.

This is good advice. I have been a juror and have seen how the courts are principally concerned with determining who's honest and not who knows legalese better. Also, look in http://www.moneyclaimonline.gov.uk, provided by the Government with the laudable intention of making law more accessible to the public.

TalkTalk are touting in shopping centres saying 'They are a new company now' (I think following 'New Labour'). They are a vicious shower of bullies who know there are a lot of gullible people whom they can milk.

That's precisely what they do - poach BT customers by false promises, trap them to a long term contract and milk them as if they were the mythical cow.The whole thing is a [problem] and can be challenged. I think the contract law says that a contract is invalid if it was obtained by falsehood and misrepresentation.

TalkTalk are arguably the worst phone bucket shop there is in this country and the most draconian. I strongly urge that you give them notice and sue them for substantial damages. It's because no one challenges them that they get away with such behaviour. If possible, give up that line and go on to cable phone; that's what I did, anyway. Now I am in the process of sueing them in an English court of law.

This happens because most of us in this country are peace and quiet-loving and acquiesce in such appalling behaviour by these get rich quick sharks. TalkTalk is arguably the worst phone bucket shop there is in this country. They should be challenged, perhaps with a class action. I am a 68-year-old who has survived a heart attack twice and am in the process of sueing them for damages for sending me ever increasing bills upon bills and threatening to send debt collectors to my door. Instead of rewarding the customers for migrating from BT they are punishing them. I am intending to request the judge award exemplary damages as they have swindled tens of thousands of meek customers.

Do not pay them! Challenge them and sue them for damages. I am a 68-year-old retiree and have twice survived a heart attack and am now in the process of sueing them for damages. They are perhaps the worst phone bucket shop and try to intimidate their customers instead of rewarding them for migrating from BT. If everybody acquiesces in the interest of a quiet life, that's all these sharks trying to get rich quick want.

Don't pay them anymore and challenge them. They seem to have an unstoppable computer generating bills. They are perhaps the worst phone bucket shop but no one seems to have challenged them. It's not the customer, but talkTalk who is in breach of contract and obtaining migration from BT by misrepresentation.