TalkTalk Review | Review of TalkTalk Essentials
- Speedy 8Mb TalkTalk broadband
- Free off-peak calls to UK landlines
- Free international calls to 36 destinations
- Jaw-droppingly low price
- Massive 40GB usage allowance
- 30 day moneyback guarantee
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IT was only a matter of time, but 5 years ago when we were all paying over £30 a month for our broadband, who'd have thought we'd one day be getting it for the price of a couple of pints?
Or, looked at another way, when they said broadband will one day be as cheap as chips, did we really think it would actually cost the same as a portion of chips on Southend seafront?
Free unlimited evening and weekend calls
We certainly wouldn't have expected to get free unlimited evening and weekend calls to UK landlines and anytime free calls to 36 major Global destinations including to your uncle Dick down in Wollangong, New South Wales!
And would we have expected to get speeds of up to 8Mb (actual speeds, we should add, which have been reported as the third fastest in the UK - even with the high-speed rivals like Be, O2 Broadband, Virgin Media and Sky in the mix)?
I think we would have guffawed like a cartoon donkey!
Less-than-£6 broadband
So here we have it - TalkTalk Essentials: The UK's first sub-£9 broadband package. Sub-£6.50 to be more exact!
The TalkTalk free broadband package is not entirely without it catches though.
For a start, TalkTalk insist on a one off connection charge of £29.99. Split over the first year that's an extra £2.50 a month.
You also must sign up for 18 months with TalkTalk which is a bit of a bothersome bind, but it's not unusual on popular, low priced packages with other companies too.
For your troubles you'll now also get a free wireless router which is great step up from the old wired modem that TalkTalk was previously offering.
Add more speed, more usage and lots more with 'Boosts'
The greatest thing about this TalkTalk Essentials package - and possibly the single thing that makes this one of, if not the, best broadband deals ever is the ability to customise a variety of the package's assets.
Called 'Boosts', TalkTalk has a number of optional bolt-ons you can assign to this basic package.
Each 'Boost', or bolt-on, will cost £4 per month on top of the basic package price and include the following:
- Download Plus: Increase your monthly usage limit from 40GB to a massive 80GB.
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Speed Boost: Increase your broadband speed up to the maximum it could achieve on the line - in some cases up to 24Mbps. You'll be refunded if your line fails to reach the estimated speeds.
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Security Boost: Access to the F-Secure security package (for up to 3 computers)
- Anytime Calls: Boost your call package to include unlimited inclusive landline calls at any time.
- Half Price Mobile Calls: A 50% discount on all calls to UK mobile phones.
- Calling Features: Add customisation tools to your phone package, including call waiting, call divert, ringback etc.
Simply adding the speed boost essentially turns this TalkTalk Essentials package into the UK's fastest broadband deal for the lowest price.
Adding the usage boost to that, turns this into a stupendously competitive package.
30 days to change your mind
TalkTalk offer a 30-day no quibble moneyback guarantee, so it's not too risky at all signing up for the compulsory 18 months that this package requires as you'll have the chance to bail out if you find TalkTalk's broadband is not right for you.
With so few broadband providers offering moneyback guarantees, we have to say that this is one feature we really love about TalkTalk as it absolves any doubts you may have about trying out the TalkTalk broadband service.
We doubt you'll need to though.
TalkTalk has invested huge sums in sorting out the customer service debacle of their crazy first few months when they were clearly overwhelmed by the response to their free broadband offer.
Now, TalkTalk receives accolades for its customer service - not least because it is actually free to call from your TalkTalk landline - and in our experience they are easy to get in touch with and usually solve issues straight away.
Don't forget that you will need to get your line rental from TalkTalk in order to get these prices, but their rate is currently cheaper than BT's (£10.50 as opposed to £11.75) and in fact offers more features than BT.
No cost telephone support
Your TalkTalk line rental allows you to call TalkTalk's technical support for free, as well as free unlimited calls to all other TalkTalk customers.
So what about all the bad reviews of TalkTalk?
For starters, we're hugely impressed with TalkTalk's rapid rectification of their once shaky customer service. Now you can call them free (most other broadband providers charge you for the privelege!) and for the most part they are fast and efficient.
Yes, there is still work to be done; records are not always kept and there are instances of being passed from one TalkTalk department to another, but this is always going to be a trade-off when plumping for a low-cost broadband product.
If you want a brilliant, uninterrupted and reliable service try Zen, Eclipse or Madasafish, but don't expect prices anywhere near these.
The other thing to remember about bad reviews is this: ALL broadband companies get bad reviews.
This is because angry customers take time to write them while content and happy customers don't. When you have gigantic numbers of customers, as TalkTalk do, coupled with the fact that broadband does go wrong sometimes and in many cases is hardware related and not connection related (ie. harder to diagnose) you're going to get angry reviews.
Just ask BT, Virgin Media, Sky, Tiscali and AOL!
Stunningly low cost
The bottom line is the TalkTalk Essentials is a stunningly low-cost, surprisingly high-class broadband package that could literally save you hundreds of pounds a year - and that's not even counting the extraordinary value offered by the 'Boosts' you can apply to it.
With it's 30 day moneyback guarantee and its pleasingly improved customer service, we see no reason not to recommend this package wholeheartedly.
A little more detail
Broadband
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Special Note.. |
Any good? |
| Package Name: |
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Essentials |
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| Connection Type: |
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ADSL |
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| Max Speed: |
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8Mb |
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| Usage Limit: |
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40Gb |
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| Hardware: |
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Wireless Router |
Free when you sign up online |
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| Anti-virus Protection: |
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Yes |
Free for the first 90 days only (£2.49 per month thereafter) |
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| Firewall: |
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Yes |
Free for the first 90 days only (£2.49 per month thereafter) |
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| E-mail Account: |
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Yes |
Up to 5 email addresses |
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| Webspace Provided: |
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Yes |
15MB of webspace |
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| Domain Included: |
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No |
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| Backup Dialup: |
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Yes |
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| Consoles Supported: |
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All major consoles supported |
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Home Phone
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| Package Name: |
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Talk Global Evening & Weekend |
| UK Weekend Tariff: |
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Free to UK landlines |
| UK Evening Tariff: |
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Free to UK landlines |
| UK Peak Tariff: |
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3.9p per minute |
| International Tariff: |
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Free calls to 36 international destinations including Australia and USA |
Payment, Installation and Contract
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| Payment Method(s): |
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Direct Debit |
| Activation Fee: |
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£29.99 |
| Installation: |
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Free |
| Minimum Contract: |
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18 months |
| Line Rental: |
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Line rental must be taken with TalkTalk |
| Support: |
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Free (if you call from your TalkTalk landline), otherwise 0870 number |
Actual User Ratings
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TalkTalk TalkTalk Essentials Broadband Bundle
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