TalkTalk tears up 'one-size-fits-all' phone and broadband model
Products
November 13th, 2008
94% of Brits don’t want to pay for package components they don’t use
TalkTalk, the home phone and broadband company, is once again revolutionising the market with the launch of myTalkTalk, a new product that lets customers only pay for the features they want.
Available from Tuesday 18th November 2008, myTalkTalk tears up the idea of a one-size–fits-all package and instead lets customers build their own home phone and broadband service – so it’s custom-made for them. myTalkTalk is a direct response to customer research* which showed that a credit-crunch conscious 94% don’t want to pay for bits of their broadband and calls package they simply don’t use, and a further 65% would like to be able to handpick their own bespoke package.
At the core of myTalkTalk is an essential home phone and broadband plan that is identical in both price and service to the current Talk Global Evening & Weekend package. So for £6.49 (plus £10.50 line rental) customers receive: fast, reliable, and award winning up to 8Mb broadband; 40Gb monthly download allowance; unlimited evening and weekend phone calls to UK landlines; inclusive international landline calls to 36 destinations anytime and a free wireless router.
“People’s communication needs are constantly changing and we need to provide a phone and broadband service that reflects this,” says Wendy Becker, managing director, TalkTalk Group. “Great value is still the number one priority – and myTalkTalk offers an identical service ‘pound-for-pound’ to our existing free broadband package – but choice and transparency are now high on the agenda.”
Charles Dunstone, CEO The Carphone Warehouse Group plc says: “Most if not all ISPs reacted to our offer of free broadband in April 2006 by changing their pricing and adding ‘free’ elements. The result is that customers are confused about what they’re paying for and what they’re not. myTalkTalk is our next move in changing the market for the benefit of customers.”
While the market-beating pricing remains the same, myTalkTalk comes with six additional Boost products from which customers can choose to upgrade and bespoke their service. The Boosts that customers can choose from are: Anytime Calls, ½ Price Mobile Calls, Download Plus, Calling Features, Speed Boost** and Security Boost. Each Boost costs only £4 per month and enhances a particular element of their service. For example, ½ Price Mobile Calls provides cheaper landline calls to UK mobile numbers while Download Plus increases monthly download limits from 40Gb to 80Gb.
By adding Boosts, customers now have an incredible 721 different product combinations to choose from at any one time, meaning they should have no problem creating a plan completely tailored to suit them. TalkTalk intends to expand its range of Boosts, and will be encouraging customers to suggest future Boosts they’d like to see via http://www.talktalkmembers.com.
Another great feature of myTalkTalk is that, unlike pre-bundled home phone and broadband packages, it offers real-time flexibility, allowing customers to save money by adding and removing Boosts whenever they like***. This can be done in seconds over the internet by accessing their account at myTalkTalk.co.uk or by phoning a customer service contact.
So, if you’ve got kids at university you might choose to sign up to ½ Price Mobile Calls to keep in touch with them whilst they’re away. But once they’re back home you might decide to cancel that particular Boost for a while and replace it with Download Plus, to cope with the expected increase in download activity. Others might wish to reduce unnecessary expenditure by cancelling all their Boosts whilst they’re on holiday and sign up again once they return.
For new customers there is a one-off connection fee of £29.99. The minimum contract length is the industry standard of 18 months. Boosts can be cancelled any time after the first 30 days of activation.
For further information and to sign up to myTalkTalk, customers should visit their local Carphone Warehouse or http://www.talktalk.co.uk
-ends-
Notes to editors
* Research conducted amongst 2000 British adults by Ipsos Mori, November 2008
** Only available to Local Loop Unbundled customers whose line supports a speed of greater than 8Mb
*** Boosts can be cancelled after first 30 days
All prices correct as of 12th November 2008
Images available on request
For more information
Alexandra Bell: 0207 282 2829
Alexandrina Kennedy: 0207 282 2984
James Read: 0207 282 1083
Pete Marcus: 0207 282 2815
About TalkTalk
• TalkTalk, launched in February 2003, is the home phone and broadband company from The Carphone Warehouse. The Carphone Warehouse is the third-largest broadband provider in the UK. It now has 2.8 million broadband customers signed up to TalkTalk and AOL Broadband, which it acquired in October 2006.
• As of April 2008, TalkTalk has unbundled approximately 1700 exchanges, so free broadband is now available to over 80% of UK households.
• In uSwitch’s Customer Satisfaction Report in 2008, TalkTalk was voted the best value for money home phone provider and the best value for money bundle (combining home phone and broadband). This is the most comprehensive survey of UK telephone and broadband suppliers, and is based on the verdicts of over 10,000 home phone and 11,000 broadband customers.
• In November 2008, TalkTalk became the first phone and broadband package to move away from the ‘one size fits all’ package. myTalkTalk delivers value through choice by enabling customers to tailor a package that suits them. myTalkTalk provides essential, an award winning 8Mb broadband service along with a great value phone bundle. Boost products can be added for £4 a month and enable customers to upgrade their internet security, speed and download limits as well as access great phone deals such as ½ price mobile calls, anytime calls and calling features.