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TalkTalk offer free broadband for the Armed Forces
Friday 25 June 2010 10:36:13 by John Hunt

TalkTalk have announced today that they will be giving away a year of free broadband to members of the Armed Forces and their families in recognition of Armed Forces Day which is tomorrow, 26th June 2010. The offer saves around £78 over buying the TalkTalk Essentials calls & broadband plan without the offer.

"We've decided to get behind British Armed Forces Day by giving away a year’s free broadband to those in the Armed Forces and their families. They deserve recognition and thanks, and we can play our own small part by putting together this exclusive deal.

As well as getting free high speed broadband for 12 months, Armed Forces personnel will benefit from a call package that include free evening and weekend calls to any UK landline.

It's no problem for those who have already got broadband: we'll help with the switchover process so that they can start saving money straight away.

Announcement on TalkTalk Blog

Those taking the offer will be signed in to an 18 month contract and will need to move their landline phone rental to TalkTalk which will cost £11.49 a month. A £29.99 connection fee will apply and the offer ends on the 10th July 2010.

[ Topic: Internet Service Providers | 35 comments | link to this item ]

Comments

Posted by TaRkADaHl about 1 year ago
Not a service I would ever go with, but thumbs up to them for this.

Also pretty good PR for them...

Posted by AndrueC about 1 year ago
In my experience their /internet/ service is very good - and that was purely their IPStream version. It's their /customer/ service that is appalling.

Posted by woodpeckerlew about 1 year ago
I hope that their most generous offer performs faster than my TalkTalk Broadband. The situation is terrible at the moment and still no progress 2 weeks in !!!

Posted by cyberdoyle about 1 year ago
Nice one TalkTalk.

Posted by The_Engineer about 1 year ago
And what about us retired service pensioners?

Posted by csimon about 1 year ago
I'm sorry, but I don't see it as a good gesture! It's taking advantage of Armed Forces day and the positive feeling towards members of the armed forces and their families in order to recruit them, and others via the publicity who think it's a great gesture, to Talk Talk contracts! It's quite obviously a clever marketing scheme. The main objective by doing this is to make more money off the back of soemone else's reputation, not to provide goodwill gestures to deserving people. Do they deserve congratulations for this?

Posted by TaRkADaHl about 1 year ago
They deserve aknowledgement for doing something, regardless how small it is they are doing something.

Of course it is just a PR scheme, this will cost them pennies but get them loads of airtime.

BUT, it doesn't change the fact that they are doing something benificial to these people.

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
Totally agree with TaRkADaHl. Nothing wrong IMO with what they are doing, they are a business its a good idea to get good press when you are a business. If part of that good press also gives people that risk their life for this country a service free then surely its a win for both sides concerned... You can be sure any business or ISP would do similar things, infact if its a success expect others to copy or do similar.

Posted by mistynow about 1 year ago

Nice gesture but 18 months contract !!

Do Talktalk realise the Armed Forces personal and their families tend to lead rather nomadic lifestyles regarding living quarters

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
18 months contract doesnt really come into it... Our servicemen and woman are likely to be out in the middle east longer than that anyway, nice their families will get free internet while they are gone.

Posted by paulgeaf about 1 year ago
Wow. I wouldn't wish it on my worst ene my, never m,ind giving it to someone who has been risking their life for a supposedly honest government.
18month contract? conenction fee? Line rental charge?
TalkTalk with all of their resources, they could not just give it ALL for free?
Yes that's right. It would hardly bankrupt them.
They aren't doing this for ANYONE except themsleves. Their image.
Well I say erm 'no' to that!
I recommend those service families to get a different ISP!

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
quote"I recommend those service families to get a different ISP! "
When it comes to price and only price, which is what Talk Talk are pitching here, who would you suggest the target consumer go to who will offer broadband for less?
I personally wouldnt touch Talk Talk, i think they are rubbish but i respect what they have done here both for there self as a company and our service men and woman.

Posted by otester about 1 year ago
@The_Engineer

Start working again, I guess it's a bit late to say you should have saved/worked harder in your earlier years.

Posted by c_j_ about 1 year ago
Read the **** small print.

The 18month deal lock you in to TT line rental for 18 months, and after 12 months they pay an extra £7/month for this "free" calls and broadband.

Want to know what the Forces want? Just ask the wounded in Selly Oak hospital. I spent a week or two there a while ago. There was only one Forces funeral in the time I was there; the rate seems to have increased recently.

Cameron's exit deadline is four and a half years too late.

Cynical, cold-hearted, exploitative move, typical of TT (or BT, except BT management aren't smart enough to think of it).

Posted by paulgeaf about 1 year ago
CARPETBURN this is NO WAY a generous gesture by TalkTalk!!
As c_j has just outlined, the terms of the deal are so bad that it is mor elike a curse to put on these families!
And as for your comment otester, why would you take the time to post an insult to an old serviceman here?
You really are the pits.

Posted by WalterWillcox about 1 year ago
I don't think anybody has mentioned that this is probably their fully unbundled service (Full Metallic Path Facility) and that can pose additional problems when trying to leave their services.

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
@paulgeaf I think you just hate TalkTalk rather then hate the deal.

Posted by c_j_ about 1 year ago
"this is probably their fully unbundled service (Full Metallic Path Facility)" (and associated problems transferring out)

I wondered about that too but (a) 600 characters was all I had (b) their up-front small print doesn't make it clear (maybe it's clear if you read the whole contract and/or are an expert on TT service names)

If it is LLU-only, how many forces folks are in LLU areas? The big bases I can think of are all out in the sticks, not exactly prime LLU areas. So no deal for them.

Posted by c_j_ about 1 year ago
Looks like it's LLU-only. A TT junkmail (unaddressed) I received this weekend says "available to 80% of UK households". So, as mistynow pointed out already, the 18month contract rules out a great many of the folks at the sharp end who move from base to base, and then the geographical location of many of the bases rules out LLU.

Adding insult to injury, non-Forces customers signing up for this same deal currently get FREE connection (Forces folks pay £30, says John). Confirmed at http://broadband.talktalk.co.uk/bright vs /forces.

Utterly disgusting, cynical, cold-hearted, exploitative move.

Posted by The_Engineer about 1 year ago
Off topic I know.
A good few service pensioners have jobs. Doesn't mean to say they can afford broadband. let alone service personel on medical or other types of pensions who can ill afford to spend the MOD's meager contributions to their lifestyles

Posted by paulgeaf about 1 year ago
@CARPETBURN I think you think too much. You make assumptions based on scant information given in a few comments?
As I said - READ what c_j wrote and suck it up asshole...

Posted by Stuartli about 1 year ago
>>It's their /customer/ service that is appalling. >>

I've been with TalkTalk for more than four years and have found its broadband and calls package (AnyTime International3) to be absolutely first class.

The majority of the few times I've used the phone based customer service has been good but, best of all, is the top class service and backup from the moderators on the TalkTalk Members' Forums.

I suspect that even if TT had offered free broadband and calls to the Armed Forces, the disabled, unemployed etc there would have still been cynical comments by some individuals.

Posted by Stuartli about 1 year ago
As for the cost of a TT package, its inclusive deals start from prices that would have seemed suicidal business wise even a comparatively short period of time ago.

Posted by lelboy about 1 year ago
What a cynical, opportunistic gesture by Talk-Talk. The armed forces have enough to contend with, without being taken advantage of, in such tawdry way, by possibly one of the worst ISP's in existence - just to drum up some business from the "uniformed" public.
No one with a smattering of internet "nous" would touch them with a barge-pole. For shame.

Posted by lelboy about 1 year ago
Sorry, typo on the original post. "Uniformed" should have read "UNINFORMED".

What a cynical, opportunistic gesture by Talk-Talk. The armed forces have enough to contend with, without being taken advantage of, in such tawdry way, by possibly one of the worst ISP's in existence - just to drum up some business from the "uninformed" public.
No one with a smattering of internet "nous" would touch them with a barge-pole. For shame.

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
quote"@CARPETBURN I think you think too much. You make assumptions based on scant information given in a few comments?
As I said - READ what c_j wrote and suck it up asshole..."

When a person resorts to having to call people names like that its clear a nerve has been struck and a point proven.
I doubt you even understand terms of the deal, let alone being able to communicate why you dislike it.

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
quote"I suspect that even if TT had offered free broadband and calls to the Armed Forces, the disabled, unemployed etc there would have still been cynical comments by some individuals."

Indeed some are unable to talk of the deal rather than their opinion on a company. Those beyond cynical resort to rude names to try to win a debate, which is pretty laughable also.

Posted by paulgeaf about 1 year ago
@CARPETBURN - yes yes mate, we all know the old 'well if you have to resort to name calling you must be too ignorant to whatever bla bla bla...'
The truth is you are WRONG.
Now get over it and do something worthwhile.
I have absolutely no issues regarding intellect pardner.
I don't even have to ask you about yours, you make it very plain for all...

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
^^^ Unable to discuss the story due to hate of a company and now hate of an individual! What an angry little thing you are. It would be quite funny if it was not sad.

Posted by paulgeaf about 1 year ago
Hmm yes Mr Carpetburn. Let us not hinder your retreat and be sure to close the door on your way out. Angry?
Not me pal.
What I see here is a lot of people telling you the facts and you, despite whatever anyone comes up with, still keeping to your original WRONG, stance that talktalk have done something 'nice'. They haven't.
Now, if the company was anyone from BT to British Gas, you really think I would not be saying the same thing?
Wrong again.
Nothing at ALL to do with TalkTalk, I am merely looking at the facts and deducing that this is, what it is, a very low way to gain PR.

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
Where are all these people you speak off??? I see only you and 2 others questioning the deal. One of which felt the need to quadruple post the same thing... Then theres you who likes to call people names and shout. Anyone with an IQ above primary school level can spot who is... as you shout WRONG. Keep going though your dribbling hatred is entertaining.

Posted by tezza74 about 1 year ago
members of hm forces who have to move home are not charged a disconnection fee by talk talk

Posted by CARPETBURN about 1 year ago
quote"members of hm forces who have to move home are not charged a disconnection fee by talk talk"

Thats good news, do you have a link to that and similar info as no doubt some will question it :)