{"id":35440,"date":"2023-08-17T08:28:13","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T07:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=35440"},"modified":"2023-08-17T10:50:54","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T09:50:54","slug":"complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/08\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html","title":{"rendered":"Complaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Budget focused broadband ISP TalkTalk<\/a> has “suspended all door-to-door sales activity<\/em>” in the Newcastle area after residents complained about cold calling occurring in parts of the city designated as a No Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ), which should be fairly self-explanatory to everybody, if not so much the sellers themselves, apparently.<\/p>\n

Almost nobody likes door-to-door sales, at least we’ve yet to meet anybody who genuinely does because it can be very difficult to identify legitimate sales people from fraudsters. But for those who may be unaware, Newcastle is one of many UK places that has this lovely NCCZ system, which covers almost 84,410 households across 15 of the city\u2019s wards.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The NCCZ in Newcastle was set up in partnership with Northumbria Police and Safe Newcastle.<\/div>\n

In these areas, cold callers are terminated with extreme prejudice<\/del> door-to-door sales are banned (albeit not strictly illegal) and discouraged by plenty of clear signage, including on streets, as well as stickers on house doors and windows etc. “It can be a criminal offence for unwanted traders to come into the zone … We will investigate why traders are operating within a NCCZ if they should not be<\/em>,” said Newcastle City Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, none of this appeared to discourage TalkTalk<\/a>’s doorstep sellers from trying their best to sell the provider’s broadband packages to local consumers in the Kenton area (Chronicle Live<\/a>), which perhaps isn’t all that surprising given the financial problems the ISP is currently having to tackle (here<\/a> and here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Kenton councillor Stephen Lambert said he had received “numerous complaints<\/em>” about TalkTalk<\/a> (“the most persistent<\/em>“) and other companies knocking on doors. But the ISP complained that its agents had not been provided with detailed enough information so that they could be “100% sure<\/em>” about where the measures were in place (there are maps<\/a>, but not a detailed list of addresses and postcodes like in other NCCZs).<\/p>\n

The provider itself said it had received only one complaint and that was from outside the city, although locals will generally complain through the council \/ NCCZ scheme.<\/p>\n

TalkTalk’s Statement to the Council
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

“[We have] suspended all door-to-door sales activity in the Newcastle area in order to prevent any such breach from happening again. Any third-party agents acting on behalf of TalkTalk are given thorough training and instruction not to enter NCCZs.<\/p>\n

As soon as we were made aware of complaints, all agents involved were taken through a formal disciplinary process and dealt with appropriately. In addition, agents across the UK were reminded of the importance of adhering to NCCZ guidance. Unfortunately, following these measures we were made aware of a further complaint in relation to a NCCZ, and therefore decided to suspend all activity in the Newcastle area.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The council has welcomed TalkTalk’s move to suspend doorstep selling across the whole of the city, which is probably for the best as the local authority are now looking to extend the NCCZ to all corners of their area. We should point out that TalkTalk are by no means the only ISP to run into trouble with doorstep selling, with agents working for BT<\/a> \/ EE<\/a> also being accused of some dodgy tactics in the recent past (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Budget focused broadband ISP TalkTalk has “suspended all door-to-door sales activity” in the Newcastle area after residents complained about cold calling occurring in parts of the city designated as a No Cold Calling Zone (NCCZ), which should be fairly self-explanatory to everybody, if not so much the sellers themselves, apparently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[480,479,74],"class_list":["post-35440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk_isp_news","tag-crime","tag-security","tag-talktalk"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"yoast_head":"\nComplaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle - ISPreview UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Budget focused broadband ISP TalkTalk has "suspended all door-to-door sales activity" in the Newcastle area after residents complained about cold calling\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/08\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Complaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle - ISPreview UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Budget focused broadband ISP TalkTalk has "suspended all door-to-door sales activity" in the Newcastle area after residents complained about cold calling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/08\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ISPreview UK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-17T07:28:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-17T09:50:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/nggallery_import\/talktalk_smart_home_protection.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mark Jackson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ispreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ispreview\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mark Jackson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mark Jackson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5\"},\"headline\":\"Complaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-17T07:28:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-17T09:50:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\"},\"wordCount\":541,\"commentCount\":4,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/nggallery_import\\\/talktalk_smart_home_protection.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crime\",\"Security\",\"TalkTalk\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ISP News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ispreview.co.uk\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html\",\"name\":\"Complaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle - 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Just to recap. In 2020 TalkTalk became the subject of a \u00a31.1bn takeover by Toscafund - controlled by hedge fund tycoon Martin Hughes (here), which including debt valued the broadband provider at around \u00a31.8bn. The deal took the ISP private and gave them more financial flexibility for their future plans. Since then, they've backed Freedom Fibre (here) and this week made the notable acquisition of Ethernet provider Virtual1 (here). According to the FT (paywall) and Sky News, TalkTalk is now said to have asked investment bank Lazard to review its options after allegedly being approach by several groups, including Vodafone and Sky (Sky Broadband). Lazard is a logical choice as they recently acted as Financial Advisor to TalkTalk on the Virtual1 transaction. Some industry analysts have reportedly suggested that TalkTalk itself could now be worth \\\"at least\\\" \u00a33bn. But this seems rather optimistic for an ISP that doesn't have any significant fixed line broadband infrastructure to call its own (excluding their old unbundled LLU network) and largely just piggybacks off Openreach (BT), CityFibre and Freedom Fibre. But TalkTalk do have a strong business and wholesale side. Funnily enough, Sky Broadband are in a similar position with their own fixed line base, while Vodafone also likes to piggyback off Openreach and CityFibre. At present, Vodafone has a fixed broadband base of 991,000 customers, while Sky Broadband is estimated to be home to around 6.7 million and TalkTalk has approximately 4.2 million. Suffice to say, anybody gobbling up TalkTalk would instantly become a much larger provider, giving them a greater say in how the UK broadband market develops and more opportunities for convergence (Vodafone with mobile, and Sky with mobile and TV). Crucially, TalkTalk's consumer base is mostly made up of those on older copper and hybrid fibre lines (i.e. ADSL and FTTC \\\/ VDSL2), which are ripe for a future migration to FTTP. At the time of writing, all of the aforementioned operators have decline to comment on the reports, and TalkTalk has yet to receive any serious formal offers. In other words, we strongly suspect that this is largely just an exercise in spin to help TalkTalk drum up some more productive interest in the idea. But at the same time, it's not unreasonable to suspect that they might succeed, as the interest seems genuine. On the other hand, we see reports like this every year or so and only a very few ever convert into a serious offer. Time will tell. Much may depend upon whether or not TalkTalk\u2019s new owners are more flexible and pragmatic about doing a deal than the previous lot. 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Just to recap. In 2020 TalkTalk became the subject of a \u00a31.1bn takeover by Toscafund - controlled by hedge fund tycoon Martin Hughes (here), which including debt valued the broadband provider at around \u00a31.8bn. The deal took the ISP private and gave them more financial flexibility for their future plans. Since then, they've backed Freedom Fibre (here) and this week made the notable acquisition of Ethernet provider Virtual1 (here). According to the FT (paywall) and Sky News, TalkTalk is now said to have asked investment bank Lazard to review its options after allegedly being approach by several groups, including Vodafone and Sky (Sky Broadband). Lazard is a logical choice as they recently acted as Financial Advisor to TalkTalk on the Virtual1 transaction. Some industry analysts have reportedly suggested that TalkTalk itself could now be worth \"at least\" \u00a33bn. But this seems rather optimistic for an ISP that doesn't have any significant fixed line broadband infrastructure to call its own (excluding their old unbundled LLU network) and largely just piggybacks off Openreach (BT), CityFibre and Freedom Fibre. But TalkTalk do have a strong business and wholesale side. Funnily enough, Sky Broadband are in a similar position with their own fixed line base, while Vodafone also likes to piggyback off Openreach and CityFibre. At present, Vodafone has a fixed broadband base of 991,000 customers, while Sky Broadband is estimated to be home to around 6.7 million and TalkTalk has approximately 4.2 million. Suffice to say, anybody gobbling up TalkTalk would instantly become a much larger provider, giving them a greater say in how the UK broadband market develops and more opportunities for convergence (Vodafone with mobile, and Sky with mobile and TV). Crucially, TalkTalk's consumer base is mostly made up of those on older copper and hybrid fibre lines (i.e. ADSL and FTTC \/ VDSL2), which are ripe for a future migration to FTTP. At the time of writing, all of the aforementioned operators have decline to comment on the reports, and TalkTalk has yet to receive any serious formal offers. In other words, we strongly suspect that this is largely just an exercise in spin to help TalkTalk drum up some more productive interest in the idea. But at the same time, it's not unreasonable to suspect that they might succeed, as the interest seems genuine. On the other hand, we see reports like this every year or so and only a very few ever convert into a serious offer. Time will tell. Much may depend upon whether or not TalkTalk\u2019s new owners are more flexible and pragmatic about doing a deal than the previous lot. Arguably, TalkTalk might have gone much further by now had they taken some different decisions a few years ago (e.g. co-investing in FTTP instead of Pay TV)."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2023\/08\/complaints-prompt-uk-isp-talktalk-to-suspend-doorstep-sellers-in-newcastle.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Complaints Prompt UK ISP TalkTalk to Suspend Doorstep Sellers in Newcastle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/","name":"ISPreview UK","description":"Top Broadband ISP and Mobile Provider Information Site","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#organization","name":"ISPreview.co.uk","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/ispreview_uk_logo.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"ISPreview.co.uk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ispreview","https:\/\/x.com\/ispreview","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mjack\/","https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/ispreview.bsky.social","https:\/\/mastodon.social\/@ispreview"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/de66a8b4e937c21c80e443d1bf9c35d5","name":"Mark Jackson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/nggallery_import\/Mark-Jackson-96x96.jpg","caption":"Mark Jackson"},"description":"By Mark Jackson Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. 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