Ofcom opens second TalkTalk investigation

Regulators have opened a new investigation into TalkTalk, the UK's second- largest broadband provider by customer numbers.

Ofcom, the telecoms watchdog, on Monday said it had begun an investigation into alleged mis-selling of fixed-line phone services by TalkTalk following complaints from the public. It is Ofcom's second inquiry into TalkTalk this year. This month Ofcom gave TalkTalk one month to comply with Ofcom rules after finding that it had wrongly issued customers with bills for services that had been cancelled. Ofcom said the new investigation focused on complaints by people "who claim to have been mis-sold a fixed-line telephone service by [TalkTalk] or have had their service switched to [TalkTalk] without their consent". Fixed-line phone and broadband providers must comply with Ofcom's rules that seek to guard against mis-selling. The watchdog in recent years has had to clampdown on so-called "slamming", where people discover they have been moved to a new service provider without their consent.