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Free sports TV, mobile SIMs and calls offered to post-hack TalkTalk punters

In a bid to smooth things over, TalkTalk will offer free TV, mobile SIM and landline calls bundles to customers in December. 

These early Christmas presents/reparations will come in a number of forms and will be opened to all customers, regardless of whether or not they were affected by the widely-publicised hack

Customers will be offered a free upgrade to their contract ‘at no extra cost and with no additional commitment.’ 

Precise details of each offer have yet to be announced. TalkTalk says that upgrades will include things like unlimited calls to UK landlines and mobiles on your home phone plan, a free TalkTalk Mobile SIM and free TV content ‘including movies, kids entertainment and sports.’

Presumably this means free Sky Sports, Sky Movies and kids channels, which normally cost an extra £30/month, £15/month and £5/month with TalkTalk TV. 

Related: How to create a strong password and TalkTalk customer data hack – What should I do?It’s understood that the type of upgrade on offer will depend on the kind of services you already have with TalkTalk, so if you had signed up for the Plus TV bundle, which includes a free TalkTalk Mobile SIM, then it’s not likely that you’ll be offered a free SIM in December. 

Dido Harding, TalkTalk’s chief executive said: “TalkTalk takes the security of customers’ data extremely seriously and we are taking significant further steps to ensure our systems are protected, as well as writing to all our customers outlining what we are doing to keep their data safe. 
 
“In recognition of the unavoidable uncertainty, and because we know that doing what is right for our customers will ensure the best possible outcome for the company over the longer term, we are today announcing the offer of a choice of free upgraded services to all our customers.
 
“TalkTalk is well established as the value for money provider in the fast growing quad play market and, notwithstanding the recent attack, remains well positioned to deliver strong and sustainable long term growth.”

TalkTalk says it’s now contacted all customers who have had financial details accessed and has said that it would only waive terminations fees – charges applied to customers who leave contracts early – for those who’ve been affected by the hack. 

Contact details of 156,959 customers were leaked as a result of an attack on TalkTalk’s site which took place on Wednesday, October 21. Of these customers, 15,656 bank account numbers and sort codes were accessed. Additionally, the dates of birth of roughly 15,000 customers were leaked – although it’s not clear if these are related to the customers who account numbers were stolen. 

All of the 28,000 credit and debit card numbers that were accessed cannot be used for financial transactions as the middle six digits were obscured, rendering them useless. 

TalkTalk has said that these numbers had been ‘orphaned,’ meaning they’re disassociated with any customers’ names. 

Customers will have until December 31 to claim their freebie and will be able to upgrade via this page

 

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