Comments on: [Archived] PlusNet Summer Sale http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/ News and Updates on the Community. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:28:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Is free broadband really the future? | Community Site News http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-6149 Is free broadband really the future? | Community Site News Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:14:08 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-6149 [...] the moment we’re running a special offer of half-priced broadband for the first three months, provided the customer takes our Home Phone service. Previously [...] [...] the moment we’re running a special offer of half-priced broadband for the first three months, provided the customer takes our Home Phone service. Previously [...]

]]> By: Ian Wild http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4366 Ian Wild Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:27:20 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4366 I'm not sure I follow - You mean it's complicated by restricting it to people who take home phone as well as broadband, and by requiring a 12 month contract? If so the answer is that we have to cost any offer like this before we can get it signed off by the bean counters. The only way to make an offer like this work is to ensure that it costs in for us in the long term, and doesn't result in an overall loss - our first job as a business is to make a profit! With an offer like this it takes a long time for the initial investment to be repaid, but as a long term proposal it does work. We can be as confident as you like that our service is flawless, but that won't stop a certain percentage of people from always moving onto the next best deal. Without the terms of the offer being as they are, we'd simply have no way of ensuring that we can recoup our investment, and as such the offer couldn't be signed off. Hope that answers your question! Ian I'm not sure I follow - You mean it's complicated by restricting it to people who take home phone as well as broadband, and by requiring a 12 month contract?

If so the answer is that we have to cost any offer like this before we can get it signed off by the bean counters. The only way to make an offer like this work is to ensure that it costs in for us in the long term, and doesn't result in an overall loss - our first job as a business is to make a profit! With an offer like this it takes a long time for the initial investment to be repaid, but as a long term proposal it does work.

We can be as confident as you like that our service is flawless, but that won't stop a certain percentage of people from always moving onto the next best deal. Without the terms of the offer being as they are, we'd simply have no way of ensuring that we can recoup our investment, and as such the offer couldn't be signed off.

Hope that answers your question!

Ian

]]> By: Nick_Russell http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4364 Nick_Russell Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:35:24 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4364 Why make thinks sooooooooooo complicated? If we believe PlusNet is such a great ISP (we all do think so of course) can't you simply say "come and try us for 3 months at half price"? Hopefully if people like the service they will stay. Why make thinks sooooooooooo complicated? If we believe PlusNet is such a great ISP (we all do think so of course) can't you simply say "come and try us for 3 months at half price"? Hopefully if people like the service they will stay.

]]> By: Phil http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4353 Phil Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:32:11 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4353 Evening Mark - Ian answered this in his second comment above. HTH Evening Mark - Ian answered this in his second comment above. HTH

]]> By: Mark http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4350 Mark Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:15:23 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4350 Do existing customers get the discounted monthly rate? Do existing customers get the discounted monthly rate?

]]> By: James Mitchell http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4343 James Mitchell Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:07:59 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4343 Oh here we go again - lets look after our oh so important 12 month contract cusotmers and the monthly contract rolling customers can go and stick it. I've been a customer for at least 4 years now (all be it on a monthly contract) - clearly PN dont reward loyalty. Oh here we go again - lets look after our oh so important 12 month contract cusotmers and the monthly contract rolling customers can go and stick it.

I've been a customer for at least 4 years now (all be it on a monthly contract) - clearly PN dont reward loyalty.

]]> By: Phil http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4318 Phil Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:42:14 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4318 We've kept on with the plan and updated the offer page as I posted yesterday. It's now got a modified version of the homepage box, which manages to squeeze all of the components into one banner. Again, thanks for your comments. I'm happy to hear feedback on other areas of the site via direct messages or in the forums. We've kept on with the plan and updated the offer page as I posted yesterday. It's now got a modified version of the homepage box, which manages to squeeze all of the components into one banner.

Again, thanks for your comments. I'm happy to hear feedback on other areas of the site via direct messages or in the forums.

]]> By: axisofevil http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4314 axisofevil Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:09:23 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4314 Churn! Churn! Churn! Churn! Churn! Churn!

]]> By: glloyd http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4313 glloyd Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:21:47 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4313 I think it will be difficult for any ISP to continue to grow as saturation point is reached which can't be far off. There is also the problems of LLU ISP's that can offer very much cheaper (if not free) service which other ISP's can't possible match at the moment. George I think it will be difficult for any ISP to continue to grow as saturation point is reached which can't be far off.

There is also the problems of LLU ISP's that can offer very much cheaper (if not free) service which other ISP's can't possible match at the moment.
George

]]> By: Ian Wild http://community.plus.net/blog/2008/06/24/half-price-broadband-for-3-months/#comment-4300 Ian Wild Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:50:45 +0000 http://community.plus.net/?p=12576#comment-4300 I really don't believe these offers work because they end up misleading people, or that people get a surprise when a promotion term ends (especially not in this case given how clear the message is). In reality I reckon these offers work simply because they are a good deal and people have to go to some trouble in switching ISPs, and on that basis they want an incentive to give them a push. The re-contracting offer to existing customers was £5 a month off for 6 months, with a minimum term of 12 months in total. If anyone here missed that then feel free to drop me a mail (iwild@plus.net) and I will see what I can do to find something that works for you along those same lines. Be aware though that I can't preclude a different offer coming along for everyone in the mean time, and you won't be able to get that you still have an existing recontracting offer running... Remember that attracting new customers is a major cost for any business like ours, (of course, so is keeping the ones we have but that's a different game). Our challenge is that if we didn't maintain reasonable growth we'd very quickly not have much of a business left to do anything with at all, which is really the nature of being any ISP - If you don't go forwards you go backwards. Ian I really don't believe these offers work because they end up misleading people, or that people get a surprise when a promotion term ends (especially not in this case given how clear the message is). In reality I reckon these offers work simply because they are a good deal and people have to go to some trouble in switching ISPs, and on that basis they want an incentive to give them a push.

The re-contracting offer to existing customers was £5 a month off for 6 months, with a minimum term of 12 months in total. If anyone here missed that then feel free to drop me a mail (iwild@plus.net) and I will see what I can do to find something that works for you along those same lines. Be aware though that I can't preclude a different offer coming along for everyone in the mean time, and you won't be able to get that you still have an existing recontracting offer running...

Remember that attracting new customers is a major cost for any business like ours, (of course, so is keeping the ones we have but that's a different game). Our challenge is that if we didn't maintain reasonable growth we'd very quickly not have much of a business left to do anything with at all, which is really the nature of being any ISP - If you don't go forwards you go backwards.

Ian

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