topic Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot! in Plusnet Feedback

PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Townman — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:56:26 GMT

Just seen the member centre splash page (unsure how long this has been around) - PlusNet are now offering 18 months free unlimited ADSL for no commitment beyond the 18 month contract. This is sheer lunacy!
How on earth does marketing expect the company to pay for the essential support services without an income stream? Staff certainly cannot work for nothing, so if ADSL is being given away how is quality support personnel going to be provided... or is that the heart of the matter - not enough of them are being (or will be) provided?

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Oldjim — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:00:25 GMT

just so

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

jelv — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:01:08 GMT

It's profitable for Plusnet because you have to take the exorbitantly priced phone package as well!

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Razorback — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:04:17 GMT

Depends on your definition of free.
It is only “free” with £16.99 line rental, so you have to buy something to get the “free" offer.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

MattyC — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:07:53 GMT

It's not the cheapest in the market at the moment.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Townman — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:13:29 GMT

Semantics - you have to have a phone line for ADSL.
For all ISPs the line rental is circa £17pcm.
Yes there are CPs out there who can shave a bit off the line rental, but then you'd have to fund the broadband separately.
Line charges though is a bit of a distraction - broadband capacity has to be bought by usage. I recall not so long ago PlusNet talking about the myth and unstainability of unlimited usage ... and that was back in the days of pay-as-you-use bandwidth.
The only thing missing from this lunatic asylum offer is a £100 cash back offer similar to BT Retails!

@Matty,
I think I must be missing something? That image looks like PN brand style, but the line rental is more than that quoted on the current splash page (see OJ's post #2) so it is cheaper than what you've pointed to.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Oldjim — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:18:28 GMT

Cost to Plusnet of basic line rental £86.72 + VAT = £8.67 per month so margin for broadband £8.23 and I hate to think how much they make on call charges given the charges by the smaller ISP's who don't subsidise broadband

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:24:26 GMT

Well maybe there is a method to their madness. If you attract a lot of users with this 'free' offer, the next logical progression from ADSL is Fibre, so maybe they are playing the long game in the hope that the majority of users will simply stay with them and migrate to fibre, because it would appear that this is their best source of income. If you think about their new network it implies there is a demand for it, no doubt created by fibre users.
Just a thought.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

glloyd — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:24:46 GMT

I for one would prefer to pay a little more for far better C/S.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

w23 — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:25:15 GMT

Quote from: Townman
I think I must be missing something? That image looks like PN brand style, but the line rental is more than that quoted on the current splash page (see OJ's post #2) so it is cheaper than what you've pointed to.

The image showing free broadband for 18 months with line rental @ £17.70 is TT.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

MattyC — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:26:58 GMT

Sorry, shoulda clarified that!

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Razorback — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:30:02 GMT

It is not semantics.

If it was was really free then Plusnet would allow you to have free broadband whilst keeping your phone line elsewhere. As OJ points out by making you have line rental with them too they still generate decent margin.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

pwatson — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:37:07 GMT

Plusnet were even paying people to take free broadband around Black Friday!
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,146139.msg1287077.html#msg1287077
The cost of the phone rental isn't semantics - It's clearly subsidising the cost of broadband!!

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Oldjim — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:43:27 GMT

as a comparison https://www.uno.net.uk/packages/phone-line-rental/ ; https://pulse8broadband.co.uk/line-rental

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

jelv — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:47:57 GMT

Quote from: Townman
For all ISPs the line rental is circa £17pcm.

No it isn't!
£13

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

chenks76 — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:57:20 GMT

£13 yeah, but look at the price of the broadband/fibre packages - much higher.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

jelv — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:04:42 GMT

The point is Plusnet are making a lot of profit on the line rentals to cross subsidise the broadband.
Plusnet also charge way over the odds for calls. Pulse8 can make a profit charging 1p per minute (Plusnet 10p), per second billing (Plusnet round up to a minute) and no connection charge (Plusnet charge 16p per call)

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

jelv — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:07:19 GMT

Unless on a package deal, Plusnet users who make a modest or low amount of calls could save money by switching line rental to Pulse8 even allowing for the £2.50 levy Plusnet charge for not having their line rental with them. Also Pulse8 is one month contract so moving on in the event of issues would not be a problem.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

Townman — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:24:02 GMT

Comparing phone packages is interesting, but misses the point that many users (my self included) make very few chargeable calls, therefore there is no call revenue to prop up broadband costs.
If there is no distinct revenue from UNLIMITED broadband how the hell is the backbone capacity / utilisation to be funded? The marketing ploy is commercial stupidity. No one can keep giving stuff for free and maintain good service. If you look with openness at the market place the going rate (including Plus8) for a phone / broadband package is circa £25pcm.

Re: PlusNet marketing has totally lost the plot!

w23 — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 12:27:26 GMT

Quote from: Oldjim
as a comparison https://www.uno.net.uk/packages/phone-line-rental/ https://pulse8broadband.co.uk/line-rental

It appears to me that UNO prices are + VAT so probably £11.99/month with VAT
For further comparison: http://www.vivaciti.net/#phone

Of course, if a new customer doesn't take line rental they can't get the free broadband offer at all - not just a +£2.50/month penalty.