topic Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated in Plusnet Feedback

Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Leajayse16 — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 19:31:51 GMT

This afternoon I renewed my Plusnet contract. Afterwards I again took a look at the offers, noticed some cheaper prices and then the magic words, 'New Customers Only,' and I thought, so what's wrong with me then? I've been with Plusnet a number of years, never missed a payment and this is how I'm treated?

I decided to find some answers and went onto Chat. Well that was an experience. It took 19 minutes to get an answer to that plus why had I not been offered the cash back? Her reply didn't make sense saying that as a new customer I must have received the Cash Back. Huh? It's NEVER happened new or anything else. She kept apologizing but that was it.

I think this is the first time I have ever complained but isn't it time Plusnet appreciated that loyal and reliable customers are their bread and butter and not the newbies that they constantly chase after with attractive offers who are also unknown quantities!!!

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

dvorak — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 19:36:51 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Chat to Feedback

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

jgb — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 20:28:49 GMT

I had a very similar conversation when I recently contacted COT to renew my contract. Whilst I eventually got a deal that I considered acceptable if not wonderful, it was not as good as the new customer deals especially considering the cashback offers. When I pointed this out I was also told that as an existing customer I must have benefited from such an introductory offer when I joined. I pointed out that I joined in 2005 or 2007 (I cannot recall which) and that no such offers were available then. The rep clearly did not believe me!

I agree that it is about time loyalty was rewarded especially considering that it does not cost Plusnet anything to set existing customers up or to send out a router.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

shutter — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 22:32:17 GMT

@jgb I note from the info just below your avatar on your post... you "joined" ( the forum ) 1st August 2007

Like the O.P. and yourself, I have been with PlusNet forever and a day ( actually.... 6 November 2007) ..

It really annoys me, that we,... ( the senior members, and the most loyal, members) have to grovel on the phone, or live chat,

to someone, who is paid to listen to us grovelling, and then come up with "something like a deal". that is nowhere near as good as those new customers.. from a pre-prepared script.

that could have been offered to us, via the renewal notice...

Oh.. No.. Can`t have that,... would not be ethical.... ? ? ? ?

Talk about "suck it and see".... well, the new customers get sucked in, and then they are, like us loyal long term customers, sucked dry, until we get that renewal notice. and then we have to grovel again, to be allowed to continue being treated like a sucker for another 18 months, or whatever.

There is a lot of stuff around, about how badly insurance companies are, at hiking up the prices on "auto renewals"... and hoping that the sucker they send it out to, will just pay up, without question...

Seems that Internet Service Providers, have been taking lessons from them....

Now that IS ethical.... apparently...

Dick Turpin would be a great guy for the CEO of any modern business today... just go about robbing people, and it`s all perfectly legal..

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Leajayse16 — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 23:43:17 GMT

I completely fail to see the logic.Every year for instance I change my insurance company. Never a missed payment, never (thankfully) an insurance claim and yet you can guarantee the new quote will be higher so now I don't bother, I just go hunting for another company, get a quote, compare and then sign up with the new one.

I suppose what REALLY irritated me apart from being an existing customer was my mobile phone contract. I have Pay As You Go and only use the phone for emergencies but you can guarantee when you have one you've run out of credit so I pay £7 per month so that I don't. There is a healthy balance so what does Plusnet do? They put the price up by 35p! 35p for heaven's sake! Are they that short of money??Talk about how to make friends and influence people!!!

Moan over.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

jgb — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 08:43:10 GMT

@shutter

Yes, I joined the forum in 2007 but I joined Plusnet in 2005 - I've found the joining information!

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Anonymous — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 09:07:07 GMT

I am due to renew my contracts next month and for me and Plusnet nothing has changed, the service is the same now as it was at the beginning of this contract. So when I call in I expect the price rise for me to be no more than inflation, but will this be the case? Time will tell.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

wotsup — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 10:58:04 GMT

Pretty much always with introductory offers for new customers there is a period where you get lower price and then it goes up to normal price, this can be six months, 12 months sometimes 18 months - now with insurance it probably doesn't matter as the policy runs for a year, you get a new price every year, and decide whether to take it or go elsewhere. With continuing contracts like ISP you just fall onto full tariff and because you pay by direct debit most people don't really notice their monthly payment has gone up ( this is why companies just lurrrrv DD ). My mate had a problem with Sky when he asked for introductory rates and they refused, he just swapped contract into his wifes name and got the new offer, but they have probably plugged that avenue now with something like - introductory offers not available at existing customer address ....

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Baldrick1 — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 11:51:33 GMT

It's a wate of time quoting new customer price. The trick is to quote a lower competitors price. If Plusnet can't get within a reasonable comparative level then there's a sinple option.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Marksfish — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:20:30 GMT

Been happening everywhere for years. Loss leaders at the supermarket, interest rates at banks, insurance, etc. Amazes me how the new offers of £23.99pm unlimited fire and line only + £95 cashback for 18 months can be profitable. Especially when after 18 months you up and leave.One rate for everybody all the time would seem a mch fairer way of doing it.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

MauriceC — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:25:09 GMT

Worth reading this OFCOM announcement on 25/9/2019

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

jgb — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:51:30 GMT

@MauriceC

I assume this is the link:

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/fairer-prices-for-broadband-customers

Worth noting that Plusnet is not mentioned but they will be bound by any industry wide requirements.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

billnotben — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:01:58 GMT

I'm sure some bright spark at plusnet thought copying what insurance companies etc were doing was a great idea.

But as often said completely missing the point that unlike the other companies, that take advantage of their customers, they also have connection and router charges to account for.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

MauriceC — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:03:40 GMT

Oops! Finger trouble again. That is the link I meant to add.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

idonno — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 17:03:21 GMT

@Leajayse16 wrote: I suppose what REALLY irritated me apart from being an existing customer was my mobile phone contract. I have Pay As You Go and only use the phone for emergencies but you can guarantee when you have one you've run out of credit so I pay £7 per month so that I don't. There is a healthy balance so what does Plusnet do? They put the price up by 35p! 35p for heaven's sake! Are they that short of money??Talk about how to make friends and influence people!!!
Moan over.

And why not have a moan!

How about going on a monthly contract? £7 a month seems high for a standby phone or is that paying for a phone as well? I only pay £7.50 a month for 4Gb data / 3000 min of calls and 5000 txts. I never use it all, no matter how much I try. As the step daughter has recently arrived, just got her setup today on her phone. £8 got her 4gb data and unlimited calls and txts. We could have got her a much cheaper deal at £5 a month but getting her on the same network as her mum gets her free calls between them. I know there might be advantages to using PAYG (used to have one myself) but that balance might be better used elsewhere.

But I think most companies seem to operate on inertia syndrome! I do know when I got my deal - I'm actually paying less now for 4 times more, than I was 4 years ago - they asked whether I'd looked at the main telco site for deals. Sure! They wanted 2.5 times more! Shop around and if necessary move on. Easy to take your number with you as well.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:26:07 GMT

Well I've just called in to renew my contracts and I was asked to pay more than the 'New Customer' rate. I brought this to the attention of the CSA and asked for it to be discounted which was done and appreciated. But I know that with what I am paying in comparison to a 'New Customer' I am in fact subsidising them to the tune of £3.61 pm, so not really impressed to be honest.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Townman — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 12:37:08 GMT

We should anticipate this move resulting in more realistic service pricing. If customer acquisition costs, service connection and router costs are taken into account, there is next to no profit in the new customer charges. The whole pricing model has become skewed by customer greed and a chase for market share, where cost is more important that quality and customer service.

Sometime ago, EE sought to do things right - a proper price for joining customers (one which I guess reflected the acquisition costs) and then after the minimum term, a rate cheaper than that available to new customers if you stayed. If a company seeks to acquire customers and then retain them, this is the only sane pricing model.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

Baldrick1 — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:43:18 GMT

@MauriceC wrote:

Worth reading this OFCOM announcement on 25/9/2019

It will be interesting to see how this works out. My fixed price energy contract ran out a few months ago. True to form I was informed that there were new contract deals available and directed me to the appropriate web page highlighting the cheapest available new deal. I looked on a price comparison web site where I found an almost identical 'exclusive to the comparison site' deal that was £100 a year cheaper with the same company. I had no problems changing to it so it was not a new customer deal only. Caveat Emptor!

In terms of mobile telephone contracts used mainly for emergencies I use Giffgaff. This allows me to put money into my account. For the odd phone call or text I simply pay the quite expensive out of contract price. After each call I am advised of my remaining balance. If I need to increase usage for a short period I simply take a one month non recurring 'Goodybag' after which it reverts to the standard rate.

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

jgb — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 15:06:40 GMT

@Baldrick1

My energy company advises me on each bill (which is every time I send them a set of readings) whether or not I am on the cheapest tariff and if not what the cheapest is called. They allow you to move between their tariffs at any time at no cost and so you do not need to wait for the last 49 days of your current tariff. This cheapest may be a tariff available directly from them or one only available from one of their agents (price comparison sites usually). If the latter they do not tell you which agent and you have to find out for yourself which is about five minutes work visiting each comparison site in turn or a call to the energy company whose staff usually know where to look.

If you want to peruse the whole market, I found that the Citizens' Advice comparison site lists all tariffs available from energy companies and from comparison sites etc., (unlike the comparison websites themselves who, unsurprisingly, do not list their competitors' special deals). The Citizens Advice site does not itself provide a service to move you across to a new tariff and you have to go directly to the energy company or the relevant comparson website to do so.

Therefore the energy market does not, in general, differentiate between existing and new customer deals perhaps the telecommunications market will catch up sometime soon!?

Re: Why are existing customers NOT appreciated

billnotben — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 15:15:39 GMT

I have found that the elephant in the room now with energy companies is the "smart meter", as many state plainly we don't want you unless you agree to have a smart meter fitted.