2009 Product Refresh - Phase 2

[#1]

*groan*
I'll mention it, but realistically, we've got other things on the go currently in a very tight roadmap for the next 12 months.

[#2]

I could see Wheel_nut's suggestion would be useful.  Personally I'd like to see a more modular (and hence flexible) product range where you can choose your basic package (i.e shaping levels) and then choose your monthly bandwidth.

[#3]

Quote from: Jameseh

*groan*

You know that I'm only thinking of the others ... 
I could be more explicit but then I'd have to shoot myself. 

[#4]

Quote from: mapletree

I could see Wheel_nut's suggestion would be useful.  Personally I'd like to see a more modular (and hence flexible) product range where you can choose your basic package (i.e shaping levels) and then choose your monthly bandwidth.

Yes. And why not call it something like "BroadBand Your Way" (BBYW)? 
I'm still on BBYW1 but would prefer to switch to the cheaper Value product. Am put off by the 18mth (1year?) contract.
The new Ts & Cs seem to imply that things might have changed, but the wording is so confusing that it's as clear as mud...

[#5]

True BBYW (or BBMW  ) would be a Roll Your Own product like:
Monthly Connection Charge (say) £8
Value profile Data Transfer @ £0.30 / GB in advance (£0.35 / GB in arrears)
OR
Pro profile Data Transfer @ £0.60 / GB in advance (£0.70 / GB in arrears)
I suppose you could have a "medium" profile as well but that is mere detail and I don't do detail.
All prices must be set at profitable and sustainable levels.

[#6]

I think this idea has real merit - after all - we all have so many ways of using our broadband.
I hate to mention them, but for example Sky have a few standard packages - but you can roll your own combination to suit your own viewing habits.
This might take a while for PN for think this out and of course develop the back end processing and billing - but I suggest worth seriously thinking about for next year ?

[#7]

How about payment for enhanced protocol performance.
E.g. £1 for decent P2P 

[#8]

...and maybe £1/m for Static IP instead of £10/m (market 3 difference between Value and Unlimited)!
or even do it for nothing, to save the development work

[#9]

I think it's extremely unlike PN will ever do something like these ideas - after all, that was the original point of BBYW, yet PN never developed that much. PN are, it seems, aiming for simplicity now and I'd be very surprised if they reversed the u-turn (what's that... an o-turn?).

[#10]

It may happen.
At one time with BT/GPO you paid a fixed fee for the line and the supplied phone + call charges.
Now they still have the fixed costs, but various call packages as well.
Even the call packages have extra options...
No reason why you can't apply a similar model to broadband.

[#11]

Thomas is right.
Our products have historically been too complicated for the 'normal' Internet user, so we've tried to be as simplistic as possible.
I love the idea of a create your own broadband product - Ian Wild and myself used to spend many hours discussing such an offering, but realistically I wouldn't expect Plusnet to sell one.

[#12]

I despair at the world if PN's previous products were "too complicated for the normal Internet user".  Everyone nowadays only seems to cater for lowest intellect imaginable at the expense of anyone whose IQ is into double figures (let alone 3 figures). 
I really can't understand how two options could be that difficult to understand for anyone (other than a big brother contestant):
One -- choose your package out of Lite (heavy shaping), Average (medium shaping) and Pro (no shaping).
Two -- choose your bandwidth (2G, 5G, or whatever values you want).
QED.

[#13]

Quote from: mapletree

One -- choose your package out of Lite (heavy shaping), Average (medium shaping) and Pro (no shaping). Two -- choose your bandwidth (2G, 5G, or whatever values you want).

I would guess most people would not understand what that means or how to apply to it to their own needs

[#14]

So they go for the cheapest. If they then find it's too slow they can switch to one of the less shaped versions.

[#15]

They'd actually be more likely to go elsewhere if they didn't understand what we were trying to sell them.