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When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

VileReynard
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Quote from: Jameseh
'Fraid not.
They'll all come out to you in one go.  There's 42 questions - It's not going to be a quick job.

I don't have the thread in front of me, but there were a lot more than 42 questions asked.
I know 42 is the ultimate answer and all that Smiley
But if we can't see the answers, can we at least see the questions in the form they were submitted to our esteemed leader?

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

mal0z
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

42 ? - well I dare say many questions were just the same - but written differently.
It would be helpful to have the list of 42 questions that will be answered. Is that possible ?
artmo
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Good idea. Let's see what is occupying his time Wink 
Alex
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

I'm not against companies offering contracts. Sure, for the user that does want to commit then give them an financial incentive to do so, such as free activation and cheaper monthly payments for x months or whatever. What I am against, is companies only offering huge contracts and nothing else. I fail to see what an monthly option with higher charges, no hardware or a lack of the so called 'free' activation cannot be offered.
With the financial crisis the way it is (or recession, as people don't want to seem to call it) many people are renting. Would you commit yourself to a broadband provider for a year and half when many rental contracts are 6 months? Don't think so. My landlady, for example could turn round and say she is flogging my flat and I need to move out. Then I would be stitched up for 17 monthly payments - nice. I wouldn't touch PlusNet with a bargepole now with the contracts (or any other company only offering them for that matter). Shame really.
I've advised a couple of people on getting broadband, and they'd be the same. If they had to, they would want the option to get rid of broadband if they had to.
I don't agree the market is changing where more people are accepting contracts now (as James seems to imply). If that were the case, I wonder why the mobile networks are now pushing the SIM-only monthly contracts. I'm thinking that is the way to go personally, and buying the phone off-line. Not just because of cost, but the networks lock the handsets and worse, brand and butcher the firmware to bits. Vodafone seem adept at doing this, and every menu option seems to be messed with to try and encourage me to buy stuff from Vodafone Live.
Only reason Sky and Branson Media can get away with the 12 month contracts is cos you've got no other choice for cable or Satellite. That's not the case with broadband, and that's the difference.
mal0z
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Totally agree with Alex.
And I finally managed to get out of my Vodafone 18 month contract ( without a phone - it is 2 years old ) and now on a PAYG contract that you just add credit and it stays until you use it, rather than loosing "free minutes" at the end of the month if not used.
Sadly there is only one commercial Sat TV company - Sky - how they have managed to retain a monopoly so long amazes me.
But at least now we have more channels on FreeSat.
Today's volatile marketplace is not one where you sign up for long contracts.
decomplexity
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Somewhere in the forum archive there are two very lengthy – and probably tedious – posts from me at around the time of BT’s buyout describing PN’s product offerings (product +  price + terms) versus the market they were sold into. Although post-BT things have changed a bit, the general tenor is still relevant. PN seem to have four choices:
a. to compete head on with Orange et al and BT themselves. This is the domestic rate-tart market for the largest pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap suppliers. PN currently seems to be positioning itself here in spite of not having anything like the customer base. Seems batty, but there you are…
b. to create products ever more similar to BT’s, then be subsumed completely into BT (perhaps as a revived BT Connect; the present BT Connect is a bit of a sick joke for SOHO services)
c. to compete on quality and responsiveness of broadband customer service (a la Zen broadband)
d. to concentrate on providing a high quality and highly automated but restricted set of products for what Lee Strafford called ‘discerning customers’ (either SOHO or domestic customers wanting a SOHO’ish service): broadband (BT supplied), email and virtual server webspace. Domain name registrarship (I know about JTN…) could be added to complete the picture except that it is difficult to add value since it is such a highly automated process, particularly for Nominet domains.
In Anthony’s position, I would plump for option d., which plays to PN’s traditional strengths of automated tools, better-than-average customer service and technical understanding, shift the rate-tart products to BT Internet, and reverse-merge BT Connect into PN. Then get BT Internet to adopt PN’s more automated approach to manage the rate-tart take-on and ship-jumping. After all, one assumes that BT didn’t buy PN as an act of charity or altruism.
I await Anthony’s pronouncements with not-too-bated breath.
Zen from May 17. PN Business account from 2004 - 2017
coastergrotto
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Quote from: Jameseh
It should be within the next couple of weeks.
We're collating all the questions at end of this week / start of next at which point we'll try and find some time in his diary (he's crazily busy) to get some answers sorted for you.

To an outside observer like myself, the situation is little more than a total farce.  To me it was a totally pointless exercise and one I would imagine has caused Plusnet some considerable embarrassment.
glloyd
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

The noise is deafening Smiley
Having made a total mess of the new products perhaps he's to embarrassed to face the music. Either that or he can't think of a good enough reason to mess up what was a decent ISP with decent products.
VileReynard
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

These BT types can't  deal with constructive criticism.
If he had allocated time to answer one question per day,  he'd be almost finished by now.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

Spider
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Quote from: Jameseh
....He hopes to be able to set aside some time on Friday to cover all of your questions.

True, but as stated above the time may only be allocated on Fridays, so at one question a day it would be a minimum of 42 weeks before we possibly get the answers. Now looking how thinks change over time, at that point all the answers would have to be reviewed before posting. Of course if one answer can be checked per Friday then it would be another 42 weeks before the answers are ready. Then you must remember they would need checking again.
[quote=Peter Jackson http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,74457.0.html]I’m pleased to be able to say that Anthony Vollmer, our CEO, has agreed to answer any of your questions about Plusnet, and our plans for now, and the future.
If you do want to ask a question please ask it here.  You can ask anything (within reason) – make the questions as tough as you want but I’d appreciate it if you could keep them as concise and objective as you can.
I’ll compile the list from next week and Anthony will provide the answers, together with a personal introduction in the coming weeks.

[quote=Peter Jackson http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,74457.msg595589.html#msg595589]Thank you everyone.  We'll call that a wrap on the questions and I will put them to Anthony.  Stay tuned.
Come on Plusnet you can do better than this. Please gives us an exact date when the answers will be given, rather than sometime never that is the current situation. Or if you have no intention of answering the questions then please say so.
[Edit]
Just done a quick tally and I found that 60 questions were actually asked, although some of them are very similar in nature. As Plusnet seem to have compiled the questions for the CEO please post the actual questions presented here so we have a record of what is being asked. Thanks.
[/Edit]
coastergrotto
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Quote from: Jameseh
Long and short is that Anthony (Vollmer btw!) is hoping to spend some time answering the questions today.  It's likely that he won't get finished, but he's hoping to make a good start.

Wishing and hoping.  Did he ever make a start I wonder?    Maybe he'll have left his position as CEO by the time he get's around to answering the questions.
artmo
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

When the product refresh came out it was regarded by many as a PR disaster.  The lack of response to the questions has turned into yet another one.  Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.  At the very least I would have thought an apology would have been issued by Anthony for the delay together with a firm date when things would be dealt with.
VileReynard
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

One of my questions were:
Quote
How much power does this "boss" possess?
What issues does he have control over and on which issues is it necessary to gain BT's "advice" as to his decisions.
An answer that has not been prepared by his PR Department would be preferred.

Well - that's at least two questions... Smiley

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

Anotherone
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?

Quote from: praxisofevil
These BT types can't  deal with constructive criticism.
If he had allocated time to answer one question per day,  he'd be almost finished by now.

That'd require working grey matter to think about that.
Quote
.............As Plusnet seem to have compiled the questions for the CEO please post the actual questions presented here so we have a record of what is being asked. Thanks.
I would presume that when answers are provided they will be preceded by the question.
Hang on, maybe that's too much of a presumption. (P.S. I didn't win the lottery either).
pierre_pierre
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Re: When can we expect answers to Questions solicited by Peter Jackson?