I've been arguing this point for some time too now, although it is hitting a brick wall trying to get them to accept any kind of customer loyalty considerations. That seems to be something nobody is interested in anymore, just the data for grabbing 'new customers'.
My argument is that the price they are quoting is not accurate right from the start. It's a large bold, in your face, price quote for a 24 month contract. Yet we already know that it *will* go up by at least 3.9% twice before your contract ends, so that quoted price is already not correct. There's a piddling little asterisk to mark there's a condition somewhere on that page (which you have to scroll down to read).
And, as you say, I'm getting offers, stating a price, that will go up in three months time. It doesn't make it easy to make a decision on when to jump.
I'm on old Unlimited Fibre Extra (80/20), but I get a reliable 70+Mb download, so am reluctant to switch to FF at this time (based on some of the forum comments about poor speeds and reliability after switching). My contract expires in May, but I can renew now (for 24 months, after having an 18 month contract) at a lower price, until it goes up again in April.
Or I could switch to FF, but even that's weird right now, they're doing the 144 £1 cheaper than the 74 (OK, that's a no-brainer, but it only proves that all this need to increase my prices in April is total rubbish for their profitability). But then again, it goes up in April.
I see nothing that entices me not to do a 'new customer' deal with someone else (even if I have to pay a couple months severance fee). If I wait until March/April, I can then get a full year at any offer price (of course we don't know for sure what offers will be around then, but I'll bet there are plenty of new customer deals with other ISPs nonetheless). FWIW, I saw Vodafone are actually getting some good ratings.
I did try contacting PN customer support, but as discovered here, it's no dice with getting any kind of deal to get around this. I really cannot see why it's not possible to fix your price for at least the first 12 months when you renew a contract. That would just be simple decent support of customer loyalty.
For sure, I'm not especially angry with PN, they're just playing the same game as everyone else. I'm angry at the system, which seems to have been put in place with the best of intentions, but has rather had an adverse effect for the customer.
But, I have also pointed out before, that this is a maximum they can apply, not a compulsory thing. PN could choose to be a little different, and actually live up to their advertising blurb (make us actually believe the buffoon in their TV adverts).
As you say though, having been a PN customer over so many years (nearly 20 on and off), it'd be a shame to leave.
Andy
