Why does Plusnet not reward loyalty

[#1]

They seem to do this in some cases.  I was thinking of leaving when my first contract ended, but got an e-mail from PN with a good offer about ten days before the end of the contract so I stayed another year.  Once that second contract was up, I started the migration process, and the very next day I received an e-mail from PN with an even better offer than the one I'd had the previous year.  Had that e-mail arrived before my contract expired, I might still be a PN customer.

[#2]

slightly off topic ! ... EDF energy show their "best offer" every time I pay my monthly bill.... which clearly says, something like..> "If you change your tariff to this, you will save £XX compared to your present tariff"..  Mostly it is only a matter of (say) £1 or "£2 per month over the year, but at least they are telling you about it, and you don`t have to "pretend" your leaving to take advantage of the offer. Nor do you have to "haggle" .

Surely PN should do this too  ?

[#3]

Same with Southern Electric @shutter.

[#4]

@shutter, @Jonpe - the Energy supply firms HAVE to do this, under legislation introduced sometime in the past couple of years (can't remember when, or what the legislation is, though)

[#5]

YUP!   and wouldn`t it  "do us proud" if PlusNet took the lead, and showed the other ISP`s the way, by doing the same thing, WITHOUT BEING FORCED TO, by legislation...

What a brilliant marketing coup, that would be....   ? ? ? 

[#6]

Perhaps PN could reword the lyrics to this old Terry Jacks hit and have it sung in a yorkshire accent:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDU13cL3Sp0

The chorus could be:

But if you stay, I'll give you a price

Like no price has been or will be again

You'll surf the net with minimum pain

You'll talk to support in minutes not days

Then if you go, I'll understand

You have found a much better offer elsewhere

If you go away, if you go away, if you go away

[#7]

But there is no better tariff for you to switch to, there's only the new customer pricing, for which you have to haggle.

I guess it depends on if you think that everyone permanently paying the new customer prices is realistic or not.

[#8]

@ejs Obviously, it is not "realistic"... that is why you get conned by these "offers"..... you sign up for a cheap service, and then sneakily, in 12 months, or 18 months,... they up the price, hoping you remembered  forgot the t&c`s  when you signed up...

Realistically, pricing should be FAIR to all customers.... ALL the time... as for "special offers" they should be directed to those "faithful" and "long serving" customers, as a REWARD  for their LOYALTY...

The present pricing system is unsustainable in the long term, hence the price hikes at the end of your initial contract, and subsequent renewals.

Why should LOYAL customers be treated like lepers or second rate customers compared to the "newbies" ?  as regards tariff/pricing for the same service..... After all, with our support over the years, the company has had stability, and grown accordingly, both in infrastructure, profitablity, and customer loyalty.   This has been done through the feedback from the LOYAL customers, and the SUPPORT of the LOYAL customers... the "newbies" are getting all the benefits, and the LOYAL customers are getting kicked in the face ( replace the word "face" with whatever part of the anatomy suits you best ! )...

[#9]

Perhaps

Chris Cotterill

Head of Marketing at Plusnet

Will have a read through this thread, .............................

[#10]

I am sure he has.  The SUs discussed this space a few months back … 

[#11]

I agree that it's totally wrong but assume that the loyal customers who pay top wack are the same people who never change energy or insurance suppliers. These are generally older people and often the group who suffer most from paying top wack.

I see it as a general problem that should be addressed, not Plusnet specific. However, how far should the 'nanny state' that we already live in go? Maybe a statutory requirement that customers must be told when special offer deals are coming to an end and advise possible alternatives?

[#12]

Fair market price for all would be far better. Sadly there’s far too much of wanting something for nothing - the introductory prices (plus cash back) are not sustainable.

[#13]

OK so I fall into the group of older people, but I do change energy suppliers and I am always looking around for better deals but that is not the point. The point is loyalty which should be rewarded. If we refer we get a referral discount but that is not loyalty. Energy suppliers have been mentioned but look at some hotels, they have reward cards and for the loyalty of staying there you get rewarded with points to have free nights. I mentioned loyalty for 10yrs 15 yrs 20yrs by 1month 2 months & 3 months free rental which to me is a very similar scenario and I do not think this comes in as the 'nanny state' mentioned.

[#14]

We all agree that it is wrong not to reward loyalty, but if you analyse your idea of giving free months discount for loyalty then this would still not work out unless new subscriber deals were scrapped. 

Doing a quick sum based on comparing unlimited fibre for new and loyal customers the new customer gets the equivalent of about three and a half months discount and a free router when compared with the 'normal' price.

I'm sorry but until all ISPs agree that the current system is bad for business or the nanny state steps in the choices are move, haggle or pay through the nose. The choice is yours. The more people move or haggle the sooner ISPs will stop the new subscriber deals. But will that result in a price reduction for loyal customers? I very much doubt it.

Haggling can get you close to the new subscriber price so my advice is take advantage of the bargaining chip competitive ISPs give you whilst it lasts.

[#15]

At the end of each contract, I just switch between PN and BT because I found out some considerable time ago that their new customer deals are far better than their retentions department deals, especially when BT for instance on my last online switch gave me a £200 cash card. I also got £80 back via a cashback site for signing up. For switching back to PN this year, I was able to pay my line rental up front for 12 months, pay a much lower monthly bill, £8.51, rather than the £50 a month I would have had to pay BT on a rolling monthly contract. I also got £85 back from a cashback site for signing back up to PN.

So if loyalty in any way pays to stay with one particular ISP, then perhaps someone could convince me not to bother switching every 12 or 18 months and pass up the opportunity to bag those 'new customer only' deals.

The only thing I would like to see clearly plastered on my monthly invoice, is my CONTRACT END DATE. I do of course know the exact date I signed up because I have the emails, but If someone knows where the contract end date is located on the monthly invoice, please feel free to point out where it is......