We won’t be beat on price

[#1]

Thanks for the update Chris
I look forward to the knowing the outcome, as this is a very important issue
Regards
Mike

[#2]

Yes the cheapest stand alone broadband
but you need a BT/PN phoneline anyways so its trickery but tbh since i get a discount out of it
im happy

[#3]

Does it really have to be a BT/PN billed phoneline, or does that just mean it has to be a phoneline run by BT wholesale? ie could a customer use a third party supplier for their phoneline (as long as it isn't LLU) and still get the offers mentioned here? I understand why it would be a problem with an LLU line...

Mike

[#4]

Hi all,
The official line is that it would need to be a BT line (directly rented from BT retail) or a Plusnet line in order to take advantage of our broadband offers.

[#5]

Quote from: Chris

Sorry we've not replied to your point yet, it's been flagged to our marketing team and we'll let you know the outcome.

Is there any update on this chris ?
Regards
Mike

[#6]

Hi Mike,
Basically as with any other standalone broadband service it comes under the price beat guarantee. If we need to beat it, we will do
Cheers,

[#7]

I like the TV ads for their entertainment value.
I don't like Plusnet competing on price:

• it's never been their Unique Selling Point - customer service is their USP, which has suffered in the past (and more recently too) when Plusnet have taken on more staff to deal with more customers.


• They have never before been able to compete on price because they don't have the cash to offer products at a loss to win market share, unlike larger companies - so I'm worried about what happens when the cash runs out especially if other ISPs start a price war and stay in the game longer.

I don't like that the claim "won't be beat on price" has an asterisk which leads to some complex conditional limits on the offer (see previous posts for examples). 

• I find this practice dishonest.


• Again in the past, Plusnet has themselves argued against this practice to their credit (I'm thinking of the "no limits" advertising of a few years ago which Plusnet rightly refused to join in with, and explained clearly why they wouldn't and why other ISPs wouldn't be able to keep to it).

I don't see why Plusnet should spend so much more money on marketing than it has ever done, as I assume it must have done to pay for the billboards and TV ads.
What's wrong with Plusnet continuing to offer an excellent service to current customers, and have growth happen through word-of-mouth which has served it so well?
Why does Plusnet need a big increase in customers (which I assume is the motivation for spending the money on posters and tv ads)?
And why has Plusnet changed? (By which I mean competing on price, and using the dreaded asterisk of complexity on the claim.)

[#8]

Profit margin per customer must be too low (as defined by BT).
AFAIK No ISP has ever increased prices for the same product.
Therefore Plusnet are forced to aim for a "pile it high, sell it cheap" policy.
Of course, don't expect customer service as well...

[#9]

That's what worries me, when you get pile em high, sell em cheap something has to go and I fear that will be customer service.

[#10]

What do you mean "will be"?

[#11]

Quote

That's what worries me, when you get pile em high, sell em cheap something has to go and I fear that will be customer service.

We're not going anywhere I'm glad to say :)I can appreciate your scepticism George as I have worked for another ISP previous to being at Plusnet who went through what we're doing now in terms of advertising about 10 years ago and we did have some problems and things did unfortunately decline.
We are all aware at every level of the business of how important it is to maintain the balance of providing quality service and support whilst customer numbers increase, that's where our focus lies when it comes to making improvements to how we do what we do.

[#12]

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

I have worked for another ISP previous to being at Plusnet who went through what we're doing now in terms of advertising about 10 years ago and we did have some problems and things did unfortunately decline.

That sounds prophetic to me. 

Quote

We are all aware at every level of the business of how important it is to maintain the balance of providing quality service and support whilst customer numbers increase, that's where our focus lies when it comes to making improvements to how we do what we do.

I bet someone said something similar at _Adam_Walker_ 's previous employer just before the problems and the decline.
Is there a way to tag or bookmark this post/topic/conversation, to refer back to in about a year's time to see if the prophecy was fulfilled?  And I'm only slightly tongue-in-cheek with this, unfortunately.

[#13]

what browser are you using, on fire fox, right click and bookmark it, then it is on you bookmaks list

[#14]

Quote

That sounds prophetic to me.

I'm not an ISP 'angel of death' just want to make that clear the company in question didn't survive and became amalgamated with another which was then bought by a larger tier 2 ISP, which is still going now.
If we'd have done as bad a job as the previous company I've referred to we'd have sunk by now.

[#15]

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

I'm not an ISP 'angel of death' just want to make that clear the company in question didn't survive and became amalgamated with another which was then bought by a larger tier 2 ISP, which is still going now. If we'd have done as bad a job as the previous company I've referred to we'd have sunk by now.

Are we referring to Demon?