Loyalty?!?!

[#1]

having been a plusnet customer for many many years, since the old BB+ days, I was rather surprised by the mailshot i received this week.  I was not a Random mailshot, it was directly addressed to me, with a computerised printed address etc, and some other details.  It offered me FREE broadband for a year, if I take up their home Phone and Line rental.  Do plusnet actually know what their customers pay them for??  I have had HomePhone for at least a couple of years now, so this mailshot was at best a waste of money.
This fetches me to the issue of why do providers never seem to offer loyalty discounts to loyal paying customers.  They seem intent on trying to get as many customers as is humanly possible in as short a time as possible, which can only have the eventual issue of saturating the network.  I am not talking about wanting a years free broadband, but I am sure they could come up with some offers for long standing customers.  I dont want to leave, nor is this thread a threat to leave if i dont get something, that is not the point.  loyalty is loyalty, and as far as I can see plusnet have a strong userbase of exceptionally loyal and good customers.  Why not try and give thesecustomers a little something, rather than continually trying to entice new custom..  I am fully aware of the reasons behind this though.
Things such as removing the cost of caller ID, for Home Phone customers of over a years subscription etc. or letting them choose 1 free option etc
Are you plusnet up to the challenge..... Step up to the plate.....

[#2]

Quote from: penfold

I am fully aware of the reasons behind this though.

No offence, but why ask the question if you know the answer?
PN as with most companies wants to make more money. There are 4 ways I see they can do this:
1) Reduce the internal costs of providing the service.
2) Increase the prices they charge.
3) Upsell you extra products.
4) Get more customers.
I don't see why you'd want to shoot PN down for just exercising their right to do one of those 4, after all they are pretty sensible business practices.
Your suggestions of loyalty rewards, while commendable from a customer point of view, do none of the above, so are likely only to ever be offered if PN are losing customers.  So while we're treated well, and reasonably content, I'd expect PN to not offer extra freebies, when they do start.... it's time for you to worry.
As a customer, of course I'd like everything for nothing, or as close to both as possible, but by the same token as a business owner, I realise the motives of a company, and the bottom line, is just that, money.

[#3]

It's called churn.
I suggest you call Plusnet and threaten to take your custom elsewhere, unless you are offered a decent disloyalty bonus.
You could start by asking for a MAC code.

[#4]

I agree with penfold, companies seem to be more interested in rewarding new customers than rewarding the loyalty of long serving customers. As for the phone extras they are a complete and utter rip off. They cost BT .next to nothing to run as they are all part of the telephone sytem anyway and just need switching on.

[#5]

Offering some kind of loyalty incentive AND advertising the fact to potential customers is, in fact, a very good way to get more customers (and, of course, retaining them which is more efficient than loosing customers and working to replace the loss) so it is very sound business sense.
I actively avoid providers of many services that offer special deals to new customers only as it often indicates a poor attitude to existing customers (NTL/Virgin were a particularly poor example of this as I found out that I was paying significantly more for the same services than the ongoing rate for newer customers - even after their 'honeymoon' discount period had ended and they would not change my tarif to match, that is why I will never use virgin media again and have been a heppy customer of PlusNet for several years.
My mortgage provider is also one of the very few who actually give a discounted rate after five years and do not offer introductory discounts - listed by Charcol at the time as 'lowest long term cost' as a result.  This is the kind of company that will get my business every time.
So it is possible to give a loyalty bonus and still gain business as a result, just clearly advertise the fact that you look after your loyal customers and you rise above much of the competition.

[#6]

plus.net have offered loyalty perks for some of its customers.  twice now i have accepted their offer of £3 per month off for twelve months if i sign up for the next year.  not to be sniffed at and gratefully received, ta muchly.

[#7]

I've been with PlusNet for nearly eight years and never had so much as a sniff of any sort of loyalty perk.

[#8]

only eight years I can beat that and not even been offered the one year contract

[#9]

I've been with them for twelve years and the only loyalty bonus I have had is an ever reducing speed and an unstable connection.  
adie:quote

[#10]

What would be nice (Mr Walker) would be an automatic thingy, every 12 months you get 1 month of broadband for free, you don't have to sign up for 12 months to get it but if your account has been active for 12 consecutive months a discount is automatically applied to your account giving 1 month free broadband, be a nice way of saying "thanks for staying with us a year, stay another year and you get another free month!"

[#11]

Can we have it back dated too

[#12]

Quote from: David

What would be nice ........if your account has been active for 12 consecutive months a discount is automatically applied to your account giving 1 month free broadband, be a nice way of saying "thanks for staying with us a year, stay another year and you get another free month!"

That's almost exactly what my gas/electricity supplier does (though they do it as a refund of 1 month's payment after each 12 months) and, yes, it was an incentive to sign up with them (and keep using them for a good few years now).
Any PN marketing people want to take notes please?

[#13]

Strange how PlusNet go deaf and blind when loyalty rewards are mentioned. Perhaps the answer is to leave and rejoin and get new customer offers.

[#14]

I'm half deaf and half blind - not something that happened recently!
But I/We have seen this thread.  It's something that we're aware has been raised in here and we'll look at it in conjuncture with our Marketing team.

[#15]

I've been with PN since Nov 2002, have never been offered any reward. Still I can't complain about the price, I used to pay £32.99 for 1MB ADSL in 2003. My only beef now is the £1.50 monthy charge for paying by CC which I consider excessive and unfair.