PN's future

[#1]

If you are so concerned that the poll was unrepresentative, can you point to any of the polls that are done on here, including PN's own polls, that have that level of participation. I ce rtainly doubt that, so why not just ask PN to remove the ability.
But it is often interesting that when a poll delivers a result some people don't like they then find problems with the poll.

[#2]

I didn't ask at the time, but what (if any) editing of the poll was done by plusnet staff?

[#3]

@ Anon. You still don’t get it, do you? To be worth anything a poll needs to have a representative sample of respondents, a statistically significant number of replies and a set of questions that do not introduce bias. Your poll fails on all three counts.
The issue is not whether other polls reached a high response level, it is in what you try to read into the results given the limitations . Polls in forums are generally just a bit of fun but might give a useful, but low confidence, idea of what people are thinking depending upon the topic. In this case it doesn’t.
To suggest that people are attacking the poll because they do not like the result is nonsense. I am criticising the poll because it is a badly constructed poll. However, it is clear from your recent comments in other threads that you have reached that stage where you are convinced that PlusNet cannot do anything right and seem to want to spend your time convincing everyone else of this. The poll is just another shot in that war.

[#4]

Quote from: ejs

I didn't ask at the time, but what (if any) editing of the poll was done by plusnet staff?

Clicked wrong button. Didn't make any changes.
That's it really.
The only changes that could possibly be made would be the questions, which as you can see, haven't been changed.

[#5]

The poll asks for opinions about the future, regardless of statistical representativeness (there, I used a really big word whether it's a real one or not), it looks to me that out of the responders half are optimistic and half are pessimistic, pretty much what I'd expect from a random poll.

[#6]

Quote from: jsm51

@ The issue is not whether other polls reached a high response level, it is in what you try to read into the results given the limitations . Polls in forums are generally just a bit of fun but might give a useful, but low confidence, idea of what people are thinking depending upon the topic. In this case it doesn’t.

And you don't seem to get that there are people who have been with PN for years who are now talking about leaving, but that is not sufficiently statistically based for you is it ?
My poll gave some of those long standers chance to say how they felt and if PN had any sense they would have listened and ignored people like you who obviously cannot see the significance of that because there are not  enough numbers. But when long stayers start talking about leaving there is a very, very good reason...and that is either price hoicks or that the service is seriously deteriorating. And the later is so obvious from the removal of the ticketing system and the growth of complaints on the fora I read.
But you and PN do not need to bother  your heads for just a few complainers who are not statistically significant.

[#7]

You seriously misunderstand what I have said and have confused yourself with statistics.
• I have never said that PlusNet should disregard what customers, whether long-standing or short term, are saying and I don’t believe they do so. That doesn't mean they will be in a position to do everything any customer wants.
• I have never said that PlusNet are perfect and all their decisions are correct.
• You are the one that brought statistics into it when you said that “Nearly 1/3 rd of customers who took the poll felt that PN were no going to get better. That is a staggering rate of unhappiness and ought to make PN think again.” The implication is that this is a representative view. What I, and others, have done is to point out that you do not have the evidence to say that. For all the reasons stated previously, it is not a representative poll.
• If you had interpreted your own poll correctly and said “I think PlusNet are cr*p and maybe 16 people agree with me.” I wouldn’t even have commented and life could have gone on.
My own view is that PlusNet are still a better than average provider and the forum, with a CR team that tries hard to resolve problems and some very good input from knowledgeable customers, is a real benefit. Yes, there are problems but then all suppliers at this price-point will have similar or worse problems. You seem to have little understanding of the constraints (financial, other resources, legal and contractual etc.) that companies have to work under. Therefore you seem to feel that problems are easy to fix and that you have the answers. Sadly it ain’t like that.
I still find your approach to this forum depressing. You seem to take every opportunity to slag off the service without adding any insight or substance to your comments. However, as long as you don’t pretend that you have evidence that is not there, or suggest I said things that I haven’t, you have every right to do so.

[#8]

Quote from: jsm51

Therefore you seem to feel that problems are easy to fix and that you have the answers.

Answers?  Where - did I miss something?  Can you point to evidence for that statement?

[#9]

No. No evidence whatsoever sadly.   

[#10]

@jam51 I don't agree with your analysis and application of stastics. I think where Anon is coming from is the trend in satisfaction and PN's recent move away from good communication with its customer base, particularly the active members of this forum. The most obvious example being the downgrading of the ticket system.
The level of customer satisfaction has been good but the trend is downwards and that is my concern.
I myself am looking for our members with a high post count to lead on this because they have relevant experience and some credibility with staff and customers alike 

[#11]

Quote from: Anon

............ from the removal of the ticketing system and the growth of complaints on the fora I read.

The Ticketing system has NOT been removed. See the links in my and other posters sigs. Yes, we are annoyed that the obvious links have been removed from the Help & Support, but that doesn't justify some of your other conclusions.
The level of complaints on the Feedback board is also dropping.  A lot in the past have been due to provisioning issues thanks to Openretch.

[#12]

I think people are getting a bit too tied up with the statistics. I was just making the (maybe academic) point that you can't use a poll like the one referenced here to claim there is a "staggering rate of unhappiness". Do you really disagree with that?
I completely accept that there is a good degree of real concern about things like access to the ticket system, and customer communications. These things need to be addressed and PlusNet need to get things right when they make changes. I don't actually know whether there is any solid evidence of a downwards trend in customer satisfaction but, again, I accept that this is the perception.
I still think, however, that there is big difference between using this forum to hold PlusNet to account in a precise and constructive way to try to get improvements, and the empty slagging off of the service that occurs too often.

[#13]

You cannot make strategic decisions when you're a multi-million pound company based on what a small number of people on a forum think. Obviously feedback will be taken and given to those people charged with making decisions, but the fact is that you need to decide what you think is best for the company overall.
The hard truth is that it's no loss to Plusnet if 30, 50 or 100 of the oldest customers suddenly decided to leave. They will have a new marketing campaign and gain this number back in a day.

[#14]

Whilst I tend to agree with AndyH's first statement, I cannot with his second. Firstly because the number gained in a day seems somewhat irrelevant. Secondly because the easiness he suggests is not in line with what the marketing industry believes.

[#15]

well andy is basically stating plusnet no longer need to worry about customer satisfaction as they can replace unhappy users easily, he may well be right but we have very different standards if he thinks its perfectly fine to run a company like that,
the signs are sadly there tho where they appear to happy to run in such a manner.
1 - question change in investment in plusnet (now lower)
2 - reduction of forum team
3 - 365 days a year agressive marketing for new customers regardless if they can cope
4 - regression in customer support response times (and quality?)
5 - inflation beating price rises