This big half page advert!

[#1]

I was in Sainsbury's and somebody had left a paper (they don't offer customers papers to read anymore) and, lo and behold, there was this half page advert by Plus Net - a Half Page Advert in a NATIONAL NEWSPAPER. My immediate response was: 'How much did that cost?'. At the end of last year I was getting 6K per sec and now I only get 3K per sec and here is Plus advertising (spending money) trying to get more people to make the situation worse. Why don't they spend the money on more bandwidth so I, and others, can have their 6K back. I know people who were told 6K when they joined only to find they get 3K as I do. I did get 6K at the end of last year but no more. One thing I liked about Plus was they did not advertise but put money into the hardware to give us a good-as-possible service. Seems like that is going out the window with half page adverts in national newspapers. I don't want the adverts - I want my 6K back and so does the lady who I have just referred who was told 6K but only gets 3K, as I do.
[Moderator's note by Thomas (Be3G): thread moved to a more appropriate board.]

[#2]

Was accosted by a 'talk-talk' representative this morning (at our local supermarket), plus mail shots from Orange and BT today.
I get the impression ISP’s are chasing a dwindling ‘non connected’ customer base, and most being tied to yearly contracts the amount of ‘churn’ is diminishing.
@Pancho:- Agree with you would be better if the money was spent on infrastructure, in the long term it would def. pay.

[#3]

There is a lot of sense in the previous posts but in many cases of poor service I am sure that the culprit must be bt. I have had a very variable service over the last year with down speeds varying from nearly tolerable to absolutely abysmal, sometimes just no connection. All the line tests and filters etc.. have revealed nothing. Now for nearly a month I seem to be getting nearly 3Mbs whenever I check it. Perhaps bt are spending some of their money on kit???? Lol

PS I am only 1 1/2 miles from exchange but with  nearly all overhead cabling of dubious vintage. All very rural, probably cannot expect better!

[#4]

Quote from: Pancho

I was in Sainsbury's and somebody had left a paper (they don't offer customers papers to read anymore) and, lo and behold, there was this half page advert by Plus Net - a Half Page Advert in a NATIONAL NEWSPAPER. My immediate response was: 'How much did that cost?'.

It certainly isn't cheap but I guess they must be happy with the return or they wouldn't do it.  Also if their ad agency has any sense they will get the BT rates which will be much lower than dealing separately.

[#5]

A bit of "chicken and egg" situation...... PN want more money...... can`t get it from existing customers.... so spend (say) £50k on an advert....
Advert brings 1,000 NEW customers at (about £15 per month - ongoing) = £15k per month.... 4 months later they have recouped the £50k and are then "in profit"  (not forgetting that a couple hundred more new customers will have signed up meanwhile.....)

[#6]

And that 1200 will have left in the same period.

[#7]

Yes you're right.  If PN is trying to gain from churning other ISPs will try to do the same.  With a market where a large percentage of the population already have broadband it's an uphill struggle.

[#8]

Looking at it the other way.  This ad gains PN 1200 customers, but as Axis says, in the same period, they lose 1200 customers, because everyone else is advertising as well.  No net gain (but no net loss either).
If on the other hand PN doesn't advertise like this, they will probably still lose the 1200 customers, because the other ISPs will still advertise - net loss of 1200
Solution - all ISPs get together and agree not to advertise in this way - result, a complaint to the monopolies and mergers commission for anti-competitive behaviour.
Sounds like they have no other options.  I suppose the trick is to gain the 1200 new customers, but provide them with such an excellent service that PN doesn't lose 1200 customers (or they go, but finding a poorer service elsewhere, come back to PN) 
John

[#9]

Quote from: hulls

I suppose the trick is to gain the 1200 new customers, but provide them with such an excellent service that PN doesn't lose 1200 customers (or they go, but finding a poorer service elsewhere, come back to PN)

That's the attitude PN used to take. Rely on word-of-mouth to gain customers, and excellent service to retain them, so that no-one would ever really feel they'd want to move elsewhere.

[#10]

I know there has been quite a few threatening to leave, unless the service improved.,...... but I know that PN staff work very hard to retain those customers... (I suspect that since the new "comms staff" have come up to standard, and the "hardware" has been upgraded since November last year that less complaints of bad service are forthcoming ? ? ?)  so I would not expect there to be an equivalent loss of customers compared to new sign ups..... Even if the number were 50% loss to new sign ups, they would still be in profit after 6 months...
Agree, the market is "probably" drained of ""NEW"" new signups, so the point behind the ad (I should think), is to bring to the attention of those "dis-satisfied customers on other ISP`s...Word of mouth would never be sufficient to cope with that ....

[#11]

Suspect a much smaller advert with "UK call centre" would have more effect.

[#12]

There are a number of companies advertising now that state 'UK call centres'.  Obviously a big Plus point

[#13]

Then again, the reason I put off joining Plusnet (although I was aware of them) for as long as I did (I tried no fewer than 3 ISP's before settling with PN) was precisely because I had never seen them advertise, I thought they were some small fry company and it would be awful. The only reason I found out about them at all is because uswitch flagged them up. Now of course, I couldn't imagine going back to another ISP, If PN advertised more then perhaps it would have saved me a headache.
THen again, swings and roundabouts, No/Low advertising, means money can be spent on improving the service that would be saved.
I guess its Lose/Lose really.
Incidentally, as PN are owned by BT, do BT get a say in what goes into the adverts? or is it down to managements discretion? I mean... I can't imagine BT will be too bothered if they lose customers to PN, but im just curious.

[#14]

Thank you for the interest in this. I joined Plus many years ago and still have my original dial up connection with Virgin. I asked Plus a short while ago a straight question. What is it that I can tell a person that Plus offers that will make Plus stand out from the rest? At the time I was talking to a suspicious lady (suspicious of me) about signing up with Plus. Plus did not offer an answer at the time and, may be, never will. In truth - I hope - they can only offer what BT allows them to as most use the BT phone system to provide their service. As you say it is most likely BT that has halved my speed over the last year. When the fibres are laid in the streets things might be better and if 21CN appears on my exchange I may go for it. Certainly the UK call centre, staffed by people who know what they are talking about, is a real benefit to the image of Plus, bearing in mind the people who use computers but know nothing about them. I would not like the Help Desk job and I wish them well doing it. I also have people (referred) on long overhead lines and just over 1K is quite usual. I find people are not bothered about speed so much as whether it works or not. There is no need to advertise Plus Net; if your existing customers are happy they will not leave and will keep referring new people. You would not recommend something that was no good to a friend as you would never hear the last of it. If they are with another ISP they are hesitant about leaving however unhappy they may be. I have spent a lot of energy on some of my referrals and look after them as best I can. However, if a person joins because of an advert then nobody referred them so nobody is getting a small fee each month.

[#15]

You realise that PlusNet can't claim to offer "UK support" because a substantial amount is handled by South Africans living in Durban (which isn't in the UK)?