Are o2 retentions rubbish these days?

Horizon81

18 months ago when I renewed my contract I spoke to o2 retentions and got £150 cashback for not getting a new phone, plus on Online 30 contract they gave me a £15 discount per month, reducing my bill to £15 a month for the 18 months. That, coupled with the £150 cashback meant that i only paid them £120 over the 18 months.

Have just phoned up now and they're basically offering me nothing at all this time, just the same deals as a new customer would get. They can only offer £150 cashback if I take out a 2 year contract but even then doing the calculations they themselves said it wasn't worth it. All they can advise is a SIM only deal which any new customer could get. I realise times are hard but they could offer me a little something for 6 years loyalty couldn't they?

Funnily enough, he said I was only offered that good deal last time cos I'd been a good customer in the past. However, in the last 18 months they've 'lost money' on me as I only paid an average of £6.66 a month for the last 18 months. But thats not myc fault - that's the deal they offered me at the time. I find it all quite laughable, I was offered a great deal back then, but cos of that I'm now not worthy of a good deal.

redcard

It's not your fault, it's not their fault either. They offered you a good deal to stay.

6 years loyalty? Loyalty works both ways; why don't you be loyal and pay the going rate this time, and maybe get a better deal the next time?

Horizon81

Whoa dude I'm not asking for much. A free bolt on would keep me happy but they aren't even offering that. Plus if I pay the going rate this time there's no guarantee they'll offer me a good rate next time, especially on a SIM only deal.

redcard

As thee rep said, they're not making any money off you, so there's no incentive for them to want you as a customer, other than as a statistic.

nws252002

Times are gone of loyalty I'm afraid.

Horizon81

redcard, I think you're missing the point. This is a money savings website in case you hadn't noticed. If everyone was happy to pay full price for everything then there would be no need for this site to exist.

Of course they're making money off me, and have been for many years. They haven't 'lost money' on me in the past 18 months, that's just salesman speak to make me feel guilty. And of course they want as many customers as they can get. If I can get a better deal for the same money elsewhere then I'll leave. Granted, tehy probably wouldn't care but if enough people jump ship to Vodafone or Orange then I'm sure o2 will take action. You sound pretty clueless. Are you one of these call centre drones yourself?

Guys_Dad

Horizon81 wrote: »

If I can get a better deal for the same money elsewhere then I'll leave. ?

That's not exactly a shining example of customer loyalty, is it?

The point is, as you know, all companies treat big spenders better than low spenders and a big spender of 6 months' standing is worth more than a poor spender of 10 years'. Good commercial sense.

So, how do you get that better deal? Obviously asking for your PAC code in the last 30 days or after may trigger some response. Ring back and try another CS rep may also help. Attitude to CS reps also can help.

But all companies are feeling the squeeze and deals of 18 months ago may just not be around at the present.

But don't cut your nose off to spite your face. Don't go to Orange, T-Mobile or 3 unless you are 100% sure the signal is as good.

Hope you get a better offer, though. :beer:

Horizon81

6 years of loyalty speaks for itself. Guys Dad, I hear what you're saying about loyalty but you must agree it would be stupid for me to stick with one provider if another provider offers a better deal for the same money. I've spent at least £30 a month with them for 4.5 years, then got a good deal for the past year and a half so I would say the balance is still in my favour. Tried speaking to 2 different CS staff. The first was chatty and good to talk to but still offered nothing. The second was quite rude to be honest, and I had the same manner in both conversations, polite. I'll not be going to T-Mobile or 3 but Vodafone and Orange are decent alternatives.
Haven't asked for my PAC code as I suspect they'll just give me it. I'm well aware I won't get the same deal as last time but they could throw in a free landlines bolt-on just to be sociable! Will keep trying and see if I get anywhere.

simax

Horizon81 wrote: »

They haven't 'lost money' on me in the past 18 months, that's just salesman speak to make me feel guilty. And of course they want as many customers as they can get. If I can get a better deal for the same money elsewhere then I'll leave. Granted, tehy probably wouldn't care but if enough people jump ship to Vodafone or Orange then I'm sure o2 will take action. You sound pretty clueless. Are you one of these call centre drones yourself?

Oh my God you are so clueless.

An offer that's the equivalent of £6.66 a month for 18 months that includes x-net mins and texts etc, coupled with the costs of maintaining a mobile infrastructure, call centre staff, other wages etc will not make a profit, unless you go WAY over your allowances.

You wouldn't even get a deal like that from a landline provider.

If you leave, who'd going to offer you anything close to that deal? No-one. Your spend has gone down over the last 18 months, so your investment class has dropped, so there is nothing in the pot for this time around.

I don't work for O2, but a competitor, and I've been in the business for over 15 years so I do know what I'm talking about.

nickmack

Horizon81 wrote: »

Of course they're making money off me, and have been for many years. They haven't 'lost money' on me in the past 18 months, that's just salesman speak to make me feel guilty. And of course they want as many customers as they can get. If I can get a better deal for the same money elsewhere then I'll leave. Granted, tehy probably wouldn't care but if enough people jump ship to Vodafone or Orange then I'm sure o2 will take action.

The network will have a figure in mind they want to achieve on average per customer. If you've been paying £6.66 for the last 18 months and making calls to other networks, it's not inconceivable you've not made them much, if any profit.

As mentioned above, the days of loyalty are gone. The cold hard fact is they don't want customers that don't make them profit, or at least have a good opportunity to cross sell to.

It would be a good idea to call a few more times and ask for your PAC to show you're serious about leaving. This is when the best deals are usually offered.

If you do decide to leave, as you already discovered, many of the best deals are to entice new customers. You may need to be a little flexible in your requirements for the very best deals though.

Horizon81

Thanks nickmack for a constructive post. I'm surprised at how many money saving haters are on here! As I keep saying, I don't expect the same deal as last time. I'd be happy paying £15 a month for their standard SIM only deal, 12 month contract but it would be good to get a little eomething extra to what they offer a new customer. Orange are looking the best alternative at the moment, and if you go over your allowance their rates are slightly better.