Fairer broadband prices for existing customers

Marvel1

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

Compare new supplier, complete details- done.  How is it hard?

Much less than time looking and completing details for a new insurance provider.

And what about those who don't have the luxury of another provider at comparable speeds? Too bad for them I guess.

What speed are you thinking of?

Marvel1

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

Compare new supplier, complete details- done.  How is it hard?

Much less than time looking and completing details for a new insurance provider.

It might be hard for those less tech savvy. But let's fleece them so the rest can enjoy the excitement of getting a non transparent deal that depends on the quota of the particular representative on the day you decide to threaten them with taking your business elsewhere. Lovely. Great society model. 

Yet they have broadband to access the internet, can't be that less tech savvy otherwise they wouldn t have it in the first place.

spud17

Turn the argument around.
At a job interview, do you not try and get the best pay and benefits package that you can?

agentcain

RogerBareford said:

agentcain said:

RogerBareford said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

The op is right. These marketing tricks and incentives should stop. Existing customers should be charged the same as new ones. These are fundamental expenses that we shouldn't have to negotiate around. 

I'm with BT and they charge me far less than what they do a new customer and all it took was one phone call. It's not difficult at all do i don't see why everyone should be charged more just because people are too lazy to shop around for a good deal or call up.

Not all deals are available everywhere. And some people suffer from social anxiety, including making phone calls. Providers like VM make sure to only consider phone calls, as emails are too hard for them. Not to mention those who don't speak English fluently or simply are not in the habit of haggling for necessary services, especially when that requires waiting in queue to reach VMs retention centrw. Let's just strike them out as lazy. 

I saw how much the energy sector's gift incentives didn't affect prices. Those 50£ to join us referral links are a great idea.

I take it you're also against the recent law on insurances? 

I don't see why a company shouldn't be allowed to offer variable pricing to attract customers.

Using your logic then sales in shops and vouchers shouldn't be allowed and all products must be sold at the same price by all stores?

My Sainbury's nectar app and others offer me personalised discounts on certain products but not to other people, should this all be banned?

Because connectivity is a commodity nowadays. Otherwise, with your logic, lets extend that to everything, health, taxes, electricity, water, security etc. 
Why is car and home insurance more important to be regulated than connectivity? Do people need cars more?

agentcain

RogerBareford said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

A recent (yesterday) example. My car breakdown insurance is due for renwal in two weeks, I rang my insurers to ask what the cost of renewal was. Told £100.80. Said "Thats a lot, any discounts available"?. Tap, tap..."£67.20". 

That policy would have auto-renewed at the higher price had I not asked. Until this ridiculous "haggling" (there wasn't any in this case) is abolished either by legislation or custom I and others, who are willing and able, have to go this ridiculous process at each renewal.

Just offer me the final, best, lowest price at the onset. This is supposed to be a mature regulated marketplace not a medieval souk. 

But that's the thing. If a company has to offer the same price to all customers it won't be the best and lowest price they offer it will be a higher price with a nice big profit margin for all customers instead.

If they know no companies are allowed to offer lower prices to attract new customers then all prices will go up.

Incorrect. Companies can offer lower prices by lowering their expenses, keeping the same profit margin. 

agentcain

spud17 said:

Turn the argument around.
At a job interview, do you not try and get the best pay and benefits package that you can?

Really poor argument. You have salary bands and a much bigger selection of jobs to do. Plus, salary and benefits are always renegotiable on any month of the year, without the repercussions of a IP contract, where for some reason you have to pay for the rest of the contract without any benefits. 

agentcain

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

Compare new supplier, complete details- done.  How is it hard?

Much less than time looking and completing details for a new insurance provider.

It might be hard for those less tech savvy. But let's fleece them so the rest can enjoy the excitement of getting a non transparent deal that depends on the quota of the particular representative on the day you decide to threaten them with taking your business elsewhere. Lovely. Great society model. 

Yet they have broadband to access the internet, can't be that less tech savvy otherwise they wouldn t have it in the first place.

Irrelevant. Many can have the engineer set everything up and be interested only in sending emails and watching youtube videos. 

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

Compare new supplier, complete details- done.  How is it hard?

Much less than time looking and completing details for a new insurance provider.

And what about those who don't have the luxury of another provider at comparable speeds? Too bad for them I guess.

What speed are you thinking of?

Also irrelevant. I'm not thinking of any speed. Our only aim is to move upwards in quality, which includes speed. If someone has a 50Mbps connection with a fibre provider, he might not be able to get the same 50Mbps because there is no other fibre provider in their area and therefore are forced to play a failing haggling game with their only available provider. 

DingDongitsKingKong

Neil_Jones said:

alan235 said:

Now that the law has been changed and insurance companies cannot charge deeply discounted prices to new customers, how about getting the same fairer treatment for Broadband customers?

 The major broadband companies like Virgin Media, Talk Talk and BT are all offering cheap deals to new customers that they state in their advertising are not available to existing clients.

 For example VM Big Bundle of broadband, TV and phone is currently £29.99/mth for 18 months and with a £75 bill credit.

I am an existing customer with VM with Big Bundle and paying £58/mth soon to be £62/mth from March 2022.

Surely the same rules should apply to broadband companies as now does to insurance companies?

Except they are available to existing clients.  Just not by default, and often without the extra incentive, ie the £75 credit.

You have to get it yourself.  Or pay out of contract rates.  Your decision.  If you want the best deals and you're out of contract get on the blower.

The last time I paid full price for broadband was... so long ago I can't actually remember.  All packages I've been on in the last 10 years were either retentions or introductory.  I don't need the law to get a decent deal, and with all due respect, neither do you.

Here's Virgin Media's customer service number: 0345 454 1111

Before calling I suggest you get a calendar ready at hand so you can have some idea of how much time has passed by the time someone answers your call. When someone does answer your call (assuming your still alive) they probably only speak gibberish.

JJ_Egan said:

As above otherwise we all end up paying a high price not a lower price . No need to cut a deal lets just pay more and more .

I think OP meant to change the law in such a way that EVERYONE gets the lower "new customer" price.

Marvel1

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

Marvel1 said:

agentcain said:

So you're all up for making our life more miserable and less easy eh?

Compare new supplier, complete details- done.  How is it hard?

Much less than time looking and completing details for a new insurance provider.

It might be hard for those less tech savvy. But let's fleece them so the rest can enjoy the excitement of getting a non transparent deal that depends on the quota of the particular representative on the day you decide to threaten them with taking your business elsewhere. Lovely. Great society model. 

Yet they have broadband to access the internet, can't be that less tech savvy otherwise they wouldn t have it in the first place.

Irrelevant. Many can have the engineer set everything up and be interested only in sending emails and watching youtube videos. 

Irrelevant.  Engineers are not needed to look up new deals from different suppliers on sites.

littleboo

DingDongitsKingKong said:

Neil_Jones said:

alan235 said:

Now that the law has been changed and insurance companies cannot charge deeply discounted prices to new customers, how about getting the same fairer treatment for Broadband customers?

 The major broadband companies like Virgin Media, Talk Talk and BT are all offering cheap deals to new customers that they state in their advertising are not available to existing clients.

 For example VM Big Bundle of broadband, TV and phone is currently £29.99/mth for 18 months and with a £75 bill credit.

I am an existing customer with VM with Big Bundle and paying £58/mth soon to be £62/mth from March 2022.

Surely the same rules should apply to broadband companies as now does to insurance companies?

Except they are available to existing clients.  Just not by default, and often without the extra incentive, ie the £75 credit.

You have to get it yourself.  Or pay out of contract rates.  Your decision.  If you want the best deals and you're out of contract get on the blower.

The last time I paid full price for broadband was... so long ago I can't actually remember.  All packages I've been on in the last 10 years were either retentions or introductory.  I don't need the law to get a decent deal, and with all due respect, neither do you.

Here's Virgin Media's customer service number: 0345 454 1111

Before calling I suggest you get a calendar ready at hand so you can have some idea of how much time has passed by the time someone answers your call. When someone does answer your call (assuming your still alive) they probably only speak gibberish.

JJ_Egan said:

As above otherwise we all end up paying a high price not a lower price . No need to cut a deal lets just pay more and more .

I think OP meant to change the law in such a way that EVERYONE gets the lower "new customer" price.

I think the point is that the lower new customer price wont exist if everyone cant get it, since there wont be anyone subsidising the new customer price. In which case some will pay more, so that some will pay less, but all will pay the same. Like a communist utopia.