Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

Loyalty discounts are given in many areas - Vodafone give 6 months line rental after your years contract is up and Sainsburys have Nectar, so it's not such a bad idea. NTL presumably know when the STB cost is covered and after that could offer a discount to retain good customers.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

All that is happening here is that this sheme is built into the original cost of the rental.

People REALLY need to get out of the mindset that big companies are going to give you something for nothing because they feel good about it. You're all a marketing man's dream.

If a company decided that all its customers would get a free month of broadband after being with the company a year, then the cost of that would be built into the monthly charges.

Besides which, ntl are one of the best of the large operators for giving loyalty discounts to existing customers.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

Well I would buy it again, walk back to the counter and ask for a refund presenting my original purchase reciept, thus ending up with the reduced price.

In the US, you can get a one time price reduction discount applied to your receipt within 30-60 days of purchase at most stores, for exactly this scenareo.

What sucks about all of this is that NTL are pushing the prices up for existing customers and discounting heavily for new customers. At the mo it really feels like we are paying for these introductory discounts.

Egg (the credit card), offer a load of benefits on the card aniversary as a loyalty bonus, perhaps if NTL offered all customers the 24th month free as a thank you.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

Why should they ..... I don't see BT or Telewest or The Electric/Gas/Water Companies doing anything like this.

You signed the contract based on the rate offered at the time .... as you did with Gas/Water/Electric etc ..... so what's the difference

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

They do? That must be new then, I've never had any benefits from egg, and had one of their cards not long after they started.

I've never had any benefits or freebies from any company for being a loyal customer.

nefu brought up store cards. Store cards like Nectar (or the old original Sainsburys card before then, etc) are not what they seem. Ever notice that stores without these loyalty cards have cheaper prices? Somewhere along the line you are paying for your "freebie benefit".

As Mark B, most of us probably had some sort of deal when we signed up, mine was free installation, and 1st month free.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

I don't see BT or Telewest or The Electric/Gas/Water giving me 2 months free BB, Electric, Gas, Water either, new customers are treated the same as existing ones.

They also (except water) are in a competitive position where the network is used for distribution and can be used by all. I cannot by cable services off another provider, if I want alternate BB, I need to switch to a different network infrastructure (copper twisted pair), but on that network infrastructure, I can pick and chose my provider.

Also is it right to compare NTL to Electric, Gas and Water which are necessary life utiliites, whereas NTL (except telco) is considered a discretionary purchase.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

ntl built their own network. It is privately owned and maintained.

BT's network, as with the gas and electric networks, was provided free for them when they became private companies. Thus, to ensure competetion, they are FORCED to allow other companies to use it.

BT would have you believe they do all this out of their own concern for a free market, rubbish, they are forced to do so by the regulator.

Incidentally, you CAN choose to have broadband via AOL on ntl's network, so the original statement isn't even true!

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

So please explain how the network was provided free when all those £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£ flowed from Sid and private funds to the government to buy shares in BT, BG and all the Electricity companies when they went public. The government sold the network it built into private hands, those private owners now maintain the BT network. The same argument would state that the Government owns the BA fleet because it used to be a State airline.

Competition in the Gas and Electricity market came after privatisation, at the time they were sold as local monopolies, no other provider could use the network. I'm not sure of the timing on the BT network, but the 4 digit predial numbers have been around a long time, as was Mercury long distance prior to that (press the blue button), so (I think) the network was open under government control, privatisation did not change that.

The same regulator OFCOM that NTL and TW fall under.

True but this is hardly a breadth of choice.
http://twcny.com/internet/ offers three reputable companies. If NTL (and TW) offered say Buldog, Pipex and Demon (perhaps even Tesco and Virgin whos VISPs they run) over their cable, then I would say the statment isn't true.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

Can't see what the fuss is over it always happens when new customers dry up some bright spark thinks up a new way to attract customers.

The offer closes on the 31st July but who ever signs up will be stuck for 12 months. 365 days so they get 60 free they still have 305 days of paying for the service. If they have a good service they will stay if they have a lot of bad experiences they will leave.

The old saying you win some you lose some comes to mind.
Nothing will ever change all the deals are kept for those joining or to try and keep those leaving.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

"They DON'T 'prefer to milk their customers'. The company exists to make a profit, and that's what they are attempting to do. Making a profit guarantees the company's survival and provides cash to invest in the business, as well as guaranteeing jobs."

That made me laugh, havent we had job redundancies and witnessed large fatcat bonuses recently I think thats the true reality. I guess some people have short memories.

Here is what I noticed difference between ntl and adsl companies.

NTL = Free service period for new customers, heavy discounts to those who threaten to cancel. Loyal customers on top tier service price rise.

ADSL = Same price for all with odd special offer offering free activation, if the company can afford it they drop price for new and current customers.

Perhaps ntl should adopt the second strategy, and stop throwing money away on people who cancel just to get discounts and new customers rather then customers who have been with them for a long time. if a customer has been with you for years are they more likely to be with ntl for 2 more years or new customers?

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

Yes, I phoned NTL today and they confirmed that the offer does finish on the 31st July

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

So could I cancel my current Broadband service then sign back up to get 2 months rental free? I don't mind if I'm tied into another 12-month contract and I could delete the e-mail addresses b4 cancelling, so I could use them again when I reconnect.

Is this possible?

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

BT recently offered FREE flights to Europe and the US to customers who signed up for one of its broadband packages. Destinations on offer included New York, Boston, Atlanta, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Nice, Paris and Prague. This offer was only open to new BT broadband customers. Upgrading or downgrading from other BT products did not make existing customers eligible.

Most major ADSL ISPs offer discounted deals to attract and, if necessary, keep customers, although most will not publicly admit to the latter. BT Yahoo certainly do, as do Tiscali, Wanadoo & AOL. As well as offering heavily discounted deals to reduce churn, Wanadoo has also admitted that their £17.99 service is actually a loss leader.

New customers taking up a free or discounted deal take more services and pay more per month than the average customer. Oh, and they're apparently more loyal too.

NTL BOGOF early findings;

Adds:
45% of net adds took BOGOF

Churn:
4% lower than average customer
BOGOF anniversary in not driving incremental churn post month 12

Customer Value:
Higher than average triple play
30 per cent of BOGOF customers take triple play at point of sale.
Overall ARPU higher than average customer
70 per cent of customers remained dual or triple at end of 12 months, in line with ntl average

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

HERE HERE CHRYSALIS :tu:

Tell me mark, why should I subsidise somebody to have 60 days free?
Don't tell me it is because somebody subsidised my free box etc, these boxes are low grade highly discounted at the volume that NTL purchase them, maybe work out at less than a fiver each !
After the time the box is paid for, discounts should be given imo to loyal customers, NTL should strive to be different to other providers, it would not mean a very large drop in their income.
But, NTL choose to heavily discount new customers and sap loyal customers, sorry mark but this is the indefensible truth imo.
DEBSY my argument is not about paying for a service I signed up for, even though it is substandard and worthy of looking into by trading standards, but the attitude that NTL have that they feel they can treat loyal customers like ****, and do'nt point at other companies, I am not interested in other companies, my contract is with NTL.

Re: NTL Broadband 60 day free offer
 

I still don't think this fuss is really needed but I can point out one thing another ISP has done, The customers that signed up for ADSL at one price for 12 months at the end of the 12 months these customers wasn't increased in the price like the new customers. This then made the loyal customer on about £5 a month less than the new ones. This can sound great but it could have a reverse side like will these customers have theirs reduced if the price for new customers drop.

It is hard to say how to reward loyal customers. I have been a customer for many years first phone and tv then canceled tv. When I was allowed to have BB I had to take TV package again. I am now back to just phone and BB but still the same contract for BB from july 2000. I am a loyal customer who will have a rant if things are going wrong a lot. I also enjoy trialing the new products/programs NTL have allowed. There is other ways to be rewarded and sometimes it comes in giving NTL a little of your time to test things.