Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

This goes totally against your capitalist beliefs though.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

Any call centre environment will have its staff performing to targets with the aim of minimising discounting, again that’s just how the system works across Virgin, Sky, Vodafone, EE, o2 and anyone else who does it.

When I got rid of SkyQ in favour of Virgin I kept getting call backs that were progressively worse.

I’m not sure we are in a minority - the Martin Lewis website and HotUkDeals websites are both popular and have a ton of information. If someone can afford the product without needing to research or discount then great, but it’s a fundamental contradiction to capitalism to remove differentiated pricing. If we want regulated pricing because the market is so important then it should be in state ownership or have controls on profits.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

But you shouldn't get a cheaper price because you phoned at 8:16am and spoke to John when I might phone at 15:30 and speak to Julie

We are in the minority. Speak to the average person on the street and they wont have a clue. I've told countless people about hotukdeals.
It's my personal belief that we shouldn't be paying differently for the same service.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

I’m inclined to agree that at first it appears unfair, but why should you lose out if I, or anyone else, aren’t as assertive or persistent? If it’s not worth the price offered take your custom elsewhere.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

The whole point is no one should lose out. It should be a standard price for everyone. Why should you have to be persistent to get the same price offered to someone else just because you spoke to someone else.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

That’s the free market though. If you don’t provide me what I want, at a price I’m willing to pay, I’ll take my money elsewhere.

It makes sense to discount to maximise revenue across the potential customer base. If there were fewer customers then the fixed costs would be absorbed across a lower customer base and everyone loses out.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

Totally agree.

New customers should actually pay more to cover the costs of advertising!

Existing customers should get the best deal, then there would be little point in advertising saving companies a fortune.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

If that actually held true don’t you think these profit chasing companies would do that?

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

Capitalism is best where there is light regulation to ensure fairness.

I don't think encouraging bullying behaviour by those who think they can just break through all the rules to get what they want while the more polite of us get a worse deal because they weren't prepared to be pushy and rude.

I used to think that you were all for fairness and equality, Richard.

---------- Post added at 20:04 ---------- Previous post was at 19:58 ----------

Assertive/persistent or discourteous/rude and pushy?

These are not traits I want to see encouraged in British society. I agree with Mythica. It is not right that some should be paying less for getting the same service.

---------- Post added at 20:08 ---------- Previous post was at 20:04 ----------

Your first paragraph I agree with. But to get more customers and retain custom, the same rules should apply to everybody.

It is your right to go steaming off to another company, but you wouldn't do that if they applied the same rules of fairness to everyone, unless they were actually a better proposition for everyone with the same needs who could also get that service for the same price as you.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

The range of choices available varies from postcode to postcode though, so if Virgin have data that indicates I’m less likely to leave (for example due to inferior broadband alternatives) why should they pull out all the stops as with someone that has a genuine ultra fast alternative?

The same rules cannot apply to everyone, or very quickly it becomes a check box. Would you like a discount of 20%? Call this number.

There’s no such thing as rude and pushy if someone insists they are going to take their custom elsewhere that’s a fundamental right under capitalism. Driving a hard bargain is business for companies, why not consumers?

Capitalism is awful where there’s little/no regulation, however I’m perplexed at why you’d want to regulate straightforward consumer transactions such as these. Might as well go the whole hog.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

The offer is the offer. Do you get to haggle on your council tax payments? Of course not. It isn't necessary. The cost is the cost. If it reduces, it reduces for everybody.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

My council is the sole supplier of its services - there isn’t a private sector alternative. That’s literally a state provided service.

Should we tell supermarkets to regulate their prices and end special offers? After all why should I pay a price today if I didn’t know an item would be on offer tomorrow? Or it was on offer last week?

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

I always ring at contract end when price goes to full.

I would never pay full and will happily switch supplier if retentions can't do anything for me.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

Boils down to companies being greedy, using lazy and vulnerable customers who do not haggle, to offer enticements to new customers.

Unfortunately, it is the vulnerable who are financially exploited in the process.

Re: Retention Dept gone?
 

Your analogy does not justify your argument. If there are special offers on at the supermarket, the nature of those offers is displayed and apply to everyone at that time. That does not involve haggling and is fairly applied.