NTL offering free sky sports

[SlackDad]

I've just received my local freebie paper with a lovely wraparound from NTL offering free sky sports (all channels) to new customers signing up to family pack plus a telephone talk plan. I see this offer is also on their website.
Now this really ****'s me off. I've been with NTL for about 7+ years and spend nearly £100 per month on BB, TV & telephone and not once have I been offered any kind of loyalty discount for anything.
How about a nice letter saying "we see that you have been with us for quite some time now (even though at times we are a bunch of ****'s), and have consistently paid your bill loyally every month (even though the service occasionally lets you down). For your continued support we would like to offer you sky sports 1/2 price for a year. Regards NTL."
Now I'm all for NTL attracting new customers with special offers, but why do they have to make existing, loyal customers feel so shafted. The mobile phone companies seem to realise that this practice does not always make good business sense by offering good deals to existing customers.
Oh well I guess I'll have to keep paying my over priced Sky Sports subscription to subsidise all those new customers.

[Derek]

You could always try phoning them and threatening to go to Sky unless they match this offer.

They might insist you stay for another 12 months minimum but its worth a try. Just drop word like 'Red Button', 'Champions League', 'Match Choice' into the conversation

[browneggsandham]

Or you could just try calling up and asking for it like I did. No mention of Sky, or cancelling the service, and the nice lady put us on the offer, even though we've been customers for 5 years.

Browneggsandham

[chaney]

Why should we, the customer, have to telephone for these incentives. There again we do get cheaper movies on front row occasionally.

[jtwn]

Full Sky Sports...come on, thats not a deal, its a blatant incentive to make people join, I don't know how much ntl pay to carry it, but it would be kerrazy for a company to give it for free to all customers.

Anyway, going to try my luck

[SlackDad]

Well, I gave NTL a call to explain my problem without mentioning anything about leaving to go to Sky, (which to be honest I've no intention of doing), and the very pleasant customer services bod offered me a favourable deal on family, movies and sports for six months. A bit of a result

[Chrysalis]

I want to know who's behind this strategy of bending backwards to get new customers, and NTL are supposedbly monitoring this site and taking feedback of the cable forum team, then why when the customers here are clearly unhappy with this policy are they persisting with it?

*wonders to ring retentions to get sky sports free, along with 9.99 bb**

[Roy MM]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

I want to know who's behind this strategy of bending backwards to get new customers, and NTL are supposedbly monitoring this site and taking feedback of the cable forum team, then why when the customers here are clearly unhappy with this policy are they persisting with it?

*wonders to ring retentions to get sky sports free, along with 9.99 bb**

Certainly makes you wonder if your loyalty stands for nothing, i've had NTL since 1999 and all i can remember getting was family pack free for a month.

[Chrysalis]

Would you rule out seeing something like this before the end of the year?

"Join NTL now for great value tv/internet, FREE installation, FREE sky sports 1,2,3, FREE sky movies, 1mbit broadband, FREE call plan, price fix for year under £30 a month."

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Roy MM

Certainly makes you wonder if your loyalty stands for nothing, i've had NTL since 1999 and all i can remember getting was family pack free for a month.

It's called managed churn, some will leave regardless of what you offer them. Some customers are product tarts and will move to the best deal over the next 12 months despite the fact it requires time off work to wait for the sky van etc.

New customers are generally always offered inducements to join, originally free installation but that has needed to be enhanced over time.

[Chrysalis]

Yeah but dont you realise that the type of customers you get with these offerings will only leave when the price rises to normal? They are probably leaving someone like sky which is better quality anyway, and then will leave again when they dont wanna pay full price for a poor service, at least with the 3 month deals NTL got 9 months full payment of them. NTL will also get a rise in people ringing retentions as a result and have even more customers on the discounted price or just simply leaving in disgust at feeling ripped off, these are the customers that give NTL profit and have been paying full price for months/years.

Is 1million low profit margin/loss making customers better or 100k high profit margin customers?

[huxleypiguk]

Write and tell them. If enough people protest then maybe we will start to see some type of loyalty bonus !

[neill.farley]

Originally Posted by browneggsandham

Or you could just try calling up and asking for it like I did. No mention of Sky, or cancelling the service, and the nice lady put us on the offer, even though we've been customers for 5 years.

Browneggsandham

Snap. And very pleased to!

[ntlrocks]

Yeah all depends on which Customer service person you get, it would seem.