Superhub 200Mbit coming soon? (According to a survey) - Page 33

roughbeast · 31-05-2015, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Fingers crossed calling in will get people precisely nowhere in the next round of tier uplifts, that caused a few problems.

Totally agree that we should not have been put in the position that we felt we had to call in to CS. The natural reaction to VM's despicable treatment of existing customers gave them pause for thought and did their reputation no good at all. I don't care that they were trying to avoid an unmanageable stampede for 152Mb. They should have thought that through and been honest with people. Hopefully, they have learned their lesson and will roll out the 200Mb upgrade even-handedly and take care to explain their actions.

Ignitionnet · 31-05-2015, 14:42

The next upgrade, at least the top tier, will come to new customers first most likely as it'll need new kit.

Hopefully they have learned their lesson and won't give existing ones whatever they want because they call into the retentions team and end up breaking the service for all in their local area.

Customers on 120Mb or 152Mb or whatever are getting what they are paying for.

Customers who sign up for an upcoming tier are getting what they are paying for.

There is no entitlement to free upgrades. Tiers changing and the previous versions of them being grandfathered is perfectly common, as is leaving people on the earlier tiers until they have arranged to receive upgraded CPE.

The next generation services, at least the top one, will have to be approached in a similar manner to the upgrade of tiers from the legacy modems to DOCSIS 3 kit.

I'm hoping the new top tier will be entirely new, not an upgrade, to avoid the disagreements and issues. The other two it's not such a serious problem.

Sephiroth · 31-05-2015, 15:13

I'd want (don't need, of course) to have an upgrade available to me from 152 meg. I'd expect a charge for the modem and I'd expect to pay whatever new customers will be paying after their enticement period has expired.

ianch99 · 31-05-2015, 15:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

The 152 was always available to new customers, didn't mean an area had been upgraded for existing ones

It is very poor customer relations if you penalise existing customers in order to entice new ones. If you upgrade your product, all the customer in a particular area should be entitled to purchase it. There should be no discrimination. The upgrade for existing customers need not necessarily be free and may demand a new contract but that's fair.

If an area isn't upgraded for all then it isn't upgraded ..

Vodafone announce that the new 4G product is available for purchase in your area for new Vodafone customers only. Existing Vodafone customers who are eligable for upgrades or who are out of contract cannot apply .. Wouldn't go down well would it?

Sephiroth · 31-05-2015, 16:05

Not totally off topic, but "VM Mobile announce that their product has no 4G available neither to new nor existing customers". How did that go down?

Other than that, ianch is correct.

ianch99 · 31-05-2015, 16:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Not totally off topic, but "VM Mobile announce that their product has no 4G available neither to new nor existing customers". How did that go down?

Not well

We looked VM Mobile but when I asked them about 4G, the CS rep was unable to give any information whatsoever. Maybe EE won't give them consumer 4G and they are too embaressed to tell anyone

Sephiroth · 31-05-2015, 16:36

More like VM Mobile won't pay for 4G because they try to cut subscription prices and still make a profit.

On the 200 meg thing, Igni is more or less saying that he hopes VM have learned their lessons from the 152 meg upgrade.

qasdfdsaq · 31-05-2015, 16:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianch99

It is very poor customer relations if you penalise existing customers in order to entice new ones. If you upgrade your product, all the customer in a particular area should be entitled to purchase it. There should be no discrimination. The upgrade for existing customers need not necessarily be free and may demand a new contract but that's fair.

I agree. In any case a customer would be able to get the new service anyway, by cancelling their existing one and signing up as a new customer. Yet forcing someone to do so causes more costs and inconvenience to both the customer and VM for absolutely zero benefit to either party...

ianch99 · 31-05-2015, 16:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

On the 200 meg thing, Igni is more or less saying that he hopes VM have learned their lessons from the 152 meg upgrade.

You are correct, he is spot on about how they handled the 152M roll out

Ignitionnet · 31-05-2015, 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianch99

It is very poor customer relations if you penalise existing customers in order to entice new ones. If you upgrade your product, all the customer in a particular area should be entitled to purchase it.

Giving existing customers what they are paying for isn't penalising them. No-one's talking about refusing to allow them to upgrade. Makes perfect sense to allow existing customers to upgrade for a price. That price being somewhat more than a phone call to threaten to leave a 152Mb service because you want a xxxMb service for free else you'll go to BT's 76Mb.

Ideally there'd be no release of the product in areas that aren't fully ready at all, either to existing or new customers, but then people would complain and it'd be bad marketing.

ianch99 · 31-05-2015, 17:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Giving existing customers what they are paying for isn't penalising them. No-one's talking about refusing to allow them to upgrade. Makes perfect sense to allow existing customers to upgrade for a price. That price being somewhat more than a phone call to threaten to leave a 152Mb service because you want a xxxMb service for free else you'll go to BT's 76Mb.

Ideally there'd be no release of the product in areas that aren't fully ready at all, either to existing or new customers, but then people would complain and it'd be bad marketing.

I agree about your free upgrade point. I thought you were saying that they couldn't upgrade even if they were happy to pay the same price as a new customer and also were happy to enter a new contract

Kushan · 31-05-2015, 18:32

I know I'm just out of contract now but I'm going to wait and see what retentions can do when the new tiers come out, especially if it needs a new modem.

roughbeast · 31-05-2015, 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

More like VM Mobile won't pay for 4G because they try to cut subscription prices and still make a profit.

On the 200 meg thing, Igni is more or less saying that he hopes VM have learned their lessons from the 152 meg upgrade.

What lesson will they learn? Charging the likes of me more for 120Mb than new customers were charged for 152Mb was not on, whichever way you look at it. They knew they could have been taken to the ombudsman over that. As it is, folk may remember, the downside to getting 152Mb as an existing customer was having to enter into a new contract. The upside, apart from the speed, was being charged less than I was for 120Mb.

When 200Mb comes I am not expecting a free upgrade, ( It will cost more surely.) , only to be treated equally with new customers.

Kushan · 31-05-2015, 21:15

Errrr.....

Quote:

Originally Posted by roughbeast

What lesson will they learn? Charging the likes of me more for 120Mb than new customers were charged for 152Mb was not on, whichever way you look at it. They knew they could have been taken to the ombudsman over that.

No they couldn't? What they charge you is a contract between you and them, it has nothing to do with what they charge others. It's not uncommon for new customers to get sweeter deals than existing customers, especially with the likes of 6-12-18months half price or whatever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roughbeast

As it is, folk may remember, the downside to getting 152Mb as an existing customer was having to enter into a new contract.

I remember it very differently. I phoned up, asked nicely and got 152Mbit without having to sign a new contract. So did most people, much to the dismay of some who seen their area get overutilised as a result.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roughbeast

The upside, apart from the speed, was being charged less than I was for 120Mb.

All that happened was you signed a new contract, with new terms, just like the "new" customers you begrudge. There's nothing illegal about having two different contract terms for two different people, especially old and new customers.

roughbeast · 31-05-2015, 21:39

The reason CS caved in to polite or indignant existing customers was because treating new and existing customers differently is, regardless of common practice, against natural justice.