I was going to write an article about why the customer is not always right, and that is coming shortly, however this was on the top of my list so thought I would punch it out first.
This article is about dissatisfied customers and should get you thinking about whether you have existing customers that you’ve been ignoring, therefore, you are missing out (in more ways than one). So bear with me, there is a point to all this.
I am one very dissatisfied Foxtel customer, which pains me no end because my favourite shows are on Fox 8. Anyway, this is about my experience as a customer and how Foxtel seems to focus on the NEW customer and FORGETS their current customer (unless of course they are after money).
I believe forgetting about your existing customers is a huge mistake for any business, and Foxtel is likely losing business because of it.
So here is my gripe(s).
My husband and I have been a Foxtel customer for nearly 10 years. In that time we have noticed some key differences in quality and value:
- Foxtel fees keep going up and up and it is hard to justify the value, and they offer NEW customers the opportunity to purchase for nearly 1/3 of the price we are (were) paying
- Too many repeats, where are the new shows in the series.
- We were paying $1300 a year for repeated shows with constant ad interruptions. So on a typical half hour show, we regularly noticed 15 mins of ads
It is just not acceptable for PAY TV! Didn’t the whole PAY TV concept originate by pushing the fact there was ‘no advertising’. I don’t know about you, but I think that is double dipping. Foxtel gets paid by the customer and the advertiser, and we are getting less and less value for our money.
Then there is the issue of lack of variety. With the same shows being repeated 3 or 4 times and hardly anything new to watch. Most of the repeats recently on Foxtel are now also on free tv (granted a little behind but nonetheless, for free). Correct me if I am wrong, but shouldn’t Foxtel be showing the latest in a series?
Of course, sometimes we are happy to pay over the top prices for a quality product, if you feel you are getting what you pay for!
Now here is the clincher…
My hubby rang up to cancel the account, because we believed were not receiving value for money, plus received a letter from Foxtel threatening to cancel the account (we were less than one month behind, oops). So we paid the $96 owing but then the customer service rep offered us a $10 week deal if we stayed on as a customer. What the!
Now you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t think that was a good deal, but why wait until we threatened to cancel the account before showing they value us as a customer. If they had asked if we wanted to do that a month before we would have jumped at it; now we are beyond pissed and really don’t want anything to do with them.
Foxtel, it is just not good enough, you need to start looking at your existing (long term) customers and start giving back. Plus, get rid of the ads and put some new shows/updated series on.
So now we have a set top box, yes we miss our favourite shows, but the kids are playing more on the trampoline, running around, and we go to bed early instead of sitting up all hours catching up on taped shows. Yes, there are a lot of times I/we miss it, especially on the weekends when all that is on ‘free tv’ is sport (yawn), but that is a sacrifice we are willing to make.
It is amazing to me how Foxtel continually advertisers great bargains for new customers, but I would like to hear from any existing long term customer that has received a special offer at random (no particular reason) that has reduced your monthly cost. We never received it until it was too late, have you and do you believe you should? Let me know your thoughts.