On 19/12/09 16:58, Steve Tompkins-MacQueen wrote: > On 19 Dec 2009, at 10:21, Mark Rogers wrote: > > >> On the other hand, it's a perfectly legitimate business model to get as >> many customers as possible on a miniscule margin, and let the ones with >> problems flounder until they leave. >> > It may be legitimate but it's not moral and it is this sort of thinking that > makes the would a BAD place. >
You will of-course have noted (in what I said after that quote) that my own company offers ADSL on a different business model where we do charge more and do support it. It is very hard to compete with the likes of CPW because most people still shop on price only. However, I still defend that business model, much as I would never choose to run a business using it myself. It's simply supply and demand; the majority out there just look for the cheapest price and create the demand for this type of product, and it's not really that different from no-frills airlines or supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl. I would say that there are some rough edges - they should let people out of their contracts more easily, for example, and should certainly make it more clear exactly what they're offering. But surely most people do know that providing support costs money and if you choose the absolute lowest price then you're unlikely to get the best support? When millions of people make their choice of ADSL provider purely on the basis of lowest price, surely we should be blaming that mentality instead? On a related (and on-topic!) note: what level of support do you expect from Ubuntu or other Linux distros (or indeed from other FOSS software)? The support model has to be different because of the charging model. Generally support is pretty good too, but that's because you start looking in the forums first rather than picking up the phone and calling Canonical (unless you're paying for support directly from them). There is quite a lot of reasonable community support for CPW, it's just their own telephone support lines that stink. Disclaimer: I do not work for CPW, and would never choose a CPW ADSL line on their current business model. All my comments relate equally to other budget providers, including Virgin who I do use, and who stink every bit as badly as CPW. I chose it on the basis of cost, and while it works I'll use it, and when it stops working I'll ditch it for something else. (My excuse: I have a wedding to save up for!) -- Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450 Registered in England (0456 0902) @ 13 Clarke Rd, Milton Keynes, MK1 1LG _______________________________________________ Peterboro mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/peterboro
