A decade or so ago, the Dot.com bubble burst and everyone was saying that the Internet was dead and nobody would ever buy things online again.
Of course that hasn’t happened – online sales have grown exponentially and now brands that haven’t invested in e-commerce are not only falling behind but also missing out on huge revenues. (more…)
From December landline and broadband customers won't be automatically tied into new contracts
Ofcom has confirmed that rollover contracts, which tie landline and broadband customers into repeated minimum contract periods unless they opt out, will be banned from December this year.
The contracts, also known as Automatically Renewable Contracts (ARCs), roll forward to a new minimum contract period – with penalties for leaving – unless the customer actively opts out of the renewal. The ban will apply to ARCs for landline and broadband services sold to residential and small business customers.
It estimated that about 15 per cent of UK customers who sign up to a broadband and landline provider are tied to Automatically Renewable Contracts (ARCs).
Ofcom said it would require comms providers to eventually shift all residential and small business customers off rollover contracts and over to alternative deals.
“Ofcom’s evidence shows that ARCs raise barriers to effective competition by locking customers into long-term deals with little additional benefit. Our concern about the effect of ARCs and other ‘lock in’ mechanisms led to our decision to ban them in the communications sector,” said the regulator’s chief Ed Richards.
Naturally, providers that currently use ARCs disagree that these contracts are detrimental to either the customer or competition, but Ofcom’s mind is made up and BT has already said that it would no longer be selling ARCs to residential customers now that the ban has been confirmed by Ofcom.
Here a 08Direct, we think this is a good thing. That’s why we’ve never tied customers into lengthy contracts – 30 days notice is all we ever ask, even from day 1 of the service being provided.
What do you think? Are ARCs good for anybody but the provider? Or are you glad to see the back of them?
Today is the the day that the US Senate is voting on a bill to save America’s economy by increasing its debt limit by $2.4trillion. Now as someone who works for a telecoms business, I like long numbers but in this case I had to write trillion as I didn’t want to type out all the noughts for a million million! (more…)
Robbie gets people talking with controversial tactics
So, Robbie Williams is at it again. Where would we be without his media-friendly, attention seeking outbursts? Whether you love him or loathe him, Robbie knows how to get people talking about him, and here I am writing a blog about him for 08 Direct…so, “what’s all this got to do with non-geographic numbers?”, I hear you ask….I’ll explain…. (more…)
Who will win? BlackBerry vs iPhone vs Android
Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s parent company had a bad week last week.
RIM’s quarterly profit dropped and it missed its revenue forecast, forcing it to slash its outlook for the future. This announcement sent its shares plummeting as investors were clearly unimpressed. (more…)
Cheryl Cole X Factor
Pop star Cheryl Cole has reportedly been dropped from the judging panel of the US version of The X Factor. Entertainment website TMZ said sources claimed the show’s producers were concerned the singer’s Newcastle accent was too strong for US audiences. And as the show generates millions of dollars from the public’s votes it would be extremely costly to have a judge that isn’t able to encourage the viewers to call in because they don’t understand what she’s saying. (more…)
Artist impression of the Olympic Stadium
The ticketing for London 2012 has been controversial to say the least. It may have generated massive demand but the customer experience leaves a lot to be desired.. (more…)
www.BloomInBusiness.co.uk
Bloom in Business was founded by three Yorkshire Business Women who identified a gap in the market for a fun, creative, relaxed environment where businesses could meet, learn and bloom.
Disillusioned with the typically unproductive, run of the mill business events, their mission is to create a UK-wide series of regional business events that provide businesses with an effective and enjoyable networking and promotional forum. In addition to these events, they also publish Bloom In Business Magazine, a regional publication showcasing local businesses to the local business community. (more…)
Here at 08 Direct, we love our customers and we hope you love us too.
And if you do, we’d like to say thank you.
You’re certainly not alone – thousands of businesses use our services and almost all are happy to recommend us. We have featured a small selection of them on our testimonials page. (more…)
Chris Moyles - ranted about Radio 1's 03 number
Driving into work this morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and, as usual, I had the Chris Moyles Show on the radio. Now, Moyles likes to talk but one particular link caught my attention when he had to read out Radio 1’s telephone number so that listeners could call the show.
Now it isn’t unusual for him to have a bit of a rant, but in this case Moyles vented an opinion that he thinks Radio 1’s phone number is, frankly, rubbish. And he’s got a point because most radio stations use a phone number that has something to do with either their broadcasting frequency or the name of the station. But Radio 1’s number is 03700 100 100. (more…)
