Well, that headline would have been a nice subject for the text message I just received from o2.
However, they took a different tact.
‘We’re notifying you about price changes’.
Gulp.
‘From April we’re adjusting your Airtime Plan in line with the 1.1% RPI rate of inflation (as per your terms). An £18 Airtime Plan would increase by 19p a month… calls outside your monthly allowance will change too. See [link to more corporate justification]’
Okay, here’s my beef.
Point No.1
As per your terms? AS PER YOUR TERMS? Well, I’m so sorry, I seem to have misplaced the magnifying glass.
Point No.2
The lesson in Economics. Unnecessary.
Point No.3
I don’t have an £18 Airtime Plan. It’s quite a bit more. But, I guess, you’re not aware of that are you o2? Oh, sorry, you are.
Here’s my bigger beef. Think of it as the 32oz fillet mignon.
TALK TO ME IN A LANGUAGE WE (AS HUMANS) ADOPTED A FAIR FEW YEARS AGO.
See that? I used caps. Feeling my frustration?
How about this. We’ll call it option 2.
‘Your Airtime Plan cost is increasing. We hate doing this. But it’s necessary. We’re constantly investing in our service so that you can make the [insert calls I made last year] to your friends, colleagues and family. It means we can offer you the service you deserve. Are you sat down? Right, we’re going to increase your bill by 1.1%. That’s [amount] a month. I know, it hurts, doesn’t it? But, why not scout through our o2 priority pass site and see if there’s a way we can make it up to you.
If you want to find out more about the price increase have a click here [link to an empathetic page detailing just how great o2 are and how much I rely on them. Thanks for being a loyal customer.’
Bad news doesn’t have to be bad news. But, don’t ever ever EVER play the ‘it was in the T&Cs, sorry about that’ card. It causes distain. It causes people to write about how cold-hearted you are as a business.
I had a similar experience with my hosting provider a few months back. They listed every single reason they could think of and it bored me to tears.
Bad news doesn’t have to take on a corporate flavour. It doesn’t have to be about ‘us’ and ‘them’. We know about inflation. We know it happens and prices do increase.
This is where small businesses can flourish. We’re not covered in red tape and bureaucracy (not that it should be an excuse). We can be empathetic. People get rising costs. They don’t like it, but they will understand if you give reason and maybe remind your customers of the great things you are doing. The great things you will continue to do with the change in pricing.
So, there you go, I turned bad news into an opportunity for you. Go forth and empathise.
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