Afrihost Plus ideas and feedback (not OT)

[CataclysmZA]

As a current Afrihost subscriber, I feel it is my right to assess what we're being offered with AH+ and how much value it may or may not hold for some people. On the whole, I don't have a problem with offering bolt-on products that increase the value of some services, but it feels more tailored to capped users who typically have low usage and constantly buy more cap as they use their existing data over the month. To recap on what's being offered:

Simfy Africa music streaming: full access to stream on desktop or mobile, which usually costs R60 per month (R49 if you’re an MTN customer).
Free 500MB mobile data.
Double data all the time: continue receiving double data on Afrihost mobile or DSL packages, even after the promotion ends on 31 December 2014.
Permanent 2-for–1 topups: Usually a promotion which Afrihost said runs a few days a month, Plus subscribers will always have access to 2-for–1 data top-ups.
Soft-capping on capped DSL: When your data cap runs out, your connection is instead throttled to 128 kilobits per second.
Double turbo charges: Turbocharge lets uncapped DSL users avoid all shaping for a 60 minute session. Uncapped subscribers usually get 5 free Turbocharge sessions (300 minutes) per month, with the option to top up for a fee. Afrihost Plus subscribers get double the Turbocharge minutes every month.

For some people, maybe its good value. I won't see much use out of Simfy (doesn't seem to have Videogame OSTs) and I'm not a heavy user of mobile bandwidth just yet. Locked-in double data and 2-for-1 again is aimed at capped DSL and mobile users, so as an uncapped subscriber (avoiding shaping by subbing to a Business account) I don't see the value there.

I will agree that the Simfy All-Access that gets added into AH+ is a good idea, though it looks like all you're really doing is being a middle-man for the subscription and not invoking too much actual cost on yourself.

Some things that I'd like to see happen before it becomes remotely attractive to me:

• Give me access to software: One of the value-adds for ISPs across the ocean or in Europe is access to software as part of their value bundle. This can include a paid-for anti-virus, access to educational software and school tutoring stuff, that kind of thing. Perhaps you could offer stuff that adds value to other software, like Macrium Reflect discounts.
• Give me access to services: I'd sign up for AH+ if it gives me an Office 365 Home subscription. Your business customers might agree with a bundled Google Apps sub. Giving people the choice of which one they want would be even better. Do you see what Telkom and CrystalWeb are doing with bundled Dynamic DNS services? Bundle that in. It only adds to the value proposition, even if relatively few users make use of it.
• Extended support on weekends: Consumers like to be made to feel like they're special and that a company values them. If you can offer support on weekends after 3PM until sometime later in the evening, customers experiencing issues during that time can come to you for help, rather than venting on social networks or forums such as this one.
• Zero-rating (or permanent unshaping) of select services: Zero-rate Steam, Origin or Uplay downloads and you are golden. If I was a capped user, I'd have to buy a lot of data just to cover myself for the month if there are several game launches that require downloads of several hundred gigabytes. At the very least, offer this service to capped and home uncapped users to allow them to bypass shaping just for game downloads. Some people only buy uncapped or high-cap accounts just to cover game downloads, because their usage would otherwise be pretty low. Why not zero-rate basic access to social networks on your mobile offerings as well?

That's just my thoughts for now. Others can chime in with their feedback or ideas. I feel like AH+ is the first of many steps towards the right ideas you should be implementing to make your offering unique compared to other ISPs, but in its current form AH+ offers no value to me.

 

[CapetonianMike]

I like these ideas, but I doubt it would happen any time soon because there is not enough competition in the market. Overseas there is a much more highly contested market because you often purchase the physical connection along with your internet access, whereas here we purchase these two things separately (unless your ISP is Telkom, and even then its considered two seperate products), with the exceptions to this being rare (large WISPS etc). In the UK you buy paid-TV access, almost unlimited telephone access and uncapped internet bundled at 60mb for such ridiculously low amounts I want to cry everything I am reminded of it.

When we see true competition in this market place these types of deals will be necessary, because once one big provider offers it all the others will have to as well just to keep pace, along with other costs reducers such as economies of scale that Telkom very rarely passes "down" to ISPs.

 

[Yuu]

Excellent Points Wesley .

/may add something here later.../reserved

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

I think Gian should stop spamming me without giving me any way to unsubscribe from "his" emails.

 

[AfriGenie]

I think Gian should stop spamming me without giving me any way to unsubscribe from "his" emails.

You are definitely able to remove yourself from our Mail list, in the Clientzone, you just need to go to My Account, then under Contact Preferences you can choose which Promotions and Updates you want to receive.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

You are definitely able to remove yourself from our Mail list, in the Clientzone, you just need to go to My Account, then under Contact Preferences you can choose which Promotions and Updates you want to receive.

I have done this already. Still getting the text mails "Gian" sends.

 

[Johnatan56]

Simfy Africa music streaming: full access to stream on desktop or mobile, which usually costs R60 per month (R49 if you’re an MTN customer). I don't want this or need this, R60 of uselessness
Free 500MB mobile data.I don't use Mobile Data, I have no phone contract, costs R58 per month
Double data all the time: continue receiving double data on Afrihost mobile or DSL packages, even after the promotion ends on 31 December 2014.This is the only thing I want
Permanent 2-for–1 topups: Usually a promotion which Afrihost said runs a few days a month, Plus subscribers will always have access to 2-for–1 data top-ups.I don't want this, I purchased enough Data to last me the month at the beginning of the month, if this has to do with Mobile Data, again, I have no mobile deal with you guys
Soft-capping on capped DSL: When your data cap runs out, your connection is instead throttled to 128 kilobits per second.This should be offered free of charge anyways, but again, don't need it since I shouldn't hit my cap.
Double turbo charges: Turbocharge lets uncapped DSL users avoid all shaping for a 60 minute session. Uncapped subscribers usually get 5 free Turbocharge sessions (300 minutes) per month, with the option to top up for a fee. Afrihost Plus subscribers get double the Turbocharge minutes every month. Double Turbo charge, I don't have an uncapped account, I don't want or need this service.

You see, I really don't want this service, rather make your double data promotion permanent, I am not going to use any of the other items you have bundled in it, worth over R120 of nothing for me. Please talk to your sales people or whoever makes these decisions and inform them that a large part of your customer base will leave in December. Your uncapped prices used to be cheapest, but with the wholesale price cut in January, which you didn't pass onto the consumers, you are the most expensive home uncapped providers. Capped wise you are still very good, but with the double promo ending I will sadly move.

 

[AfriGenie]

Simfy Africa music streaming: full access to stream on desktop or mobile, which usually costs R60 per month (R49 if you’re an MTN customer). I don't want this or need this, R60 of uselessness
Free 500MB mobile data.I don't use Mobile Data, I have no phone contract, costs R58 per month
Double data all the time: continue receiving double data on Afrihost mobile or DSL packages, even after the promotion ends on 31 December 2014.This is the only thing I want
Permanent 2-for–1 topups: Usually a promotion which Afrihost said runs a few days a month, Plus subscribers will always have access to 2-for–1 data top-ups.I don't want this, I purchased enough Data to last me the month at the beginning of the month, if this has to do with Mobile Data, again, I have no mobile deal with you guys
Soft-capping on capped DSL: When your data cap runs out, your connection is instead throttled to 128 kilobits per second.This should be offered free of charge anyways, but again, don't need it since I shouldn't hit my cap.
Double turbo charges: Turbocharge lets uncapped DSL users avoid all shaping for a 60 minute session. Uncapped subscribers usually get 5 free Turbocharge sessions (300 minutes) per month, with the option to top up for a fee. Afrihost Plus subscribers get double the Turbocharge minutes every month. Double Turbo charge, I don't have an uncapped account, I don't want or need this service.

You see, I really don't want this service, rather make your double data promotion permanent, I am not going to use any of the other items you have bundled in it, worth over R120 of nothing for me. Please talk to your sales people or whoever makes these decisions and inform them that a large part of your customer base will leave in December. Your uncapped prices used to be cheapest, but with the wholesale price cut in January, which you didn't pass onto the consumers, you are the most expensive home uncapped providers. Capped wise you are still very good, but with the double promo ending I will sadly move.

I should point out that the 2-for-1 Top-ups can be applied to any ADSL or Mobile Data package.

I don't believe that Afrihost Plus+ is meant to be an all-in-one solution for all users, but as an add-on for those that want to get extra value out of their accounts.